The summer of unexpected

Well, as you all know it's been a bit of year for me so far.  Looking back at my summer I certainly had some expectations for how things were going to shake out.  Do some races to keep busy, move into my new place, and settle into a routine with the kids coming and going.

My race plans had a lot of hiccups.  I couldn't run the Drake Half-Marathon after a weeks of battle with MS fatigue mixed with food sensitivity issues and a bout of shingles.  I ran the Hope Run with Joshua and Joe, but couldn't run Midnight Madness due to leg issues I am still  working through.  I raced in the Ames triathlon which I signed up for at the last minute, only to opt out of Bluff Creek to spend time with my kids after either being on the road with them or not having them with me for many summer weeks.

My place still barely feels like home with mostly new (to me) furniture, new venue, and just a lizard to keep me company half the time.  I got moved into my new place and for weeks upon weeks I had totes and boxes and piles (still do really) on my porch, and in my parlor and bedroom.  We just got things hung on the walls a few weeks ago with the help of my folks and Steve.

Then there is the yard.  We got the trampoline moved out of necessity and spent several intense weeks building chicken coop 2.0 (there will be a separate blog on that) but neither of those are completely assembled in their normal functional state.  Then add the buckets and bags of plants I dug up from the old house, and all the plants I ordered with the hope of having a vegetable garden this year that languished most of the summer in place, only to get dumped out as water filled the totes they were hanging out in.

And the summer routine I thought would be simple ended up being a tad complex with mini vacation travels, Abby's first job (she taught swim lessons and life guarded at the local pool), an intermittent nanny, both kids off to scout camp, and grandma's house, loss of a friend, and a work trip plus travel for a big race (yet another blog), which left my head spinning and no real routine to be seen.


However, through all the crazy, and changes and reinventing I built some new friendships, conquered a few of the goals I set off to tackle, reintroduced myself to a new love that is constantly filling my bucket and I his, and started doing some of the things I've always wanted to do but for which I never had a willing partner.  All in all the last eight months have been a roller coaster of ups and downs but the driving force for me was hope for doing more than just surviving... finding my way to thriving.

So just know while I still struggle, and life it a chaotic and crazy most of the time, that I have found my way to thriving and I am loving it.  As always thanks for reading.

I leave you with the following quotes that I am aspiring to...

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
~ Eddie Cantor

In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. And in an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.
~ Pico Iyer

Tough decisions and major changes

Joe and I have been together for 22 years with a lot of ups and downs.  I have been pretty private here about our time together because we’ve had good days and bad days and if I’m being honest the struggles never seemed appropriate to share here.  We’ve been through two rounds of heavy counseling together over the years as well as individual counseling but never could get to the part where we could come together enough. Through all the ups and downs of 22 years we have both changed, grown apart, become less tolerant.  


We have lived in three states (four if you count the first six weeks we spent together), working to raise two kiddos (and cats, dogs, lizard, goats and chickens), riding through the waves of different jobs good and bad.  In December the hard decision was made to dissolve our marriage. While it continues to be a painful, stressful time for our family we both agree we probably should have done this a while ago. What this means for us is separating the household into two with the kids going back and forth each week.  Moving into two new homes and saying goodbye to the acreage we all love. And most of all, depending on all the people who care for us to help us navigate the path ahead.

We are making this change amicably and with the best interest of our family in mind, and we are both determined to be better coparents than we have been partners.  So we ask of you not to pick sides as we will always be a family even if we are not sharing a home. Help us by listening to our sad stories and remind us that the sadness will lift with time, make us laugh, pull us out of the house when it's our week alone, remind us to be grateful and that we are loved.

This dissolution may not be like others as we are still in the same house as we work through the financial changes needed. We are making decisions together and trying our best to be kind and supportive to each other.  Please do not share your divorce horror stories or try to push us into choices you would make as we are taking our own path. We are going to need help moving (two times) and hope that the dust will have settled by August so we can establish our new normal.

So moving forward if you have questions ask them, we don’t want you to feel sorry for us or try to change our minds.  If you want to help or listen then check in, help us lighten the load for the kids if you are able. They are doing pretty good with all of this so far but the hard days are still ahead.  Just know we are grateful to have your support in whatever capacity you can provide.

As always thanks for reading.

Shawn and Joe

Race Report - Copper Creek

I have been doing triathlons since 2007 but racing Copper Creek was a day of firsts for me:

• First time doing Copper Creek
• First race in the 40+ age bracket
• First triathlon after being diagnosed with MS
• First time using my ladies triathlon Bia GPS watch
• First time racing with the Kyle’s Bike team

It was supposed to be my first time racing on the Kyle’s Bikes Specialized Alias.  Saturday night I aired things up pulled the bike bags off of my Trek and loaded the Alias into the car.  Sunday morning I was up at 5:15 to a glorious sunrise and checked the weather.  The radar was not looking promising.  Storms were coming in so I made the call to switch to the Trek.  I am used to riding it and felt more comfortable on it should the rains arrive before I got done with the bike portion of the race.  I did a quick check of my gear (for a gear list you can check my blog at: http://blaesing-thompson.blogspot.com/2014/06/gearing-up-to-tri.html)  I should have checked my list twice.

Part of the Kyle's Bike Team - Andy and Scott

I had my traditional prerace meal of gluten free toast and almond butter on my drive down to Pleasant Hill.  Once I arrived I stopped to pick up my race chip and went to the bike tent before going to claim my spot in transition.  I had ridden (rode?) the MS bike ride the day before and noticed my bike had a squeak but since I didn’t plan to ride it I hadn’t put any lube on it.  The guys at the tent fixed me right up.

My race setup

Then I headed into transition rocking my Kyle’s Bike team trikit.  They had us grouped by wave in transition so I was with all the 40 and over ladies near the swim in/run out area.  I got my area set up socks rolled down into my bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses on the aerobars, running shoes/visor/race numbers in the back, a little towel to dry off my feet and misc gear like sunscreen, my extra water bottle and a banana. (photo of my transition area is in the folder)

After I was good with my set up I wandered out to check out the lake, visit the triracers tent, and then use the porta potty.  I made sure I had my chip and watch on, grabbed my cap and goggles and headed out of transition.  I ran into my triracer training buddy and sat and shot the breeze to move time along.  I was feeling anxious and excited, and between the 25 mile bike and three hours gardening the day before I was trying to conserve my energy.

My triracer training buddy Galen

Waiting to jump into the lake

About then one of the race volunteers made an announcement that they were going to move the start up to 7:45 in an attempt to get ahead of the coming storm.  After a race brief and a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner we were ready to race.  There were five waves and of course I was in the fifth wave.

The beach at Copper Creek is narrow and rocky so the start is actually a treading water start which was new to me, and is also the longest sprint swim course in the area.  I was treading water trying to get a handle on my new triathlon Bia GPS watch for ladies.  The triathlon settings are still in beta so I had to run each component of the race as a separate event.  I spent time in each transition fiddling with it.  It kept going to sleep while we were treading water for five minutes waiting for our start buzzer.  We got a 15 second count down so I got it started and we were off.

coming out of the lake after the swim

I decided pretty early on that this race was going to be for me.  I was not going to focus on time, or how fast I could go, I just wanted to finish and feel solid at the end of things.  I went into the swim pretty conservative and maintained about an 80% output rate throughout the 750 meter course.  I was a competitive swimmer when I was young so the swim is really my only advantage when racing.  I swam through parts of the two heats in front of me and came out towards the front of my heat and felt alright.  My only difficulty was foggy goggles as I realized I forgot to pack my antifog but I got through it and managed to sight pretty straight between buoys.   I ran up the hill out of the lake and down the sidewalk to transition.

Running to the bike mount line

I realized my second hiccup was I forgot to unvelcro my bike shoes so I sat down, rolled up my socks and pulled the shoes on.  After the race I realized I was pretty darn lucky.  I had the bike shoes that go with the specialized and have a different style cleat than the shoes I use with Trek.  Fortunately after my jaunt across the transition area I hopped on the bike and was off despite the mismatched cleat/pedal set.  My quads were barking at me right away and I thought I was sunk when we hit the first section of rolling hills.  After a couple of miles and a major mental struggle I got into a groove and was rolling at a solid pace.  About mile four there is a serious down and up hill and then a flat section before the turn around.


It started to drizzle right after I made the turn around but it felt nice and wasn’t make the road too slick.  I got to the hill and was moving at a pretty good pace however half way up the other side while moving gears on my front ring I blew a chain.  Fortunately the gear transition was almost complete so I popped the chain back on, waited for traffic to pass and kicked it in gear up the rest of the hill.  I spent some energy trying to overtake all the space I loss with my minutes standing on the hill and around mile 10.5 it really started raining and I was happy to get off the bike by mile 12.

Another slow transition transpired from bike to run related to having to tie my shoes and tinker with my watch.  I had forgotten to get some stretch laces early enough to get a trial run in and had to do things old school.  I have some laces in the queue and will be ready for a fast shoe transition at my next race.  I had the usual spaghetti legs as I made my way around the lake and up onto the hilly run course.  I was just focused on trying to keep a steady albeit slow pace.  The rain was all happening on the other side of the lake so I was feeling the effects of the humidity without the bonus cooling and as I heated up my feet started their tingling.  I walked through all the water stops and drank a cup and wore a cup of water.  I ran for a while with several folks and finished the lap around the lake with a fellow doing his first triathlon.  I think chatting and running got us both around the lake where my triracer teammates cheered me on to the finish line.

saving my sanity with a nice icy soak

I was happy to finish my first race with MS, on Kyle’s Team (thanks Katherine for being my photographer), and glorious ice bath just across the finish line.  I wish I had one of those after every steamy run! While this race was tied for my slowest sprint race time I was ok with that.  I know I left a lot in the tank, but I am still figuring out my limits and I am good with how things came out.  I know where I need to focus my training energy for my next races.

Final outcome 12 of 14 in my new age group.  Swim: 15:54 T1 2:08 Bike 46:59 T2 1:22 Run 32:25 Final time 1:38:48.  I have a lot of room to improve however right now my next two races are twice as long but they are also races I have done in the past.  I will spend the next six weeks building my bike miles and working to find the faster run pace I had before the summer heat arrived.  Thanks for reading.

A big thank you goes out to Kyle's Bikes and the Discount Tri Supply Team for sponsoring me and getting me out to a new (to me) race.

Gearing Up to Tri

This is my first blog post for the Kyle's Bike triathlon team and the discounttrisupply.com blog so I thought I would share here too.  My first triathlon of the season is Sunday so I will post more soon!  

Since we had our first triathlon clinic at Kyle's Bike on May 28th thought we would give you a recap on all things transition.  Gearing up to Tri, looking to do your first triathlon, or just want a comprehensive gear list for your next race.  Here is what I use to prepare. 

Transition bag: (this is a large backpack with mesh sides and lots of pockets)

• Running shoes (with speed laces like yanks, these let you pull your shoes on quickly with no tying)
• Bike shoes (if you are shopping for tri shoes look for ones with velcro straps for quick and easy entry and exit in transition)
• Socks rolled down to arch (you just tuck your toe in and roll them on)
• Helmet
• Sunglasses
• Hat/visor
• Number belt/ race number
• Sunscreen (put some on first thing in the morning but I keep some spray on sunscreen in my transition kit too)
• Swim cap (you will be issued one by the race director)
• Swim goggles (I bring two pairs - one that is mirrored for sunny days and one that isn't for overcast days, always good to have a backup pair just in case)
• Goggle Anti-Fog (forgot this at my last race and could not see)
• Wetsuit (depends on water temp - this was my first major purchase after a bike - mine doesn't have sleeves and is fitted to my body so it goes on pretty smooth)
• Bath towel  (to put gear on) / Hand towel (use to try off if needed)
• Banana, 2 gels (stinger), Stinger waffle, Larabar (Use what works for you, don’t try something new race day!) 
• Extra bottle with water (I take sips from this at transition and after the race)
• Extra EFS powdered in a baggie (or whatever electrolyte drink works best for your body)
• Misc mini gear bag: sharpie, Kleenex, electrical tape, bug spray, spare goggles, two plastic shopping sacks (to get the wetsuit on for use on your feet) garbage bag, small sack with dry clothes(bag them so they stay dry), body glide, butt chamois cream, walking shoes/sandals for before and after the race

Bike:

•  In working order - tires properly inflated, gears all shifting properly, brakes working
• Small snack bag on top tube – gel, larabar, stinger gummies (for anything longer than a sprint)
• Emergency bag on seat stem – co2 cartridge, spare tube, tube removal tool, multi tool, mini first aid, gel, and I carry a copy of identifying information too.
• Pump held on with electrical tape to front tube
• Water bottles (front with water, back with EFS or other energy drink)
• Helmet on aerobars with sunglasses open inside - this makes it quick and easy to put glasses on, then helmet (strapped) then grab the bike and go.

On my body

• Timing chip / race numbers - I keep my race numbers on a belt that I clip on when I start the run or bike depending on the length of the race.
• Racing watch - I usually use a ladies Timex just to get overall time and splits, but just received my first Bia which is a ladies triathlon watch (they have a guys version too) a fraction of the size of a Garmin and super-fast to lock in the GPS
• Sunscreen, butt butter and body glide already applied
• Tri shorts/Tri top/ Trisuit
• Sports bra (or whatever guys need)
• Gel in pocket (generally don’t grab this until the T2 and may have two or three gels for a distance like a half ironman)
• Cover ups (to be taken off before start – can go to goodwill and leave these at race start or give to your support team)
• Comfy shoes (to be taken off before start – can leave these at transition)
• I also race with a road ID bracelet which makes it quick and easy for people to figure out who I am

Buddy bag (this is a bag my husband/support person can carry while I race – I don’t always have a person at the race):

• Wallet/ Phone

Setup:

• Get number, timing chip, and body markings
• Rack bike (use the seat to hang the bike, set up towel under rear tire)
• Put water bottles on bike
• Fold towel in thirds, lay on ground under bike
• Temporarily put cap and goggles (and wetsuit) on front end of towel (I wrap my goggles in      my cap and put them under my shoulder strap until I need them.
• Place bike shoes in front of towel, toes away (some folks keep their shoes attached to their bikes with rubber bands hooked to the heal loop attached to the bikes.  They go through transition without shoes and then jump on their bikes at the bike mount and pedal into their shoes.  I am not that hardcore or coordinated so pick what works best for you.)
• Place rolled socks one in each shoe, inside the  bike shoes
• Helmet on aerobars (or on bike shoes), straps open, or back of helmet on toes of bike shoes 
• Place sunglasses in helmet, bows open, lens down
• Put number on belt, set next to running shoes with hat
• Place running shoes on number belt, toes away
• Fold up bag and put at back of towel
• Put on wetsuit (if needed) and grab cap and goggles and go warm up in the lake

I have done 18 races from sprint to 1/2 Ironman and I use pretty much the same kit for all three distances.  The big difference for me is adding nutrition in the form of gel, gummies, bars as well as a third or fourth water bottle for the 1/2 distance if it is due to be really hot.  Since being diagnosed with MS this spring I am a little more concerned with the heat and I may bring along several bags of ice in a mini cooler to keep me cool at the transition points as well.

Prerace meal:  I generally eat the same thing race morning, usually on the drive to the race site.  For me this is usually toast with almond butter, a string cheese, and a glass of juice.  I occasionally add a hardboiled egg or some similar variation to the mix.  It is important to have some prerace fuel.  I usually eat a banana in transition before the race as well.

Prerace warm-up: This varies depending on race length, time transition closes and race morning temperatures.  If the water is really cold I usually skip the swim warm up and just do a short run. I also enjoy chatting with the racers around me in transition to burn off jitters and have someone to give a shout out to on the race course.   For my A races I will generally go out and run part of the run out course (maybe 10 minutes) and then hop in the water for a short swim.  It is good to get the bike out of transition and make sure you are geared right for departure however I am kind of lazy when it comes to the bike so I usually just walk it to its spot and call it good.  I also take time to get the lay of the land, swim in, bike in and out, and run out. I also avail myself of the facilities.

Transitions can be a great place to catch your breath and shave a few seconds, but making sure you have all the necessary gear, and things set up so they are quick and easy to get a hold of will put you ahead of the game.

More information for those new to the sport:

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/13-Tips-for-Sprint-Triathlon-Rookies.htm?page=1