Summer Triathlon Bucket List Race #3 - Waseca Sprint Triathlon

Sunday I checked off Waseca Sprint Triathlon off of my list of "I've always wanted to do that one" races. The race itself was beautiful. It was a gorgeous course, and Final Stretch, one of our local race companies, always puts on well-run, fun races. I was extra extra escited to be doing this race with my brother Matt and his girlfriend, Angela. Steve and I got Matt to the start line of his first tri 3 seasons ago, and now he was passing what he'd learned onto her.

Steve and I managed to peel ourselves away from Olympic coverage by 10 PM. Henry was up for a quick snack at 11:45, and our alarm went off at 4 AM. We finished packing the car, woke Henry, gave him a quick snack, and loaded him into his carseat still wearing his jammies. We were off by 5. Parking near the race site was plentiful; we found a  spot only 2 blocks away and were in transition by 6:30.

Steve was my sherpa and baby wrangler. He had help. His parents also came to cheer, and my mom came, too. After 9 seasons, she was finally going to be able to see me race! We found Matt and Angela,  and I set up my transition, I gave Henry a little Mama time.

I also got to chat with Mark Bongers, the race director, and Kevin O'Connor, owner of local tri store awesomeness Gear West.

Matt, Angela, Me, and Henry the Future Triathlete

The Swim: We watched the 1/3 iron racers begin their swim. Then Angela and I hopped in the water for a quick pep talk and to warm up a little. Then we were off!

 I found clear water pretty quickly. The women's waves were small, and we spread out easily. I finished the 1/4 mile swim in 10:32, which included a lengthy run up to T1.

Out of the water. I LOVE the quick release on my wetsuit!

T1: I spent a few extra seconds getting out of my wetsuit before I was able to step my way out of it. I need to remember not to even bother to sit to take it off. I had a great spot by the bike out. I was out in 1:16.

The Bike: My CD.01 rides like a dream, and I felt great. I definitely need to get in a few more hills before my next race. I got passed several times on the uphills, but I always caught them back on the downhills. I hit the turn around with an 18.7 MPH average, and that was against a little wind. I jostled back and forth with several other bikers, joking with them and encouraging them each time. I was hammering, and I hoped that my marathon training would get me through the run. My Joule showed a 19 mph average just before I dismounted. After I ran up through the grass to transition, it dropped to an 18.2 mph average.

Just off the bike heading up to transition!

T2: I lost a second or two since I passed right past my spot and had to turn around. I was out in 1:08

The Run: I hit the run and was ready to GO! I've been really trying to push through my long, slow distance mentality this year, and for the first time this summer, I was hungry. I left transition with a woman right in front of me. I've been really struggling with endurance on the run this summer, and my pre-baby speed just hasn't come back. I was really hoping that the start of marathon training a month ago would help. I hit the first mile in 8:33. Perfect.  I was still feeling good heading to mile 2 and hit my watch in 8:22. I was able to stick with the woman from transition, and we were passing people left and right. I looked at my watch and saw an 8:09 at mile 3. I was still pushing to mile 4 but was finally starting to feel it. I made it in 8:19. The last of the run was supposed to be 0.4 miles, but Steve had warned me ahead of time that it was more like 0.25. I was trying to pick off a few last people before I hit the finish line in 2:04. My total run time was 35:30 for a total of 1:34:35. It was good enough to place 2nd out of 9 in my AG and 7th of 59 women.

I made my way back to my cheering section so we could cheer Angela in to her first triathlon. She did great! Of course, Henry had to help me with my post-race banana:

Then he wanted to help me with a few potato chips:

A few final thoughts:

* I saw Mark, the race director, after the race. He asked how it went, and I told him truthfully that I wondered at mile one of the run if EVERY one of his races is this beautiful. From what I've seen, it's the case. Plus, they are so beginner friendly. I really love Final Stretch races.

* My run speed is FINALLY coming back! Well, speed for me anyway. I'm seeing low 8s again, and it makes me SO happy! Intervals and distance are paying off.

* This race was on my bucket list because I'd heard great things about it, even though it's only a few years old. I would love to come back next year to do the 1/3 iron distance. It's a fun, unique distance.

* Angela had a blast! She's already signed up for her next race in two weeks. Go Angela!

More on My Triathlon Bucket List

This weekend was WIBA (Wisconsin Iron Brick Adventure) that my Evotri team puts on. Steve and I have made it out every year since its inception in 2006. We missed last year because Henry was all of a couple of weeks old. We had really hoped to make it out this year to see everybody again, but we decided at the last minute that Henry just wouldn't tolerate the weekend. He did really well camping with my family last weekend, but the last third of the 3 hour car ride was challenging for all of us. A 4 hour car ride would really be pushing it, and none of the grandmas are anxious to take him overnight yet. Next year we'll be there with bells on. It's one of my favorite summer events. I love love love getting out to train on the course, and it is so much fun to talk triathlon for 3 days. I enjoy seeing old faces, meeting new ones, and offering my 2 cents on IM Moo when I can. If any of you are ever up for a great weekend of training (even if you're not training for Ironman), check it out!

Instead of running on State Street in Madison today, I laced up my shoes and headed down to the river by my house. Marathon training officially starts next weekend, so I'm trying to get my distance training back.  I thought something felt a little off when I started up, but I brushed it off that I hadn't been in this pair of shoes for a week. Two miles in, I felt a little rubbing on one of my feet which is weird since these shoes rarely cause chafing. At the turn around point, I took off my shoe to see if my sock was bunched funny. That's when I noticed that I forgot to put the insoles back into my shoes after last weekend's wet run. That's right. I ran 8 miles today that without insoles in my shoes. Oops. Chalk it up to being excited to check off a few miles sans stroller. It's a good thing I don't tend to get injured, and it's a good thing that my feet are toughened up. I made it home with only a tiny blister.

I raced Buffalo Sprint Triathlon 3 weeks ago, but with work and being gone nearly every weekend since, I never got to put up a race report. It was another race on my summer bucket list, and I was excited to check it out since so many people had great things to say about it. My overall impression was that it was a VERY well organized, fun race. Their website was very thorough, and it made getting there and parking super easy. The course was beautiful, and the post race food was delish. One of the highlights for me was being able to race with Abbe. Exactly a year before, Abbe and I ran the Grand Old Day 5K together:

This was the first race we'd been in together since then. We snapped this photo before the start:

Two thinner, fitter mamas!

So how did the race go? Well, it went OK. Henry had slept so much better this time around, so I was feeling better at the start. I finished the 1/4 mile swim in 8:46, had a T1 time of 2:25, and then flatted on the bike. It was the first race where I didn't come fully prepared to change a tube on the bike, and you can bet it was my last. Tech support on the course was great though, and despite it taking 8 minutes to change my 808 tube (which I actually think is pretty good), I finished the bike in 50:29 - a 15.8 mph average. I blew through T2 in 1:51, had a 25:36 3 mile run (avg of 8:32), and finished in a total time of 1:29:06.  I finished 183/422 females and 39/76 in my AG - not horrible considering the flat. One of my biggest worries since starting to race with my super awesome Zipp wheels is changing a flat during a race, and even though I had a little help, it really wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I think I could do it again pretty easily. Here's one last photo of me heading to the finish:

Next up for me is Waseca Sprint at the end of July and then St. Paul Triathlon in August. These are two more races that I've always wanted to do but was too busy training for or racing longer ones. I am excited to get in some more speed (I'm still waiting for it to come back postpartum) and to check out a few fun courses. Then of course it'll be October before I know it, and with it will come my 13th Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Hopefully this 13 will be a lucky one, not an unlucky one.

Finally, I'll leave you with a photo from Henry's first birthday nearly 2 weeks ago. Poor little dude got his mama's sweet tooth:

Impromptu Races and My Triathlon Bucket List

So this Parenting thing? SO much harder than I ever imagined. Henry is a MUCH happier baby than he was 8 months ago, but I've essentially been in survival mode over here. Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in life. Last week was one of those weeks. After essentially not having a day off in several weeks, I was putting the final touches on the planning for my sister's baby shower we threw her on Saturday. What possessed me to pencil in a last-minute tri into the mix? I have no idea. At the beginning of the week last week, I heard that The Land Between the Lakes Triathlon was going to be held on May 20, the day after the shower. I've always been intrigued by this race. It's a VERY early season tri for MN, it's in a town near where Steve and I grew up, and the distances are manageable for this part of the year. Since we'd be at our parents' places not far from there, I asked Steve if one or both of us should consider the race. I mentioned it to my mom, and she did her best to convince me to sign up. She wanted more Henry time Sunday morning, and she knew volunteering to keep him would buy her a few extra hours! Steve decided that racing 5 weekends in a row would be stupid, so he was just planning on cheering.

After a fun shower on Saturday followed by a few more hours of fun family time, Steve and I went to hit the hay relatively early. Henry woke up just as we were heading to bed. I fed him, and he fell back asleep. Then he woke up again 2 hours later. He still rarely sleeps through the night, but he almost always falls asleep once we feed him. I don't know if he was teething or if something else was wrong, but he wouldn't go back to sleep and wasn't consolable. It took us 2 hours to get him back to sleep. I finally did it by nursing him on the couch and rubbing his belly for 20 minutes. I hadn't registered for the race yet. My alarm clock would be going off in 4 hours, and I wondered if it was really worth it. Henry woke us up 15 minutes before our 6 AM alarm clock, and Steve convinced me that racing could be fun.

Here's my major disclaimer: I've had the best intentions for months, but I am having A LOT of trouble working some semblance of a training schedule into my life. A full time job + a baby who doesn't sleep through the night + an already early 5 AM alarm clock + a baby who doesn't reliably stay asleep once we put him to bed = not great training. The best solution I can think of is that Steve and I just need to take shifts after Henry's in bed around 8. One of us needs to stay home and get him back asleep if/when he wakes up; the other needs to get his/her butt out the door. I've been getting in a few bikes and runs during the week, but swimming just needs to take a back seat for a while. I knew that I'm not in stellar racing shape, but I told myself that if this amount of training could get me up mountains in Tennessee with my AMAZING Evotri teammates last month, I could make it through a sprint triathlon.

We arrived at the race site 80 minutes before the 9 AM start time. I was pleased to see that there was plenty of parking in the lot next to transition. The shelter was new, and there was a cute new playground next to it. We'll definitely have to bring Henry back there in a couple of years. I was signed up in no time, and as I entered transition, I realized that I was very wrong about one thing - the caliber of the racers. I had thought that a small race in a relatively small town would mean a slightly less competitive field than I'm used to. It appears that one of the first open water swim tris of the year attracts only the diehard crazies. Don't get me wrong, I very much admire having good competition, but I prefer races with a few more "green" athletes. I thrive on offering a warm smile to new racers, and I appreciate having a more "fun" rather than "fierce" atmosphere at races.

The Swim: The air was cold - around 57 degrees, and I was surprised to learn that the water was 70 degrees. I think the warm spring we've had helped. The race consisted of just over 100 athletes, so there were only 2 waves. Men were in the first wave, and the second wave was women and relays. When they sounded the starting horn, I took off for the 1/4 mile swim. Unfortunately, I was stuck behind a woman doing the side stroke and one doing the back stroke. Though I wasn't necessarily swimming faster than either of them, I was definitely sighting better, and it took some work to get past them. I was out of the water and up to T1 in 9:12 - as good as I can ask for with my current swim (non)training.

T1: I couldn't for the life of me get my wetsuit off. It was stuck on my left leg and wouldn't budge. I stood up. I sat down. I stood up again and finally managed to wiggle the leg around my chip. The rest of T1 was cake, but my time sure suffered. 2:35

The Bike: I was SO excited to be on my CD.01. I seriously love this bike. There was a 15+ mph headwind on the way out. I tucked down and got to work. The bike course was beautiful. The fields are newly planted, and there were lots of rolling hills past farms. It reminded me a lot of the Liberty course, another favorite local tri. My Joule showed my average at 15.3 mph at the halfway point. OK, time to pick this up. You're going to have a tail wind the whole way back... The tail wind was great. At one point, I ran out of gears going down a slight hill with the wind. I stopped looking down after I hit over 30 MPH. One trick that my teammate Chris taught me a couple of years ago was to increase my resistance when I feel like I'm losing a little control on the bike. It's counterintuitive when you're already going fast and feeling out of control, but it really did make a difference the times I had cross winds out there. I finished out the bike passing people left and right, and my end average was 17.4 for the 14 miles. Total time: 48:16.

T2: I knew I wouldn't be needing my arm warmers anymore. I changed shoes and was out. Total time: 1:28

The Run: I started the run feeling spent. This is usually when I start feeling great, but my (lack of) training was really starting to catch up with me. Since I'm still breastfeeding, I need so many more calories to complete a workout than I used to. I wouldn't have batted an eye doing this race without nutrition pre-baby, but I knew I'd better start sucking down some Gu if I was going to make it to the finish line. I downed a Mint Chocolate and a Mandarin. I stuck with a woman in my age group for the first 3/4 mile or so, but I could tell she had a lot more left in her tank. I hit the first mile in 9:17. Shoot. I was hoping for around 9s, and my first mile is usually one of my fastest. I ran past the band shelter in the park. It reminded me of going boating on this lake with my Grandma and Grandpa and aunts and uncles when I was young. This was the park where Steve met my extended family for the first time. The run was a mix of gravel, broken asphalt that was practically gravel again, and paved trail/road. I hit mile 2 in 9:37. I took some water at the halfway point and told myself I needed to push it. Mile 3 came in 9:33. Time to put on the squeeze. I could see the woman in my age group just up ahead, but despite finishing my last mile in 8:47, I just couldn't catch her. I booked it into the finish just as it started raining harder. I was running against that headwind again, and for a second, I wondered if I was moving at all. Total run time: 37:25 for 4 miles (an average of 9:22/mile - slower than my pre-pregnancy marathon pace).

Total race time: 1:38:53

Place: 70/97
AG: 9/11

Final thoughts:

It's really hard for me to look at all of these numbers and be OK with them. Yes there was good competition at this race, but I learned a long time ago that given my usual mid-pack status, I'm really just competing against myself out there. These numbers aren't even close to what I could have done 2 years ago. Henry's almost a year old. It's time to stop blaming the baby.

My next race is Buffalo Sprint in 2 weeks. It's a 1/4 mile swim, a 12.8 mile bike, and a 3 mile run. Let's see what I can get done before then.

This is the year for Bucket List tris. I tend to get stuck in a triathlon rut. I find races I like and stick with them. MN has a huge multisport community, though, and there are lots of races that I've thought, "That would be fun someday." Sticking with the shorter races this year will give me a chance to explore other venues. I need to post my race schedule soon. Man, I'm behind.

Would I do this race again? Absolutely. Mark Bongers and Final Stretch know how to put on a good race. The race was well run, the course is BEAUTIFUL, and the food afterward was yummy. It's a great super early season tri, and Steve and I will always have babysitting close by. As I mentioned above, though, the competition is pretty crazy.

Thanks to Steve for convincing me to get out there. Sometimes I need that lately. Sleep deprived or not, I did have fun.

Thanks to my Mom for watching Henry, especially for the last hour when he was overtired and not much fun to be around...

I'll try to make posting a more regular thing, but I can't make any promises... unless I find that there are actually 26 hours in a day :)

Securian Winter Carnival 10K Race Report

Um, hi. Is this thing on?

So I've been MIA lately, as in VERY MIA. Typing up a big update blog post has been on my to do list for over a month, but it quickly falls to the bottom of my list when I start to prioritize. I promise to write a more robust update soon, but here's the long and short of it:
* I love being a mom. Henry is such a ham, but he is still a very high maintenance baby.
* He also hates food and has decided that at 7 1/2 months, he'd still rather just subsist on boob juice. I'm not worried yet. The dude still has some major adorable chubs.
* I'm still gluten/dairy/soy free. Sometimes I can cheat and sneak in a little cheese, but Henry's tummy will definitely let us know if I go overboard. Occasionally it wears on me, mostly I'm fine with it. I've been craving a giant piece of chocolate cake for over 4 months. Gluten free food is okay, but it's rarely good, and it's definitely not the same. I am so fortunate that this is a temporary thing.
* Breastfeeding is still going really well. Everyone told me it would take time to finally click, and honestly, it didn't start to feel effortless until he was 5 months old.
* Fitting in workouts has been hella hard. I let myself take a break after the marathon and cut back to just a few days a week. Now that I want to start working on my base again, I'm having a hard time figuring out where that time will come from.
* Despite eating my weight in sugar and chocolate (which,thank God, does not upset Henry's tummy) and working out less than I have in the past, the pregnancy weight was gone at the 6 month mark - poof! The 42 pounds fell off without any effort. I've been able to fit into my normal clothes for a long time and have been in my extra skinny clothes for a few weeks. I'm not sure if it's muscle atrophy from not working out or actual sustainable weight loss, but it has been nice that this is not a source of stress for me. I still have some stubborn love handles to work on, though.

Alright, back to the title of this post... my 10K race report.

I did my first stand alone 10K EVER last year on Jan 1 when I was 17 weeks pregnant. I did this race a few weeks later at 21 or 22 weeks in 1:09:26 - my official 10K PR. Like I said above, training has been SEVERELY lacking lately. I had initially hoped to be able to do the half, but halfway through December, I realized that I'm not in that kind of shape right now. I was just hoping that this year I'd at least be faster than last year. I thought there would be a good chance that I could finish sub-60, and sub 55 sounded like a good round number to make my "ideal" goal, though I have no real reason why that would be attainable right now. My long runs pushing the stroller have generally been at 10+ minute miles, and my "all out" 600 M intervals at the metrodome have been at a sub 7:30 pace. Beyond that, I have no idea what my pace is these days. My plan was just to go out at a comfortably fast pace and play it by ear.

My sister Steph said she'd take Henry for a few hours, so Steve and I dropped him off at her house before driving to the race start. It was a 9:00 start, and we were there by 8:20 - plenty of time. I think I was downright giddy that Steve and I were on a "date," even though we would be running separate races at very different speeds.

Steve and me shortly just after getting to the race site

Steve's half started at 9, and my 10K went out at 9:05.

I took off at a pace that I thought was sustainably comfortably fast. I heard someone say around 3/4 through the first mile that we were doing 8:26. I was a little leary given the inaccuracy of Garmin's instant pace data, and when I hit the 1 mile mark, it was a 9:15. Not bad. Right where I'd hoped I would be. We weaved all around downtown St. Paul and saw the ice sculptures in Rice Park. They also shot off a couple of fireworks while we were circling the park. Fun! I missed Mile 2, and I was hoping that I was keeping on pace. I was starting to catch up to the back of the half marathoner pack, and I made it my goal to pick off as many packs as I could before my turn around. I hit miles 2&3 in 18:29. Those are some consistent splits! Soon after, we separated from the half marathoners, and I had to start picking off people in my own race. I was feeling pretty good and thought that I may be able to pick up the pace. I chose a lady in a blue jacket to chase down. I caught her and chose my next target. I hit mile 4 in 8:58. I was passing a lot of people, but then I hit a quiet point in the race, but I tried to continue picking up the pace. Mile 5's split was 8:45. Awesome. I was chasing a guy in orange, but it took me forever to catch him. I finally passed him on a hill. Come on, you can do this, it's just like sprinting up the hill at home. Around 5:45 into my last 1.2 miles, I told myself it was time to leave it all out there. It's just like an interval at the Dome. Pick it up... The last part of that race has us weaving back through downtown, and I can never remember which turn will be our last, but I was still passing people left and right. I passed some 5K walkers and more runners in my race. One woman did pass me back with about 100 M to go, and despite a decent kick on my part, I couldn't get her. My last 1.2: 10:22. Official time: 55:50 - exactly 9 min/mile. Given my recent lack of training and my shortage of confidence going into this race, I was pretty happy with that.

I stayed out on the course for another 25 minutes or so before heading inside for a little warmth. My plan was to be back out in time to see Steve finish, but I heard them call his name right as I hit the doors to go back outside. He had set a winter half marathon PR and had a blast dueling it out with some friends!

We shared uninterrupted race stories as we made drove back to my sister's house. Henry was fast asleep there (after a little bit of fighting it per Auntie's report). He had fun with his aunt and uncle, though!

Trying to feel the baby kick!

Hamming it up with uncle Jon

Henry fell asleep on the drive home, and he even gave us a few extra minutes to eat lunch...

I warmed up by the fire. The cats warmed up by me.

It's a little late for me, but I still haven't finalized my 2012 race calender. Hopefully that'll come soon!

Eleven Days

... is how long you have left to apply to be Evotri's 2012 member!

When I finally decided to apply to be on the Evotri team in 2010, I had less than 2 weeks before their deadline. I had wavered back and forth on whether I should throw my hat in. I had applied a couple of times in the past but hadn't made it very far in the elimination process. Plus, Steve and I were starting to talk about starting a family, and I was sure they wouldn't want someone who was hoping to be knocked up soon. My desire to be on the team got the best of me, though, and I decided the only things I had to lose were a couple of hours of my time and a small piece of my pride if they decided to pass over me again.

I had known of Evotri from WIBA weekends in the past (I was one of the "original" members of WIBA back in 2006 before Evotri had been started). I had gotten the opportunity to race alongside some of the members at Ironman Wisconsin and Steelhead 70.3 and had realized what a great group of people they are. They are so down-to-earth and fun at the same time. There never seemed to be a shortage of laughs around them! I was worried that they wouldn't want to pick me. There are some crazy speedsters on the team. The current count is that JP, Michelle, and Chris have all done Kona - all since joining the team. I'll likely never earn a slot to Kona. Sara seems to get faster after each kid she's had. Rob often beats pros out of the water. Stu has posted some pretty wicked times and is now announcing for the Rev3 Series - how cool is that? Oh, and Charlie BQ'd shortly after joining the team. I told them about my passion for the sport. I told them that I wouldn't be the fastest one on the team by any stretch of the imagination, but I would LOVE to find out what the amazing gear that the sponsors were offering could do for me. In my first summer on the team, my Power Tap, my Zipp wheels, and 3 months of coaching helped me to realize a 70.3 PR. I finally broke 6 hours, and for me, that's huge. Now that I have my new QR bike and wetsuit, I am ready to GO for this summer's race season.

In the process of applying, I told the team about my plans to start a family. I wanted to make sure they knew what they'd be getting in me. They told me they were looking for somebody that wanted to make a long-term commitment to the team and that balancing triathlon and the rest of life is something that they all strive to do. Now I look to them as role models as I learn to continue triathlon in my new life as a mom.

I love Evotri's mission. I have been trying to give back to this sport since I found it in 2004 and have coaxed many friends and former strangers to all sorts of finish lines. I thought that this would be a perfect way for me to continue to give back. When they called to tell me that they'd chosen me to be the newest member of Evotri, I was so excited that I couldn't stop shaking! I had a smile on my face for weeks. It has been a true blessing to get to know my teammates better, and the sponsorship really can't be beat.

We've had so many great applications already, and I can't tell you how pumped I am to meet our newest member. If you're still thinking about applying, it's not too late! Putting together a video and envisioning next year's racing season may be the perfect way to work off your Holiday food coma.

The Beginning

As part of Evotri, we were all asked to write how we got into this sport. It's a great look back to where we've each come from and to hopefully encourage any potential team members that we've all started somewhere, even JP, who recently WON an iron distance triathlon, and Rural Girl, who recently crushed her 3:30 marathon goal. My story starts with a boy...

I had been dating Steve for 2 years by the time we went off to college. We were high school sweethearts but had decided to go to seperate colleges. He was going to a small art school, and I was at a different university. As luck would have it, those schools were just under 4 miles apart. I had run cross country and track my last 2 years of high school and had loved it. Though I was definitely a middle-of-the-road runner, I loved that the more work I put into it, the more I would get out of it. They were sports where "favortism" didn't really come into play. The numbers spoke for themselves. If you could post them, you were on the roster. I loved the objectivity of it. I still ran when I went off to college, but I had decided that science majors and college sports didn't mix. I really missed the team enviornment, but I kept running for fun. On Fridays, Steve worked in the art gallery at his school. I used these days as my long run days. I would run the 4 miles down to see him and the 4 miles back. One day, I added a couple of miles. The next week, I added one more. The day I ran 16 miles, I decided I would sign up for my first marathon.

By the summer of 2003, I had run 3 and was training for my 4th marathon. I was sitting in my house and just happened to turn on the TV one Sunday. They were airing the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon on TV, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Though I had been running, I hadn’t given triathlons much thought. After watching the program, I vowed that I would be there in 2004 to race the Olympic distance race. I signed up a couple of months later and started training. It wasn’t exactly easy. I had never met anyone who had done a triathlon, so I basically learned all I could from books (I had quite the library of tri books by then). Wouldn’t you know…after all that training, my timing chip fell off my ankle during the swim. I managed to screw up my watch’s lap function during T1, so I don’t really have any idea what any of my splits were. I also lost all of my nutrition during the bike, which resulted in me almost losing my cookies at the end of the race. During that first tri, I thought about Ironman. Oddly enough, it was the M dot tatoo on a woman's right thigh that planted that seed. I saw it when I was on the run, and I thought to myself, I could do that someday. After that first race, I was hooked. I knew that more races were in my future, and in 2006, I realized my Ironman dream for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history!

Evotri Making the Team 2012

Now entering its sixth year, the members of Team Evotri continue to challenge themselves and others to live a healthy and active lifestyle through endurance sports. They have been given an extraordinary opportunity to train and race with the same equipment and coaching as the pros. They continue to dedicate themselves to maximizing their potential, to sharing what they learn from their experiences, and to making a positive contribution to the endurance sport community.

Team Evotri is again ready to welcome a new member to the family. For 2012, Team Evotri and its sponsors have pulled together a one-of-a-kind package to provide an age group athlete the opportunity to train and race like a PRO, while giving back to the triathlon and endurance community. The current team members will be looking for an individual who embraces the spirit of triathlon: a positive attitude, enthusiasm for the sport, desire to improve, and dedication to give back to the endurance community. Years of triathlon experience and good race results are not deciding factors in choosing a winner, but passion is.

The next team member will benefit by receiving an excellent package courtesy of the team's sponsors:

• QuintanaRoo will provide a top-of-the-line CD0.1  frameset with innovative shift technology that will undoubtedly take your bike splits to a new level.


• Zipp Speed Weaponry knows just how to outfit a frame like the CD0.1 with a 404 front and 808 rear wheel set.


• SRAM will add to the bike with its latest cockpit and drivetrain components.


• CycleOps finishes the bike off with its cutting edge SL+ wireless PowerTap hub and Joule 2.0 computer.


• HUB Endurance puts it all together providing a full year of expert triathlon coaching to deliver the newest Evotri athlete to the top of their potential in 2012.

Here's how you can be the next Team Evotri member:

Create a video that's no longer than three (3) minutes. The video should answer the following three questions:

1. Why Evotri?


2. Why You?


3. Can you Evotri?

Guidelines:

• Videos must be posted to Team Evotri's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/evotri.


• Videos must be posted by December 31, 2011, at 11:59 PM CST.


• Videos not within the time constraints will not be considered.

Process:

• The current team members will select finalists from the video submissions.


• The finalists will be notified by January 15, 2012 and will be invited to be interviewed via teleconference by current team members.


• The winner will be announced on February 1, 2012.

Important Notes:

• By posting a video to Evotri's Facebook page, candidates grant contest affiliates permission to use said video for promotional purposes affiliated with Team Evotri and the 2012 contest.


• The winner of the team slot forfeits all awards if he/she is unable to continue as a team member for any reason for a period within two years of joining the team.


• The winner of the team slot agrees to contribute to the Team Evotri web site for as long as he/she is a member of Team Evotri.


• The winner agrees to race in an Evotri team uniform for all multisport events. Winner to purchase choice of uniform apparel upon final selection.


• The winner of the team slot must participate in the yearly Team Evotri event. The 2012 event is a training camp in Chattanooga, TN from April 12-15, 2012. You must be present for the entire time.


• No reimbursement will be made by Team Evotri or its sponsors for the creation, submission or any other expenses associated with the video entry.


• No reimbursement will be made by Team Evotri or its sponsors for any travel, lodging, race entry fees, or other associated expenses in attending Team Evotri activities.

An Awesome Letter in the Mail This Week

There will be races when you show up to the start line and know you're not in for a PR. Usually this is from being undertrained - life or injury/illness got in your way. Whatever the reason, at that point you need to finalize your race strategy. Do you aim for a PR anyway and risk falling on your face? Do you assess your training and aim for a more appropriate finish time, or do you throw time out the window and decide to enjoy yourself? For my 12th consecutive Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon earlier this month, I chose that last strategy. At 16 weeks postpartum, I wasn't anywhere close to PR shape. I had squeezed in training that would get me to the finish line, but I knew my time would not be spectacular.

In my last post, I told you how I met Shelley and how we ran almost the entire marathon together. Steve saved me a screen shot of Shelley and me hugging at the finish line:

This week, I checked my mailbox at work and found this:

A closeup of her thoughtful letter

It totally made my week! Shelley, if you ever find this, it was an honor to be your "Race Angel." I hope to see you at the start line next year!

I had a great weekend of running and in the next couple of days will hopefully get together a post for the race I snuck in yesterday.

A Dozen - Twin Cities Marathon Race Report

I did this race for the first time in 2000. I was a sophomore in undergrad and had no idea what I was doing, but I was well-trained for it - posting the highest mileage I've ever put in for a marathon. I've done it every year since then - sometimes faster, and sometimes I've been much slower. It's become a yearly tradition for me, and for the last 5 years or so, it's become a tradition that my family joins in on. My mom, dad, and siblings all come up to cheer and sometimes run the 10 mile or marathon too. My birthday always falls sometime around the race (it was yesterday), so after the marathon, we all come back to Steve's and my house for a grill out, to share stories, and eat birthday cake before heading our separate ways again. This year, Steve and my brothers Matt and Mike were doing the 10 mile before changing into their crazy animal costumes and cheering like maniacs at mile 25.5.

Honestly, for the last 2 years I've wondered if it was really worth it to keep up the streak. I like having something to look forward to after tri season is over, but the feel of the race has changed. It's no secret that I'm anti iPod for races. I remember writing after last year's race that everyone around me seemed to be tuned out in their own little worlds. I'm a very social runner. I've only truly raced this marathon a couple of times. Mostly I just do it to celebrate what my body can do, soak in the scenery, and enjoy the camaraderie around me. This year's race restored my love for it.

I should back up to the days leading up to the race. Henry was up 5 times Thursday night and 6 times Friday night. By the end of that night, I was honestly ready to lock him in our basement with our cats for a couple of hours. Of course I'd never actually do that, but I have to admit that the thought went through my head at 4 AM. I had the day off of work Friday so Steve and I could get ready for Henry's Baptism on Saturday. We also had an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist that day. The doctor basically reaffirmed that it's likely an allergy to a food protein that I'm eating and recommended that I stay off all dairy, wheat, and soy since it does seem to be helping. The alternative is switching him to formula. I would rather keep breastfeeding if possible, so a restrictive diet it is. I'm not sure if it's a sheer coincidence or if it is the diet change, but his demeanor has been COMPLETELY different in the last 2 weeks. He's been a very happy guy who loves to smile, coo, and giggle, and the crying has nearly stopped. He's even been content to play with toys by himself for a few minutes here and there. The clinic and the race expo were just a few blocks from each other, so Steve and I picked up our race packets afterward.

Saturday was a flurry of excitement getting all of the food ready, putting a few last minute touches on cleaning our house, and welcoming our family. Steve's sister and my sisters were SO much help. We are blessed to have such great families. After being up those 6 times overnight, Henry didn't sleep all morning, and just when I thought he'd pass out, we put his baptismal gown on him, and he was wide awake taking the whole experience in. Here's a picture of the 3 of us. Henry's in a gown that my mom sewed for him out of pieces of her wedding dress:

Henry in the baptism gown my mom made him

Henry slept for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but not nearly as much as normal, so I thought he'd pass out at 7 and be good to go for the night. We made some pasta for my family who was staying the night (I had quinoa pasta. You know what? It's really pretty good!). Henry had plans of his own. We tried for hours to get him down, and every time we thought we'd been successful, he'd wake up again.

At 11:30 PM, after more than 4 hours of trying to get my baby to sleep. I was getting desperate. I thought about backing out of the race the next day. I was tired and frustrated from so many nights in a row with no sleep. I handed a crying Henry to my mom and collapsed as a blubbering pile into my dad's arms - asking how the heck I was supposed to continue doing this every night while working full time at a job that requires my brain to be in top-shape. My parents sent me to bed and promised to take care of Henry. I finally passed out. I woke up an hour and a half later to him crying, and for a moment, I panicked that he'd been crying the whole time. It turned out that he just thought it was his job to entertain the company, though. He'd been up laughing, talking, and playing with my parents the whole time. I fed him briefly, and he finally passed out at 1 AM. We then slept for 4 glorious uninterrupted hours until my 5 AM alarm went off.

I got dressed, pumped, and woke up the rest of the house. My mom took Steve, Matt, Mike and me to the start line. I saw them off for the 10 mile start and put the rest of me together. I smothered myself in body glide, ate a mint chocolate Gu, and got in line for Corral 3. When they sang the National Anthem, I said a quick prayer thanking God for the opportunity to be out there running, for my health, and for my VERY supportive family. They played "Everybody Looks Good at the Starting Line," and we were off! My plan was just to go at a comfortable pace, have fun, and hang out at the back of the pack.

At around mile 0.5, I complimented a woman on her shirt. It had the tracings of her 2 kids' feet and said something to the effect of, "We're behind you mom!" With that, I met Shelley. She was running her first marathon ever. We talked about our families. I told her some of the fun parts of the course to look forward to and where the hills would be. Sometimes we talked, sometimes we just ran together. We were very matched in pace, so we just stayed together. Around mile 12, John joined us. He had been running near us for most of the race. It was also his first marathon. His son was born on the exact same day as Henry but had had some initial complications, so his training wasn't what he'd hoped. Twelve miles was his longest run. I invited him to run with us, so he did. We ran along the river together telling stories and jokes and enjoying the gorgeous day. Normally, I would have thought it was much too hot, but this year I was glad it was a little warm so Henry wouldn't be cold while he was out cheering. I was so happy to be running, and though the typical aches and pains of a marathon snuck up on me earlier this year, I was having a lot of fun. I said in my last post that my goal would be to hang out with people at the back of the pack and to enjoy myself. If I could find a newbie to cheer on, that would be an added bonus.

John ran with us until mile 22 or so. He was stronger up the hill. I saw him look back a couple of times while he was ahead of us, but by that time, we were on Summit - the home stretch. I hoped he'd go on without us if he was feeling good, and he did. Shelley and I ran Summit together. We never had to stop and walk, though our pace was slowing down. I was just so happy to still be running and to still be feeling relatively OK. We looked for her family around mile 24 and then looked for mine at mile 25.5. I beamed when I spotted the farm animals! I high-fived my family and smooched my baby.

Spotting my family

Shelley and me at mile 25.5

High Fives for my family, running to smooch my baby

A high five for my bud Maddy. She was out there a couple of times to cheer!

I spotted the giant flag near the finish line as I crested the hill by the Cathedral. Shelly and I picked up the pace and ran to the finish line together. When we crossed, I congratulated her and asked if I could give her a hug. "I wish you would!" she exclaimed. We hugged twice, I congratulated her again, and I made my way up to find my family. Here are my splits just in case you're interested, but they weren't important. This was my second slowest marathon ever, but honestly, it was one of my most fun.

Miles 1&2: 22:50
Mile 3: 11:40
Mile 4: 11:26
Mile 5: 11:32
Mile 6: 11:53
Mile 7: 12:14
Mile 8: 11:16
Mile 9: 11:44
Mile 10: 11:48
Mile 11 & 12: 23:32
Mile 13: 12:07
Mile 14: 12:16
Mile 15: 11:25
Mile 16: 12:13
Mile 17: 12:03
Mile 18: 12:21
Mile 19: 12:32
Mile 20: 12:36
Mile 21: 13:14
Mile 22: 14:11
Mile 23: 13:45
Mile 24: 14:05
Mile 25 & 26: 27:25
Last 0.2: 2:46

Total time: 5:23:15

We all came back to Steve's and my place, grilled some delicious food, and said our goodbyes after a busy, fun-filled weekend. I snuggled my baby, and the two of us took a nap together.

Resting with Mama

That night, Henry slept through the night for the first time EVER. I'm not sure if the weekend wore him out or if running a marathon on an 80 degree day gave me a super concentrated milk supply - maybe a combination of both.

Final thoughts:

* We did end up making that sign for Henry's stroller:

* Running a marathon while nursing makes you HUNGRY!!! I normally eat around 400-500 calories over the course of a marathon, but this year, I ate over 800 and still had trouble keeping up. I had 4 gels, a pack of Powerbar chewies, a pack of Sharkies, and more than a full banana. I ran with a 6 oz bottle and managed to consume 10 bottles (5 tablets) of NUUN and another 5-10 bottles of water. I did a good job of keeping up with my hydration given the heat and was only down 2 pounds after the race.

* Speaking of nursing, everyone asks if I was OK going that long without, ahem, "relieving" myself. When I first signed up, I thought I'd have to spot a pump somewhere given my expected finish time, but I was fine. I can normally go 6-8 hours without too much trouble, and I think the dehydration factor worked in my favor.

* The NUUN and my slow pace made a HUGE difference in my cramping during and recovery after the race, which was good since I still had to safely carry a baby up and down our stairs.

* The sleeping through the night was a one-time deal. He woke up 5 times the next night but was only up 1-3 times the rest of the week, so I'm calling it progress.

* I wore my sacro-illiac support belt for all of my long runs and for the race. I still ended up with some SI pain, but I do think it helped. I'm hoping to be able to wean myself off of it now that runs of that distance are done for a few months.

* I don't have any races on the calendar yet but am definitely looking forward to being back next year. My focus this winter will be getting my speed back.

* Speaking of winter, I think I'm using my birthday money to buy the weather shield for the BOB. Obviously I'm not going to take Henry out in crazy temps, but he LOVES being outside, so on milder days, we can still get out for some fresh air.

And with that, I'll leave you with one last picture of Henry from this week:

Happy little guy wearing his "Born 2 Farm" onesie :)

Have a great week everybody!

So it Turns Out I'm NOT a Supermom

As I was preparing to go back to work, I had this grand plan in my head. Henry was still waking up once or twice a night, but I figured this was a manageable schedule for when I'd be back to work. Marathon training was going OK, considering, and we finally had our childcare situation lined up. I was going to be able to balance a career, my family, and maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle. I was going to be a Supermom. I'm now in the middle of my 4th week back to work, and boy am I pooped. Henry has regressed back to every 3 hour feedings, and we've consistently been up 3-5 times a night. Twice a night seems to be a welcome rarity. By the time I get done with an 8-10 hour day at work, I'm totally beat, and given that Henry needs to make up for lost time on the boob, I'm constantly feeding him. My visions of evening runs with the stroller have turned into mommy-baby naptime.

Last Friday, Henry was up 5 times overnight. By morning, I was SO tired. All I wanted was for Steve to say, "Here, honey, I've got this one. I'll go get him a bottle." Instead, he poked me and informed me the baby was hungry again. I got up 20 minutes early to throw supper in the crock pot only to discover I left the tubing to my breast pump at work and would be pumping with the hand pump so Henry had food to take to daycare. So much for those extra 20 minutes. By the time I got to work late, crabby, tired, and at the end of my rope, I thought, "Hmm. I'm still hungry." That's when I realized I had forgotten to eat breakfast. I haven't forgotten to eat breakfast in 30 years. Of course then he had a great weekend equipped with a happy demeanor and lots of giggles and naps with mommy. I started the week rejuvinated, but I'm already back to needing a mid-morning caffeine fix...

I've been getting in my long runs on the weekends, but there has been a serious hole in the rest of my training. My 18 miler 2 weeks ago went really well, but my 20 miler a week ago wasn't so pretty. I'm a little nervous how the marathon will go this weekend. I'm just going to have to focus on hanging out with people at the back of the pack and enjoying myself. It's the only way I'll get through the last 6 miles.

On a brighter note, being back at work has been going OK aside from the serious sleep deprivation. I bounced back faster than I thought I would, and although I don't have as much time at the end of the day to socialize (I'm running out the door to make it pick up Henry), I do enjoy seeing my coworkers again. I'm also back to a weight that I've been before. Granted it's a weight that I usually see at the end of an overindulgent winter, but it's relieving to at least fit into my "fat" pre-pregnancy clothes. I've got another 6 or 7 pounds to lose, but I know I need to be patient. I worried so much going back to work that I couldn't find any clothes to buy, but it has turned out that I've been OK wearing some carefully selected items from my own closet. In the last couple of weeks, I've been catching glimpses of myself in the mirror and have noticed that I'm getting my waist back! Last but not least, Henry's demeanor is getting MUCH better, and we can at least lay him on the floor to play for a few minutes here and there. We used to have to hold him constantly, and even then, he cried all of the time. It's amazing how much you can get done in 10 minutes without a baby in your arms! We still haven't figured out his tummy troubles. We're seeing a pediatric gastroentrologist on Friday. I'm currently off of all dairy, soy, and wheat products. At times it's really hard, especially since it means we have to cook all of our food at home, but I keep telling myself that lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, and nuts is really how I should be eating anyway. I haven't been perfect and have snuck in a baked good here or there (I'm hungry ALL of the time and have a whole mouth full of sweet teeth), but overall, it's going better than I thought it would. Henry hasn't had a bloody poo since last Thursday. It's hard to say whether it's sheer coincidence that his demeanor is getting better since getting rid of wheat and soy or whether it's making a difference...

Steve's been putting in crazy hours at work, but some of that is starting to work itsself out. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I won't need a daily afternoon nap. Henry will continue to be happy enough to take out in the stroller, and Steve and I can take shifts in the evenings so the other one can get out and get in a workout. In the meantime, I'm running a freaking marathon this weekend! It's been my dream since I signed up to put a sign on our stroller in the cheering section that says, "I did this last year." I'll be back next week with a race report!

St Croix Valley Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Henry's asleep in his bunny swing, so I'm going to try to make this quick before he wakes up again. My first week back was a very tiring one. Henry has decided that he doesn't love eating at daycare and would rather get up a few extra times during the night to make up for all of those lost feedings. We've been up 3-5 times most nights this week. Thank God it was only a 4 day week. I guess this week will be the real test. Speaking of Henry, as if I don't talk about him enough around here lately, I think his demeanor is getting better. This is giving me hope that he's a 3 month colicky baby and not a 6 month colicky baby. I really can't thank you all enough for the massive amount of support, suggestions, thoughts, and prayers you've offered me the last few months. I REALLY needed it, and you came through. We still haven't figured out his intestinal issues other than the fact that he most likely has allergic proctocolitis. I went off dairy again this week, but I'm not convinced it's dairy. Next on the list is soy and then eggs, so if it doesn't get better, that's where we're headed. After the LC told us that it was ridiculous to be cutting out so many foods and that she didn't think it was an allergy, she called back 4 days later to say that she thinks it's most likely an allergy. Thankfully, most kids grow out of it around 12-18 months or even earlier, but I still want to nip it now so his poor insides aren't so irritated.

OK - enough about that. You came here for a race report. This was the first postpartum race I'd done. We've gone to cheer on Steve at a couple of them this summer, but this was my turn. We layed out and packed as much stuff as we could the night before. I made a list of everything we needed to grab the morning of - diaper bag, my tri bag, my breast pump for the car ride, our baby, etc. The BOB and my bike were already packed up. Henry woke up twice during the night, including one feeding that lasted an ENTIRE hour. He's never eaten that much in his life. Guess he thought he was gearing up for a race, too! Our alarm went off, and we quickly busied ourselves packing up and heading out the door. The goal was to leave around 6 so we could be there by 6:30 (transition closed at 7:15). As I was pumping on the way there, I realized that the bottle I had grabbed to put the pumped milk in had somehow not made it into the car. That's when Steve and I realized that we had managed to forget the diaper bag, too. Great. Mom of the year right here. We keep a small diaper bag in the bob, so I wasn't worried about diapers, but I felt sick knowing that I was about to leave Steve with 10 ounces of milk, a hungry baby, and no way to combine the two. We made plans for him to go to a local 24 hour Wal-Mart while I was on the bike if needed.

When we got to the park, we unloaded the car and stopped at a picnic table so I could try to feed H a little before I needed to race. He halfheartedly ate and then proceeded to throw up most of what he ate. Double great.

Emergency feeding time...

I picked up my race packet and headed into transition with baby in tow. It didn't take me long to set everything up, don my wetsuit, and stop for these photos:

Posing with Henry before the Start

Henry giving me a pep talk before the race

The swim:
I've never done a sprint tri. The shortest distance I've ever done was an oly. This was the first swim I've done where I didn't look up and think, "Holy cow, that's a really long way to swim." I said a quick prayer of thanks before my start. I really do havw a lot to be thankful for. Soon it was go time! I sighted OK, felt OK, and was out of the 1/3 mile swim in 12:14 - not great by normal standards, but I've only been in the water twice since I was 16 weeks pregnant.

All smiles coming out of the water

T1:
This took me way longer than it should have. I fumbled all over with my wetsuit, my shoes, and with the decision on weather to grab my mini bike pump. I was out in 2:16.

The bike:
I've long touted this race as a great beginner race. I did their oly a couple of years ago, and it's my PR. The sprint distances aren't intimidating, and you can stand up during almost any given part of the swim. Plus, it's at the end of the summer, allowing plenty of time to train. Steve did this race a few years ago, and it's a good thing I walked through the course with him the night before or I would have been surprise by the GIANT hill on the bike. This ride? Not beginner friendly. It's slightly uphill for the first 3 miles of the out and back and then gets really nasty. I haven't reviewed my power data yet, but at one point, I looked down at my Powertap to see I was on a 7% grade hill. People were walking. I was in my granny gear and still thought I would lose my cookies. I was WORKING! My speed was pitiful. I was so glad to hit the top (and the turn around) but then quickly became nervous on whether I would do OK handling my new bike on a descent that big. I did have to break pretty hard on one curve that they had warned us about, but otherwise I did OK. I went back and forth with Katie, a local triathlete/runner that we know. I smiled and told her she'd be getting me on the run. I finished the 10 mile bike in 38:12 - a 15.7 mph average. I have to admit that I'm disappointed with this average, but looking at the winners, all times were slow on the bike. You just never make up that speed once you've lost it on the uphill, and like I said in my last post, you can't be too hard on yourself when it's only the 4th time you've been on your bike in over 3 months. I could hear Steve cheering me on as I came into transition.

Coming in off the bike

T2:
Much smoother this time. I was in and out in 1:36.

The run:
I've been lamenting for weeks about how slow my running is coming along. The endurance has come back, but my speed just hasn't budged. I had done a 5 miler a few days prior where I averaged 11 minute miles, and I was ecstatic to see an entire minute drop from my usual min/mile pace. I was thinking that 10:30s -11:00s would be a realistic goal given my recent training times, but my body had other ideas. I took off out of T2 with a pace that I thought was comfortably fast.

Starting my run

I was relieved to discover that once I was running, barfing seemed much less inevitable. I talked with a local mom (I think her name was Tiffany) on my way to mile 1. She recognized me from my blog and offered me encouragement that cranky babies don't always stay that way. I was shocked when I hit my watch at mile 1 and saw a 9:24. I wondered if I could maintain that kind of pace. At mile 2, my watch read 9:03. Awesome. I was feeling great. I was pushing for two reasons: 1. I was racing and 2. There was a good chance that Steve had a very hungry Cranky Hank waiting for me at the finish line. I was cheering people on as I was passing them and cheering racers who were still heading toward the turnaround. I was still feeling good at mile 3 - 8:45.

Still feeling good on the run

When I passed Steve and Henry as I was running toward the finish line, I shrugged and told Steve I had no idea where this run speed came from, and that's when he snapped this priceless photo:

WHERE did this run come from?

Heading toward the finish

I had 8:53 as my last split for a total run time of 36:13 - just over 9:03 min/mile average.

I got a little teary at the finish line. I had so much fun and was so happy to be back. Total time: 1:30:29 - 4/11 in my AG and 32/89 women.

All packed up and ready for some FOOD!

I found Steve and was relieved to find that Henry had slept through most of the race - disaster averted. He actually slept through me packing up my stuff and eating the DELICIOUS post race luau pork sandwiches that they were serving.

Henry was still asleep as we loaded up the car

He made it all the way home before waking up and being ravenously hungry.

I would love to do this race again. First of all, it would serve as a good measure of improvement, but it really is a fun race. Although I've never been a lover of sprint races, I think I could really get used to doing a few of these. It's a great way for me to learn to push my limits.

One year ago today, I was smashing my PR at Rev3 Cedar Point half. Last week, I did my first postpartum sprint. It's amazing how much has changed in the past year, and I'm excited to see how the next year unfolds.

Next up on my racing calendar is the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. I felt awesome on my 18 miler yesterday and was relieved to discover that my times are coming down a bit. There were several local running groups doing 20 milers on my usual route, and it was fun to be part of that excitement. I'll hopefully get in a 20 miler next weekend and will then be headed for taper town. It's been my dream ever since signing up this year to put a sign on the BOB that says "I did this last year." You know I'll be stopping for baby kisses on my way to the finish line.