the end of my racing career?

That sounds so dramatic, doesn't it? Last night I did the Boulder Stroke N Stride. I had swam that morning (~2000 meters) and ridden to and from the Rez (about 15 miles roundtrip). Then I went on a nice mellow hike with Ole and followed that up with 2+ hours in the pool with Mae, Aria and Chloe. I had nothing left for the swim - my arms felt like lead. I forced myself to get to the 1st buoy and decide then if I wanted to turn back. I did. My rotator cuff was snapping again (which it hasn't done in ages but happens when I'm sloppy in my form). Anyway, I came back, which was a disappointment but I was so tired I didn't care. The race people were super nice and let me do the 5K anyway so I headed off with the elite men that had already swam and did a very hot but fairly pleasant 5K in 31:34 (Wendy thinks the course is short, though it felt long enough to me!). Since I was one of the first to finish (I was able to see all the other people who had swam the 1500 meters going out on the run when I was coming in) I got a quick massage that made my very tight quads feel fantastic. We enjoyed our pizza and soda and came home.

I had a sort of epiphany out there on the run though. I really don't like to race. Really don't like to race. I need and enjoy the motivation a race provides; I am a very goal-oriented person. But...

This month I've swam (swum?) at the Rez a handful of times and loved it. When it's 6:30am and you're out in the middle of the reservoir, there is nothing to do but enjoy it. And I do love it, when my arms cooperate. It's so restful and mellow and beautiful and peaceful.

And I do love to bike, though I HATE HATE HATE hills and don't relish killing myself on them (yes I am panicking about Old Stage - done it 3x and it was so so hard). But I do love the 12+ miles roundtrip to and from Paul's office if I want to meet him for lunch, or the 15 miles roundtrip to and from the Rez. I love biking the boys to HHS every day and tooling around the bike paths of Boulder figuring out what connects to what. I love the rollers on 63rd and all the beautiful road rides near Nelson Road etc. But I don't like hills.

And oh how I love to run. I should probably just call it jogging. I enjoy a mellow 11-minute mile. On Wednesday I ran for almost 2 hours on the trails, just because it was so beautiful. I had my water and my gels and I stopped to walk every 10 minutes, for 1 minute, to take them in when I needed them. I would have kept going if my left quad wasn't complaining. I do love to run. I don't like running fast. It makes me panicky. And my fast isn't even fast anyway!

I may continue to "race" the Half Marathon distance. It takes long enough that I don't bother killing myself and I really enjoyed last year's Boulder Backroads. And I will do the CF Ride each year in support and also because it's a mellow ride (I will stick with the short distance to avoid Old Stage!) I also hope to continue riding on the weekend with my riding partner, because we have such a great time together, especially at the Starbucks pit stops. :-)

So, I have committed to two more triathlons this season: the Boulder Peak (Olympic) and the Outdoor Divas (Sprint). I will do them because I put money down on them, but I don't think I'll do any more. I just want to enjoy myself. Isn't that what it's about? I'm not competitive enough or determined enough or whatever character trait it is that gets people to constantly strive to improve themselves. I just want to be out there, outside, taking it all in and loving it.

Vedauwoo

Paul took Sam and Mae camping this weekend. It was Mae's first time and she loved it! They were even dirtier than Ted, so they had a good time! Hopefully we will all go as a family next time. Though I am not a very enthusiastic camper, I am willing to try.

Ted is home!

Exhausted, dirty, sunburned and full of stories, Ted is home safe and sound. He wants to go for two weeks next year and had a great time. He even offered that "all the Jewish stuff" was kind of cool. :-) Here are some pics from Shabbat day and some goofing around back in Denver after getting off the bus.

Aleph Overnight

I can't wait to hear about what went on at the overnight. They hiked someplace and camped out in a huge teepee. It must have been so fun.

Fun had by boys

More pics of Sam at HHS. What a goof! Today they baked challah and sang/celebrated Shabbat with the oldsters at Frasier Meadows.

It's too bad the Y doesn't take pics of their campers; Mae's camp experience is not at all represented! Rest assured that she and Zoey are having a great time together!

More Shwayder pics!

More pics from Shwayder. Looks like a High Ropes course, some gardening and an evening Rainbow program were on the agenda. How fun!

Bunk Pics!

I know they want us to order these pictures, and I will, but until then, I can't resist looking at them and smiling, because Ted is obviously having a blast. Hooray!

Sam's recovery

We sent Sam to camp today, a bit worried that he'd overdo it, but confident in his teachers. He had a great day, was a total goof, and is obviously recovered. He still has a big goose egg on his forehead, but no black eye and he says it doesn't hurt, so I think we're in the clear.

Bumps

Today Mae and I were on a short hike with Ole when I got a call from Caroline at KHHS camp. Sam had run into a pole (more of a ledge, really) at the park playstructure and had a huge bump on his forehead- could I please come get him? Yikes. This is Sam's 2nd bump and luckily he weathered it well. He did have a mild concussion, but spent the day with ice, homeopathic creams and tablets, and some Tylenol. Paul and I decided to gift him with his early 7-year-old birthday present: his own Nintendo DS. We had planned to give it to him prior to our drive to Iowa, but this seemed like a good time. He played it most of the day, watched Harry Potter, and generally laid around. He seems to be OK but WOW! that is a lump. (In this pic with Joshua, he had a band-aid over the minute cut. The swelling is hard to see in the picture but pretty substantial. My poor baby!)

In Ted news, their Bunk1 website is up, so I have sent Ted an an email, but there are no pictures up yet. Hope to see some soon!

Shwayder!

I sent Ted off to overnight camp yesterday! He was about to burst from excitement. Here are some pics with his friend Jack and Zach. Warren gave the boys a speech about making new friends (love Jack's expression). I sent him a care package that should arrive today or tomorrow (with a diary, pen, book & small stuffie) and we were able to send an email message this morning. Can't wait for pics! I love the moms pic - Heather looks so excited! Hee hee.

more great shots from KHHS

All the kids have had a great first week at their respective camps. Mae loves the Y Camp and gets mad when I pick her up. The boys enjoy biking to HHS and seem to be thoroughly exhausted and happy at the end of the day. I just love the sweetness of KHHS. Look how happy they are! You can see Ted (in orange) behind Sam with Seth. I love this community, this place, these people. We are so lucky!

1917

This poster by the Committee of Public Safety in Pennsylvania borrowed its look from USFA posters by the artist Frederic G. Cooper, c.1917.

Source: Special Collections, National Agricultural Library

There are many, many more posters here. While it is miraculous and wonderful that we are not embroiled in a war of the magnitude of WWs I & II, why is it that if we asked Americans to cinch the waistbands of their food budget, we would surely hear protests? Elevating the importance of not wasting food is a need for the world, let alone America, but we don't push it in propaganda. Why? Why is it a luxury to have enough to eat instead of a duty to share the wealth?

I love that our CSA, Abbondanza, donates a portion of each crop to Community Food Share (rather than sell to restaurants for a profit) and if someone fails to pick up their share, that too is donated. How else can I (we) help? With this simple poster, I have all the tools I need. Here's to 1917 and the US Government's involvement. I love all the work Michele Obama is doing to encourage us all to grow our own, eat healthier and not waste. But how cool would it be if posters like this were on the highways instead of ads for geico or Toyota? Anyway. Spread the word!!!

HHS Camp Fun

While Mae played with Zoey at the Y camp, Ted and Sam enjoyed their first day at HHS Day Camp.

brotherly love

Tonight Ted had an impromptu overnight at Ben's, our neighbor a few houses down. As I walked him across the cul-de-sac, Sam called out in a clear, sweet voice, "Bye, Ted! I love you!"

Oh, how I love this boy.

Settling In

Wow. What a week. As most of you know, we moved in to our awesome little house in Boulder. We have had lazy Lego mornings, hours and hours at the pool every single day, and very late bedtimes. It's just too cool to have neighbors steps away and the kids have been house-swapping freely. It's sort of idyllic, really. Our only annoyance with the move is our lack of internet. Qwest is not doing well by us. Hopefully it will resolve itself soon. Tonight Sam and Mae biked all the way to TKD, 2.8 miles each way. They were very cheerful about it and can't wait to do it again. We also had a dryer snafu so we only had a washer this week. The dryer should arrive tomorrow, but I've been enjoying line-drying the clothes. There is a LOT of pollen here (trees galore!) but none of it seems to be affecting the kids so I plan to continue line-drying as long as I can. There is also a lilac bush right outside my kitchen window. I may not have much of a view out that window, but it sure smells heavenly, and makes the clothes smell wonderful too. In short, we are settling in and learning the ins and outs of our new digs. Please email if you want our new address. Our phone numbers have stayed the same.