To Tri or not to Tri

SWIM. BIKE. RUN.

There must be something slightly demented about people like me and my friends who actually pay money to torture ourselves with triathlons. For me, it is certainly a love-hate relationship. I love race day, hate the relentless days of training (sort of), and really love the euphoria of finishing a race. That must be what keeps us addicted, or at least going.

Triathlons are a completely different animal than running, or any other single sport competition. They require demanding work-outs, time, skill, occasionally blood, tremendous determination, and solitude. As a runner, you find camaraderie with fellow racers when you take to the s

tarting line. You all seem to be in it together. In a triathlon you don't really stay with a friend or even in a group. You tend to be "alone", racing to the finish with nothing but your own will to succeed. But the cross-training and change of pace (literally) gives it much appeal.

I enjoy cross-training so much more than just running, which was my first love. But it is hard to find the time to fit in multiple sports when you have an almost 2-year old. There is no replacement for getting outside to train but truthfully it isn't very realistic for a mom of small children to go out for a 90 minute bike ride twice a week. That has been hard for me because I am the type to want to push hard when I train and I've realized I can only commit so much of my time, energy and mental stamina to training. It has brought balance along with frustration at times.

Swimming has been a big challenge for me but I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it. It will never be my "strong" sport but I think its the one that I feel the best after when I work-out. Heck, I've even learned flip-turns (thanks Kevin!).

After the last race I stated that I never needed to do that again. But alas, I was already signed up for another one. Now we're down to 3 weeks before the next race. I'm very excited, still a little anxious, but have taken my lessons learned and tried to apply them. I can't say that I will cut much time from the next race but I know now where I can push harder so I'll give it hell. 

Will I do more triathlons in the future? It's hard to say. I aspire to but sometimes life takes over. It could be a couple of years seeing as we're interested in having another little one eventually and considering that they are seasonal due to open water swimming. I'm pretty sure I'll get back on the bandwagon. Maybe I'll see you out there? ;)

Happy trails!

Two wheels and a helmet

We finally got one of those kid seats for Gray to ride on a bike with us. He loves it and so do we! It's so much fun to be able to hop on the bike and ride to a park we don't usually go to because it's too long of a walk. We've taken three rides in two days so far and I'm sure there will be many more.

Run with Cops Not from Them

Kevin and I did our first race together this past weekend. It was such a blast to go together, and it was his idea! He told me at the beginning of the race that he wanted to do it under 40 minutes (it was a 5k). In true Clement fashion we started the race about 3 minutes late but caught up to the main pack of runners by the end and finished in about 27 minutes. We were flyin'! Our next race together will probably be the 8k at Lakefair in Oly later this summer.

Fun in Fountains

One day, maybe a few months ago, Gray and I were passing by the fountain at Redmond Town Center. He couldn't resist getting soaked and I agreed. I'm pretty sure all the other moms there were horrified. Hah!

Gray was cool with it until we had to leave. But things did improve when he realized he got to ride home in just his diaper.

Intro: Deep Fryer Clement

Welcome the new addition to our family, Deep Fryer. I decided that having delicious deep fat fried food outweighed my desire to not have yet another kitchen gadget. I mean who can pass up homemade doughnuts, fries, fish and chips, popcorn shrimp, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers?!

Kevin become the supreme guru on the machine this week, breaking it in with some fries that gives Dick's a run for their money. Truly, the only difference was the size of the fries. They were SO good.

A Huge Turning Point

This week may well be the enormous 'sigh of relief' we have been waiting for, 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Grayson has now slept soundly for 3 nights in a row. The first night he woke up around 11:30 and Kevin patted him back to sleep. He then slept the rest of the night. The next two nights were perfect slumber from start to finish. It has been glorious. I haven't had a full night of rest for well over two years if you include the many nightly interruptions one has when pregnant. I'm sure my face has the lines and dark circles to prove it too (thank God for makeup!).

Interestingly, this miraculous bout of sleep seems to coincide with Gray moving to one nap. Of course, I won't count my chicks until they've all hatched so we'll see what happens in a full week.

This also has other implications for nursing. There is nothing like the bond you get when you nurse your child, which I have enjoyed. But I would like to reclaim my body now. Since he isn't nursing at night there really is no additional need because he'll go to sleep without nursing and certainly doesn't need it for nourishment. I am not the type to turn my child away if he wanted it but he may forget about it completely which, to me, is a very natural weening process and my preference, if possible.

It is bittersweet to watch your baby grow but more sweet than bitter. After all, who wants a 31-year old son who wears diapers and needs an occasional pull on your knocker?! (okay, that may have been slightly disgusting, but funny!)

It's been a while

Far too long for my liking, but nearly unavoidable due to holiday business and work during naps. But I have had the best of intentions!

We have had several adventures since October, some big and many small.

Holidays came and went so fast this year but all were enjoyed with family. Kevin and I even stayed up late enough to watch the New Year's fireworks from the Spaceneedle (on TV of course) :) Many of our neighbors lit off their own fireworks since we live in unincorporated King county.

We, like everyone else, were able to enjoy several occassions of snow at our home and Gray got to try out his snow gear before we hit the slopes at Whistler in January.

Our trip to Whistler came after months of anticipation. The place we stayed was absolutely amazing and I would rent it again in a snap. We had a full town home, 2 storied with heated floors, gigantic tvs, and three bedrooms. Plus a hot tub, but that turned out to be oh-so-gross.
The snow was lacking some luster, but we hit the runs for a couple of days and found some decent spots. We were also thrilled by the Peak 2 Peak gondola. Even Gray enjoyed it!

Since then we've been looking at paint swatches to brighten up the house sometime. Gray has also tried out some kid gyms and has loved that. We plan to go to one called Great Play about every week. I think we'll also start hitting the local pool once a week. Outside of that there are other various activities around town we might try and I finally got my gym membership so that should fill up some time for both Gray and I on a near-daily basis. He really enjoys being new places and playing, especially around other munchkins. At the gym he didn't even look back :)

And finally we're all now recovering from a nasty cold that came home with a relative. Gray got hit the worst and after 5 days of fever and misery he is on-the-mend. At least he's got some more antibodies of his own now :) But we're definitely ready to get out of the house!

That's a lot of stuff all crammed into one post, but it's been far too long. Look for pics of Whistler and holidays on our site soon www.kevinclement.com.