madameblogalot

Whew! What a busy couple of weeks. We traveled to Phoenix to watch (help) my husband participate in his first Ironman triathlon. I don’t think it will be his last!

It was an amazing day (weekend; nearly a week for him) with Ironman village being set up out in the Town park. I was blessed to be able to volunteer for race day, beginning at 5:45 am with the swim exit. It was a lot of fun to see everyone get to the finish of the first third of the race. Nearly everyone made it to the cutoff time of 2hrs 20min. We cheered those who were close to the cutoff time and were saddened with those 10-12 who did not make the cutoff.

After lunch I helped in the women’s change tent for their T2 transition from the bike to the run. After their 112 mile bike ride through the desert and back to town, the athletes headed out for their 26.2 mile run. It was fun to see all the different kinds of ladies who undertook to finish the Ironman race (my husband’s aunt being one of them!) I learned different ways the ladies prepare themselves for such an undertaking and the different things they pack to help them through the day. So many asked me if I was going to do next year’s race. I think I surprised many with my “no” answer! (Volunteers get a preferred registration, after race day and this year’s athletes. Many people volunteer just to be able to get in that line! Lots of this year’s racers were last years volunteers!)

Earlier in the day I met the lady who was captain of the finish line and she said I could come help that evening at the finish to be able to greet my husband. I was glad for that, since by volunteering all day I was never able to see him out on the course (luckily he spotted me at the swim exit and came over and gave me a big wet kiss!) I sat that evening opening medals and rolling t-shirts waiting for him to come in. I was thrilled to hear his name announced and got to him seconds after he crossed the finish line, now and forevermore an IRONMAN!!

This morning before church I did the first leg of a triathlon relay event. I was the swimmer for our team. Our wave start consisted of men 45+, mens clydesdale (a weight division) and relay teams. Each wave had three minutes in between and they allowed us to jump off the dock into the bay to warm up for those three minutes. The water was pretty chilly when we jumped in. Thankfully I had on my wetsuit and that helped a great deal.

It seems in my limited experience I still have a hard time getting adjusted in the open water swim. Today it still took me some time, being one of the last swimmers to get started in our wave. By the first buoy however, I had caught up with the group. By the second buoy I was even passing a few people!

I never saw any of the women in the wave (other relay swimmers) but I know I was not the last finisher in our wave. I had estimated that I would finish the 1500 meter swim somewhere between 40-60 minutes. I was hoping for closer to 40. And I finished today in 38:38! I was thrilled with that time.

As soon as I finished swimming I ran out as quickly as I could to meet our next team member. I gave her the timing chip and she took off on her bike. Unfortunately I could not stay for more of the race but I did make it to church on time (after showering of course!) Our cyclist finished her 25 miles in 1:17 and our runner finished her 6.2 miles in 50+ minutes!! Good enough to earn us second place in our division!! And since we lost to some of my other team members, I didn’t feel too badly about it at all!!

This summer I became lifeguard certified. Part of the lifeguard training included CPR training and certification. All participants in the class had to go through step-by-step instruction to learn the proper technique and procedure for executing CPR. The CPR course included the chest compressions and the mouth to mouth resuscitation. Some people are very uncomfortable giving mouth to mouth to a stranger, but it seemed like there was no other way to help save a life. However, in a campaign from the American Heart Association and the Ad Council, a new digital application has been introduced to help teach the steps of Hands-Only CPR. This could be a good solution for the people who still want to help save lives, but don’t like the uncomfortable situation of mouth to mouth with a stranger. This could become a very popular idea!

I am reading a book which was required reading for my daughter’s upcoming history class. It is a strange enough revisionist-history story. Interesting. But I decided today that I don’t think time travel is possible. I used to think that it just might be if we could figure it all out. Or maybe I wanted it to be possible. I don’t know. But after reaching a certain point in the story today, I think that I have decided that it just is not possible. I may change my mind again. And we’ll see what I think after I reach the end of this story. But….as for now I think that with time being a continuum which may not be a flow per se but happening at the same time. Not necessarily alternate realities but something I read about C.S. Lewis thinking that God is “outside time” and sees all the things happening. So, if that is true (which I am certainly not sure of) then I am thinking that time travel is not possible. But I do find it interesting to think about.

In using the heart rate monitor, I have to conduct some personal “time trials” to see my time over a given distance and the average heart rate during the exercise. After conducting my first series of time trials this week (two weeks ago by time of posting!), I can see that I have already gained some strength and speed over the past year or so. I am hopeful that in using the monitor, I will be able to continue to increase both my strength and speed in each event. It is helpful in having already watched my husband learn through using his. He is careful to stay within his heart rate zone, even if it means slowing down or even walking. Over the past six months his times have decreased while his strength has increased. He is able to monitor his heart rate and work more efficiently during each workout.

First time trial times:

800 meter (yard) swim (actually 720m/16 laps) 18:58

15 mile bike: 52:21; average heart rate=146

5k run: 28:09; AHR=160

I have never used a heart monitor in my training or exercise. I have been told that it is very helpful in monitoring your output, making sure you are doing the right amount of work as well as training your heart to do a maximum amount of work at a minimum output (heart rate.) So I just invested in my own heart monitor. I am hopeful that it will help me to continue to build my strength and stamina as I have seen other athletes able to build theirs simply by training with a heart rate monitor.

We are just about to enter our first experience with Obamacare-like required health insurance. As my husband is a full time minister, it has been extremely difficult and unaffordable for our family to find health insurance. We know it’s a risk. And have been in the situation of having to pay medical bills, though thankfully nothing catastrophic. And yet, there has been nothing we could do to find affordable insurance for a single family not part of a group.

So we were quite shocked to find out through a letter received by our son’s college of choice that health insurance coverage is a requirement for all full time students. In our college search, at none of the colleges we visited did this ever come up even once in any of the parent meetings or any of the parent literature.

Upon doing a quick search, I found that as early as 2007 that one quarter of public schools and as many as 90% of private universities require health insurance for their students. (“Health Care Insurance Required by More Colleges”, Buffalo Business First, Aug. 6, 2007) In reading the report I can see that colleges are trying to help students but I also see that it is a huge burden to those who are unaware and already unable to afford insurance, now having to pay for college and adding the insurance coverage on top of that. Not to mention how guilty parents can end up feeling about insuring only that one family member while all the rest are going without coverage.

While it is the family’s own risk that is at stake here and many families have to live day to day without the benefit of health insurance coverage, parents need to be aware that more and more colleges and universities are now making this a requirement. If students do not meet the requirement they will be automatically enrolled in the school’s heath insurance plan and billed accordingly. I am not sure if the payments are lumped together as part of the tuition or if the bill will be paid to a third party (the insurance company) and could possibly vary from school to school. It is worth considering and finding out from your child’s college of choice.

I love deals. I am always looking for the best deal I can get on nearly everything I purchase. And I just learned about a site that notifies users about deal of the day specials. I had not visited the site before, but when I checked it out I saw a wide variety there, from ear buds and socks to snowboards, skis, and triathlon bikes.

This year our church had an exciting Thanksgiving ministry going. It was called “Adopt a Turkey”. The teens were the “turkeys” the whole congregation was to adopt. They were adopted to do various jobs that the members had need of-washing windows, babysitting, cleaning, anything they wanted done. The teens were paid in donation towards buying turkeys for needy families in the community. The teens raised so much money that they were able to buy entire Thanksgiving dinner for 30 families!!

We took the teens to a local Kroger grocery store just a block away from the church building. We had a pre-assigned shopping list which we gave each team of teens. Then they took off for their assigned items. It was great fun watching them come back with carts brimming full of goods-30 turkeys, 30 gallons of punch, 30 boxes of potatoes, 60 cans of corn and green beans, 60 bags of rolls, stuffing mix, gravy, fruit cocktail, brownie and pie mix….The teens had fun shopping and we had fun watching the other customers take it in and listening to their comments.

The grocery store was really great about working with us and letting us wipe their shelves clean (we had already spoken with the manager before coming in.) In all the teens spent under $700 and still have enough to send a donation to the inner city work. What the teens gained, and what the whole congregation gained from working together…priceless.

I have never cycled over 30 miles before. But Saturday, I did 78! It took all day but was lots of fun!

This was a sponsored two day ride, but I could only do one day. That was a good breaking in! The routes were nice (though some of the roads and shoulders were not great for bicycles), there was a very steep bridge on one section (I made it over without having to walk!). My favorite part was the stretch along Bolivar Peninsula. Even though it was windy, the shoulder was wider and the road was smoother.

I loved having breakpoints every 8-16 miles. This allowed us to go to the bathroom, snack, apply sunscreen and stretch. I think taking it like that helped keep us from dehydrating or from feeling sore. It is something I would do again, but might bring a little more snack since lunch was not until mile 60. And it is definitely good to have someone to ride with!