Happy Birthday Craig!

My wonderful husband turns 36 today. Yep, he's a Halloween baby. Which explains so much. :) He is not a fan of the birthdays but this was a pretty good weekend for him. The Oregon ducks put a hurt on the USC Trojans. We were there and even though we were definitely in the minority, we had a great time. It was probably more stressful for Craig but when the Ducks get a W he is happy. We then spent all day today with family. Craig's niece and nephew were in town for the first time so ALL the family came down to see them and to celebrate Craig's birthday. While he hates celebrating birthdays, I love them. It is a chance to celebrate what you've done during your lifetime and appreciate the experiences and the journey along the way. Even though it is his birthday, I spent sometime thinking about how our life decisions lead us to each other. If I didn't attend UCI we would have never met. If he was never interested in athletic training our paths would not have crossed. I am so lucky to have this wonderful man stand by my side through thick and thin. While we are still newlyweds ( I think) we have shared so much together and I look forward to the many birthdays we will share together. Love you husband!! And Happy Birthday!!

I Love Triathlons!

I think I have found a new sport to love. Triathlons!! Last spring, I signed up for two triathlons. I have always wanted to participate in one and since the season is almost over I decided to enter into 2. I raced in the Long Beach Sprint Tri which was a 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike and a 3 mile run. The swim was easy with no waves in Long Beach. I really hurt between the bike and the run, but finished with a time of 1:27. I was hoping to be under 1:40. I was really excited. I finished 16th in my age group. I had 4 weeks between the two races. The second tri was called Day at the Beach and was held in Hermosa Beach. This one was also a sprint, but the swim was a little shorter and the bike was a little longer. The waves in Hermosa were coming in about 6-8 feet high. I loved it, but I know others had a hard time. I defintely struggle on the bike. I am not very comfortable on the bike. I cannot even reach down to grab my water bottle. I have to wear a camel pack to make sure I get all my fluids and stay hydrated. And last is the run. The first 1/2 mile sucks!! My legs just felt like heavy weights, but after the first mile it gets easier. For this tri, I decided to enter into a weight division. For men, there are two weight divisions called Clydesdale and Thunder Thighs. For women, there is a weight division called Athena. You have to weigh more than 145lbs. I figure I have a better shot at finishing well in this division than in my age group. Most of the triathletes have a running background and less than 5% body fat. I cannot compete against those skinny bitches (j/k) so I figure I would compete against women my own size. I did awesome!! I finished in 1:45!! AND.... I WON my division!!! I was so excited!! This makes me want to train harder and enter more. Unfortunately, the triathlon season is ending. There is one in December that I'm thinking about completing, but I'm already looking up races for the 2011 season. I cannot wait!!