More to life than Ironman....

Really there is.....while I write about my family some, I certainly write about training and racing more- mostly because well this is an Ironman blog.  But there is a lot more going on the around here than training and when I don't have a big race looming...more of my mental energy is focused on home.

Yes I am doing IMAZ.....notice I carefully said doing and not racing because that is my approach going in.  IMAZ is 6 weeks post Kona, where #1 I did not have a stellar race and #2 barely made it to the start line as a result of my uber aggressive self coaching. KP saved me 6 weeks out but well the lead up was not ideal.  So looking at AZ the lead up is not ideal...but I am going. 

Why?  1- 2 days after Kona (an after I swore off Ironman, cursed at the Island of Kona....) I got the niggling feeling of I want to do another race.  And well since I was conveniently registered for one, AZ and it is driving distance and the family is planning a road trip that week- well why not!

So recovery ended and training resumed.....gash in my foot- stitches, no swimming , no running- yikes.  We are good now- back in the pool ( and dying thanks to my custom workouts from Sickie) and had a good week of running, although there is still a fair amount of pain (tissue knitting itself is what I was told) . So with 2 weeks to go- we take it day by day.  Tomorrow's ride may be 5 hours or maybe 2- flexibility is key right now.

Okay so maybe Ironman is still consuming a lot of my life....but there is more. Countless hours helping Riley with Honors English and a very, very tough essay on To Kill A Mockingbird. Seriously I had to google examples of symbolism and characterization in literature.   Thesis, supporting arguments, backed up by quotes- Hello she is 14!  OMG this is really hard stuff. If she can get this now- I'm thinking college will be easy.  No I am not a Mom who does her kids homework-  1- I cannot understand 1/2 of what they do now anyway and 2- that does not do anyone any favors.  But I am willing to collaborate, give examples, google information  and claim it was my idea so she thinks I am really smart, proofread etc.... And all this takes place in the evening when I am thinking about going to bed. 

I wish I could help JD (okay not really with AP Calculus, Honors American Literature and AP US History but really all I can do is nag him to stay focused and do more work- even though it is Saturday night and Sunday....sorry dude, you picked these classes.  Not that I say that...but I'm just sayin.



Big win for JD's soccer Team Carmel Valley Manchester United- with the game on Saturday the cinched their win of their soccer league.  This is huge...they now play in National Cup (vs State) and they move up to Premier Level (that is the top of 5)  Hooray!   Exciting for the boys and a lot of fun to watch! 



Between soccer, homework and lacrosse tryouts (which did not go well for Riley- without a mouth guard she could not do most of the tryouts and thus made the B team for Winter League.  She let me know Friday at 10pm that she needed a new mouth guard -gee honey I think the lacrosse store is closed and probably will not open before 9am) , we watched very cool movie  Hell on Wheels - an amazing documentary about the Tour de France and I made some really horrible Gluten Free Peanut Butter/Flax seed cookies- I will not be posting the recipe.  Riley put it best.."they don't taste like cookies...kind of like I sponge I think"