rides, swims,

girls are in swim camp this week, they are brave, it is 9 to 12 and they are pretty strict. but they learn how to swim. I love it b/c it is 9 to 12 and I can get some good workouts in. Today I rode about 20+ miles. It was not the best ride b/c I was new to the route and kept checking myself, but overall it was good. Tomorrow I am riding with my coach, should be interesting since I have not really worked out with her much.

Tonight was an open water swim. Which is in the ocean. However, my tri that i am training for is in a lake. Which do you like better lake or ocean ??

lately i have been thinking a bunch about the quality of life. I feel very lucky. However, I also feel like I have it easy. do i ? I guess that is relative ? the problem is I am constantly feeling BAD and guilty that I do certain things. I workout - guilt, i don't work - guilt, i get a sitter - guilt. Isn't life meant to be something we enjoy and not suffer through ? So why is it bad if you see someone who seems to be enjoying their life and making it what they want.

I think of people who quit their jobs and go open a bed and breakfast, is that easy ? no. but they do it and it seems easy to the person who feels like they are stuck in something that can't quit.

I finally feel like I am making choices in my life that are based on happiness and enjoying things and somehow I see people around me, friends/family who I can tell think I have an easy life. Do they forget that staying at home with 2 young kids at work, that my husband works a thousand hours and most of the time i am alone, that my oldest has OCD and managing her and it are extremely taxing.

Is your life easy ? do you feel others have it easy ?

a treasure i just found

it is summer. it is a rainy day, girls already had art camp this am, played with friends and now it is 1pm and they still want to be entertained. i found that on demand they have some kid/tween fit shows....they have done yoga and now a balance one. they are loving it. exercise and fun !!!

RRCA coach !!!

I took my test last night and passed, thanks to some help from a fellow blogger racyrunner !!

Now I already have my class date set for cpr and first aid and I will be an official rrca coach. I am so happy and can not wait to put it to use.

bring it

after 5 days of doing nothing for various reasons/excuses i am back in the game tomorrow and i can't wait. 1 hour and 30 minute bike, 30 minute run and a possible open water swim in the evening.

schools out

last day of school

took the girls on a hike - nature walk. it was a half mile, they were tired right away ? yet they ride their bikes non stop on the block.

i have not done a food shopping in far too long and have been eating like crap

i have started back on being addicted to ice t

all this bad eating and ice t makes me sluggish. i feel it and it sucks. need to get control over it

started reading the long run.....very good. kind of strange to read b/c i know him - have close friend who married good friend of his. plus i lived in nyc and was knew those bars far too well.

my coach signed up for the nyc ironman 2012. woot woot. i really really want to volunteer. anyone know how we do that ?

my kids are slobs. i am a slob. i finally cleaned a bit today and man what a difference it makes. their rooms are a mess. i have cleaners that come twice a month and they come tomorrow. but i am embarrassed of how messy their rooms are, yet even if i org/clean it, girls tear it apart.

goal for the summer
to do something once a week that is something different and fun with my girls. today we did the hike, somethings we all said we would like to try, kayaking (we have kayaks and live near the water), horseback riding, see a show. it was very nice to be on the hike with them. to see them ask questions and for me to be 100% concentrated on them.

goal for tomorrow
go food shopping

goal for week
eat better, cut out/down ice t and replace with greet t, cut out sweets or at least ONLY have a bite of dark chocolate.

i was class mom and the teacher bought me such a pretty gift

trail running

my coach asked that i do trail running. we are lucky to have many parks in my area so i picked one and went. last week i did it for the first time. i ran with my phone and a map for fear of getting lost or killed by a serial killer. this was not easy running on many levels. i was alone. it was scary. animals scurried around and spooked me. there was horse poop on the trail. going up was hard, going down was hard. holy cow trail running is NOT easy.

i went back today. this time i threw caution to the wind and left my phone in the car and did NOT take a map. i just followed the signs for the trails. it worked out and i felt much more confidence. however i did encounter a few folks this time and that was fun and scary. bc one of the folks i encountered was a man and i was seriously figuring out my escape plan.

do you trail run ? do you like it ?

i am thinking of taking the kids back for some hiking of the trails.

catch up

i had my rrca coaching cert class this weekend. it was GREAT. I really enjoyed it. It was long but worth it. Now I have to take the online test.

I also have to catch up on my life at home. Yikes. can't recall the last time I was away for that long of a time. My head is spinning with all the end of school stuff, training, house stuff, normal stuff. time to get my )(&&% together. woot woot.

oh and bike for an hour and 30 andthen  run for 20

lulu taking over my gym

i have not been to the gym as much as i use to go. due to weather - i am able to get an outside workout in while girls are at school. today the little one has no more school so it was off to the gym for me. I was running on the treadmill and the spin class lets out right in front of me. As the spinners piled out, i noticed that probably 90% of the ladies had a lululemon clothing piece on. What are they doing that is so right ? I love them to, but i also love some of my champion stuff, my brooks stuff, roadrunner and athleta ??? it almost feels like they are jordache and i am junior high and NEED a pair to be cool.

has anyone out there done the new jersey state olympic tri ? that is my A race and it is just around the corner !!!! any tips ??

can someone please explain why i have decided to binge on raw cookie dough, ice cream and twizzlers.....help !!!

summer time

this week the younger one is done with preschool.

the older one is done on the 16th.

i need to figure something to do with the kids so i can get some outside workouts in.

calling places, art ? tennis ? gymnastics, sitters ? i am looking at all angles. don't want to break the bank.

i have brought my bike in twice to get my cadence comp fixed, both times it has not been fixed ?

i am highly concerned that when i realize i have to run for an hour, it doesn't seem so long ?

this weekend i will be attending my RRCA coaching certification class. It will be hard to be inside while it is so nice outside but all worth it.

schedule change

so school is not out yet but with all the changes to the normal schedule the girls and myself are not in simpatico.

i won't complain, i won't complain, i will not complain. oh how i need to verbally vomit.

today i need to swim for 45 and run for 45. yesterday i biked for an hour and 20, then ran for 15. as i have mentioned before i try to get my workouts done outside while the girls are at school. this means i literally have no time to spare. yesterday i put my bike on the car rack and parked at my older daughter's school. i rode from there for an hour and 20, i landed at my home parked my bike and ran my 15 minutes back to the school to pick her up - car was there. worked out well !!!

i ate really really bad yesterday. it was like a binge UGHHHHH. ever since the cleanse i did i have an eversion to many foods and am stuck in a rut. plus i need to prep more. what are your simple healthy dinner meals ??? help......