Indoor Ironman

I have made reference to the Indoor Ironman

 

a few times now so I thought I should explain it.

 

Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, and Run 26.2

 

Our local YMCA is hosting it's

 

7th Annual Indoor Ironman Challenge.

 

The challenge consists of finishing

 

2.4 miles of swimming,

 

112 miles of biking

 

and 26.2 miles of running

 

over the 28 days of February.

 

That's right,

 

we have 28 days to complete what some

 

do in ONE day during ONE race!

 

They are truly AMAZING athletes

 

and I am definitely inspired by a friend that is training

 

for an Ironman race!

 

I loved doing my first sprint triathlon

 

and can't imagine doing an Ironman distance race.

 

(I have to admit that thoughts of one day

 

completing a half ironman MAY have crossed my mind though)

 

For now, spreading it out over the course

 

of a whole month is the way to go for us!

 

This is our 5th year participating

 

in the challenge at the Y

 

and this year Riley decided to join us.

 

We have been making great progress

 

and have enjoyed mixing up our workouts

 

by adding in more biking and time in the water.

 

In order to get all of our miles in

 

we have backed off on our strength training

 

so we need to work on bringing that back into the mix

 

and finding a better balance in our workouts.

 

All-in-all it has been a great week of workouts for me!

 

Here is the rundown:

 

Monday: 4 miles snowshoeing, 5k run, 5 bike miles

Tuesday: 12 bike miles, Yoga class

Wednesday: Work = no workout

Thursday: Work = no workout

Friday: 12 bike miles, 1/2 mile swim

Saturday: 5k run and 6 bike miles

Sunday: 2 mile run, 6 bike miles, and 1/2 mile swim

 

Time to get some strength training back in there!

 

 

Gratitude Challenge- Days 11-15

 

 

Day 11-

"Write about the first thing you felt you were grateful for today when you woke up."

 

I was grateful that I got to wake up next to my amazing husband and to have another day to live and make progress on moving forward towards reaching my many goals.

 

Day 12-

"Do you have a book or story that you are grateful for in your life? Why is that book or story special to you? Will you pass it on to someone else?"

 

This is another tough one. We have many books that I will always cherish because we have loved reading them to all three of our boys. We have many memories of snuggling up at bedtime (or anytime) to read them- over and over and over! I am making sure to keep them to be able to share with our grandchildren many years from now.

 

Day 13-

"List 3 relationships that you are grateful for in your past or present life. Why are you grateful for them?"

 

This one is pretty easy as I have so many relationships that I am grateful for. The hard part is picking just 3! I don't want anyone to be upset that they aren't on the list! These are the first three that I thought off- it DOES NOT mean that they are the three most important to me!!

 

1) I am grateful for my relationship with my Grandpa Everett. I was nearly 9 when he died but I am grateful for those 9 years with him. I have many wonderful memories of this amazing man and I am incredibly grateful for those because it is through those memories that my boys are able to "know" him as well.

2) I am grateful for my relationship with Darrell (Tim's dad). He was an amazing man and I am grateful for all of the time that I was able to spend with him. I am grateful that I got to know him and travel with him so I am able to tell my boys about him.

3) I am also grateful for the relationship that I have with my husband! He is always by my side and has always been my biggest supporter in all that I do. He is my best friend, my soul mate, and so much more!!

 

Day 14-

"List the memory that you have that you are most grateful to have. You will really need to think about this, more often than not it is the first one that comes to your mind."

 

 

Wow!! I have so many! It is really hard to pick one that I am most grateful for!

 

Right now I guess I would have to go with my memories of Grandpa Everett- from making homemade ice cream for special days and the box of chocolates he would always give us for Valentine's day to my favorite memory of him... when he went out to the barn and brought a baby pig in the house so we could see it on Christmas.

 

I am also grateful for the memories of the "cousin sleepovers" at Grandma Betty's. We would all be lined up sleeping across the pull out couch. I have wonderful memories of her taking all of us school shopping; some of which include getting lost and her continuing to follow the pilot car (which had a sign saying "follow me") in a construction zone even once we were out of the construction area and he was just trying to turn around.

 

I am very grateful for the memories that we are building everyday with our boys! Sometimes it is the littlest things that really do mean the most!

 

Day 15-

"Do you have a teacher that you are grateful for from your past of present life? Write about them and why you are grateful, and send them a handwritten note to tell them."

 

 

I am incredibly grateful for Ms. Eiken! Isaac had her for a teacher in 3rd grade and she was amazing! From the first time we met she had a way of making all of us feel welcome and comfortable. She does a wonderful job of recognizing each students uniqueness and helping them build their confidence. She was the teacher that really turned things around for Isaac in school and has helped him enjoy school again. After a rough start to elementary school she was just the teacher we needed! She has been amazing and I can't express how much we love her. We have been blessed and Isaac has been able to be in her classroom again this year in 4th grade! She is so genuine, caring, and has a special way of making you feel so comfortable. She has helped Isaac grow in so many ways and has been such a blessing in our lives! She has definitely touched our hearts in many ways!