The Big Plan

Here is the plan. For now. It may be adjusted. It probably will be adjusted. But I have this written on a sticky note attached to my monitor so my goals are always in my mind. Or at least when I sit at my computer.

2012
Sprint Triathlon
Half Marathon

2013
Full Marathon
Century Ride

2014
Half Ironman

2015
Ironman Arizona!

Reinventing Sara

It'sDecember 27th. It's the time when most everyone is thinking about New Year's
resolutions. I have plenty: stress less, don't take on too much, keep my
priorities in check, eat well, read more—or at the very least, read the monthly
book club selection, stop worrying about things that are so dumb (that was for
you, Jennifer), and maintain and build my fitness. Ironically, starting a
fitness regimen is probably the most popular New Year’s resolution for everyone. Maybe that’s why it’s so surprising to me that maintaining and building my fitness is what I believe will lead me to successfully reaching all my other goals.

Somehow,someway, in the last few years I’ve become somewhat of an athlete. I’ve never been one for team sports (too much pressure) but this year I realized that I’m better when I exercise. I’ve logged over one thousand miles in 2011 through
running, cycling, and swimming. And I’ve done most of it alone even though it’s a lot more fun if you have a buddy. But the alone time has been therapeutic. It gives me a chance to think things through,resolve some issues that fall on the shoulders of a thirty-something housewife,and gain a sense of peace for 30-60 minutes at a time. Exercise makes me feel better about myself. I’m more focused. I’m more productive. I’m more confident. I’m happier. And, yes, I think I look better. Gone(hopefully forever) are the days when I dread having to exercise. I’ve reached the point where I long for the time to get out and run, bike, swim, or strength train with friends. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m so glad
it did.

Although I participated in some races in 2011—several 5K runs, a 10K run, a duathlon, a mini triathlon—I’ve found that I no longer need to be registered for something to get me to exercise. That’s shocking in a good way for sure. I’m competitive, but I know what league I’m in so I compete mostly with myself. Though I’m proud to say my first attempt at a triathlon gained me a first place age group award. Validation indeed! Or more like a fluke. Seriously though, most of the time I’m working to better my time or simply finish. I would like to make the step from athlete to triathlete this year and I hope to gain enough confidence to do a real triathlon.

So right here, right now I’m setting a long term goal—to finish the 2015 Ironman
Arizona. I’ll be 39, my kids will be slightly more independent to allow for the training, and I’ll be even stronger in four years if I keep maintaining and building my fitness. And Ironman Arizona is in my backyard! I volunteered at that event last month and was inspired. I want to be able to say I finished that race. And when I do, I might even get a 140.6 tattoo…across my forehead!

And I Thought I Knew Them

Today I took my kids to the Phoenix Art Museum. Why? Well let me explain. In Phoenix--and probably most major cities--we have something called the Culture Pass. You can check out these passes from the city library for free admission to local museums or attractions like the zoo or botanical gardens. It's a fantastic idea; it gives people who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to go to these places the chance to experience them. While we have on occasion taken advantage of the Culture Pass, I try really hard to not take advantage. But it's summer and we're trying to keep busy and stimulate our minds without breaking the bank! So last week I checked the kiosk and apparently a lot of people had the same idea. There was only one pass remainig and it was for the Phoenix Art Museum. I thought, Well it's something to do. Maybe we can have lunch downtown. They'll like that. While Elizabeth does seem to have an appreciation for the finer things, Matthew is rough and tough and normally anything but calm and quiet. Thankfully, my kids could not have surprised me more today. Admittedly, I did my research before going and I did my best to engage them. We started our tour in the contemporary art galleries because I knew it would be unusual and strange and more thought-provoking than, say, the Baroque gallery. They enjoyed looking at mostly everything, they let me know which pieces were "not their favorites" (we had talked about voicing criticism aloud beforehand), and they thought a lot more about the art and had more comments than I expected them to. Without sounding like a commercial for the museum, this was the best experience we've had using the Culture Pass. We've used the passes for the Phoenix Children's Museum and the Arizona Museum for Youth, and this was better! There was so much to see here, so much to do (there's even a children's art studio where they can try different art techniques themselves), and the building itself is art in its own right. It was just an enjoyable day all the way around, and I'm ashamed that I honestly didn't think it was possible. In my defense, they did enjoy lunch and going to the big city, but I'm grateful and proud to say that they got so much more out of the experience.

The Pledge

I will not let an entire year pass before I update my blog. I will not. That's what I've been saying to myself for a very long time. A little over eleven months, actually. But now that a whole school year has passed--and a challenging one at that--I can make a new pledge to myself (and my four or five former followers) that I will visit this page on a regular basis...and actually write something. I'm not even trying for a theme this time. Just every day random thoughts. Yes. That's my theme. Speaking of pledges, I firmly believe it was the promise I made to my children last summer that was the undoing of this blog. Children, I hereby promise thee that we will do a craft every day of the summer. My friend Jennifer tried to talk me out of it, but armed with torn out pages of Family Fun magazine and several bookmarked websites, I began this ambitious adventure fresh-faced and full of, well, ambition. Sure the first few days were fun. And I wrote about them here. But soon the fun turned to frustration because a three year old boy and a six year old girl do not share the same interests or abilities. So sometimes there were two crafts. Sometimes we compromised. But in the end, it was a whole lot of work and, truth be told, the kids were starting to get sick of crafts. But I made a promise and I was gonna keep it, gosh darn it! So we did the crafts, the kids never wanted to get rid of them, projects were all over the house, and by the time summer ended I needed another break. But I didn't get it. And that's a whole 'nother blog post. (There's a little foreshadowing for you.) So as this summer commences today, I've made no other pledge to my kids other than we will visit our favorite popsicle place once a week. Or maybe we'll venture out to new popsicle places. Or make our own. Popsicles. Now there's a promise we can all be happy about keeping.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my husband, and my father-in-law. Brian may have the trophy, but I'm going to call it a three way tie.

My Little Experiment

June is half over which means my month-long experiment is half over. I decided to commit myself to a month-long exercise regimen to see if I felt and looked better afterwards. I don't know if four weeks is enough time to even get results, but that's how much time I had before vacation. Thankfully my father works at the Y so I'll still be able to workout while away. The emphasis is on be able to. We'll see if I do.

If I don't count sleeping better, then I have no results to report after just two weeks. But sleep was definitely something my body needed more of so let's say I'm noticing a difference. I hope it's not from exhaustion, though.

Here's my plan for the 4 weeks of June. The runs and walks follow Hal Higdon's spring training plan. Lately it's been two or three miles, though I did one four mile run and I have a 4.5 (new personal record!) coming up this Sunday.

Sunday--Run & Body Flow (yoga class)
Monday--Body Pump (awesome strength training class)
Tuesday--Run
Wednesday--Run & Body Pump
Thursday--Run
Friday--Rest
Saturday--Walk & Body Pump

Mmmm. Crafts.

For those of you who haven't heard, I made a promise to my kids that we'd do a craft each day this summer. Well, at least Monday through Friday. So far I've been true to my word, but my ambition is definitely flagging. I do this all the time; as if I don't have enough on my plate, I find one more thing I have to do. I soon realized that all crafts don't have to include paint, glue sticks, markers, and glitter. What am I saying? We don't do glitter here. Anyway, I told the kids that baking is a craft and the kids have fallen for it. They love mixing and plopping batter in muffin tins. This I can handle! So while we're still doing regular crafts, I've already taken the easy way out a few times.

Some of my friends have asked me if I'm still doing the 'craft thing.' Yes I am and yes I will continue. Here's proof if you need that kind of thing.

Day One -- Caterpillars
Day Two -- Free Craft Day at Udder Delights ice cream shopDay Three -- Jello JigglersDay Four -- Countdown to Vacation Calendar

Some advice: Don't do this activity unless your vacation is less than two weeks away. Our calendar is 24 days long. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't committed to writing a fun fact about Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania on the back of each card. (I have to do one a night or else Elizabeth would read them all at once and ruin the surprise.) Did you know the city of Pittsburgh has 446 bridges?
Day 5 -- Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Day Six -- Okay, there wasn't a craft. But we had friends and some of Elizabeth's friends from school over for a backyard summer fun party with the little pool and sprinklers. Good enough.

Day Seven -- Painting with Apples

Admittedly this didn't go as well as I thought it would, but they didn't care.

This afternoon, I think I'm going to take the easy way out again. We're going to make cookies.