Hit and Misses

This post is a continuation. Click here to read from the start.

Hy-Vee Triathlon Weekend Hits

-We still got to do a triathlon. The Olympic course was shortened to a sprint due to severe weather, which actually did occur 10 minutes after me finishing.

-Hy-Vee officials and volunteers were amazing. They announced the race change 40 minutes before start time and the re-organization and restructuring that occurred was pretty impressive.

-I was proud of myself and the results. I had felt confident, strong and prepared.

Hy-VeeTriathlon Weekend Misses

-The kids triathlon was cancelled on Saturday. It was a bummer. It was understandable. It was extremely wet, the weather was extremely iffy, but it was an extreme pain. After all of the set-up and preparations, it was disappointing that nothing could be made up. We picked up the girls bikes on Saturday, they still got their medals and they spent the day picking at those very permeable tri tats.

-On Sunday morning with the announcement of the race change from the Olympic distance to the Sprint, half the people cheered as they weren't feeling prepared for the Olympic distance. The other half, like me, were disappointed. I was prepared. I had put in the time, training, and effort. I had practiced those darn hills 2-3 times a week for the past four months. I had gotten up at 4:30 AM two times a week so I could do long bikes on the open road. I'm not angry or resentful about the call. It was what had to happen, but I was prepared for that Olympic distance.

That was to be my Olympic race for the season, but am letting that go! As promised I am giving the rest of the summer and my energy back to my family. They deserve it and we have loads of adventure and fun planned.

Before that, we had to celebrate the culmination of the Hy-Vee Triathlon. click here to continue reading.

Over, Done and Putting it to Rest

The Hy-Vee Triathlon is over, done with and am putting it to rest...soon. I have had several people ask me my thoughts on this event and was encouraged to record them.

Nobody does this event like Hy-Vee. I know it takes a year of planning and the set-up at Raccoon River Park is amazing. This park is practically in our backyard so we visit it a lot. In the month leading up to to the triathlon, it is completely transformed; practically unrecognizable. Everything from the massive grandstands to the array of white tents and blue carpet and fencing that appears to go on forever.

I try to get down there several times over the weeks as they are setting up. It helps me get used to the changes, but matter how many times I do that, it still makes my heart beat faster as I make my left hand turn into the park. It just looks so different.


click here to continue reading.

More Summer Free Fun!

In addition to free books your kids can get, here are some more ideas to look into!

* Kids Bowl Free Program: Kids can bowl free this summer! By participating in the “Kids Bowl Free” program, children can bowl two free games per day. Go here for more details and to find a participating location near you.

* Free Bowling at AMF: Your whole family can bowl free by joining the AMF eClub. Receive a coupon for up to 10 free games (one for each member in your party). Coupon expires 30 days from signing up.

* Lowe’s Free Build and Grow Clinics: Workshops are offered on Saturdays at 10 a.m.

* Home Depot Free Kid’s Workshops: Workshops are designed for children ages 5-12 and are offered on the first Saturday of the month between 9 a.m. and noon at all Home Depot stores. We have done these before and the aprons, safety goggles, tools and projects are so kid friendly.

* Apple Summer Camps: Select Apple Retail stores are holding summer camps where kids can make movies, create photo slideshows, write and record songs, put on a show for everyone, and learn how to do new things on a Mac. Apple Camp occurs at selected Apple Retail Stores, and each free workshop lasts three hours. hmmmm...this seems like something the kid's dad would like too.

The Most Prep for the Shortest Race Ever!

Last week was all about The Preparation. The Hy-Vee Triathlon puts on an amazing world class event each year, but it does take quite a chunk out of your life for a bit. Not with just the 4-6 months training, but the week leading up to it is quite full of things that you really need and have to do.

There are open water swim sessions at Raccoon River to attend. Sure, they aren't mandatory, but with the swimming often being the most dreaded part of the triathlon its good to get in a few times at your own pace (before you are in with hundreds of others).

Next there is the mandatory race meeting to attend the Friday before at Valley Southwoods. A video is shown from previous years and you listen to the ins/outs, rules and regulations. Basically its pretty much where your heart is in your throat and you kind of wonder what you have gotten yourself into.

This is also where its one of my favorite parts of the event; getting the schwag. Hy-Vee takes the cake with this with snazzy new bike jerseys, visors, hats, sunglasses...yummy protein bars. I really love protein bars, but don't buy them too often because they are like candy bars to some people. I really can't stop eating them.

Then the day before the race there is the cleaning of the bike, putting the race numbers on the bike, dropping off the bike at Raccoon River and finally the covering the bike with the family grill cover as the forecast calls for rain all night.

What about the rest of the prep? Figuring out how to put on those new tri tats , packing and repacking all of the gear (food, drink, wetsuit, swim cap, goggles, body glide, bike shoes, running shoes, sunglasses, hat, race belt, towel, hat, helmet) to try to get it into one bag ( it didn't happen).

Let's take all of this x 3 as Megan and Lucy were to participate in the kids triathlon on Saturday. Yes, it was all about The Preparation last week for what turned out to be only an Hour and 15 minutes of actual racing.

to be continued...

Hy-Vee Olympic Triathlon #2

Tomorrow is the day! I completed this goal in 2009 and am off to do it again. What has changed this time around? Training has been a lot easier this year. Not easier in numbers of miles and time put in, but easier because I didn't have as much to learn this year.

Last year was all about learning to swim efficiently. After that came learning to swim in open water (which was a big worry for me the previous year). Last year was also the first time really riding a road bike. There is a lot that goes with that in terms of being out on the open road as opposed to riding trails and getting used to changing gears effectively.

Bluff Creek Triathlon May 23, 2010
first in age group/6th overall

Not only getting that down, but all the other ins, outs and lingo of tri stuff. Experiencing brick workouts, wetsuits and all of the gear needed with this sport including pool buoys, lights on my bike, bike fittings...the costs were definitely higher last year.

Less to learn this year, but with that comes more expectations. I wanted to be a faster swimmer. Better biker. I am proud to say that I didn't stress myself out over it. Everyone wants to improve, its just a healthy part of human nature. I wish I could say I there were specific goals, but in general I just biked and swam more and didn't spend as much time on my run.

I did the sprint triathlon a few weeks ago at Bluff Creek. It felt incredible! Now for this Olympic distance tomorrow and then summer is here!

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Twitter Books

Today is my hubby's birthday (Happy Birthday, Dave!) and I am super excited about my gift for him. We always have time to talk each day, but in our busy day to day lives it can be easy to forget the passing/fleeting moments and thoughts that often make an impression on us.

That is why we both love twitter. We follow one another on it and I love reading about what he is doing and thinking throughout the day. Then at night, we can focus on the more important matters like our kids and...whats for dinner.

Dave has such funny and thoughtful sides to him and it really shows through in his writing. I love reading his observations on the kids, work and life in general.

Enter the perfect gift: Tweetbookz! It allows you to make a copy of favorite tweets and put them into a hard or softcover book. Dave would never keep a journal, but this is such a fun keepsake of things that he has done, seen and thought of over the year. Did I mention how inexpensive it is? $19.89 for this book here.

Gave it to him last night at our family birthday dinner at Red Robin.
Loved it! He's taking it to the office today to show to everyone.

Summer + Reading Programs = Free Books!

Ahh...summer memories of being a young girl and filling out my summer reading book log. Once a week I would ride my bike to the Jefferson Public Library instead of hitting the swimming pool. I remember digging through the various prize bins based on how many minutes I had read that week and claiming my precious reward. Reading was something I always did anyway, but in the summer it was different. Earning prizes for already doing what I loved? Icing on the cake!

Thank goodness with all the techy/video game stuff around, summer reading programs are still around and in full force. We always do the local library, but the big box retailers have also gotten into the mix.

Half Price Books has the simplest reading form of all (just record minutes read) and you can do it every week. Kids turn in their book log and can pick out any book ($3 value) in the store for their prize. My girls love this and have been building up their American Girl book collection.

Barnes and Noble: Fill out their reading log (available at their stores) and kids can pick out any new book of their choice. Word is that kids can do this at any location (thanks, Lisa!)

Borders Bookstore is now offering a similar one to Barnes and Noble.

Hey, who doesn't love free books?!

click here for more summer free fun and our big Summer To-Do list!