Curious George Knits

My Kids Are So Cool!

Allow me a post-Mothers' Day weekend brag post, won't you?  These two hoodlums raced hard this weekend, at the Canby Gator Grinder sprint triathlon.  Now, a "sprint" in triathlon is anywhere between about an hour if you are really, really fast and two hours if you are not really, really fast.  Or more.  So, "sprinting" is a relative term.  Daughter, S, was racing for her first time in an adult race!  She wanted to go under two hours and her finish time was a 1:45.04! Her swim alone was a personal record (PR) for her and she ran the entire 5K run with no stops to walk. She even beat her brother in the water.  Brother G was racing in his first year in the Ironhead uniform and won his age group with a s22 min 5k, AFTER a hard swim and bike!  I can't really explain how proud I was of these two. Does "teary eyes with jumping up and down" suffice?  They have worked really hard to be able to attain these goals, and we don't push them.  We even encourage them to pick "friend" activities over "training" activities, since we think that at this time in their lives, they need to have fun as much as possible.  I am so inspired by them.   

May?

It's May? It's May 7? Holy crap. 

I leave in nine days for Stockholm and Helsinki.  I don't have a phone that will work over there and have to order one my service provider. I need to look up many more things to do and places to go in my free time. There just isn't any time!  Each evening since last Friday we've been busy.  Fun, family stuff, but busy nonetheless. 

We had J, C and J's brother's combined birthday party, we had a going away party, a neighborhood dinner and last night was an art show and volunteering with some pre-race activities that my team is helping with. The art show was at our city hall, and G's self-portait got selected to be shown!  It was great.

So, not much knitting has been done.  I am working on the second Cable Rib sock, but last night only got seven rows done before *I* was done!  Fell asleep about 15 minutes into Charlie Wilson's War.

Tonight promises to be different -- more normal. 

This weekend is showing a lot of miles on the schedule.  60 bike, 12 run.  It better not keep raining.

Bobbi

I'm going to tell you about my cousin's first triathlon, which was Saturday.  Back in October, she could not swim.  Did not know how.  We sat down to watch her warm up and I nearly fell off the bleachers.  Perfect, beautiful stroke!  I was flabbergasted. Also, she had never done a non-stop 500 yard swim before.  She wanted to do it in 15 minutes.  She lapped 2 people in her lane and came out with a 12:06!  Slow transition -- inexperience -- but she left on the bike and we were thinking an hour until we would see her again.  At about 55 minutes we started to get worried, but at 58, there she was!  Faster transition and I ran her out the first 3/4 mile.  I fully expected her to walk.  She had never done a non-walking 5k.  I left her at 3/4 and she was plugging away.  S and I walked up to where the course Ts and way sooner than we expected, there she was again, RUNNING.  I just about started crying then, but didn't want to wreck her concentration.  We ran with her for another 1/4 mile or so and then went back to where it was a mile to go to the finish line.  After a bit more time, there she was again, completely red in the face.  We ran her in, and when she started to hear music and we saw the orange cones, she just about lost it!  She ran the whole thing.  S ran her through the chute and then Bobbi barfed, stood up, smiled a huge smile and we were all hugging her and crying.  It was SO COOL! When I told her her time, (1:56) she started crying, she was so happy.  She'd been hoping for under 2 hours, but didn't really think she could do that. She had been overweight (still working on it but has made marked improvement) and there she was, just finished a perfect race.  I am so proud of her.  It was very exciting and made my long run in the sheeting rain later that afternoon much less difficult...I just kept thinking about her and it was so inspiring.  She is also doing the Canby race next weekend and S really wants to beat her.  S was working out hoped-for splits on a paper tablecloth at lunch on Saturday :-)

I can't believe I didn't think to bring the camera.  Dork. 

What an inspiration.  This is what triathlon is all about to me.  The regular Joes, challenging themselves to do difficult things and succeeding.  Go Bobbi!

Thirty Six

My wonderful husband is now in the final year of his mid-thirties.  (My heart bleeds.) Yes, I robbed the cradle.  One time, I was thinking back to 1979 when the Seattle SuperSonics were in the process of winning the NBA finals. I looked over at him and asked, "Wow, do you remember back when basketball players wore those short shorts?" and he just looked at me blankly and said, "Nope".  He doesn't even own any record albums!  We were at a high school track meet last night and some of the other fathers laughed and laughed when he said "36" in response to their queries about his age.  Most said, "36" back to him in a nostalgic way with a faraway look in their eyes. :-)

We went out to dinner last night and had a great time.  I was just happy to be indoors after two track meets in the hail, but that's another story. 

Monday will be the larger family party. We're going to the brand new (opens tomorrow for you locals) Deschutes Brewery. 

Happy birthday, honey! And no, you never WILL be as old as me.  I love you!

Birthday

Yesterday was C's 17th birthday.  He and I went out for a great mom-son dinner Monday night and yesterday was the actual day.  Naturally, it doesn't seem like it's been 17 years that I've had that wonderful kid in my life, but it sure has been a wonderful ride so far.  After a 21 hour labor that was three weeks before it was expected, he arrived into the world to meet his mom, his dad and his mom's mom.  We found out the next day that labor was likely induced by my (until then not known) case of chicken pox!  We had to wait in our small town hospital for an immune globulin (I think) shot to be flown up from Seattle and for the baby to take it.  They discharged Typhoid Mary Mama and cute, fat little C and escorted us out the back door at night!  By the next day, I had a full-blown case of chicken pox and it...uh...made it quite difficult to breastfeed. But breastfeed I did and that baby grew and grew and grew and people would stop me in the street and say, "Oh, look at the little butterball!".

I got a little sad last night about how fast it's all going. I took a little trip down Memory Lane.

When C was about 2, one of his earliest words was "kawgee", which if you are so obtuse as to not be able to figure it out, is Toddler for "tractor". We began to learn all about tractors and then dinosaurs.  C always has had a thing for a particular item.  His first item that he carried around EVERY MOMENT, INCLUDING SLEEP, was a little red car.  One day, when I was noticably pregnant with C's brother, G., C threw the little red car into the lake.  I could not physically lie down on the dock to get it.  His father brought home another little red car that night, but it WAS. NOT. THE. SAME. ONE. and the nearly two-year-old C threw it across the room in disgust.  (I love that story.) Then, he adopted a plastic bugle that he always had with him.  Then he wore only orange for a loooooong time.  He was an early talker and a late walker.  He's always had a very dry sense of humor, which only adds to his wonderful personality.  The child even ran the first and last mile of the run leg of my first Ironman with me, even though he absolutely hates exercise in any form. He's teaching me about the fun of having teenagers, a thing that in the past, I've been a little scared of! He's also entrenching me in the challenges of the same thing.  I actually have to ground him later today for skipping school last Thursday -- he doesn't know I know.  But what I also know is that this person is growing into a really neat adult and watching him grow up is like watching the word "amazing" and seeing it come to life.

Happy Birthday Kid. I love you.

Dog Tongues and Tulips

ng Well, we Pacific Northwesterners absolutely deserved the good weather last weekend.   After racing eight days ago in the snow, it was just awesome to get started on my farmer's tan this Saturday as I rode out in Aurora and Canby. Sunday after my run, I grabbed a bunch of dog equipment (tupperware bowl, leashes, towels, treats) and went to the local dog park.  Scout tires out after about 15 minutes and asks to get back in the car, but Sequoia could run forever!

Then, loaded the furkids back into the car and drove out to Aurora to see the tulip fields.  The dogs were allowed out of the car on leash, and they loved all the activity and little kids. I am always amazed when I see the fields stretching out, bursting with colors. There are train rides for the little kids, great food, and of course, freshly cut tulips.  I came home with four bunches!

A fabulous weekend all around.

The past week I logged 10 hours of training since it was a post-race week and there was some recovery time factored in.  This coming week looks somewhat strenuous and I'm starting to see slight differences is the workouts that my coach is giving me -- at four months out.  It's all good! Tonight G and I are swimming. Our next race, which S is also doing, is only two weeks away.

Weekend List

I have a list for things I need to accomplish at work -- if I want to get anything done.  It's just how my mind works best.  So, it stands to reason (or compulsive behavior) that I have my Weekend List too.

But before I get to that for this coming weekend, I wanted to show you what I've been working on this week.  It's a tank pattern from Knitty.com and I pulled out the eye-searing ribbon yarn from the stash and went to work on it during the 47th consecutive cold, rainy evening here in our neck of the woods. It's a pretty boring pattern -- at least it is now that I'm over halfway through the body but not anywhere near the straps yet, but it's providing nice procrastination from the second Cable and Rib sock and Thermal.  Here is a close-up of the yarn.  I probably won't get to wear it this year, as the thermometer seems stuck in the 30s and the skies are elephant-grey, but I'm holding out a shred of hope that summer will indeed come, some time, to the Pacific Northwest.

Here are the socks that are nearly finished...plain old 2x2 ribs in Regia.  Again with the bright color thing...please refer to "elephant-grey skies", above.

A few movie notes: Watch "Juno".  It's one of the best movies I've seen in a really long time.  "Atonement" also gets a big gold star. Don't bother with "Becoming Jane".

Okay...Weekend List

1. S's lacrosse game Saturday. Her team won 13-2!

2. Ride OUTDOORS Saturday -- 50 miles, rain or shine. Sick. of. the. trainer. So great to finally get outside.

3. Run Sunday -- 10 miles.

4. Laundry (she wrote, laughing) (It's not all done, but it's never all done.)

5. Take G to the pool. (We're going Monday instead)

6. Finish spring colors socks (above)

7. Decide whether or not to knit Dahlia.

8. Knit baby Converse hightops booties for Emilie (my unborn niece)

9. Work on Thermal

10. Get C and J's birthday presents

11. Start either green vest or lace leaf tank.

Sixteen Going on Seventeen

Any high school teachers or counselors out there -- or any parents who have had older teenagers...asking for a little help here!

Our oldest, who will turn 17 very shortly, is being typically 16/17 and not being very, um, nice to us or to his siblings.  It's basic stuff, I mean, he's not stealing things or doing drugs or even breaking curfew, but he's just treating us all like shit.  It's exhausting.  I've told him I'm not going to argue with him any longer about the house rules -- that they are what they are.  I can handle that.  What worries me is how he's treating me attitude-wise and how it's not okay and I don't ever want that to translate into how he treats future girlfriends/his future wife.

In my head last night, I was actually thinking the words, "Your dad was just like this! This is how he treated me!" and I just had to hug C., tell him I loved him and walk out of his room.  This morning I made sure to hug him again and told him I loved him as he left for school.  I think that's pretty much my job right now, but I could use a little help on the wording of "Your attitude sucks ass and you can't talk to your mother that way", because I have said it like that a bunch of times and it's not registering.

There is a First Time for Everything

Oh. My. God. I wish I had the photos for this.  Long story short? It snowed during my entire triathlon yesterday.  I am still laughing because I can't even believe I DID it!! So here's the long-ish story:

I got up yesterday at 4:45 am.  My tri bag was packed and waiting by the door.  I went to take it to the car and there was my sharp intake of air at the temperature outside!  Shit!  It's cold out here!  Then I took my bike to the car.  Then I grabbed coffee, peanut butter toast (my normal pre-race breakfast), kissed the still-sleeping Mess Makers and started south.  After 45 minutes in the car, it was snowing so hard, I flicked it into 4WD and slowed to 50mph.  (If you'll recall, I'm not too fond of cold and driving in the same day.) 

Got to the parking lot and just sat in my car, sort of laughing, but fully dreading the bike.  I would get out of the pool and then ride in 32 degrees in a tank and tri-shorts.  BRRRR.  I decided my transition would be slow, and got out my arm warmers and my jacket, my headsweat and my knee warmers, and I even wore socks.  I never wear socks for short races! 

The swim went well, and I jumped out and went to my transition, which the race director had let us set up on the large (thank God) pool deck.  You're not supposed to have anyone touch you during the race, but it was such a small race nobody cared.  I had some random woman pull the back of my tri top down over my swim suit and struggled to get socks, shoes, etc. (see above) on a wet body and ran outside and jumped on my bike.  Crotchfullasnow, that's what happened!  Left and started in at a comfortable 80 rpm and just went in the biggest gear I could handle at 80 the whole way.  Feet were completely soaked through from the road slush by mile 2.5.  Got to T2 and couldn't work my hands.  Literally. Could. Not. Work. My. Hands. 

Again, no one is supposed to help you, but by that time I was beyond hope for working my limbs, so I asked some lady to help me on with my running gloves and I pulled on a fleece (FLEECE!) ear warmer.  Pulled off my bike knee warmers but kept the arm warmers and tight jacket on.  Ran in no socks, which was best for eliminiating blister possibility.

Left for the run and started out feeling great.  Felt great the entire run!  What a surprise.  I think I ran about a 28 for the 5k, which was 2 minutes faster than last year.  I'll update this with accurate splits when I see them on the race site. 

MISERABLE.  I've never before left a race site prior to the final person finishing.  This time, I rammed my stuff into my tri bag, put my very dirty bike in the car, and drove on out of there on the heels of about 10 other cars and followed by 10 more.

Now I need to go clean my bike. 

Two Socks, Not a Pair

Finished two socks last night -- but don't have a pair!  I have two halves of two pairs. I love both socks. The one on the left is Regia sock yarn and just a basic 2x2 rib from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. The one on the right is the Cable Rib pattern from Favorite Socks in Lang Jawoll.  I love the thread they provide for the reinforced heel! Now I have to make the other socks. The only drawback, if you consider it a drawback, is that the variegation of the Lang yarn doesn't show the cable. Oh well.

Still plugging away on Thermal on size 3s and want to start so many more things!

A bunch of my friends competed last Sunday at Ironman Arizona.  After hearing what they all had to say about the lake and the rest of the course, I know that's one race I'll never do. The lake is dark and polluted, the bike and run courses are three loops each (boring!)and the run is mostly concrete sidewalk. The race this year had the third worst conditions ever recorded for an Ironman (except Kona). Of course that's not something that you can control, but the idea of not being able to see your arms under water while you're swimming? Ew.  My coach pretty much summed it up by saying, "the entire course sucked the entire way", and he qualified for Worlds at the race. My riding buddy Jen was throwing up by mile 15 due to the heat, and she really rocks by respecting the race enough to keep pushing on and throwing up again at mile 18 and walked in to finish.  Just writing about that gives me goosebumps. She is a wonderful example of The Everyman who does an Ironman race and works so incredibly hard to get there and manages to fight through horrible conditions to get to the finish line. She was in no medical danger (they checked her out at mile 18), FYI. She could have quit and then been extremely disappointed with herself for a very long time, but she didn't. On any other day, with less baking sun and no 22 mile per hour winds, she is capable of at least a 14 hour race. She finished near the end, with a 16:35 and is already planning her next race!  Jen, you're an inspiration and a true model of Ironman determination and will.