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I couldn't stay away from the beads for too long, this time around, I created a colorful and cheerful watch bracelet. The red and black polka dotted were the focus of this bracelet. Once I picked up a light blue, I knew that I wanted the red and blue to sit next to each other for a bright, eye-catching combo. I am in love with this watch--the cheerfulness of it makes me want to wear it all the time to bring some color to my drabby clothes.
Left my heart, my lungs and my legs on the course. I gave it my all. I can surely say that I did not hold anything back. At the end of it all, I felt great and the sense of accomplishment was tremendous. I have accomplished a great dream today: to finish in 1:45...actually less, 1:43. I am stoked and extremely exhausted. Thank you to my dear hubby and my children who are always out there cheering for me. They are a great motivation to me and they keep me going when I think I am ready to give up. I am going to go find something to eat and a couch and perhaps a good movie.
BTW: I was scheduled to run 20miles today in preparation for my marathon, do you think the half counts instead of it?
ps: I'll come back later with a longer story and mile splits. Hugs to all!
pps: My garmin clocked 13.2 in 1:43:11. The millisecond time chip clocked in 13.1 in 1:43:07
A little something I have been working on for the past two days. Since Sam started school I have had a bit of time in the afternoons with nothing to do, so a little loom knitting has been going on.
Little Nyah had a lot of fun posing for these pictures. She really loves the camera, I just wished I had better lighting for her.
Watch for the pattern over at LoomKnit.com in September for the free monthly pattern.
What you will need:
Help me choose a name for the little vest. I am thinking something cute and child-friendly. Do you have a suggestion? Drop it in the comments :).
Just the word "reunion" sends chills down my back. I am not one that likes to be around a lot of people, despite my loud disposition, I prefer smaller gatherings. However, Phelps Family reunion is anything but small! With 45 grandkids ranging from 6months to 19 years of age and then all the adults thrown in, you have about 67 people...this is just immediate family! Big is an understatement. Then you throw in the word Camp and I am ready to run away. I dislike camping. I really, really do. I don't like the clean up afterwards and I don't like how dirty I get during. Plus, it gets in the way of my training, LOL.
Alright, despite my whining about it, it wasn't so bad this time around. My friend Amber lend us her camp trailer and having a "real" roof over my head made it all seem much better. Having a potty right there for the kids to use during the night made the entire experience 80% better. Having a shower with hot water available made the experience 95% better! So overall, it wasn't bad at all.
Best Hubby and Me time: we took a short bike ride on the mountain bikes. It was scary going downhill, I think I rode the brakes down each of the hills. I got so scared at one point when my hands just started vibrating like crazy and the only thing I could think about was--I am going to fall and get a terrible roadrash and I won't be able to run for weeks! Also no matter how much I pedaled, I went nowhere compared to my road bike. All the while, downhill hubby was nowhere to be seen. He loves downhill and he just ripped down those hills. Mid-ride, we stopped at one small bridge and hubby and I talked for a little bit. It was the only alone time we had during the entire three days. I love doing things with him and hanging out just the two of us.
Best family time: hanging at the lake with my sister-in-laws. My SIL from Texas was here and she is a riot. She can make anyone laugh and her personality and mine are a bit alike. We took pictures together and pictures of the kids. She told me about her life in Texas and how it differs from Mormon life here in Cache Valley. It made me yearn for NY and a life in the suburbs of NY.
Best evening: The best evening was spent with a bunch of adults chatting about our younger days. Getting to know them more was fun and Sam and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The party ended when one of my SIL's came out at 1:30am to tell us we were being loud....blah!
Worst moment: when I lost Nyah for about 30minutes and I couldn't find her. I went all around the campground calling her name and I couldn't find her. My BIL from Texas started searching for her too, and my Mom and then Sam joined us. I was getting hysterical and I started imagining the worst, cussing the person who ever invented "camping" as an outdoor activity to take kids along. Finally, Sam and my BIL found her. She was hiding with one of my nieces. I asked her why she didn't respond when I called her name. She said that her cousin told her not to answer, that it was a game and the point of the game was to stay hidden. I was furious! I could have eaten that little niece alive if I had been a bear.
I am glad the trip is over and we are safe from camping for another year, perhaps two.
Fell off the wagon at the beginning of the week. It happens to me each time after my Mom leaves. I was quite depressed on Monday about her leaving and coupled with life's worries, my life just wanted to shut down. So I let Monday just be an off day and I cleaned the house and putter along the house.
Tuesday, I got off my duff and decided to go out for a run. With the Marathon around the corner, training cannot be put off for long. I went out for run and ended up running 8.5 miles. It felt fabulous to be out there by myself. Sometimes I think that I have decided to take up running just to run away from home and have a place of my own to think, to work things out in my head before I explode.
Wednesday, I hit the gym and the weights. Working the Dino arms is a constant struggle. I don't want Dino arms and I definitely do not want the jiggles. I kept to the routine and changed a couple of exercises. I saw that I was a bit stronger in some exercises such as the Shoulder Press so I made a note of that for the next time. Here is a picture of my Dino arms...see how much my Mom is laughing about them, yeah, you can laugh too :)
In addition to lifting some iron, I had a dip in the pool. It has been 3 weeks since I last swam and I knew that coming back to it was going to be painful. 2000 yards and I was done for! Swimming is not a forgiving sport, you leave it for a week and you have to work from the start again.
Thursday, I hit the road again and ran 7 miles. These 7 miles were my very first where I used my Garmin to track mile by mile. It was great to see my performance mile by mile and where I can improve the most. I want to train so that my body gets used to running the last mile the fastest of them all and having my Garmin programmed to track mile by mile allows me to see if I am accomplishing this task.
Friday, I hit the gym again for the Dino arms workout. This particular workout was a bit gruesome, not on my part but the other gym members. I forgot my iPod, therefore, I was able to hear everything and anything the monkeys at the gym did. A group of them in particular kept grunting and talking quite loudly as they did each rep. Seriously, I was afraid to go near them in fear that they would drop the weight on my foot! I can see grunting a bit at the end of a set but if you are grunting from the beginning then maybe a lower weight is better. Anyways, I will make sure that I don't forget my iPod from now on as I don't want a repeat of this again. Also, I was the only gal using the free weights during this time. I felt awkward as if I was intruding in an all "manly club". They had weights all over the place, benches all occupied and when finally I saw one empty I went to it only to find it dripping with sweat--yuck! Clean up after yourselves monkeys!
After the weights, I went for a quick swim, 1200 yards. It felt good to be back in the water. On this particular day, the water was superb. The temperature was great, the pool was empty, except for two kids who kept climbing over the lap dividers. At one point, they crossed my lane and I almost hit one of them, lucky him that I was able to stop in time before I hit him. The parents were nowhere around and no lifeguard so I gave them my stern-mom-look and told them to be careful and not to cross the lane I was using. They were good kiddos and stayed on the other side of the pool.
Today was a short 5 mile run. I was supposed to run 14miles but with the TOU 1/2 being next week, I improvised and lessened the mileage. It was a terrific run that saw my last mile at a 7:34 pace. My fastest mile yet. I was impressed and love my Garmin even more than ever.
Next week is looking bright and I am looking forward to training and the TOU 1/2!
It has been just a year but what a difference a year has made. My tinsel is coming off!!! I am so thrilled. Come this Tuesday, I will be without my braces. I will have 2 bonded retainers (for about 3yrs) but they won't show like the braces. I am so happy about the changes. I have always wanted braces and never had the guts to go for it but now that I went through it, I recognize that it was definitely worth the pain, the no-apple, no-carrot eating, and the money. Since I was always smiling, I always felt self-conscious about my crooked teeth, not anymore! I can smile to my hearts content!
My baby boy is in second grade now. It is so sad but yet I am so excited for him. I know that his future is bright and he has so many opportunities ahead of him. I hope he has a great year at school with new friends and new teachers. Good luck Boyo!
Enjoy looking at his faces...he acted scared in one picture and a little devious in the other, LOL. His teachers are in for some fun this year. He has only gotten wilder and wilder...I love you Boyo.
Last week was a great week for us. My Mom and Little Brother Eddie came to visit. Despite the terrible service they received through Delta airlines, we were able to have a great family time. The week went by faster than usual and it was heart breaking to say goodbye to them. We were able to make some wonderful memories in the time they were here.
Some random things we did: On the way home from the airport, we stopped at Texas RoadHouse in Ogden. My Mom and little Bro loved it. My bro is just like me--if there is steak on our plates, we are happy! After downing the equivalent of half a cow, we headed back home. In the evening, Grandma took the kiddos to see G-Force while my Bro, hubby and I went to see G.I. Joe.
Sunday, we went to church and we left my Mom at home. She was exhausted and she needed the extra sleep. When we got home, she already had dinner ready for us--one of the advantages of having Mom at home, she cooks for you and does the dishes. After she leaves, it takes me a few days to get used to doing everything around the house on my own. Seriously, I don't know how I get things done without her.
On Tuesday we got tons done, we dropped off Grandma at TJ Maxx and my Bro and I went to Best Buy and Al's (a sporting goods store). In the afternoon, we made tamales--lots of tamales! I think we made at least 100 of them! Sam was in heaven for dinner that day.
The rest of the week, we spent it camping with my in-laws. It was time for our Phelps reunion and although my Mom dislikes camping, she came along just to spend time with us. We borrowed a camp trailer from one of my dear friends and thanks to that, my Mom survived the camping trip.
Saturday came to soon for all of us. Mom and Eddie went back home on the midnight plane. Sometimes, I wonder why I moved so far away from her. It is during these departures days when I wish I lived closer to her. Although I have many in-laws near me, it is not the same as having my "own" blood near me. I miss her and my little Bro already and the next few days are going to be tough for me. I wait for the day when we can all live within driving distance of each other. I yearn for the day when I can tell my kids to get in the car and drive for a few minutes and visit Abuelita and their Uncle Eddie.
Never been one to make plans too ahead of time, however, things may start changing soon. I want to participate in a few events next year that require me to sign up as soon as possible. One of the events is a stepping stone to one of my personal goals, a full Ironman. The event in question for 2010 is the Ironman 70.3 Boise.
Although, I know that if I register I will commit and not turn back, my misconceptions lie on being fast enough to be part of it. Will I be the last one out of the water? Be the last one on the bike (most likely result)? Not finish the entire thing in the alloted time? Will I look completely stupid if I stop during the bike to take a little rest and a little drink--remember, I still don't know how to take a drink while riding.
What should I do? Register and just give training my all and hope for the best...or wait until I am a year older and slower.
Yes, this is the point where I wish I had mentors to help me, to show me if I am doing wrong or if I should jump and test all that I am.
