End of summer? Already?

The past 2 weekends have completed my scheduled races for the summer. I have mixed emotions about that statement. On one hand I have a whopping 5 weeks until fall semester starts..........which terrifies me! Only because I have done nada to prepare for that upcoming schedule. 5 classes all of which I have taught before, 2 of which need updating and some re-vamping, 2 of which need new topics due to some recent changes. Have I begun any of it.........not a bit!!! So, I feel that I can concentrate some brain power onto that now.

On the other hand my mind and body crave a training routine. I love training. I love the feeling of discomfort that comes right in the middle of a hard run or bike, or swim. I love that "wow look what I just did feeling" when it's all over. Mind you, I am no elite athlete, but I love how I feel when I'm on track with a schedule. I'm also competitive. You wouldn't know that by seeing my results this past weekend in Cleveland (bottom of the list........major stomach cramps and a horrible surface to run on........the excuses keep coming.........it was just a painful run from T2 on!), but I love competition. I race people in the grocery store without them even knowing it. I race people at school in the halls (I usually win those!). I just like competition. So, I must fill that void with 'how fast can I get these courses up and ready'!! Sounds very exciting!!!! Not!!!!!

So, I must mention cheater-girl today. Cheater-girl came into my life on Sunday while in the Cleveland Triathlon. Anyone who has ever done a triathlon, or any road race for that matter can usaully pick out who is in their age group and take a guess as to how they may match up to you on race day. Well cheater-girl just made me angry!! I came across her in T1. I picked her out for a couple of reasons. She looked my age, and looked like I could take her on the bike.....I just had a feeling I could leave her in the dust (that competitive spirit!) She was easy to spot too, she had on a green tie-dye T-shirt (probably cotton..........newbie) So, she pulled in front out of T1. She was about 1/4 mile ahead of me on the bike during the first 4-5 miles but I reeled her in little by little. There were a few small inclines where we were pretty much cat and mouse, but I pulled ahead..............hummmmph eat my dust!!! The bike was a 2 lap 8 mile course, then you got off the freeway (yes, we rode on the freeway....it was closed and actually pretty cool), and did about a 1/2 mile little loop back to T2. At the end of the 1st lap there was a sharp turn to head back to begin your 2nd lap. I had slowed way down to make that turn and Tie-dye girl passed me.......no biggy......another incline coming.......I'll get ya........then.............she cheated!!!!!...........she made the turn onto the 2nd lap then pulled right off the freeway and down into T2................urrrrrrrgggghhhh!!! I was not happy. I even said on my way past the turn off......."you've got one more lap!" Christian girl -vs- Competitor girl. Christian girl would think "Oh well, she'll not win in the end! Competitior girl thought run that tie-dye girl down and pull her back on the course, we've got a race between us! I decided to be Christian Competitior girl, let her go and know that I really have won becasue I did the right thing............and I can check her time later and verify that............okay, okay, let it go!!!! I finished my last lap, and saw her on her way to turn to the finish line as I was entering T2 for the worst run I've ever had. I still think I could have beat her stomach cramps and all..............competitor girl...............I had a wonderful time enjoying that race..............christian girl...................hummmmmmph!

So, I will run for me for the remainder of the summer. I hope to increase my mileage back up to my Wildflower mileage (8) then go up from there depending on how I feel. I also have 10 lbs. that came after Wildflower that have decided to linger, so back to the food tracking! Eating whatever just doesn't work for me! I'm loving spending quality time with Winks, Bug and Ceito too. I have wednesday nights blocked off too for a kick-boxing class I haven't been able to attend regularly, and I'm tossing around the idea of yoga. That should be pretty! Miss I-have -no-flexibility-at-all in yoga! I see a muscle strain coming! Do you know a good Physical Therapist?????

Crayons and Sam Walton

Well last night I embarked on the crazed world of school supply shopping. How in the world did my parents ever maintain school supplies for my brother and I? Actually, I don't think we ever had a list that compares to the one I began to check off last night. First, the issue of Super Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart is a pit, a pit I'm telling you, a total pit!! I remember going to Wal-Mart in college (to buy hairspray of course..........loads of it!) and feeling like a kid in a candy store. So many things to look at and to consider purchasing! Now, that I am an adult with a tad bigger budget (but, not much), and two hungry and thirsty all the time little mongruls, Super Wal-Mart is just a huge, out-of my ability to comprehend pit!! Now you can buy bed sheets, hairspray, cat food and litter, trashbags, tampons, milk, diapers (none for me thanks!), baby food, cucumbers, frozen pizza (another sin), lettuce in a bag that dies in 24 hours if not eaten same day purchased (rip-off), more milk, o.j., pop-tarts (Ceito's nemesis), chicken breasts, coffee, bread, yards of fabric, toys, cameras..............it goes on and on..............all in the same cart!!! Or if you are my family the last time we all went in as a family we had two carts!! I promise you all I will never do that again!! I was hungry and tired, weakend by the needs of husband and 1 child who went to the bathroom not once but twice, then spent $225.00!! That's just great...........now I have $25.00 in my pocket to last me for another 11 days...........thank you Sam Walton!!! So, anyhoo, back to the issue at hand........school supplies! Really, does a kindergardener really need 4 boxes of crayons? I have crayons in the play room that I've had for about 3 years, they still work. Come to think of it, my grams has crayons at her house that I think my mom used!! I don't think they called them crayola way back then, but they still work! And glue? His list had elmer's on it.......okay, 20cents for elmers went in the cart.......then.............10 large glue sticks????????????? What are these 5 year olds planning to glue? Why so much? Then folders........5 different folders, 5 different colors (mandated by the list of course), with 2 pockets, and the 3 little brad fasteners in the middle. Wow!! That's picky! I don't know what to think about the list, all I know is Winks better be bringing home some amazing coloring and it all needs to be glued to it's corresponding colored folder! Yikes. This is all just the beginning of the list. All-in-all said list has about 25 listed items, half of which I purchased last night at crazy Super Wal-Mart! Then the uniforms. I am all for the uniform look. Easy to buy, easy to pick out in the morning and easy to deal with come school clothes shopping time (my mom would have loved uniforms too!), but the ad in the newspaper for wonderful Super Wal-Mart had the uniforms shown in the beautiful color ad, sizes listed included Winks sizes, and great price of $5.88 for short-sleeve shirts, shorts and pants, $6.88 for long sleeve shirts. So I looked and looked and looked and looked. We came out with 2 short sleeved shirts........that's it! Not because the budget was broke or Winks did not like the selection........there was no selection!!! We literally bought the only size 4/5 we found in the store. Surely there are other small kids going into kindergarten in our area? Or maybe not........childhood obesity is on the rise..........due in part to....................Super Wal-Mart!!!!!!!!!!

The Spoiled Campers

Well I went camping this past weekend. It was a hoot!!!! I gotta tell ya, after camping in California with practically no food and very yucky showers, and practically no one I knew, I have now seen the other side of the spectrum!! We were invited by friends of ours to join their group that camps together every year. Four families...........8 adults, 7 kids, 4 tents (one Taj-Ma-Tent.....i'll explain later), bikes, swim suits, one huge pool, great showers, clean potties, awesome campfires, and food like no other!!!! I ate like a queen in the middle of the woods!!! Ceito was amazed that people could cook like that while camping, which further darkens my lack of abilities in the home kitchen!!! We are truly ruined! We can never camp without these people again. They had refrigerators, toaster ovens, skillets, grills, crock pots.....I think I even saw a wine chiller refrigerator!!! I was amazed. We ate pancakes and sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon, sub sandwiches, grilled veggies, bacon wrapped burgers (none for me, thanks!), fruit salad, garden salad, smores, hobo pies, and other miscellaneous stuff. It was very good eatin'!!!! And very relaxing. We are already thinking about when we can go again. The Winks and Bug had a wonderful time. They were like little natural campers. We got to the camp-site and their shoes came off, and they got the squirt guns out, and started their own version of relaxation. Bug even caught a fish when they went fishing on Saturday. She had no idea what she had just done, but when I asked how big the fish was her arms stretched out to full capacity!! I true fisher-woman!!! Great weather, great fun! We took our first family tent! We had some help putting it up but I think we could have managed. We bought the tent at Kmart about 2 weeks ago, during a sale (of course). I picked it out, it had room for 7 and a little screened in area on the outside of the sleeping area. We started to put it up and realized it was going to be big........no..........huge! It really is the biggest tent I've ever seen! I loved it, the kids loved it, Ceito even said it was a good idea to go big. Now, if the kids ever want to bring a friend (or two, or three), throw 'em in there, and there is still room for a dishwasher! It was very nice. Cold the first night.........but, one of the other more prepared campers in the group had an extra space heater. We plugged it in and although it was cold outside our Taj-Ma-Tent was toasty warm! I was able to bike about 12 miles on Saturday, then run 3.5, so I feel good going into the next 2 weekends racing. Sunday will be my second trip to Walnut Beach here in A-town. A small little triathlon, but well organized. Last year was a downer for that race. I had a lot of trouble with my bike. The chain came off while going out of the beach area up a hill. That was pretty discouraging, because I had a very good swim. Then the chain came off 2 other times. Needless to say, I was pretty crabby by the time the run came! The next Sunday I will make my first attempt at the Cleveland Triathlon. This will be my last scheduled tri this summer. I really need to get my life back in order. I have felt out of it since Wildflower. I think the entire experience was a little overwhelming for me, and I didn't realize how overwhelming until I got close to the starting line. I learned a lot about myself in the experience, but I'm ready to take it down a notch. I will do local 5K's the remainder of the year, and I may change my mind in August and do a tri then, or maybe the women's only in Sept. and, I've been thinking about a 1/2 marathon (Columbus) in October. But, I'm just not scheduling anything for right now. I just want to run for me!! And, school shopping will start soon!!!!