Living the Dream

So I am back from the beach. I needed another week.
See.
That is how much fun we had.

Who all here can say that after one week in a beach house with their parents,
their in-laws,
brother-in-laws, sister, sister-in-law and kids and cousins
would want to spend another week doing the exact same thing? Really. Can I see a show of hands?
Probably they were all done with me but whatever I LOVE the beach. So do my kids. We did not want to come home.

And I especially shouldn't have ridden home with my parents. Their travel MO is like nothing I have ever experienced. Me? I am point A to point B and do it as fast as you can and spend as little time in the car as possible type of gal. Pop and Lala? Apparently they love a road trip. Serisously. I have made the Atlanta to Hilton Head trip in as little as 4 hours but generally it is a little less than 5 hours. Same ride with Pop and Lala? 10 hours. Tours of Savannah and Macon included.

I should say that Pop did stop at the outlet so that I could shop. I got some new rags and admiring my new clothes over the course of the ride did console me some. Some.

Anyway, we made it home and I managed to squeak in a little run around 8 pm. 3.5 miles in 27 minutes. I had to walk around for 3 minutes to get me to requisite 30 minutes to stay in the Kindzia streak. Gotta say. That was the closest I've come to goose egging. Only sickness or severe injury is going to take me down.

And yesterday I lived the dream.

What dream is that?

Well, it is the one where I go running and my kids ride their bikes along side me.

Yes, I know we have been doing that but until yesterday I wasn't able to run my regular pace. There was lots of stopping and starting and sprinting while the kids took breaks or Beau caught up. But now that Beau is free wheeling without the training wheels I am the one that they have to wait on. However, Beau still needed a few breaks but even with the breaks we managed 6 miles in 51 minutes--that is an 8:30 pace per mile and since that includes break time I would guess my actual running pace was closer to a 7:30 mile. Not a bad workout at all. Carmella was even championing for 10 miles. I was game but Beau and Lola were not. Oh well. Later this summer.

I am thinking come fall easily they can clock a few 12 mile marathon pace runs with me. Trust me. Nothing motivates you to run faster than the fear of losing your kids on a bike trail. So you push it just to keep up.

I have to say. Having kids has made me a faster runner. Before I had kids I was forever stuck in that 9 minute mile range. After Carmella someone would give me an hour to run and I would squeeze as many miles as I could into that hour. It was then that I started seeing the 8:30 minute miles. Then after Beau there was a shelf life to his patience in the jogger. I was forever running out of my comfort zone just to get the miles in before he melted. All the sudden I was seeing sub 8:30 and even some sub 8 minute miles. And then the marathon came along and the times just started dropping down. But now I am stuck in the 7-8 minute mile limbo (except the marathon where I am over the 8 minute mile).

But I am thinking that having to chase down my kids on their bikes is what is going to finally open up that sub 7 minute mile door for me--at least for the shorter distances. And I am even cautiously optimistic that I might even run past that 8 minute mile pace for the marathon and find myself going sub 3:30 at Rocket City this fall. Yeah. I know. That is a whole lotta optimism.But like the title says: I'm living the dream. Trying to at least.

Anyway. . .

We have the beach trip all tied up and it is time to get back to some focus. I am planning on a century ride this Saturday (anyone else? It's the one in Cartersville) and then I am going to get serious about a half iron man this September. Yep. It is still there bleeping on my radar.

The bike is the weak link and I am hoping after the ride Saturday I will see my bike fitness leapfrog. Right. I know. I need to practice the bricks but once I get over the distance on the bike I think the swim and run will fall easily into place for me. Pretty much every time I get in the pool I am swimming at least a mile and the half marathon is my favorite distance. After 10 years of running only once has a half marathon taken me more than 2 hours. And that was because I pregnant. For the past 2 years I've been around 1:40. It is just the bike that holds me back. In July I will work on putting all the pieces together.

Vacation Week Totals:
Running: 27.5 miles (so very sad)
Cycling: 65 miles
Mountain Biking: 2 hours 20 minutes
Kayaking (with beer): 90 minutes
Stunt Kiting: 30 minutes
Ocean Swimming: little bit everyday
Beer Drinking: 24/7
Final Pictures:
Some aforementioned stunt kiting with The Mainstay:



My hawt husband:

Yoga with Lala and Pookie


Me doing tree:

Pat and Carmella trying some poses:

Pookie and I showing off our shag:

And other photags: