He May Not Be an Ironman, but He's a SUPERMAN!

Let me start out by saying this...I haven't been on the bike outside on hills since Winter 2009, before I found out I was preggers w/Ben. So-it's been a year and a few months.

The Atlanta Tri Club www.atlantatriclub.com had their Sunday ride in Cartersville this morning. They began with a transition clinic for beginners, which culminated into a group ride at 9AM. Since members are doing different target races, everyone had different amounts they needed to ride. Most of us stuck with the 31 mile loop or the 14 mile loop.

We started out as a mass, and split up into various paced ability groups. I decided to hang out with the slowbies because...well...at this point, I'm slow. My legs faired better than I expected. My lower back-well-that's a different story. The first 45 minutes were a bit painful. I'm blaming my extra weight, larger bewbies and general core weakness for that one! It was tempting to turn off at the 14 mile turn-off, but I continued on like Eeyore.

Here's what I noticed:
*I suck at climbling right now. Gravity is NOT my friend. As the weight falls off, the better it will get. Whilst suck on hills I do, Walk of Shame I did NOT!
*It annoys me when people break on downhills. In this case gravity IS my BFF!
*I'm still really strong on flats and can get a nice powerful pedal stroke in aero.

So-back to the title of my blog post!
Robert Wilhite is our new Head Cycling Coach for the Atlanta Tri Club! What a gem we found! My friend Tracey met him on a century ride late summer and told our club director about him. Before we knew it, we got a new cycling coach for the group! He was apparantly a golf pro on the tour back in the day, and like many of us, got introduced to a road bike along the way.
Check out his website: www.mycyclecoach.com
If you're in the Atlanta Area you should attend one of his cycling technique classes! Reasonably priced and much to learn!

Around mile 20 one of our cyclists had a major mechanical problem. Her chain broke. You know...BROKE! So folks-please make sure your chain is good-especially if you've been having problems in recent rides. So-us normal folk would call back for a ride, right? I mean...that's what I would do. Whatcha gonna do? Walk back 10 or 11 miles back to the start in your bike shoes, bare feet or socks? Ummm. NO! To my amazement, Robert pushed her back to the start. Hand on her back and pedaled. Did I mention we were in CARTERSVILLE? Hills I declare! He must've averaged 14-15 mph pushing her along the way! Anyone else in awe? Oh, I almost forgot to mention that he also picked up my water bottle that I lost off my bike and returned it to me at the finish. He picked it up sometime during his epic "push" to the parking lot!

On a more serious, yet totally awesome note-Robert will be hosting the first annual Jackson Brevet on June 19th. It's a serious note because it will be benefitting the Aplastic Anemia Foundation, a condition which Robert's wife suffers from. Last fall she suffered a near-fatal crash and had to be retreated for this condition. Apparantly, whichever treatment she received was the same treatment given her on another occaision 20+ years ago. There have been little to no innovations in the treatment of Aplastic Anemia.

Finally! A century ride on my side of the ATL! Lots of great door prizes! A brand new Cannondale bike will be auctioned off. I'll be there. Will you?www.jacksonbrevet.com

Question is...should I ride the 65 or 102?

Team Trakkers is off to a GREAT Start!!! Let the Showdown Begin!

I'm super excited about the launch of the new team trakkers! Team Trakkers Elite is putting their money where their mouth is! Trakkers has Challenged Team TREK/KSWISS to a showdown at the upcoming Oly Rev in Knoxville this coming Mother's Day.

Man...I must admit-my favorite part of the day at Ironman Arizona 2008 was when Chris Lieto passed me on the bike loop in his cute little white shorts.


I've grown up since then...got remarried by Elvis in Vegas and had a baby. I prefer the black and green bootie shot now!


Soon after I was invited aboard Team Trakkers. I think Green and Black is much more FUN than just plain white. I mean...you swim in dirty lakes and won't look like you have crapped your pants, right?

Observe Sonja!


This past weekend team Trakkers Elite had their first formal camp! Great Excitement! Much fun was had. Crap... Ironman.com reported on it 3 times!
http://ironman.com/training/jay-prasuhn-reports-on-the-final-day-of-the-team-trakkers-pro-camp
http://ironman.com/training/jay-prasuhn-has-more-from-the-team-trakkers-pro-training-camp
http://ironman.com/training/jay-prasuhn-recaps-a-fun-day-at-the-team-trakkers-pro-camp

Check out our supa-hawt Team Trakkers ELITE!


I say our Team Trakkers Amateurs are just as supa-hawt...
http://trakkersgps.com/athletes/

SEE YOU IN KNOXVILLE!

Mrs. C...you don't smell like the pool anymore!

"Did you give up swimming?" Heh-direct quote from one of my kiddos that I teach. You know the routine. Wake up at 4...poke around to try to make coffee...drink said coffee...hit the pool...hit the hot tub...shower and go to work.

So-I've been know to show up to work with goggle face and smelling like chlorine. Well-I still manage the goggle face, but I no longer smell like chlorinated funk! I smell like a nice citrus grove instead! Mmmmm. Citrus. Smells good enough to drink, but I wouldn't recommend that.

What's my secret? Do the Hollywood Stars do it too? That I don't know, but I do know all the super cool triathletes and swimmers are in on it.


SBR Sports makes some great post-swim products that I love love love! Their tri swim line has a shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. Did I mention they smell of citrus awesomeness? Well-I used to shower with "pretty smelling stuff," but I would often show up to work with goggle face smelling like chlorine with vanilla overtones. It kinda reminds me of that air freshener commercial where the kitchen smells like fish AND flowers. Not a good combo, right?

I'm not into the technical mambo jambo as to WHY this stuff rocks, but all I know is that this stuff takes the chlorine out of my hair. I've been known to sport some pretty bright colors in my hair, but unlike my formal post swim "pretty smelling" products, my hair stays shiney and my color doesn't fade. I sport red a lot, and everyone knows red can fade fast. My red is still...well...RED! It didn't turn orange or some other great crayola color.

I love using the body wash too. I squeeze my green-colored wash onto my matching happy green shower poof and wash that pool stank away. I feel like I'm in my own version of South Pacific, the musical. "I'm gonna wash that pool right outta my hair..."

Thanks SBR! I totally dig your products!
http://www.sbrsportsinc.com/sbr_product.htm

What a month! Thank goodness it's almost over!

Where did all this time go? This month has been the ultimate stressball-I'm glad things are starting to get better! I've finally got a moment and some quiet time to myself.

Ben's 5 months old now! He's finally back to being healthy-we think. Ben has been sick for over a month...and it all started with DAYCARE! We're lucky to have a daycare full of loving teachers and cute babies, but wow. GERMFEST! A week after Ben was there he developed his first head cold. You know-the kind where the stuff comes out his nose and you had to suction it out without throwing up whilst doing it. Unfortunately the illness went into his lungs within the week. Ben's also had 3 ear infections since then.
He's been on the following meds:
3 rounds of antibiotics
2 rounds of steroids
A month of nebulizer breathing treatments
Occaisional tylenol.

After all this the doctor decided he probably had RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). He was tested for it originally when he had "nose juice," but it was negative. They never retested when it went into his lungs.

The inlaws drove from CT to get him out of daycare for a week and a half to help him get better. It did a world of good! All the roids made him super strong. He rolls all over the place and scoots around. Time to buy gates and baby proof.

He was feeling better by the ING EXPO on March 20th-which was also my 32nd birthday.

Here's a pic of him and his new supa-hawt girlfriend! Can you say cougar?


This month I've also had countless hours of after school rehearsal with my Chorus of 50 4th and 5th grade students. They performed a musical called On the Radio. It was really cute! Elvis Presley made many appearances during the show. He even made one during World War 2. Wait, huh?

How did March go by so fast?

Oh lawd. This is one month I don't want to revisit again! It seems like everything stressful that could happen did. I've barely had a moment to myself. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

First-HAPPY 5 MONTHS TO Mr. BEN!
He's FINALLY starting to feel better. We're not sure exactly what Ben had, but the doctor suspects that it was RSV (respiratory sinct

Quilts & Steaks-What More Can a Mom Ask For?

Two days ago it was soooo dreadful outside. It was snowing and sticking on everything but the road. It's MARCH in ATL. Shouldn't I be putting on sunscreen by now? Gah...that means we have school. Sigh. Anyhoo-I eventually make it home from work and I see some gifts piled upon my porch. Damn! Missed the hot UPS man dressed in brown again!

My Dad tends to show his love with gifts. I mean-who doesn't like gifts? I'm definitely blessed and perhaps semi-spoiled. Maybe he is feeling guilty because Ben is 4 months and Dad saw him at 4 days. He hasn't seen him in a few months and will hopefully be visiting in April! Dad saw Ben at 9 pounds. Ben is twice his weight now at a whopping 18 pounds. He's also 26 inches and can bench press a teddy bear!
Besides loving his family, my dad loves food. Heh!
JACKPOT! THANKS DAD!
Nothing says love quite like Omaha Steaks!



Ok-so steaks excite me! What excites me even more is random gifts from random friends whom I've never met. We have a tight-knit group over on the MultiSport Forum on www.Kickrunners.com . A fellow triathlete and lover of all things bike related made Ben the most awesome quilt. I think it's quite funny that my husband thought it was a rocketship. Ummmmm. No. It's even better! Ironbaby will soon be a triathlete! We'll start swim lessons this summer! Thanks 4BoysMom!


Speaking of Ironbabies-I've been meaning to give a shout-out to my fellow IronFriend Melinda Byrne! She made Ben the cutest burp cloths! I'm glad she made them large because my little chunker is a reflux vomiter! How awesome are these?



Since I'm going photo crazy, here the latest pic of Ben. He's in his swing with Beary. He's learning how to cuddle! Swoooooon!

Tried My New Kicks on the Trails Today!

It's been an interesting two weeks. I've been sick with a stomach bug & a sinus infection. Unfortunately, Don's been on 2 rounds of antibiotics and got 2 shots in the bootie. Ben. Poor Ben. He's been on breathing treatments and 2 rounds of abx. Who knew they make baby z-pack? Here's a pick of my boy wearing his purple chicken dinosaur mask. This evening was the first time he didn't SCREAM during treatment.the


With that said, it's been about 2 weeks since I've gotten any CONSISTENT workouts. When I could I would grab a swim or spin here or there, but I've felt too crappy to go "run." It seemed that the days I did want to go, weather was awful. FINALLY-a day without after school requirements for my music program...or without other exercise commitments.

There's a newish park not far from me-about 5 miles away-Harbins Park in Gwinnett County, GA. I've been working on getting in shape post baby. Because of my weight, I really don't want to be pounding the asphalt or concrete. I've been mostly ellipticating, walking or hiking as far as the "run" is concerned. There's a beautiful 4.5 mile hiking trail there...well maintained and easy to navigate. I get lost in Walmart. Yes. I have issues. Here's a pic of the nice dirt trail I went a runnin' on.


I was concerned about my run fitness. Who wouldn't be at this point? My biggest concern is to avoid injury while getting back in running shape. I have fallen arches and am currently overweight and SLOWLY moving down. These are two things that an athlete does not like dealing with. I needed a great pair of supportive shoes that offers a fair amount of cushioning for comfort. Back in 2005 I wore Saucony Grid Omnis. I did well with them. Then my local running store put me in a pair of Saucony motion control, which did a number on my feet. Discouraged, I went to Asics. I've had decent results as far as correction and comfort go. I decided I needed a change. I went back to my beloved Omnis! They're a road trainer shoe with moderate stability control & great cushioning-but they did really well on the trails today. I didn't have any traction issues, nor did I feel like I was going to slip or get tripped up. I guess I'm lucky to live where a great park system exists.
Here's a pic of me and my omnis. Notice how well the compliment my M-Dot tattoo!

Even though I had great results w/the Omnis on the trail, I think I will order up a pair of Saucony Trail Shoes. I don't know which ones to get.
http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/subcategory?trail=1002%3Acat520162&catId=cat10002&subCatId=cat520162
I'll call to see which will be best for a moderate stability runner. That razor model looks crazy! I wonder how they would fit my cankles.