Family time

I love living in the south, but I sure do miss my family.  Here are some pictures from the weekend... and the cake was for my mom's birthday. :)

 

Bringing a win back to the ATL

So this past weekend I went back to THEE OH-IO (happy Kevin???).  It was the anniversary of my momma's 29th birthday and I was looking forward to a weekend of family and friend overload time.  Oh.  And a race. :)

It was my first race of the year and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tad nervous.  Training here has been eh to say the least and I wasn't traveling without my trusty mechanic.  But, I really wanted to go back to a course that I new and loved (plus, my sweet friend Nicole suckered me into it and promised me Noodles and Co Mac and Cheese when I was done.  Or was that me that suckered her into it?  Either way... there was yumminess waiting).

So Sunday morning I made my way to a familiar park - the one Tom and I did all of our training on for the last 6 years.  It was weird going back.  Like I was a foreinger to a very familiar place.  I'd done this race a half dozen times.  It was nothing new, but I kind of felt a little lost.

Until I saw Tracy, Jim, Zach and Nicole.  Then it was like I was where I was meant to be.  My mom and dad showed up just as I was finishing getting everything situated in transition.  We walked to the beach and got me all decked out in my wetsuit (which I think might have shrunk... yep, that's definitely what happened to it.)  My mother captured the obligatory horrible wetsuit dance pictures:

My wave was the OLY 34 and under, clydes, athenas and relays.  There were virtually no other red swim caps which kind of worried me (I could see me getting in the wrong wave), but I was right.  Before the swim, some guy said how happy he was that the water was so clear.  We all laughed because you couldn't see a thing in the murky green liquid.  Same guy mentioned that triathlon was stupid because he was up before Taco Bell closed for the night.  Loved it.  Definitely calmed some nerves.  With this being my first OWS of the year, I was prepared for the panic. It didn't happen. 

THE SWIM (1500m) 27:21 - The swim went well.  I was a tad warm in the full wetsuit, but I found some open water, some feet occasionally, and didn't get groped by too many people.  The swim was short (I know this because I'm not swimming that fast these days) and I still got beat by more than half of the participants, which is normal, but I was happy with things.

T1 1:29 - I thought that I would have a hard time getting out of the wetsuit since I told you before the it shrunk, but thankful the tri-slide worked like a charm.  I love that stuff.  Said hi to my mom.  She took another stellar picture of me.

Bike (40k) 1:10:04 (21.2mph average) - I was excited for the bike.  I love me some flat Ohio riding and like I said before, I've ridden this course many many times.  But this time, it felt so great.  I passed a bunch of people.  I played cat and mouse with a big guy who died on lap two, I climbed the "hills" at 16-17mph when I used to struggle up them.  I was a happy camper.  The one thing that was annoying was that the RD added a turn around in the parking lot which we used to pass by for the second lap in previous years.  I didn't mind this, but I minded the people who didn't come into the park for the turn around.  My parents were cheering at the entrance of the park and saw 5 go by and ignored everyone yelling that they had to enter the park before lap two. Cheaters suck.  That's all.

T2 1:16 -  Another stellar photo from my mom and Nicole cheering "Mac and Cheese, Mac and Cheese".  That makes me smile (but obviously not in this picture).

The Run (10k) 53:49 (8:41/mile average) - I left transition and asked my dad where I was at overall time wise (because somehow I was on lap 9 on my watch and had no clue what my total time was).  He yelled 1:40 and I knew that if I ran a 50 minute 10k that I would PR.  But it was getting hot.  And my legs were kind of not responding.  I hit the first mile in 8:20, but it's the toughest section of the 10k so I wasn't worried.  But then I hit the second mile in 8:20.  And the third mile I imploded.  I ate some Powerbar Gel Blast.  I took water.  But my legs were done.  The heat got the best of me.  I just wanted to keep from being passed.  And I did a decent job of it.  You have to run past the finish line around mile 4.4 and that's always hard, but I finished as strong as I could. 

And then cramped.  My calves just balled up.  It was nearing 90 degrees at that point and I felt it.  I got some water.  Rinsed my face.  Grabbed my gear from transition.  Checked the results. 

2:33:55 - 1st in AG

Not a PR, but I was thrilled.  I might have moved 600 miles away, but I was able to defend my title! :)

Mmmmm... and the mac and cheese afterward was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G (as was the company).

Gives me hope that my slow hill training is paying off.  Now if I can just do more of it...

Stay tuned for more pictures from my trip home! :)

A. Rod's ball

I'm clearing out my camera to take to Ohio with me this weekend and I realized that I'm a little behind on blog posts to go along with my pictures. :)

So last week, Tom and I went to our first Atlanta Braves game.  They were playing the NY Yankees and seeing the Yankees has been a bucket list item for Tom for a while.  We got on stubhub and found some great seats right on the first base line, 8 rows from the field with a parking pass.  SCORE!

It was a gorgeous night and besides the annoying girl who clearly thought she was too cool for school by being a Yankee fan next to us, we had a great time.  We couldn't believe how many people at the stadium were Yanks fans actually.  It felt like we were at a home game for them.  We sported out new Braves attire though and participated in the traditional braves chop.  It was fun.

So before the game, Tom warned me that we were in foul ball territory and that if I were to be playing on facebook on my phone during the game (he knows me pretty well), to always just be aware.  And he was right, there were quite a few balls that came in our general vicinity.  Then in the 8th, A. Rod was up and cranked one waaaaaaaay high above our section.  We all stood, stupidly thinking "yeah, I'll catch this pop fly with my bare hands" they way all fans do (which is really dumb in theory, but whatever).  The ball goes higher and higher and then stops and starts it's descent.  It was one of those whistling speed popups.  And it was coming right to me.  I was all excited until I realized that the ball was going to hit me smack on the head if I wasn't careful and that it was coming REALLLLLLLY fast.  So I did what any girl would do - I ducked and covered my head.  The ball hit my seat, bounced under Tom's chair and some kid behind us snagged it.  Tom thought I had gotten hit.  I think a lot of people thought that.  Immediately the security people were down at my row to make sure that I was alright.  The guy behind me was holding his hand and I turned to ask if he was alright.  He had saw the ball coming and thought that it would hit me so put his hand out.  It was coming so fast that the ball cut his hand.  But he deflected it. 

I laughed to Tom saying that A. Rod's ball almost landed on my head (which he didn't find amusing - yeah I'm like a 10 year old boy sometimes).  I was bummed that I didn't get the ball for Tom but he made a good point that if I had tried to catch it, I probably would have done some damage to my hands.  Doh.  The next pitch A. Rod hit a Grand Slam. :)  It was a fun game, even though the Braves lost.

Oh and most about the annoying girl next to me who knew every one's name on the Yankees (I don't think she really did... she had to read the scoreboard every time before she yelled... what a poser).  She she's sitting there with her boyfriend friend casual sex partner a guy and a vendor walks by with frozen slushies.  He says that he really wants one (this is the same guy who was downing a funnel cake when we got to our seats).  Anyway, this girl does one of those "ugh, really?" kind of things and then proceeds to tell him how horrible they are and how they are loaded with sugar.  I thought to myself, good for her... teaching this young man something.  Then I turn to see her explaining this as she's eating a full bag of cotton candy.  Serious. 

So I mentioned that I'm heading back to Ohio this weekend for a visit.  I'm excited to see my momma (it's her birthday on Saturday) and dad.  I'm SUPER excited to see my sister (and brother-in-law of course), but my sister has lost 40 pounds!  I am totally not going to be able to recognize her.  That's an amazing thing.  And I get to see my mother-in-law, my dear friend Nicole (who I totally conned into doing a tri with me on Sunday morning in exchange for some Noodles and Company Mac and Cheese), and my second family, the Austomes ... Jim, Zach and Tracy.  It's going to be a busy, but fun weekend.  It's hard for me to be gone from Tom for 5 days though, but I made him these to make up for me being gone.

I'm sure he'll be booking me flights more often to see the family! :)

Type 3

While I would never wish diabetes on my worst enemy, there are things far worse in the world that my family could be dealing with on a daily basis.  It's interesting to me how many times people ask me if I'm not having kids right now because of the risk that my child with be a Type 1 diabetic like my husband.  Um... nope - not having kids because I'm kind of selfish with my time and I can't imagine the sleepless nights that come with having a child.  Diabetes doesn't worry me at all.  In fact, if I do have a child and they have Type 1,  they would be a freaking rock star.  They would know so much about their bodies, their nutrition, what they can do when they push themselves to the limits, etc.   

I've written about it before (here's the post in case you missed it), how diabetes changed our lives.  For the better really.  I mean, Tom and I weren't really what you would consider unhealthy prior to his diagnosis.  We ate well.  We were running marathons.  We didn't smoke.  We barely drank.  But since Tom's diagnosis, we are much more aware of what's going on in our bodies.  Tom's become passionate about telling his story and about his amazing teammates, and me, well I will tell anyone and everyone about him and his team, Team Type 1.  We really have changed our lives because of the disease.

And I say we because diabetes isn't just a disease that Tom has.  I have it too.

Right, how can that be when my pancreas delivers insulin just fine and my blood sugar levels are naturally between 80 and 120 at all times?

Just like with most marriages, what's his is mine and what's mine is his.

No, I might not have to prick my finger 10 times a day, or inject myself with insulin 5 times a day, but I'm living with the disease too.

I'm a type 3 diabetic.

I know the ins and outs of the disease better than most.  I know what a hypoglycemic state looks like just as well as a hyperglycemic state.  I know how to change pen needles, how to prime insulin pens, how to adjust the depth of a lancet.  I can tell you what one beep, two beeps, three beeps or four all indicate on a continuous glucose monitor (I'm especially good with deciphering the beeps at 2:30 in the morning).  I can tell when Tom needs some sugar, or some insulin, or a little butt kicking on a run (all three have the same warning signs... but I'm good like that).

Last weekend I raced a 5k here in Suwanee (and PRed... woot woot), but after the race a really great lady named Dawn came up to me.  Totally random... she had gotten two bottles of water and wanted to give me one.  We started talking.  She was from Colorado, was visiting family, used to live around here, yada yada.  She asked what brought us to Atlanta.  I usually don't say Team Type 1 because although I wish everyone knew who they were, I don't know how many people actually know of them.  So I said, "my husband works for a pro cycling team based out of Atlanta".  Here eyes lit up.  "Team Type 1?".  I look at her a little bewildered and said yes.  Turns out that her two and a half year old son Sawyer is a Type 1.  He was diagnosed at 19 months.  We spent the next hour sharing stories - what drugs our boys are one, what meters they use, what CGM's they are on.  It was like I had known her my whole life.  This "horrible" disease was our common ground...and that we both are living with the disease too.

So Dawn, if you are reading this, remember... you have Type 3.  Your husband has Type 3.  Your six year old has Type 3.  I have Type 3. We all get it.  Maybe not 100% of what Tom and Sawyer go through on a daily basis, but I'd say probably 98.5% of it. :)

To learn more about Team Type 1, or to follow the amazing accomplishments of all the Type 1 athletes, go to www.TeamType1.org, follow them on twitter at @teamtype1 or like them on facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/TeamType1Page.

Aquagear

I don't usually do reviews for stores that contact me, but I recently received a really nice email from Julie at Aquagear.  It came at a perfect time, as I've started swimming again (**GASP** I know, right?) and I was in need of some gear (seems my community pool doesn't have things like kick boards and hand paddles).  I don't like going to places like Sports Authority for my swim gear (don't ask... I just don't) and well, I have yet to find a store around here that sells swim gear.  Julie must have been reading my mind.

Aquagear is a family owned and operated store out of West Palm Beach and when Julie contacted me, we discussed me just taking a look at the site, shopping around a little bit and letting her know what I thought.  She graciously gave me a little bit of money to spend as well so that I could get a few new things. 

I have to tell you, I loved the site.  It's not overly frilly and fluffy.  If you need gear for training... they have what you need.  And I was impressed with the prices and the variety.  I found exactly what I needed, the items were in stock, check out was painless and I had a box on my front porch in a matter of a few days.  **and yes, that's a swim cap that I ordered.  I have a bazillion of them.  But, this one was super cute.  If I can't swim fast, I might as well have a cute swim cap for everyone to admire, right?** 

Like I said, I'm not one to usually review stores, BUT... if you are in need of some swim training equipment, goggles, etc, check out Aquagear.  They will take good care of you.

And... if you enter the code CBKingeryBlogFiveP, they will give you 5% off.  :)
 

**And of course, here's a little disclaimer for the legal people.  The opinions of this review are my own.  I did not pay for the items that were sent to me by this company.**

I love my mom...

Here is one of the bajillion reasons that I absolutely love my mom.

So she gets two magazine subscriptions that are near and dear to her heart - People and US Weekly.  Legit reading people.  And since I've been down in Georgia, she sends me the two magazines once a week (because they make awesome trainer reads and back deck reads).  Tom always says that I shouldn't pay for this crap.  And I don't.  My mom does.  And then she pays to mail it to me. :)  She's the best.

Anyway, I went to the mailbox today, feeling a bit down because my hubby is out of town.  And I open my weekly envelope to this...

Absolutely made my day.

Thanks mom... I can always count on you to make me smile!

10k's and tight jeans

What could 10k's and tight jeans ever have in common you ask???

Well, just another weekend in the life of Colleen and Tom!

Saturday Tom and I decided to jump into a 10k.  We've been poking around the hills of Suwanee for far too long and needed to just open up a bit.  There's something about "racing" that just helps us do that and I guess we both signed up in hopes that we'd run faster than the 9:30's we've been clocking lately.  So Friday night we drove up to the booming metropolis of Buford to register and get our packets - highlight of the packets???  Mine had TWO free cookie coupons from Chick-fil-a.  Tom's only had one.  :)

Saturday morning it was chilly... low 50's which is perfect 10k weather.  We got to the race site at 7:25.  The 5k was starting at 7:30, the 10k at 7:45.  I love small races!

We lined up at the tape in the road start line and quickly we were off.  The first mile was flat... literally the first flat road that I've run since moving here.  Then we turned and well, welcome to Georgia.  It wasn't bad.  But it wasn't Columbus flat.  I knew that there were 4 girls in front of me.  But that was it.  I had two of them in my sights.  I caught one around mile 3.5.  We were right on the heels of the other girl.  I said "you want to catch her?" to which the girl said "nope, I'm fine".  Um... oh... okay.  So I passed her and tried to catch the next girl.  I couldn't do it.  Every time I'd get close, we'd climb a little and I'd lose her.  Ugh... so frustrating.  I felt like I was running strong though.  I had hoped to finish under 55 minutes - probably a bit cushiony, but with how things have been going lately, I didn't know if that was possible.  Lo and behold, I came in at 49:33 - 15 seconds behind the girl I couldn't catch who of course happened to be in my age group.  Good enough for second in my age group (wahoo) and fourth woman (yeehaw).  Not a PR, but I was damn happy with that.  Tom smoked it... running a 44:49 and winning his age group.  We sat around for awards and then finished off the day with an extra slow 5k more.

And that totally kicked our butts.  We literally felt like we had been hit by a truck the rest of the day Saturday and all day yesterday.  What the heck?  We went for a two hour ride yesterday morning and then I got to spend my evening looking at men in tight jeans.

See, I can bring it all together.

We hit up the Kenny Chesney / Tim McGraw Brothers of the Sun Tour.  Awesome.  Simply awesome.  We had bought the cheap seat tickets, knowing full well that we'd probably be able to move down to better seats once the concert started.  As I told Tom, "this ain't my first rodeo". :)  I was right.

So this was our view from our first seats in the 352 section of the Georgia Dome:

And this was our "upgraded view" from the 106 section.

Mmmmmm, I love me some Tim-

Kenny was fabulous - definitely a party.

 

 

But I think the highlight for my amazing hubby is when Zac Brown Band came out as a surprise and sang two songs with Kenny.  Guess he doesn't get as excited for men in tight jeans as I do. :)

It was such a fabulous night.  Nothing like a country concert south of the Mason Dixie Line.  I'm telling you... the people watching was FAB.U.LOUS! :)

But being with this guy is what made my night complete...