What Not to do 4 days before your race...

So I was out for one last bike training session yesterday morning and, umm, it didn't go so well.
I thought I was being safer sticking to the sidewalks since I was riding during high traffic school drop-off time. While this theory DID help me to avoid all the cars, I wasn't so lucky avoiding the school kids! I was cycling passed a couple of boys who had started to move over for me. Unfortunately, I didn't slow down enough and the gap wasn't wide enough, sooo, my bike took a little detour onto the grassy edge of the sidewalk and then when I tried to correct myself and get back on the sidewalk, my tire got caught in the gap between the grass and the edge of the sidewalk. I had enough momentum going to jump the gap, but the control was gone and I took a beautiful spill on the sidewalk in front of the two boys. I completely landed on my right side. My leg took most of it, but I've got a nice raspberry on my shoulder too. I'm so glad I had on my bike gloves and my helmet because my hands would have been hamburger and my head would have had a bump to match the one on my knee. I was able to ride the couple miles back home, all while watching my knee swell up to make the biggest goose egg I've ever seen! Jeremy hadn't left for work yet when I got home and he helped clean me up. I am so glad he was there, because he did a much better job than I ever could have - still, that alcohol cleanse just about did me in!
Luckily, the bike took the crash much better than I did - no dents or major broken parts - just a few cosmetic scratches and bumps. Unfortunately, it's not my bike, ughh.
Twenty-two hours later I'm still hurtin' (well duh!) enough that I've given up trying to sleep any longer. You can only lay on one side for so long, and the Advil PM has totally worn off. So I thought I'd come sit mindlessly in front of my computer until it's time for the troops to get up for school.
My big concern right now is how do I race in my triathalon with a banged up leg? The wetsuit is gonna be a killer to get on and wear, but I'm not swimming in Town Lake without it! I think I'll have to slather on the vaseline for the bike and run to keep the scab from crusting over, but I'm taking suggestions on how to protect it overall.
Sue from our office saw me yesterday and has been following my training and preparation for this race over these past monthes. She's watched me suffer from spring allergies, sprang my toe, mess up my back and now cycle myself into the sidewalk - literally! She asked me yesterday if I ever considered that maybe someone or something was trying to tell me not to do this race. I considered it for 1/2 a second and said no. I set this goal for myself months ago and put in a lot of work training, learning to really swim and borrowing lots of gear to give this a go. I'm too close to let a scratched and bruised leg stop me now! Maybe it's determination, maybe it's insanity, but it's gonna get me to that finish line!!! Wish me luck... and pray hard!

Bryson Bluebonnets 2010

This year had the best crop of Bluebonnets I have ever seen. We couldn't pass up the chance to take some photos of the family. Enjoy the beauty of Spring in Texas! (Special thanks to Natalie and Noel for taking and editing the pictures.)

My Race Stats from Zooma

So I just got this email link that gave my race results and finish line pics. I clipped it out and pasted it here:

The clipping is kinda fuzzy, hopefully you can still read it!

Easter 2010

So another Easter has come and gone. That happens so fast!!! Ours was a pleasant one beginning with the FHE we had the Monday before. We watched the DVD "Finding Faith in Christ" with the girls and discussed the true meaning of Easter.
(Sidenote: Emma and Dani had been making lists of things they wanted from the Easter Bunny for about two months. I was just a little worried that the Easter Bunny was becoming a second Santa Claus to them and that they didn't even know why we actually celebrate Easter.)
The movie and discussion really helped the girls to better understand Easter. I didn't realize how much so until a few days later when Dani and I had a very grown-up discussion about Jesus being resurrected and what that meant. She soaks everything up like a sponge! And she can now explain what resurrected means! That's so cool!
Also, to add to our "true meaning of Easter" Easter week, we took the girls to see the "Reflections of Christ" traveling photography exhibit that was at our stake center. I love these pictures and the stories behind their creation. If you ever get a chance to see this exhibit, don't pass it up!
I was personally excited for Easter this year, because we were able to stay home and enjoy General Conference with our extended family. The talks were great, the company was great and the food, well, food is always great!!!
As for the visit from the Easter Bunny... he made his annual deposit of "bunny poop" from the girls' bedrooms to their Easter baskets downstairs in the kitchen. Dani was so excited to scoop up the poop (not to worry, it's just Whoppers candies) as she was following it down to the baskets. They all got more candy than is good for them (okay, so mom's eaten more than is good for her!) and hunted up more candy in the plastic eggs that the Easter Bunny left all around the living room. Dani and Emma both got kites and Natalie got a boomerang frisbee, which they immediately assembled and tried out after the candy feeding frenzy had subsided. Unfortunately, Dani's kite flying ended abruptly when her little tummy which has been hurting for a week decided it was time to puke in the street out in front of the house. She recovered quickly though and felt okay for the rest of the day.
After conference ended and family went home, we spent the evening video chatting with my parents in San Diego and my brother Rob and his fiancee', Kelley, in Hawaii. Isn't technology AWESOME!!!
It was a great weekend for my family. I'm so happy that I get to be a mother and to share my testimony of Christ with my children.
And on a completely non-spiritual note, I'll end with the Dani"ism" of Easter 2010: "Remember my first Easter when we put a Peep in the microwave and it got bigger. And then it got run over by the Peep bus!?"

Adventure Is Out There...! Part 3: Kellie Ran 13.1 miles?!

Okay, so I finally have the pics and the time to write up the final installment of my adventure weekend! It's true folks, I ran a half marathon last Saturday, March 27. It was the Zooma Women's Half Marathon at Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, TX. (That's just south of Austin a few miles.)

Anyway, on Friday night after leaving the tennis ranch in New Braunfels, I drove to the hotel that my friends and I booked to be closer to the race since it started at 7:30am the next day! My lovely running mates were Christy VanDerwerken, Leilani Rogers, Esther Perrill and Tannie Smith. We got a deluxe sized room near the airport where we had to park the next morning to be shuttled in to the resort. (Lost Pines didn't have enough parking to accomodate all the runners.) I arrive at the hotel first and got a quick shower and rest (kinda tired from a day in the sun, swinging 50 feet in the air!) The rest of the crew arrived later bringing dinner from Tannie's bro-in-law's italian restaurant. MMMM, pizza, pasta and salad - and so the carbo-loading feast began.

After feasting and getting our gear ready for a 6am departure, we sat around snapping silly pics and laughing. We did get to be before midnight and for the most part we slept pretty soundly. But that 5am alarm still came early. We were ready though. The anticipation was high and we dressed and ate quickly. We all had matching tie-dyed purple t-shirts. We got quite a few compliments during the run about our purple shirts - yeah, we're cool!

Once we had parked in the airport shuttle parking we boarded school buses for the 1/2 hour drive to Lost Pines. It wasn't a very interesting ride, but we were pumped and took some more silly pics.

At the resort we began our pre-race preparations: bathroom break, check-in bags, more pictures, bathroom break, stretching, oh yeah, and one more bathroom break. (Hate to have to stop to pee during the race!)

The race began right on time. There were lots and lots and lots of racers! We positioned ourselves towards the back of the pack, with the theory that it would be better pyschologically to run so we were passing other racers most of the race, rather than being passed. We also committed to staying together for most of the race. Both ideas worked out well. We were able to help pace and encourage each other through the tough hills while we consistently passed other racers.

The weather was perfect! It was overcast for the entire race, but the temperature wasn't bad. In the 50's and 60's with little wind. Perfect for staying cool.

The first half of the race was pretty hilly, but I was glad for the hill training I had done, because the hills didn't make me as nervous as I expected. I ran up most of them and if I stopped to walk, it was only to catch my breath and then I was off again! That felt so good - to know I had trained enough to tackle the course and enjoy it at the same time!

We all kept chatting with one another to make the time pass - we came up with our group name: The PurPeeps (purple shirts, hanging with our peeps). There were plenty of water stations and we passed the half-way mark moving strong. Plus, the hills were pretty much over - yeah!

About mile nine, Leilani was accosted by a bad calf cramp. I ran and walked with her for a while, but unfortunately, the cramp stayed until the end of the race and Leilani fell behind the rest of us trying to walk it out. The last few miles of the race were on the Lost Pines golf course cart trail. We zig-zagged back and forth along the course and were able to keep an eye on each other as we began to space out depending on how much juice we had to make it to the finish line. Tannie and Christy both pulled ahead and made a FAST sprint to the finish line. I came in about a minute after them and then Esther and Leilani. We all received star shaped necklaces instead of finisher medals as we crossed the finish line. My official time was 2:29:34. How awesome is that for my first 1/2 marathon!?

After some time cooling down, we wandered through the sponsors area and grabbed our lunches. We picnicked on a hillside and listened to a live band. Of course there were more silly pictures. After lunch we realized how stiff we were getting (tired muscles and sweaty, salt-crusted bodies). So after one last picture in front of the awesome spring bluebonnets, we boarded the bus back to our car and then onto the hotel room for a quick clean-up.

We checked out and headed home that afternoon. When I got home I realized how stiff and swollen my knees were feeling. Jeremy suggested we grab a spicy bite to eat (apparently the spice helps decrease swelling) and then we returned home and I went straight to bed. It was only 4pm, but I think I deserved to turn in early - don't you?

I'm very happy and impressed with myself to have done this race. Six months ago, I would have said - Never, Never, Never could I do that! Just goes to prove, Never tell yourself Never!