another thanks

OK....so I was just reading through my post again and noticed I didn't mention a couple of people! I big thanks to Kurt and Mindy for coming out too! I know Kyle appreciated the help with Alexa and it was nice to hear multiple people cheering for me!
Also thanks to Julie G. for keeping me sane the week before. I was so obsessed with getting a better time that I was getting really nervous for the race.
THANKS TO ALL!!!

Hickory Grove Triathlon

Sunday was my second race of the season, the Hickory Grove Sprint Triathlon. I was up bright and early at 4:30 to head up to Colo, IA to set up transition and get some good warm-up time.

After setting up, talking with Julie G, and my online buddy Dora, I headed down to the lake to warm-up. By 7:30 the air temp was about 60 degrees and water temp 77 degrees. First wave was off at 8:00am...Julie G was in this wave and she did great, I got to cheer her out of the water before I started 18min later!

Ready...set...GO! I was off to the swim. It felt really good until about halfway back after I rounded the buoy. My arms felt like dead weight. The only thing that kept me going was the girl to my right. I didn't want her to get too far ahead of me. I didn't know if she was in my age group or the one below me as they gave us the same color swim cap...I just wanted out of the water before her!

Coming out of the swim in 9th place!

The bike felt pretty good! I'm going to have a bike fit done before my next race for sure. My feet still don't feel quite right when I'm riding and now that I have the seat that I want, I need it adjusted just right!

Coming through on lap 2 of the bike leg...I think the guy in the blue was finishing his last lap. Some of those guys are FAST! I had the 13th best time on the bike.

The run is definitely where I need the most work. I was a sprinter in high school and it is challenging for me to get my breathing just right. In high school I used an inhaler during practice, but haven't had one for years! I've been trying to regulate my breathing without medication, but may have to just buckle down and get tested again. We'll see how this winter goes with training. Anyway...I did walk some, but still had the best run time to date. Just under 11min miles. I would like to be at 10min miles...we'll see!

Coming around the last curve of the run! I was trying to "kick it in". It didn't work the way I wanted though! I had the 23rd best time in the run.

Crossing the finish line! The guy with the Tri shirt is Scott. He's the one that pretty much talked me into doing my first tri last year. He taught me a lot!

I finished in 1:37:10....9 1/2 minutes faster than last year! My overall time was 16th out of 25...not too shabby! I was amazed and happy! My goal was 5 minutes faster, so I'm not sure what I'll make for my goal next year!

Kyle and Alexa were great cheerleaders! They arrived just before I was to head out on the swim and were there for every transition and I could hear them on the bike and run! Thanks! Love You!

Alexa picking pine cones out of the tree waiting for me to come in during the run.

Her shirt says: "Tri, Mommy, Tri" She loved the little playground!

Check out Julie G's account of her race here...she did awesome!

2 1/2 year pictures!

I've decided that every year we are going to do 1/2 year pictures for Alexa, this way we can do a picture each year in her Dad's biking jersey and I can get other professional pictures other than just her birthday in winter clothes.

Tracie Shaner of Shaner photography has taken her pictures since she was 18months...I LOVE her! She takes a bunch of pictures, finds the best ones, then puts them on a CD so you can print what you want, when you want! It is a great service and we will use her as long as both of us are around!


Here are some of my favorites from the last photo shoot....and these are from an uncooperative little girl that morning!

Posing with Dad's jersey and her bike...last year you couldn't see her hands!

she loves the pretty flowers...

Such a little lady...

Kisses from Mom...

Kisses from Dad...he was out riding the same area where we took the photos...she wasn't amused that he was all sweaty...she doesn't like that much!

Busy weekend...

Alexa and I headed back to Marcus this past weekend for the Marcus Fair and my 15yr Class Reunion. We had a full weekend and had a lot of fun.

Friday morning I headed out on my bike to Tracee's house. Mom and Alexa followed a little later. They went by with about 6 miles to go. Mom slowed to make sure I was OK and traveled on. I made it out to Tracee's (16.5miles) in just over an hour. Not bad for some good hills and a headwind!

Once at Tracee's we jumped in the truck and headed over to the old place to check out Molly's puppies. 10 lab puppies. 2 female and 8 male. Here are some pics if anyone is interested!! Just let me know!

Alexa holding the runt of the litter. If you are looking for a smaller lab, his paws looked pretty small so I don't think he'll get real big. He was very content to lie on his back. They say if the lie on their back, they will have a good demeanor when they get older!
Yep...still had the cycling clothes on...I had to ride back home yet!

They are 4 weeks and have started on puppy food! They all pile into the bowl and dig around each other for food! It's really cute!! The fat black one on the left is a female an so is the yellow one on the top right.

The yellow female. She was tired from playing! She is going to be a very pretty dog! This is actually the one I want, but we can't have any pets over 25lbs in our townhome! :(

On Friday night and Saturday we headed up to the Fair. They have 3 buildings with exhibits. One with all the food/craft judging. Farm animal judging, and even amusement rides! Alexa decided that she liked the bounce house and Pooh's playhouse the best!

Here she is in the bounce house.

In the balls of Pooh's playhouse. It was a cute little maze. The Carny girl didn't think she would make it through and she made it through like it was nothing at all!

The biggest thing for the fair this year was the Westernaires show. Click on the link to read about it. The horses were kept in a pasture just east of Mom's house. So we had to walk over and see them. I really don't know how many there were, but it was just a beautiful site! The show was awesome and I was amazed at some of the things the kids did!

Alexa and cousin Elizabeth petting one of the many horses that came up to the fence to greet us.

This one is a Mustang. It had a brand, which Mom and I think said: "US Service"A view from the corner of the pasture. The paints were absolutely beautiful!

A great weekend with family and friends! Make sure you check out my class blog for pictures from the reunion.

Times are changing...

There have been some changes in the Sedore household and it definitely reflects in our attitudes!

Kyle has started a new job. He is now a Service Advisor at Hummel's Nissan. Plain and simple he needed a change. His first day was Aug. 24 and so far so good! He likes it and already he seems more relaxed and happy.

As for me. I have decided that I need to focus on myself and my family a little more. So that means no more coaching at the YMCA. I have toyed with the idea for the last year, but kept on going as I thought it was the one thing that was keeping me sane. You know, a break from Alexa, giving her and Kyle time together, but it really wasn't, it was causing more stress.
I'm sure I will miss it, but it will be good to focus on me!

I am going to focus on getting Alexa involved in a couple of programs at the Y, and focus more on my training so I can continue to do Triathlons next summer. I have 2 more sprints this year, I want to try and complete a sprint each month next summer and my ultimate goal is Hy-Vee Olympic distance Tri in 2010!

Our lives are definitely changing and we are realizing that different things are important to us now then what was most important 2-3 years ago!