Fitness update: Biking

Our stake Relief Society is putting together a triathalon event for September! How awesome is that? (the RS president is a big health nut like me and was praying for a way to encourage the women to be healthier, when she had this idea). We got an amazing group deal at Dallas Aquatic Center to train for swimming. That's far enough away that I can only go on Saturdays, which means I would have to take days off running. That is fine, I think I will alternate my Saturday workout, or at least just do a shorter run on my swim days. After the half-marathon I'll have more time to focus on swimming and biking.

I rode my bike for the first time yesterday and had a friend teach me a few things (like how gears work, ha!) - it was really great. I am pleased to see that biking is a wonderful compliment workout to running. Uses different muscles, gives the knees a break, and mentally it's an entirely different thing. With running you kind of go on autopilot and you can zone out - precisely why I enjoy it. But biking you are using machinery in the midst of traffic and must be very alert. I do like biking still, but for different reasons. Going fast, the coasting breaks when you are still moving but not exercising, etc. For that reason, biking doesn't feel the same as running when it comes to judging the degree of your workout; I wasn't breathing hard at all (at the end) but my thighs became very stiff and sore. It was challenging but very fun. I am eager to work biking into my regular schedule.

Here's a rough plan for my work-outs, with daily stretching.

Mon-run intervals & upper body
Tues- walk/yoga
Wed-5K race (increase distance next month)
& upper body
Thurs-bike 45-60 mins
Fri- walking/light yoga & upper body
Sat-long run or swim (alternating weeks)

Swinging from the tree branches

Okay I know I already shared a video of Elisabeth hanging on the kitchen counter. But seriously check this one out!! This is way better (kind of makes me wonder what she's going to do next week!)



And by the way, on YouTube I categorized this in the "sports" section!

Foreign Language

It's hard enough to deal with a kid who asks questions all day. But try coming up with a response to questions that don't make any sense.

"Mom, where is my toy?"
"It's on the back porch"
"What does Zontha Back mean?"
"I said it's on the back!"

What, am I speaking a foreign language? I kid you not, this happens EVERY DAY.

Also lately he has been asking what big words mean, before he can pronounce them! It is hilarious to hear him say words. Next time to see him, have him say "miscellaneous" for you.

Yesterday in the car he mentioned "operation," and I was thinking How does he know about operations? I don't think he's ever heard the word. So I asked him what he thinks that word means, and he told me "Remember? When the water turns into steam." Ooooh, evaporation!

Then today he asked me what "incest" means. Now this time I was POSITIVE he has never heard that word!! So I said "Do you mean insist?" No... I guessed a couple more times and he got impatient with me. I said "When did I say that word?" and he told me when I said he was "incest" with his new toy. "Oh no sweetheart, I said you are obsessed with it. It means you all you want to do is play with it all the time."

We seriously need to get his hearing checked...

p.s. it's a good thing I ran spell-check on this post... I couldn't even spell half those words!

10K Race Today!

I ran a 10K today (my first race) - it went great! I finished at 1:04 exactly. The course was amazing... in a small town, so there were lots of trails through a "forrest"and a bridge over the BEAUTIFUL Santiam River. It had such a natural, mountain-esque feel to it. I would run this course again in a heartbeat.

I ran a "practice" 10K last week and finished in 66 minutes. I cried. It was a grueling run and kind of shot my confidence. I struggled the entire way, never finding my groove. I am a new runner, but I have to admit I felt like a double-digit pace (10:40 abouts) was embarassing and unacceptable.

Today went a lot better. I took sufficient rest days to ensure that I'd have ample energy. I ate a large breakfast a couple hours before the race and then several dates just before it started (dates provide instant glucose to the bloodstream). I took time to do some yoga and prayer before taking off. I was in the right mindset and felt great physically. So it really worked out for my good. I am so grateful!

So if you want the nitty-gritty, read on...

• Note to self: Don't bother drinking water, even hours before the race. I had to use the bathroom 3 times before the race! I was so nervous I'd pee my pants while running.
• I was NOT planning on running this fast. But there is something about being last that motivates you to keep up with the pack!
• It really isn't fun to look at somebody's backside for 30 straight minutes. Even if it's a very attractive one--it just drove me crazy that this woman was only ten yards ahead of me, and yet I could not catch up to her! It feels like you are going nowhere because you are looking at a destination and you never "get there"!!
• I finally caught up to this woman about half-way and struck up a conversation. We chatted for much the remainder of the race. I'm glad she kept me at her pace!
• I actually ran all but probably 5 minutes of the race. That is a HUGE accomplishment for me!
• I was breathing harder than I usually do, because usually I take that as a sign to back off. But today since I was motivated to keep running without slowing, I reached a big milestone in my discovery that it is okay to breathe hard, and to keep at that pace! Big epiphany for me!

The race seemed very long and was taxing physically, but it was a BLAST! It was so much fun, and I can't wait to run another one!! I am actually more excited to run a better 10K (or a 30-minute 5K...my goal for May 5th) than to increase my distance. I have never been a competitive athlete before and this is just so much fun to try to beat my previous times!

I started running because I knew I needed to be more active. I wanted "in" on the Jones Family Running Clique. But now, I am running because I LOVE IT! Now I feel like a RUNNER and now I want to keep running for years to come! :)

Heathy Taco Salad

Here's some ideas for a healthier taco salad, if you'd like to avoid additives and make it low-fat.

Cook dried beans without adding anything to the water. Once they are soft enough to squish between your fingers, drain water and transfer them to the blender. Blend them up with some green onions, garlic clove, cumin and/or cayenne (or use taco seasoning if you'd prefer). You can also add salt and oil, to taste.

For an alternative to high-fat store-bought chips, take organic corn tortillas with no additives, cut them into shreds and bake them until crispy.

Pile up your beans and chips with lettuce and tomatoes! Be generous! You can also use olives, avocado, and any other healthy topping you'd like.

If you're not vegan, just add your other toppings. You could use ground turkey instead of beef if you'd like to cut calories and avoid eating a lot of fat. Or just use less meat (one advantage to making your own beans is that you spice them to taste like meat, so you don't need to rely on the meat for the flavor).

Silly Elisabeth

Here's Elisabeth decked out in her new SUMMER CLOTHES!!


And a story to tell. One evening when we parents were in an unusually good mood, Elisabeth was of course making a mess with her food. Her hands were covered in this chocolate pudding so Rychen (yes, my husband, believe it or not!) started doing some gestures and encouraging her to copy him. By doing so, he managed to get her to smear pudding all over her face and hair! It was a blast.

Plan of Salvation

We had the missionaries over and they did this awesome visual activity to explain the Plan of Salvation. Rychen loved it of course - he got to drive laminated paper cars!


If you're wondering about the lesson, here it is. You're driving in a car, excited to get to your destination [our Heavenly Father's house] when you come upon a puddle and cannot pass over it on your own [physical death]. A kind man comes up [Christ] and offers to build a bridge over it, free of charge [resurrection - everybody will be resurrected without any effort of their own]. So then you continue on your way, until you come upon a second puddle [spiritual death, which means separation from the Father]. The kind man comes again and says he can build a bridge again, but this time you must contribute. You give him $5 to build the bridge. The five dollars represent Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end. When we "pay" these dollars, we access the atonement and are able to overcome spiritual death and return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

"Carousel Park"

Last week, Elisabeth had her first Go at riding the carousel!

She enjoyed it but she refused to sit on a bench, and insisted on holding tight to the bar. She got a kick out of waving hello to Dad everytime we went around.

And playing on the playground...