Saturday, September 6, 2008
Surgery Day
Olivia has an extra tooth coming in (her top front tooth - you can see it in pictures...it's pointy) and it is embedded like a permanent tooth. She needed it removed but the surgeon wanted to put her under as it would be pretty traumatic to be awake. However, when the surgeon looked in her mouth his immediate concern was her tonsils. He said they shouldn't touch and they do. So we'll be at Emanual Hospital on Monday for the procedures and they'll be keeping her overnight. I've heard children recover from this surgery much better than adults do but the first 2-3 days are a little tough. She's a trooper but I'm more worried about keeping the busy body relaxed. At least she's looking forward to the popsicles afterwards.
Soccer Game
Olivia had her first soccer game this Saturday. It was hilarious. They play 3 people at a time, no set positions, no goalie and don't keep score. It's more to get them introduced to the game and have fun. The other team was AWESOME and clearly grasped the concept as they scored about 11 goals and Olivia's team scored 0. You wouldn't of known it though they looked like they were having fun.
Warm-ups...
She shoots and no score!
Good game guys!
Warm-ups...
She shoots and no score!
Good game guys!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
First day of Preschool
Today was Mia's first day of Preschool. She was so excited. She kept saying all morning "I can't wait, I so excited". It helped that Mia is very comfortable with Teacher Wendy and her best friend Sydney is in the class too!
Miss Wendy telling her to pick her favorite color.
This is what I pictured her thinking...I'm so excited it's finally my turn to be here!!!
Talking while waiting in line to head to the gym...I'm pretty sure Sydney was showing Mia her outfit.
Mia was exhausted when I picked her up at 12:30 today. I think it was a full day of fun for her. To make sure I didn't miss her too much she through a tantrum on the car ride home. It made me appreciate my morning alone even more!
Miss Wendy telling her to pick her favorite color.
This is what I pictured her thinking...I'm so excited it's finally my turn to be here!!!
Talking while waiting in line to head to the gym...I'm pretty sure Sydney was showing Mia her outfit.
Mia was exhausted when I picked her up at 12:30 today. I think it was a full day of fun for her. To make sure I didn't miss her too much she through a tantrum on the car ride home. It made me appreciate my morning alone even more!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
First day of Kindergarten
It's a big week here at the Christian household. We have one child starting Kindergarten and one Preschool. Luckily, they didn't start on the same days. I cried at the drop off for Olivia. She just seemed so grown up walking in to her new Elementary school. Big surprise she LOVED it!!!
The school had placed signs along the drive way welcoming the new kids.
Saying our goodbyes...
Meeting new friends and seeing lots of familiar faces that Olivia has gone to school with since she was 2 1/2. I think that helped because she seemed so comfortable with everything.
Preschool starts tomorrow so hopefully I'll hold it together but I'm not going to make any promises!
The school had placed signs along the drive way welcoming the new kids.
Saying our goodbyes...
Meeting new friends and seeing lots of familiar faces that Olivia has gone to school with since she was 2 1/2. I think that helped because she seemed so comfortable with everything.
Preschool starts tomorrow so hopefully I'll hold it together but I'm not going to make any promises!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Race Day
Mia excited about the day to come.
Our day started out bright and early to catch the start of the race. Ironman races are a mass start so it's pretty unbelievable watching all of the participants enter the water at once.
Here's a video from my camera.
Killing time...the day can be long but not when you have Papa. He's great for a game of walking along the curb and trying to not let the crocodiles get you.
David on the bike course.
It of course started raining around 4:00pm. I felt bad for the athletes that still had a lot of the race left.
Olivia was so excited to see her dad. David however was just trying to stand up with out falling over. I of course made him pose for a picture. I mean he is an Ironman stop complaining!
As always I'm blown away by the strength and dedication this sport takes and by the variety of athletes it attracts. From the 78 year old Nun doing the race to the man that had a heart transplant (he's the first with a heart transplant to complete an Ironman) it's truly an inspirational day. We are of course most proud of our Ironman.
Our day started out bright and early to catch the start of the race. Ironman races are a mass start so it's pretty unbelievable watching all of the participants enter the water at once.
Here's a video from my camera.
Killing time...the day can be long but not when you have Papa. He's great for a game of walking along the curb and trying to not let the crocodiles get you.
David on the bike course.
It of course started raining around 4:00pm. I felt bad for the athletes that still had a lot of the race left.
Olivia was so excited to see her dad. David however was just trying to stand up with out falling over. I of course made him pose for a picture. I mean he is an Ironman stop complaining!
As always I'm blown away by the strength and dedication this sport takes and by the variety of athletes it attracts. From the 78 year old Nun doing the race to the man that had a heart transplant (he's the first with a heart transplant to complete an Ironman) it's truly an inspirational day. We are of course most proud of our Ironman.
Ironman Canada Race Report
David writes a race report to his coach and I thought I'd insert it for those interested in reading his take on the race. I edited some of the that's way too much information details. I have a ton of photos and even some video of the race that I'll insert soon!
Ironman Canada 2008 Race Report
2.4 Mile Swim: 1:09:12, PR by 2 minutes
112 Mile Bike: 5:58:16, PR by 18 minutes
26.2 Mile Run: 4:31:30, PR by 28 minutes
Overall Place: 624/2065
Age Division: 86/194
I woke up Sunday morning (3:45 am) feeling fully rested and relaxed. Followed my breakfast nutrition plan, consuming 1000+ calories, and drove to the race start. After dropping off my special needs bags and having my body marked I donned my wetsuit and headed for the water.
The swim felt great overall. I seemed to find open water for most of the swim with the exception of the last 200 yards where I was punched a few times. I kept my stroke smooth and just kept counting the buoys as I passed them. I made the first turn at 28 minutes, the second at 36 minutes, then back to the beach at 1:09. My stroke did not seem to deteriorate and I felt pretty fresh as I entered T1.
Off to the bike portion of the race. The first 40 miles or so went by pretty easy with one small climb and another few efforts to break out of a pack of 20 other riders while the marshal drove past. At this point the first major climb, Richter pass was approaching and my stomach was starting to feel bloated. The climb was tougher than perceived while driving the course, but I soft peddled the entire way being conscious of the rest of the course. The downhill and rollers presented a nice recovery. Even after several repeated doses of Tums; by the time I got to the beginning of the out and back my stomach was really starting to disagree with me so I decided to dial back my effort even more than I planned until I got to my special needs bag at the turn. After downing half a Pepsi and eating a snickers bar my stomach was feeling good. So from mile 75 to 85 I went back to my plan of riding up to my caps and was feeling good. I also resumed my nutrition plan. At the base of yellow lake my stomach issues came back full force but this time I also started to feel both my hamstrings twinge like they were about to cramp. I dropped a nuun tablet (360mg sodium) into half a water bottle a grinded my way up the climb thinking that I was cooked. By the time I got to the top I realized that both of my issues were not going to go away and that in order to get the cramping to go away I had to unlock my stomach. As I started the downhill I forced myself to throw up. The rest of the way back into town I abandoned my nutrition and only wet my mouth with water.
As I left T2 I knew I was behind on sodium as well as calories so I started my gels early. Surprisingly besides my stomach issues I was feeling okay. My heartrate was a bit high when I saw my coach Mitch, who recommended that I just slow down a bit, drink cola at the aid stations, eat some Tums, and that I had a long ways to go to make up some time. I followed this plan taking in cola and water at most aid stations intermixed with my gels at every third mile. By mile 8 my stomach was not letting up so I heaved for the second time. For a brief 2 minutes I felt like a million bucks. Soon I was at mile 9 then 10 and 11 and started to see a few of the other Ironheads coming back the other way. I could feel my hamstrings tightening again, and also noticed my right forearm cramping so I made 2 more concentrated bottles of nuun tablets. Just before mile 13 the wheels fell off completely and I thought I was done. Both my left quad and left hamstring locked up at the same time. A fellow runner helped me to the curb to stretch briefly then she ran to her special needs bag and came back with an entire water bottle full of real chicken noodle soup--I was stoked! For the next 3 miles it was a run, walk, stretch and I was drinking 2 cups of soup at each aid station. By the time I got to mile 16 I felt like a new man and started calculating splits to break 12 hours. My legs had strength, my heartrate was right where it was suppose to be and I was passing people like they were standing still. Each mile went by and I was putting time in the bank and was hopeful that I had the strength to run the rest of the way. I actually found myself running each mile a bit faster than the last. The last 3 miles I averaged 8:30 pace, and miles 16-26 I averaged just over 9 minute miles, and were some of the most enjoyable miles of the race. I finished a few seconds past 11:48, which was a PR by 1 hour and 6 minutes exactly. I am very excited about the race and my season. If not for the stomach issues I know I had the strength and endurance to cut another 30 minutes off my time. I am looking forward to taking the next month off then figuring out this nutrition thing before IM CDA in June.
Ironman Canada 2008 Race Report
2.4 Mile Swim: 1:09:12, PR by 2 minutes
112 Mile Bike: 5:58:16, PR by 18 minutes
26.2 Mile Run: 4:31:30, PR by 28 minutes
Overall Place: 624/2065
Age Division: 86/194
I woke up Sunday morning (3:45 am) feeling fully rested and relaxed. Followed my breakfast nutrition plan, consuming 1000+ calories, and drove to the race start. After dropping off my special needs bags and having my body marked I donned my wetsuit and headed for the water.
The swim felt great overall. I seemed to find open water for most of the swim with the exception of the last 200 yards where I was punched a few times. I kept my stroke smooth and just kept counting the buoys as I passed them. I made the first turn at 28 minutes, the second at 36 minutes, then back to the beach at 1:09. My stroke did not seem to deteriorate and I felt pretty fresh as I entered T1.
Off to the bike portion of the race. The first 40 miles or so went by pretty easy with one small climb and another few efforts to break out of a pack of 20 other riders while the marshal drove past. At this point the first major climb, Richter pass was approaching and my stomach was starting to feel bloated. The climb was tougher than perceived while driving the course, but I soft peddled the entire way being conscious of the rest of the course. The downhill and rollers presented a nice recovery. Even after several repeated doses of Tums; by the time I got to the beginning of the out and back my stomach was really starting to disagree with me so I decided to dial back my effort even more than I planned until I got to my special needs bag at the turn. After downing half a Pepsi and eating a snickers bar my stomach was feeling good. So from mile 75 to 85 I went back to my plan of riding up to my caps and was feeling good. I also resumed my nutrition plan. At the base of yellow lake my stomach issues came back full force but this time I also started to feel both my hamstrings twinge like they were about to cramp. I dropped a nuun tablet (360mg sodium) into half a water bottle a grinded my way up the climb thinking that I was cooked. By the time I got to the top I realized that both of my issues were not going to go away and that in order to get the cramping to go away I had to unlock my stomach. As I started the downhill I forced myself to throw up. The rest of the way back into town I abandoned my nutrition and only wet my mouth with water.
As I left T2 I knew I was behind on sodium as well as calories so I started my gels early. Surprisingly besides my stomach issues I was feeling okay. My heartrate was a bit high when I saw my coach Mitch, who recommended that I just slow down a bit, drink cola at the aid stations, eat some Tums, and that I had a long ways to go to make up some time. I followed this plan taking in cola and water at most aid stations intermixed with my gels at every third mile. By mile 8 my stomach was not letting up so I heaved for the second time. For a brief 2 minutes I felt like a million bucks. Soon I was at mile 9 then 10 and 11 and started to see a few of the other Ironheads coming back the other way. I could feel my hamstrings tightening again, and also noticed my right forearm cramping so I made 2 more concentrated bottles of nuun tablets. Just before mile 13 the wheels fell off completely and I thought I was done. Both my left quad and left hamstring locked up at the same time. A fellow runner helped me to the curb to stretch briefly then she ran to her special needs bag and came back with an entire water bottle full of real chicken noodle soup--I was stoked! For the next 3 miles it was a run, walk, stretch and I was drinking 2 cups of soup at each aid station. By the time I got to mile 16 I felt like a new man and started calculating splits to break 12 hours. My legs had strength, my heartrate was right where it was suppose to be and I was passing people like they were standing still. Each mile went by and I was putting time in the bank and was hopeful that I had the strength to run the rest of the way. I actually found myself running each mile a bit faster than the last. The last 3 miles I averaged 8:30 pace, and miles 16-26 I averaged just over 9 minute miles, and were some of the most enjoyable miles of the race. I finished a few seconds past 11:48, which was a PR by 1 hour and 6 minutes exactly. I am very excited about the race and my season. If not for the stomach issues I know I had the strength and endurance to cut another 30 minutes off my time. I am looking forward to taking the next month off then figuring out this nutrition thing before IM CDA in June.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Ironman Canada
Well, here we are again heading to our 3rd Ironman Experience. My husband is well on his way to completing his goal of participating in all the North American Ironman races by the time he is 40. It’s been a busy year and he has dedicated this year to training and becoming stronger for Ironman Canada. He started the year off with a marathon in January, a ½ marathon, a sprint, an Olympic, 2 ½ ironman races, and a 10-day training camp in Palm Desert in July. It’s no wonder he’s dropped 15 lbs. this year. He’s very eager to get to Canada and see all his hard work pay off. I know he’s very thankful to his coach Mitch Gold, Counterpart Coaching. I’m thankful too, as he understands that David not only has a job to balance but a family too! Also, all his training partners with Ironheads of Portland. They are an inspirational group and clearly all overachievers.
We are heading to Penticton, B.C. this week with my parents in tow. I’m looking forward to having people to cheer with us and also cheering for the other Ironhead athletes. They’ve changed the rules a bit this year and are only allowing one child to cross the finish line with the participant and they have to be between the ages of 6-15. I’m sure Olivia will be able to pass for a 6 year old but it’s a bummer as Mia picked out her shoes to cross the finish line back in April. She calls them her Ironman shoes for when she runs with daddy. I think I’ll hold off on breaking the news to her that will be a fun meltdown.
David will be wearing blue and orange Ironheads gear (see picture below). His bib number is #408. You can also check the status of his results and see a live feed of the race via the Ironman Website.
The race begins at 7am PST and David should finish sometime between 6-8pm. We hope all is well with you and your families and I’ll try and update our blog during our trip.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support!
Love, the Christians
We are heading to Penticton, B.C. this week with my parents in tow. I’m looking forward to having people to cheer with us and also cheering for the other Ironhead athletes. They’ve changed the rules a bit this year and are only allowing one child to cross the finish line with the participant and they have to be between the ages of 6-15. I’m sure Olivia will be able to pass for a 6 year old but it’s a bummer as Mia picked out her shoes to cross the finish line back in April. She calls them her Ironman shoes for when she runs with daddy. I think I’ll hold off on breaking the news to her that will be a fun meltdown.
David will be wearing blue and orange Ironheads gear (see picture below). His bib number is #408. You can also check the status of his results and see a live feed of the race via the Ironman Website.
The race begins at 7am PST and David should finish sometime between 6-8pm. We hope all is well with you and your families and I’ll try and update our blog during our trip.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support!
Love, the Christians
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