A jumble of random things

1. Apparently, I better keep racing, because when I quit, I might die...

On my post about getting sick after my races are done, my sister left the following comment: "Loads of teachers get sick at the beginning of holidays (and apparently lots of them die soon after retirement too)."  Um, thanks sis.  You're saying that when I "retire" from triathlons and running races that I'll die?  Well, if there wasn't a good reason to stick with it, here it is.  It shouldn't be too hard to Kona qualify when I'm 90, right?

2. I'm not dying yet.

Speaking of getting sick and dying, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling better.  I still have some annoying congestion and a bit of a cough, but I am no longer feeling tired just by standing up.  I took two consecutive rest days (not sure when the last time I did that was) and I think this evening I'll do an easy run or swim.

3. The other side of my sprint to the finish...

So, in my race report this week, I mentioned John running me in at the end.  How I felt like I was dying and couldn't breath, but he was still talking and encouraging me in that sprint to the finish.  I chatted with him at spin class and told him what I'd written in my blog.  He gave me the other side of it:

He had finished his race about 10 minutes earlier and gone hard at the end.  When he saw me coming up, he thought it would be an easy run in with me.  BUT, instead, I made it hurt for him when I picked up the pace and ran hard.  I thought that was kind of cool.  :)  I mean, there's no doubt he's a faster runner then me right now, so I'm pleased I could make it hard.

4. HBBC starts tomorrow!

The timing of this is perfect for me.  This week has been my "do what I feel like" week after a big race.  Just like last time, I did less then I expected because I got sick during it, but now I'm ready to go!  The thing I like about this challenge is the emphasis on the positive, rather then the negative.  You don't lose points for eating sweets or sitting on the couch, but you do get them for getting in your veggies or running a mile.

5. Skating lessons, the good and bad

So, as I've mentioned in previous posts that I've got Spud and Sweetpea in skating lessons right now.  Well, Sweetpea is done.  The last couple lessons, she's done nothing but sit on the ice.  The instructors won't pick her up unless she at least gets to her knees, and she won't even do that.  Last time, I took her off and let her watch with me and she was much happier.  We'll wait until she asks to do it again before putting her in another class.  (Although, in my defense, she was the one to pick skating for her activity this time.)

The flip side of it is Spud, who has taken off on the ice.  He still falls a lot, but he happily gets back up and keeps going.  Last class, they had some hockey sticks and balls for the kids to play with, which he COMPLETELY loved.  Oh my, I have visions of it now.  5am practices to take him to, thousands of dollars in equipment...  Can't I just convince him to be a runner instead?

6. My oven still doesn't work

My oven has been down for almost a month now.  We're waiting for a part.  Yesterday I called to find out what was happening and apparently it was damaged in shipping, so now we're waiting for another part...

Now, I don't want to be a complainer, but it's getting annoying.  I wanted to roast some vegetables the other day, and did it in my toaster oven.  I had to do 2 batches though, and that wasn't even very much vegetables.  It better be fixed soon!