My First Triathlon!

Woohoo!  Today has been a super good day!  I completed my first sprint triathlon, and I feel great about it!

I know yall are probably tired of hearing about my training, and blah blah blah.  BUT, I'm going to keep talking about it, because this is my blog!  Lol!

This morning started at a super-dark-and-tired 5am.  I woke up, took a little time to gather my thoughts, ate some breakfast, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door to the triathlon site.  I had to be completely ready to go and down at the lake for the swim at 7.  And before that, I had to set up my transition area, get my timing chip, and get my body marked.  I also wanted to walk the transitions a few times to make sure I knew where I was going for each one.

So at 6:15, as the sun came up, I walked into the race area, took a deep breath and went to stake a claim on a transition spot.  I knew absolutely no one there, so I had a lot of time to stand around (looking uber nervous, I'm sure) and watch what other people were doing to make sure I was doing it right.  Lol.

By 7 am, all 750 participants... that's right, 750(!!!) were gathered down by the lake, ready for the start.  This allowed me about 45 more minutes of standing around, looking (and feeling) very nervous.  But, my super awesome husband and parents ambled their way down to the swim area to watch, so I got to spend the last little bit talking to them.

My wave took off around 8, so we headed into the water to wait for the horn to sound.  And then we were off to start the 1/4 mile swim.  I was definitely glad to have the swim out of the way first because it was by far my weakest event.

After the swim, we walked/ran up the hill to the parking lot to grab our bikes and gear and set off for the 12.3 mile ride.  This was by far the easiest event.  There were bikers everywhere, and you were constantly passing or getting passed, and so it went by pretty easily and quickly.

Then we came back in to drop off the bikes and head out for the 2.5 mile run. 

I did walk a bit on the run which I was a little disappointed with, but it started out with this huge hill, and my legs really needed a little break.  But after than, I ran most of the way with just a few short walking breaks at the water stations.

I ran up the last hill and over the finish line, heard my name announced over the speakers as I came in, got my participation medal, and rode the wave of adrenaline of having actually done it! 

My goal time was 1 hour and 35 minutes, and my official finish time was 1 hour 35 minutes and 34 seconds!  Woohoo!  Never in my life have I been excited about getting a participation award, but today, I reveled in it!

And a super special thank you goes out to my husband who gave up sleeping in on his day off to help me get there and to support and watch me and take pictures for me as I participated, and to my awesome parents who also braved the ridiculous heat in order to cheer me on!  Thank you guys!

And I can tell you now, this won't be the last time you hear me talking about triathlons.  I've caught the bug!

A Life Update

A lot seems to be going on around here, though today I'm sitting at home alone working on some blog posts, watching Netflix, and unsuccessfully fending off a little kitten who just wants to sleep on my everytime I sit down.

I had swim practice for the triathlon this morning.  I can't believe it's on Saturday!  I've been working hard on my swimming, though none of it really prepared me for swimming in a lake with a bunch of other people this morning.  It was interesting to say the least. 

Swimming is definitely still my weakest area.  The breathing is just really difficult to get used to.  And of course, you don't get to practice and figure it out in private.  No, you have to be at a gym, in a pool with real athletes who know what they're doing, and lifeguards who are watching and probably thinking, Oh crap.  This girl is totally going to drown and then I'm going to have to jump in the water fully clothed and pull her out.  This is just going to ruin my day.  Yeah.  Swimming is definitely not my favorite. 

But, I now know a little bit better of what to expect for Saturday.  And it was seriously heartening to see the other participants for the sprint distance.  I was so relieved to see that I'm not the only person not wearing a professional grade triathlon outfit.  I'm not the only one who struggled with staying on course in the water.  I'm not the only one who doesn't have a super expensive road bike.  So, though I'm nervous about Saturday, I definitely feel much more confident that I'm not going to make a fool out of myself as long as I keep my nerves in check.

On another note, one of the reasons I'm more nervous about the triathlon than I'd hoped is because I haven't dedicated as much time to training as I would have liked.  Moving and then getting a job right away sort of messed up my routine, but I'll tell you what, I wouldn't be surviving at all without that job.  It was the one job listing that I was actually, truly interested in when we were looking for jobs while moving here, and I can't believe it's as great as it is.  I really love what I'm doing, and I love the people I work with and, more importantly, the people I work for.  It's so awesome.  And without that job, this move would have been so much harder than it already is on me.  So, it is such a huge blessing and relief to have something that I really enjoy doing.

The cats are getting along better with every day.  They really like playing together, which is great because it keeps them both active too.  And they've even head-booped and nuzzled each other a few times!  We have started leaving Luna out at night (not shutting her in the bathroom), and she's doing pretty well.  There are still plenty of times when she gets put back in there because she won't stop bothering me in the middle of the night or she can't keep her face out of Lo's food bowl.  But she's learning.  Our most annoying problem right now is that they just won't stop eating each other's food.  I don't know if it's a competition or jealousy thing or what, but it's ridiculous.  Luna is also not very good at self-rationing, so it's hard to regulate how much food she eats because when she runs out, she just eats Lo's.  But, oh well, there are definitely worse problems to have!

We're having our ups and downs right now, but overall, we're doing pretty well!

Twenty-Six

I am now officially 26 years old.  Officially closer to 30 than 20.  Officially over halfway to 50.

Do I care?

...No.

Getting older doesn't really bother me.  Yet, at least.

I had a good birthday.  I had a "first" too.  Yesterday was the first time I've ever worked on my birthday.  I usually have a rule that I ask off work, don't do chores, etc. on my birthday.  But this year, I decided to forgo that and just have a regular day.  And it was.

I went to work, where they had decorated my desk with streamers, a "Birthday Girl" crown, etc.  So that was fun.  And then we had a family dinner at my parents' house with Oreo Pie for dessert!  Yummy!

I'm enjoying my birthday present (my bike) immensely!  I've started my brick workouts (riding the bike and then hopping off and immediately going for a run), and they are intense!  My legs feel like cooked spaghetti when I get off the bike, and after about a mile of running my calves feel like they've rolled up into one big lump on my legs.  But, I'm getting more used to it each time.

Thomas also got us some starter sets of disc golf frisbees for my birthday.  There's a great disc golf course at one of the parks nearby, and we've been itching to play, so now we can!  We're thinking of playing on our anniversary and then having a picnic lunch in the park (I've been craving Jimmy John's like no other!), but it's supposed to be 95 degrees on Saturday, so we may just spend the morning or afternoon at the movies instead!

And Friday, we're celebrating my birthday with Thomas' parents, which means a trip to The Spaghetti Factory!  I can't hardly wait!  Yum yum!

It's probably Friday by the time you're reading this!  Yay!

What It's All About

I promised yesterday that today's post would be happier.  However, I will keep it short because I know you are all probably getting bored with my enthusiasm about my training program.

I may have mentioned just a few teensy times that I've been doing a new training program since the middle of April.  {Please note the sarcasm; I know I've talked about it quite a lot.}

So now that I am (over) halfway through the program, I am finally ready to share what all the excitement is about!  There are a few reasons why I haven't wanted to share until now:

1. I was super afraid that I would fail and/or chicken out, and I didn't want to have to share that with the world if it did happen.
2. I hadn't told ANYONE what I was planning and training for the first few weeks, so I wanted to give myself time to warm up to the idea and then tell a few people close to me first.
3. I wanted to have a proper goal as motivation to keep me going before I told the world.  Then I'd be less likely to fail right in front of all of you.

So... without further ado... here it is...

I am training for a sprint triathlon in August!!!  Woohoo!  As you can tell from all of the updates, I'm super excited about it.

And the crazy thing is that until about a year ago, I had never run more than a mile in my entire life.  And you practically had to force me at gun point to run the whole thing!  But now I'm really, really enjoying running.

So here's the jist of my program:

• Monday - Run for a set distance (It increases by a half mile each week.), then lift weights (arms only)
• Tuesday - Swim laps and bike for a set distance (Each week the distances increase.)
• Wednesday - Run for a set time (increasing by 5 minutes each week), then lift weights (arms)
• Thursday - Same as Tuesday
• Friday - Run for a set time (5 minutes less than Wednesday), then lift weights (arms)
• Saturdays and Sundays - rest

It's a pretty rigorous program since I'm working out pretty heavily for five days straight each week, but I'm really enjoying it.  I did sort of ease into it because I was working out sporadically before I started this set program.  I also had two goals when I created it: I wanted to be able to run a 10K (just over 6 miles) without walking, and I wanted to be able to complete a sprint triathlon.

Now that Thomas and I have everything planned for the move, I was able to pick out a race and set my goal for certain, so my brother and I (and maybe Thomas) will be participating in a sprint triathlon in August that will require us to swim 1/4 mile, bike 12.5 miles, and then run 2.5 miles!  I'm super excited, and since I won't be doing it alone, I think it will be even more fun!

So, I promise, I will stop there.  If you'd like to know more about my training program, I would be happy to give you more details or a copy of it, but I figure that the average person has no interest in it.

Woohoo!  Happy post!

Current Addictions

So, I haven't been baking very much lately.  I've done the cook-dinner-every-night thing, but my extra curricular baking has been minimal.  I've mostly been sticking to the old favorites when I have been putting anything sweet in the oven.  So, sorry that there haven't been any great recipes, but I'll get back there eventually.  I am trying out a new recipe for breakfast Saturday morning, so if that's any good, I'll let you know!  We've had some other things going on, and I've been going at it pretty hard with the work outs, so I'm trying not to undo them with lots of unhealthy desserts every night.

Speaking of the training, I finished week 4 today and ran a total of 8.1 miles this week!  Woohoo!

So here are a few of the things I've been addicted to lately:

Jif Natural Peanut Butter.  Yep.  Still addicted.  I've eaten this on some type of food just about everyday for the past month and a half.  (Examples: bagels, English muffins, in smoothies, apples, waffles, etc.)  I LOVE it!

Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Almonds.   I had never had these things until Thursday, but I'd been craving some Almonds and these were mega on sale, so I picked 'em up.  And I am so totally hooked now.  They're addicting.  They're one of those "Oh I'll just pop open the can and eat one or two (meaning you'll actually eat 12)" types of foods.  Yummy!

Braids.  I have been trying to amp up my braiding skills, so every time I do something new that involves braids, I snap a few photos; I'm planning a post to show you a few of these.

Cute summery dresses.  It's been pretty hot here lately, so some light, airy dresses have been just the thing to keep cool.  Here's the one that my awesome hubby bought me on my mini shopping spree.  I wore it for our date tonight!  =)

Spider Solitaire.  So I have the app on my phone, and I just cannot stop playing it in my free time.  It is so stinkin' addicting!

Quiz Up.  Another game on my phone.  Thomas introduced me to this game about a week ago, and it's basically trivia on a ton of different subjects.  So if that doesn't scream "Rachel", I don't know what does!

My training program.  You could probably tell that already.  But I'm so ecstatic about how I feel and the sense of accomplishment this program is giving me.  It's awesome (even though I can't walk up the stairs or chase the cat down the hallway without groaning and wanting to fall over because my legs are so tired today).

So there's that.  Like I mentioned, Thomas and I had a great date tonight.  We went to a restaurant called The Mansion (not as hoity-toity as it sounds) and sat on the rooftop with a great view of the river.  Then tomorrow we're going to the beach to hang out and play sand volleyball with some friends!  Yippee!  And hopefully Saturday's muffin recipe turns out well, and I'll be able to blog it next week.

Happy weekend!

***Update:  I forgot one:  Nail polish.  I'm completely addicted to nail polish in general right now!  Lol.

Endorphins Make You Happy

Source: LookHuman.com

Though I wasn't wearing this shirt while working out today, I was definitely pretty high on those endorphins!  (You may recognize this quote from "Legally Blonde".)  Also, I wasn't before nor am I now in danger of shooting my husband (just thought I should clarify that).

Today I started week 4 of my 10 week training program, and I am in love!  Last week I felt pretty good about myself after the workouts.  For the most part I felt like I could keep going, but I want to stick to the schedule so that I don't over do it one day and have to put it on hold.  However, my Friday run (which actually happened on Saturday because my Friday was pretty busy) felt horrible.  And since my Friday runs are supposed to be the easiest, my body was obviously pretty tired from a hard week's workouts.  FYI: I run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with other workouts that I'm not quite ready to share about on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Rest days are Saturdays and Sundays.  So it's perfect that my "easy" runs are on Fridays since I don't think my body would be able to handle a hard run at the end of the week.

So, Saturday I was feeling pretty exhausted at the end of my run.  Like can't-run-another-step-without-tripping-and-falling-over exhausted.

But TODAY...

I felt amazing!  This morning was my first 3 mile run in this training program (and only the second in my life), and it felt so awesome that I was (and still am) just stunned.  I was pretty much full on sprinting at the end of it because I felt so great.  I could have kept running for hours (not really, but that's what it felt like when I was high on endorphins).  I'm still baffled that I did the 3 miles in 30:52 which averages out to just over 10 minutes per mile!

So in case you like to run or are thinking about trying it out, here are some specific things I'm loving:

• Proper workout clothes.  I have a few workout shirts (the wicking kind) that I love to wear when I'm working out, but until today I had just been wearing 100% cotton Soffe shorts.  That's all I had so obviously that was my only choice.  But last night, my AMAZING hubby took me on a mini shopping spree, and I got some actual workout shorts.  They're pretty much biking shorts but there's no padding on the butt.  And they made a huge difference today on my run.  You really don't know how much cotton is killing you until you try something better.  But your workout clothes don't have to be expensive.  Stores like Kohl's and Target have no-name-brand pieces for pretty cheap.
• Changing up speeds while running.  I've started doing intervals in my running, meaning that I'll run slow for about 2 minutes and then pick up the pace a bit for about 30 seconds, then just repeat continuously.  This is the basis for a lot of running programs, especially programs like couch to 5k.  I'm not timing myself on my intervals, I just continuously set goals for myself while running, for example: when I get to that tree, I'm going to run faster until I hit that darker spot in the pavement; or I'm going to pick up the pace for the whole chorus of this song; things like that.  And it has made a world of difference in my breathing during a run.  By running a bit faster at times, the slower paces feel like relaxation.  I've also read that this type of system burns more calories and fat.  I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it's worth a try!
• Cross training.  I'm not doing a special program or any crazy new-age exercises, but the more I work out my body in ways other than running, the more my running flourishes.  Like I said earlier, I'm not quite ready to share the specifics of my non-running days yet, but I just have to tell you: do some other things too.  Lift weights, go swimming, do yoga, STRETCH, anything will help!
• The RunKeeper App.  This is the app I use to log my workouts.  The GPS maps my runs if I'm running outside (which is almost always) but also allows you to log your runs manually if you run in the gym.  It gives you approximate calories burned, keeps track of your time and distance records and even has legitimate training programs you can use if you need a little help getting started.  I love that I can just set the app and start my run, and it gives my audio updates on my progress every 5 minutes so I know how long I've been running, how far, and my average pace.  And it doesn't just log runs; there are a whole slew of activities to choose from that you can log: walking, hiking, biking, swimming, and plenty others.  The best part: it's free!  And there are versions for both iPhone and Android.
• Taking my headphones out during my cool down walk.  I've started to do this so that I have a little time to think and pray in the peace and quiet, and I really love it.  I'm usually feeling pretty good after my run, and it's a great time to talk to God about anything that's going on.  My prayers are usually punctuated with a lot of "Oh thank you for that breeze!  It feels amazing!" right in the middle of a sentence, but it's still some great quality time with God out in nature.

 So my Monday is so very lovely so far!  I hope yours is too!

Musings from the past few days

I've been quite boring lately.  It's hard to find things to blog about right now because I'm not really doing too much each day.  I haven't been baking too much (sad face), and since I don't have a working car at my disposal at the moment, I'm not able to do too much either.  But, I have saved up a few things to fill up a post!

I am still going strong on my running program.  I'm halfway through week 3 right now and haven't skipped a day or woos-ed out yet!  Woohoo!  (I don't think I've mentioned yet that its a ten week plan.)  This morning was pretty tough though.  I did a harder non-running workout yesterday than I'm used to, and I ran a little too soon after breakfast time.  But I pushed through and made it!

Thomas has bought me a few small gifts lately.  (I'm thinking it's partly out of guilt for leaving me here when he had to travel back to St. Louis last weekend, but hey, I'll take presents no matter what the reason!)  I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that receiving gifts is one of my strong love languages.  Which I don't really like, I feel like its pretty much the most selfish and shallow of the love languages, but it works for me.  He bought "Frozen" for me upon coming home from St. Louis, and Lolo and I watched it in bed the other night.  (Ok, so Lo didn't watch the entire movie, just parts of it.)

We (I) made milkshakes from Blue Bell's Banana Pudding ice cream on Monday, and they were heavenly!  The ice cream tastes just like banana pudding and even has vanilla wafer pieces in it.  Oh so yum!!!

I finally got around to taking a few photos of my new scarf this morning.  It has been finished and sitting around the house for a while, and I've just never bothered to throw it on to take photos.  You won't see much of me in the photos because I have yet to put on make up or do my hair today.  I'll get there, just not yet.

Anyway, the scarf turned out pretty.  It is very shiny and a little stiff.  But thicker scarves always need a few washes to soften and limber them up a bit.

Yesterday I had quite a bit of human interaction (yay!) which was totally awesome at the time.  But, that also makes the lack of it seem a little more obvious today.  It makes me just want to sit on the couch, watch a movie, and eat everything in sight.  However, I am finding plenty of other productive things to do in order to keep my mind and my hands busy.  I will not let the enemy ruin my thought life today.

Anywho... That's about all I've got.  I'm feeling some more philosophical posts coming on in the near future.  My thought life is pretty deep at the moment.  Also, I like to write poetry, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to share my poems here for everyone to read.  I'm thinking about it though.

Recipes to Come and Randoms

The past week has not been a normal one for me.  But, of course, in every week, I try to find some little lovelies that make me smile.  So here they are.

First of all, I successfully completed week one of my running program.  (Woohoo!)  I'm not really worried about being able to keep up with it until it comes to week four or so.  Once the distances move into ones I've never run before I don't know if I'll be able to progress that quickly, but we'll see.  The program is pretty basic; I'm running three times a week with some other various exercises on the off days.  So last week I ran 5.3 miles over three sessions.  This week, it will be more.  Yikes!

I tried out a few new dessert/snack recipes last week/weekend, so I'll be sharing those over the course of this week.  Watch out for the soft pretzels.  They were amazing!!!  The single serve brownie was delicious too!

I also made this Hot Fudge Pie for dessert at a friend's house on Friday.  It was pretty delicious and went perfectly with some ice cream and chocolate sauce.  Yum!

My latest scarf is off the loom, but I haven't gotten around to finishing it yet.  I'm still waffling between making it an infinity scarf or a regular one so that's holding me up.  This week I am determined to make up my mind and finish it!

One last one, but possibly the biggest:  I really love the Bible study I'm doing right now.  God is speaking to me so intimately through it, and I find myself growing each day.  I absolutely love it when God allows your Bible study to speak very specifically on something you're going through in that moment.  That happened to me this week when I was really struggling with faith and with believing God, and BAM!  That's exactly what my Bible study was about that day.

God is so perfect, and things like that continually show me that believing Him is so very worth it.  It's harder to put into practice than it is to say in words, but each day, I am working to live my faith in Him.  He is mighty!

Here's to another week where only God knows what is to come!

Last Week in Photos {Lundi Little Lovelies}

I know I was a little absent from the blog at the end of last week.  Though, if you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen a few updates.  So here is quite a bit of last week in photos.

Thursday, I made my first ever batch of croutons.  I know, right?!  I'm such a foodie, so it's crazy that I've never made them before.  Honestly, I'd just never really thought about it.  I didn't really use a recipe.  I just cut up some bread I'd made earlier in the week, added some butter, olive oil, and seasonings, and stuck them in the oven.  And they turned out pretty awesome!

Also on Thursday, I made a half batch of my yummy and healthy Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Muffins.  I had the egg white to use up from the Single Serving Peanut Butter Cookies I made eariler in the week, so these muffins were the perfect thing!  I left out the raisins this time but added some crushed almonds.  Woowee!  The little bit of crunch from the almonds was delish!  I had the last one this morning with some peanut butter slathered on top.  (I may have forgotten to mention that I am absolutely obsessed with Jif Natural Peanut Butter right now.  I swear.  I'm eating it on EVERYTHING!  I truly think the natural tastes like nine million times better than the regular kind.  Maybe I'm crazy though.)

And another thing from Thursday (apparently I was pretty productive that day): I started on a new scarf!  Here is the progression it went through on Thursday and Friday.

I started out knowing I wanted to use the variegated "film reel" yarn in the left-middle, but I had no idea what I wanted to use with it.

Here are the final five.  I used these to warp the loom randomly as shown below.

Here's the warp getting ready to be wound on the loom.

And here we have my two options for the weft.  (I did have a third, the hot pink-ish color, but I already ruled that one out.)  After a few days of letting it sit and walking past it a hundred times looking at it, Thomas and I are both leaning towards the top, darker silver.  I like the funkiness of the bottom black/silver, but the top yarn is a little calmer and much, much softer.  So, I will probably get those samples un-woven today and start weaving for real!

Friday, I got a haircut.  It's not a huge difference, just cutting the split ends off and putting some layers back into it, but I like it.

Saturday, I made this baby for our Easter get together at some friends'.  Boston Cream Poke Cake.  Oh yum!  This is one of my favorite cakes, and it's so incredibly easy to make!  Just bake a yellow cake, poke a ton of holes into it, pour on vanilla pudding and then cover with chocolate ganache!  So, so, so good!  Except for the fact that we brought way too much back home with us!  Now I'm going to have to get fat or find someone to help us eat it!

And lastly, I did some idle shopping on Saturday afternoon and came up with a great project to add some more coral to the bedroom!  The best part: for this project, I spent a total of $6!!!  Sunday, I put it all together, and voila cute bedroom wall art!

It all started as I was strolling through Michael's with no intention whatsoever except to take up some time.  I happened upon the scrapbook papers and found some adorable sheets that matched my coral pillow exactly!  (And how did I know they matched exactly?  I now carry a swatch of that fabric in my wallet so that I can pull it out anywhere, anytime if I find something coral.)  The 12x12 sheets were only $.59 a piece!  So, I continued strolling through the store while I let the ideas formulate in my head.  I ended up with two corals and two grays.  Then I headed across to the dollar store to grab some $1 8x10 frames.  Print and cut out some letters, put it all together, and here's what I got!

I just L-O-V-E it!  Haha!  And I loved the $6 price tag even more!

Well, that about brings you up to speed on my life!  I did start a new running program today, but I'm not quite ready to share it with anybody because I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail miserably at it.  (It looks really hard.)  But, I will maybe share it in a few weeks if it hasn't killed me by then!

I hope you find a few little lovelies in your own life to get you through Monday!