Three Things Thursday ...

Racing Day -  On Sunday morning, I will be racing Patriots Sprint Triathlon. It will be the first time at the sprint distance that I will be showing up on race day trained to race. In the past, I failed to execute a single day of my training plans (apart from running) and I'm kind of psyched to see what I can do.

Even better, my previous sprints have been pool swims of 300-400m, while this race is 750m in open water. So, what does that mean? Well, obviously, it's an instant PR. And I really like those.

The only downside to this whole thing is that it's looking like rain for Sunday morning. And if you've ever met me and my bike, you know that we have trust issues. And I trust TigerBlood even less in the rain.

School Woes - Dizzle and Doodle are mildly obsessed with going to school, which, as a total nerd, I love. I was the same way as a kid. In fact, I once made my mom drive me to school during a tropical storm, so that I could keep my perfect attendance that year. (Note: the school district had officially made school "optional" that day. As in, there would be no buses, but if you could get there you could go. It wasn't "optional" in my book.)

Anyway, they are completely rainbows and unicorns about the whole experience. Except when they're not.

Like yesterday, when Doodle cried because she did NOT have homework.

Typical.

I guess my mentioning that Wednesdays are homework day in Kindergarten got her really excited and when the teacher didn't deliver, tears were shed.

I tried to console her and told her to go get a workbook and do a couple of exercises, but it was no good. She told me that was "fake homework."

Duh. I should have known that.

Break It Down - Dilly heads back to the ortho today to check on the status of her break.

She freaking loves her cast ...

There are two things that annoy me about this ...

1. Our appointment is at 2:40 p.m., 25 minutes after I pickup of Dizzle and Doodle from school. The office is approximately 20 minutes from the school, which means that I am going to frantically rush over there. Then, since they are always running late, I'll have to wait (with 3 small children) for over an hour to be seen by the doctor.

2. Dilly's break was pretty severe. It went completely through the bone (think one bone in two pieces) and she only avoided surgery because the doctor in Rhode Island set it so well. And although miracles can happen, we (and her doctor) are pretty confident that three and a half weeks in a cast isn't going to be long enough to heal it completely. Despite knowing this, the ortho we go to ALWAYS removes the cast before taking a follow-up x-ray. Then, if the break isn't completely healed, they recast the injury. Do you see where I am going with this?

Apparently, they would rather torture my kid with a cast removal than take the x-ray with it on. (Note: you can take an x-ray with a cast in place. They did it multiple times after they set it in the ER.) I'm pretty sure they only follow this procedure to be able to charge you/your insurance for another cast. And casts aren't cheap.  Trust me. We've been charged for five in the last three years ...

August Rewind ...

Run Miles Ran: 96.25 miles

Bike Miles Rode: 248.4 miles

Swim Meters Completed: 17150m or 10.65 miles

Rest Days Taken: 7. Surprisingly low considering how off my training game I have been feeling.

Highest Run Mileage Week: 8/20-8/26: 27.25 miles

Highest Bike Mileage Week: 8/6-8/12: 86.1 miles

Highest Swim Volume Week: 8/6-8/12: 6650m or 4.15 miles

Long Runs Completed (10+ miles): 3

Current Book: The insane amount of traveling I did in August really cut down my reading time, but I did still manage to finish two and a half books of the Hunger Games Trilogy. Despite not seeing a preview for the movie prior to reading the first book (and totally having a different picture in my head), I so get what all the hype is about.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Vampire Diaries. My sister and I just watched the entire third season over three days (obviously, I wasn't sleeping much). And now that we finished, I'm kind of ticked that I have to wait another month until season four begins.

Current Colors: Orange and Pink. Much like my current wrist wear ...

 
Current Drink: Grape, Banana, Lemon-Lime and Strawberry Lemonade Nuun. Can't get enough of that stuff ...

Current Song: Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj

Current Triumph: We survived summer and all the craziness that went with it. I learned what I can handle and what I can't. I came to appreciate that you don't have to do something just because you can. Reaching your goals shouldn't be at the detriment of others. Sometimes, you have to be realistic about the sacrifices you make and how they affect those around you.

Current Goal: Be a better me. Each and every day. And to crush my sprint triathlon this upcoming weekend ...

Current Blessing: Generally, I feel like my whole life is one big blessing and I am entirely grateful for that. I don't take anything for granted. Not even for a second.

Current Excitement: Let's see. Where to start? Patriots Sprint Tri is on Sunday. The girls start school tomorrow. We go back to Disney in 29 days. Lots of exciting things in the next few weeks and if we are being honest, I just have a good feeling about the next few months.

2012 To Do List Update:

Fitness:

• Take 70.3 training day by day. Don't get caught up in what is coming, but rather focus on what is. Trust that it will get you where you want to be. - CHECK
• Find the strength to NOT add races to your schedule during 70.3 training. That is your focus, don't screw with that because of FOMO (fear of missing out). - CHECK
• Cross the finish line of your first 70.3 in less than 6:57:59. - CHECK. Goal crushed. 6:39:39.
• Maintain at least one day of cycling and one day of swimming per week, post 70.3. Give J some proof that a new road bike would be a good investment. - CHECK. I'm crushing this one.
• Log 4,000 miles, swim, bike and run combined. - As of September 3, 3349.1 miles completed
• Race a 10K with a finish time much faster than your very dated current PR of 53:17.
• Set a new PR in the Half Marathon, currently 1:57:06 (or 1:56:18, if the half split from the NYC Marathon counts). - Next opportunity, October 14 - Seaside Half Marathon
• Race a Fall Sprint Triathlon. Actually train for the event, unlike in years past. - This weekend!
• Add strength training to the routine. - CHECK. 

Nutrition:

• Eat like an athlete. Be mindful of the nutritional value of your food. - I've been killing this. But, apparently my scale doesn't care.
• Consume no more than 18 desserts from either Shyndigz or Two Sweet Cupcakes (approximately 1 dessert/3 weeks) - As of September 3, 15 desserts consumed. I need to just face the facts with this one.
• Cut out snacking on the girl's leftovers. Just because they don't eat it, doesn't mean you have to. - CHECK

Personal:

• Only say yes to the projects you REALLY want to work on. - CHECK
• Throw away the credit cards. Stop repeating history. - CHECK
• Ignore your impulses. Take time to process the true value of the things you are filling your space/life with. - CHECK
• Declutter and Organize using this calendar. - CHECK
• Continue to balance family life, training and now, work. - CHECK
• Prioritize and be a good example for the people in your life. - CHECK
• Help and support J and the kids in reaching their goals. We are a team and that must always be the primary focus of our lives. - CHECK

an accidental 70.3 ...

I'm completely and utterly kind of a type A personality.

I usually plan my race schedule a year in advance. Mostly because I like to plan accordingly, but also because I am cheap.

So, last December, in an effort to keep my OCD (and bank account) in check, I drew up a list of triathlons that I was interested in registering for. Then, I gave the list, which consisted of race names and dates, to J and I told him to pick one.

His choice: Patriots Sprint Triathlon on September 9th.

I was happy with this selection. The timing and distance was right and I figured I might be able to convince a friend or two to race with me.

As the months passed, I realized that after Ironman 70.3 Texas, I wasn't going to cut back my training significantly. I also realized that I wasn't going to be able to convince my friends to join me at Patriots. Instead, a few of them were going to race the Patriots Half on September 8th, as their 70.3 debut.

Since I was loosely following a 70.3 plan anyway, I decided to email the race director to see if it was possible to transfer my registration to the 70.3. I figured if they said yes, I would get to train and race with my friends and if they said no, then nothing would change and I would go cheer them all on.

Approximately five seconds after I sent my email, I found this on the race website:

REFUND POLICY
50% of your entry fee will be refunded until August 24, 2012 or until the event has filled. No refunds will be issued for any reason after August 24, 2012. Event entries are not transferable between persons, events or years. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to the stated refund policy. By registering for this event you agree to these refund terms. To request a refund you must complete the refund request form using the link below BEFORE the posted refund deadline.

I took that statement and the lack of response from the race director to mean that there was NO WAY I was going to get to switch races. 

Like I said, no big deal. 

Then, yesterday, I was talking to G, who is racing the 70.3. She told me I should work on my speed and go crush the Athena division. Not sure that I had actually registered for the Athena division, I checked out the participant list on the PATRIOTS SPRINT page. 

I scrolled through the names.

And there it was ... nothing. My name was missing.

Having a minor freak out, I checked the PATRIOTS HALF page thinking maybe the link I clicked on the first time misdirected me to the wrong participant list. And then I saw it.

I was registered for the 70.3.

Apparently, the race director granted my transfer AND FAILED TO NOTIFY ME.

Had I not checked, I would have shown up for the wrong race. On the wrong day. Guess it was a good thing I never cut back my training ...