Tri- Athletes

Back in April the girls participated in their first (Kids) Triatholon.

Let me set the stage for you...

First register girls.  Jadyn (12 yrs old) Senior category (Swim is 200 yards, bike is 6 miles, run is 1 mile) .  Rylee (10 yrs old) Junior category (Swim is 100 yards, bike is 3 miles, run is 1/2 mile).

Second show up at 5:30 am for the junior category.  With 6 kids.  My 3 and additionally my 3 nieces and nephews who are now staying with us for awhile.

Third check in and get marked.

Fourth realize something isn't quite right with Rylee's markings...

Fifth realize we missed where it was noted that your category isn't based on how old you are the day of the triatholon.  No.  It's based on the age you are turning that year.  Bumping Rylee up to the next catergory.

Sixth deal with the aftermath of this error.

So a bit about Rylee.  My poor girl doesn't do change terribly well.  Realizing that this means doubling her distances, she freaks!  We have zero doubt she will be fine and rock this category, we push and push and she is refusing,  After being so excited about this race, she is giving up.  I pull out one of my magic tricks that works with all girls.  I promise her a new pair of shoes if she participates. Yes I am not above bribery.  And yes it worked.

Now that she is willing to race, we wait.  With 6 kids.  In the heat.  For HOURS while we wait for the senior category to begin.  With 6 kids.

The girls raced.  They rocked it.  Both did amazing.  Honestly, we thought for sure Rylee kicked Jadyn's butt in her time.  Rylee looked so good at the end.  Like it was easy peasy.  Turns out Jadyn beat Rylee by several minutes (most of this in her bike time).  Rylee was very pumped by how she felt at the end.  Both girls LOVED it and cannot wait for next year.  Colton will join them next year, too.

Which means we will still be there at 5:30 am. 

Let me also note that all 6 kids behaved amazingly well considering how long they were up and just sitting!

Rock And Roll

We did it!  We finished our first Rock and Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio!

Way back HERE we committed to running our first half marathon, and here we are six months later, we've done it!

My finish time was 2:50:56 and Rusty's was 2:41:02.  Neither of us meet our personal goal, but we weren't so far off that we are devastated.  Maybe we will do this again to meet those times.  We shall see.

Rusty struggled with calf cramps after mile 9 which he hadn't had problems with before so that really messed up his time.  I feel so bad for him, he worked much harder in his training than I did and definitely deserved this!

A few things I have learned about myself and running over this experience.... 

1. I hate hate hate miles 1-2 (and sometimes all the way to 3).  I have to battle past mile 3.  The idea ALWAYS occurs to me that if I were running a 5K I'd be done.
2. I can do more than I believe about myself.  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.  Eph 3:20
3. Mile 6-9 are the "easiest" for me.  I finally hit my stride and feel good.
4. I hate Gatorade.  Until I hit mile 6.  Suddenly that nasty drink becomes the best tasting thing on the planet.
5. I have problems with posterior shin splints.  
6. KT Tape is awesome.
7. Running with friends (not side by side, but sharing the same goal- we all ran our own paces) is incredibly motivating.  Bobbie, Amanda, Estella, THANK YOU GIRLS!  I LOVE Y'ALL!
8. Sharing the same goal as my husband is AMAZING!  I highly recommend it!  Probably my favorite part about this experience.
9. I don't hate running as much as I thought.
10. I was thrilled that I did not have to pee while running.  Nor anything else that involved a port-a-potty with no toilet paper.

I thought at one time, when I imagined writing this post, I would end it with "I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN".  Turns out I'm not.  I will end it "I MIGHT DO THIS AGAIN"

Goodbye Rest

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. "  -John Lubbock

We said goodbye to the days of rest this morning.  At 6:30am, the alarm, which we haven't heard since May, brings with it the schedules, homework, volleyball evening practices, Saturday morning games, Awana Wednesday nights, shorter days, and eventual cooler nights.

Summer was a true reminder this year of how good God has been to our family in the way of friendships.  So many of our days were filled with our friends.  I am so incredibly grateful to Him for it.

As I sit here during the 3 years old nap time in complete silence (school days for the big girls do give me that), I wanted to share a few of my favorite summer memories.

I Run Because...

I run because....

I have seen those pins (or posters) on Pinterest 1,253 times.  After today, I have my own.

I run because I never thought I could.

I am not trying to be cliche here at all.  This is very true for me right now.  Jadyn participated in a Read, Deed, Run program at school this past year (and will again this year) and several times I had to run a mile with her.  I walked during my 1 mile run a year ago y'all.  I thought I would die if I didn't.  Almost a year later I ran 6 MILES WITH NO WALKING!

Words cannot describe the nervousness I had going into this race.  My latest runs were so slow...in the 13 min (some even in 14 min) range.  I had fears of being the last one to cross.  There is nothing wrong with being the last one to cross, YOU STILL CROSSED.  But honestly people no one wants to be dead last.  No one.

I had one of my best runs yet!  I did not expect to shave so much off my time.  Making it all better, my closest dearest friend Amanda sent me several voice pep talks through the run tracker I use on my phone.  It was AWESOME having her tell me I just beat me latest time.  Thank you so much for the encouragement!!!

And for the sake of being transparent and honest  on this 'ole blog.  Here are my battle scars:

I have been told that these bloody socks announce my arrival as a runner.  Nastly PAINFUL blisters on my pinky toes. This is with bandaids as a preventive measure.  Considering running socks or amputation before the November run.  Will blog about the decision when made.

Thank you Bobbie  and Rusty for pushing me and motivating me on this new running journey!  I had a blast today and (I think) I cannot wait to do it again!

Yeah, I realize this sounded kinda like an Academy Award speech.  Just wait until I finish the November half marathon.  Working on the acceptance speech now.

52 Week Photo Challenge Week 34

I am running my first race this Saturday.  A 10K!  I. AM. SCARED.  Y'all.  Really scared.  I have successfully hit 5 miles in my training.  I totally believe if everything lines itself up just right, I can do this.  I just need everything to line itself up just right :)

I truly cannot remember doing something that made me this nervous.  Updates to come this weekend!

52 Week Photo Challenge Week 19

We ran our first 3 mile run!  We are on week 4 (I think...) so we are still running 90 seconds walking 60 seconds.  This is our last week like that.  Next week we are running 1/4 mile, walking 1/4 mile for 3 miles.  We are visiting Noonie and Poppie in Cibolo this weekend and the weather was gorgeous at 7:30 this morning.  A beautiful 63 degrees!  We are pretty happy with our first 3 miles stats (using Endomondo running tracker)!

Burress' Setting Some Big Goals Here....

Rusty and I are setting a big, fat, audacious, God sized goal.  The kind of goal that makes my stomach tie up just thinking about it.  Typing it out where real people can actually read it (and hold me to it)....well it makes me almost sick.

We are planning to run the San Antonio Rock n Roll Half Marathon in November.  Now, all you runners that might be reading this, to us this is BIG!  We are not, or should I say, we were not runners.

A little about the road that led us here....about a year ago I decided enough was enough.  I was beginning to notice myself gaining weight and being 5 foot tall, it shows fast.  I knew I wasn't getting any younger and it would never get easier to get into shape.  Now was the time.  I have never been an athlete and never been one to work out.  It was all going to be new to me.  I have even spent the past year praying A LOT for God to change  how I feel about exercise.  Fast forward a year later, I am still in the gym 3-4 days a week in group exercise classes, Ripped and Pump & Jump being my favorites.  I am beside myself that I have stuck with it this long, seeing the results I had hoped for!  I started playing around the idea in my head about setting a goal to run a 5K when my friend Bobbie said something to me about running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon (although she may actually be running the full marathon not just the half.  I can't remember).  Having friends doing it, we decided to jump on board!  Here we are now, at week #4 on the Couch to Half Marathon Training.

I am scared and excited all at the same time.  I am so excited to have my best friend (and husband) doing this beside me.  Having someone to run with each run makes this so much easier.  Truthfully, I am finding myself enjoying it.  Something about getting out to run is easier than making myself go to my classes at the gym.  When I first started running just one mile, I laugh because my heart rate monitor couldn't even read my heart rate.  I joke it was telling me I should die.  1 mile and I thought I would die.  Sad.  This week we will hit our first 3 mile run (still some walking though) and I actually believe it won't kill me!  I do wish we would have taken up running in the fall not at the beginning of SUMMER IN HOUSTON!

I plan to blog as we go in this training and this journey!  Stay tuned!

Update:  The above was written before our 2 mile run tonight.  Correction- I hate running :)