WOW!  I just got a late birthday present from the Ironman Hawaii Lottery...  I won a coveted entry spot for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in October 2010!  I have been a triathlete for 15 years and Hawaii has been a dream of mine the whole time.  When I was in college I tried to qualify but it just always eluded me.  Once at a qualifying race in hawaii I placed 2nd in the 20-24 age group but there was only one slot up for grabs in that age group so I didn't get in.  I have been to the race twice to watch my big brother, Mike, race it.  Since marriage and family, triathlon has remained a part of my life but the focus of qualifying has kind of faded.  Well, now I'm going!  I can't wait for everything, even the training!  Maybe the six-pack will come back!  I look forward to involving my kids at school somehow and being an inspiration to some of them, who knows?  Emma is going to have a blast!  Lindsey and I are going to have a blast!  So if want an excuse to go to Hawaii let's go!

More info can be found here: http://www.ironman.com/

And here is my name on the list: lottery results

And last but not least, I have created an Ironman Diary

It is very hard to surprise someone who checks our bank statement about ten times every day! So besides getting Steven a "Swimman", waterproof IPod, I planned to make him breakfast this morning. Steven loves french toast, but I wanted it to be special. So, I went to the store to buy Texas Toast but was told to come back after school and they would have a delivery. I went to Smith's but it did not come in, so at nine o'clock last night I went to Supermart and found some. I was very lucky to have gotten there on time; it closed as soon as I walked out the door! This morning I woke Emma up early and while Steven went for a run we made him french toast with powdered sugar, strawberries, and turkey bacon. Sometimes little things like that are more fun than an expensive present. Emma was very excited to surprise him and had a drawing for him as well. Steven, I hope your day brings more surprises! I love you and thank you for being a wonderful husband and father. Owl Bar tonight!

Hooray! Today is my last day of my master's classes. I have been traveling back and forth from Truth or Consequences and Magdalena one weekend a month for 22 months. During that time I was pregnant and gave birth to Grace! Completing my master's was much easier and a lot more fun since I had friends doing it with me...thanks Becky and Margaret. The hardest part of this program was being gone from my family for the weekend. I would drive back and forth everyday, so I only got to see everyone in the evening. Thank you Steven and mom for your help and support...I love you!

This past weekend I was really excited to take Emma and Grace to Old Mesilla and "try" to take some nice photos. I really do not know a whole lot about taking great pictures but I figured with Steven's help for posing I would be able to get some good pictures out of it. I thought it would be fun to take Monique and Levi along too...so here we go. Four kids, two adults, and not much experience in taking posed pictures. I kid you not, five minutes into it we were on our way back to the car! Emma was leaning against an old wood door and got splinters in her hands. Not only was she balling, but now Levi was too because to him this meant we were leaving back to Socorro. There we were in Mesilla with four kids, two balling their eyes out. We sat in the car for less than two minutes and they stopped. So, out we go again attempting to take some cute pictures! Monique was my saving grace! As Emma continued to cry I was able to atleast practice with Monique and Grace. Emma's eyes were red and puffy and she was not in the mood for taking pictures at this point! Levi changed from crying to laughing hysterically which really lightened the mood! I was able to get some good pictures, I think! I am just wondering what editing software any of you would recommend. I have Photoshop for my PC, which is out of commission at the moment, and so am now using Picnik online. Anyone have other suggestions?

Great Friday

Yeah I know that for all christians today is known as Good Friday, but so far mine has been a great Friday.  Many people walk the pilgrimage from the catholic church in Socorro to the catholic church in Polvadera, north of Socorro by about 10.5 miles.  For me, this pilgrimage is a time that I can reflect on my faith and say "thank you" for another year of good health and family.  It gives me a time to remember my dad, who I know would have been out there with some water or gatorade for me if he were here.  I always keep him in my thoughts on this day.

Good Friday is also a good way to get the community together and doing something good.  For the past 3 years I have invited and encouraged school kids to do the run with me and this year was no different.  This year I had 6 kids complete the run with Lindsey and myself.  For all but one of those kids it was their first time and I know they were very proud of themselves for accomplishing such a long run.  I truly love it when a kid does something they thought was impossible not long ago.  I just love being a part of that, it's huge for them.

Lindsey left about 10 minutes ahead of me with 2 kids that were thinking the run might take them a little longer.  One freshmen girl carried pictures of two of her cousins that are suffering through difficult medical conditions.  At first she was very hesitant to run the distance and was going to walk it instead with some relatives but she decided last night to go ahead and run it.  She did so good and when we got there she took out those pictures and and had some tears for them.  I know finishing that run meant quite a bit for her.

The boy who left with Lindsey is also a freshmen.  I met him this year when he came out for XC.  He didn't make varsity but ran and had a great attitude.  Now he is out for track and I have noticed that he is challenging himself more and more lately.  Often he opts for the longer and more difficult runs that the faster boys do and although he falls behind, he is always there, getting the work done.  When he finished today I don't think he stopped smiling and just beaming with pride.  He said he couldn't wait to eat and sleep.  I have never pushed him, just encouraged him and made it fun and now he is pushing himself just fine.

The boy who has run every one of these with me since his 8th grade year also ran today.  We were talking and we think our time has gone down by 20 since the first time we did it, although it is not at all a race.  He has really become a great runner and still has a couple of more years of high school to go.  I look forward to seeing all the things he will accomplish by the time he graduates.  He is such a great kid and I am very proud of him.  I can see the two of us doing this run together for many years to come.

And last but certainly not least, of everyone I saw and ran with, no person put a smile on my face any bigger than the one I had when I saw Lindsey.  Like I said, she started about 10 minutes ahead of me and I almost kind of forgot she was out there but when I saw her I just felt so happy and comfortable.  I picked up the pace to try and catch her by the finish but I didn't know she saw me and did the same thing.  I am very proud of her for running and for being a part of the kids I coach.  I love that she cares for these kids too.  We talk a lot about the difficulties of living in Socorro and teaching and raising kids here and we agree on many values and I love her for those values and her energy to make them a priority.

I hope you all have a great day and Easter weekend.  

  

The Tri Season Starts Now

There is nothing like slapping down the debit card number online and registering for some races to get things going!  I am currently registered for 4 triathlon races this season.  First up is the Deuces Wild Triathlon festival in Show Low, Arizona.  I am going to do 2 races over the weekend, an Olympic distance triathlon and an off-road Xterra triathlon.  I think this makes the third year in a row I make it to Show Low and as always I am looking forward to it as the start of summer and the season.  We will camp and fish and take the kids to the local pool which has slides and is a lot of fun.  Plus, Danny and Misha will be there camping too :)

Next up is a half ironman triathlon at the end of June in Lubbock, Texas.  The BSLT 70.3 is one of the closest major triathlons to New Mexico so it is nice to be able to drive and keep things on a budget.  Last year I had my best finish time for this race in particular and this year I plan to decrease that time even more.  It's not an easy race at all but I feel like this race has always gotten the better of me so I feel like I have a score to settle.

Then a sprint race in Tucson on the 4th of July with my big bro, Mike.  It has been a very long time since I have done this race.  It will be guaranteed hot and will have lots of fast people.  Mike will be gunning for the overall win and I will see how I feel the weekend after the 70.3 miles of the half ironman.

So the season is just around the corner and I am eager to get some time spent swimming and riding outdoors in the warm and sometimes windy springtime of NM.  

Thanks for reading!

Over Spring Break we enjoyed family time down in Alamogordo with my mom. This was our first time to White Sands that Emma can remember! She loved sliding down the dunes after waxing her sled up...the hike back was not bad for her as long as she did not have to carry the sled. Grace really enjoyed the feel of the sand in her hands and on her feet; and Kona was just so happy to have Grandma along!