Besties Weekend

Carter really wanted to snuggle baby G!

And when that didn’t work C just decided he’d pick Griffin up!

Weekend visits are very different now that Candace and I have babies. It seems so weird to think about it because just seven years ago we were college roomies day dreaming about the day we’d raise our kids together. How amazing that our dreams actually came true! Except, the only difference is back then we were going to be next door neighbors and share a backyard so the boys could roam between the two houses. Hear that Miah? Time to move north ;) We had so much fun this weekend just hanging around the house, catching up, going out to eat, and watching the boys interact. It wouldn’t be a complete visit without photo shoots galore. Griffin is turning one next month so we had him pose with his awesome birthday shirt and of course we had to get Linc to take a few of all of us to remember the weekend. I’ll save all of those for a post later on. As if you need to see two thousand pictures of us, but too bad! It’s my blog and I’ll drag it out all week so I have something fun to look back on. HA!

Weekend Slumber Party

Last weekend our friends Candace and baby Griffin came to visit and stay for a few nights! These little boys just love each other and I hope they grow up having as much fun as their mommies did! I wish they didn’t live so far away but we’re looking forward to another visit in October for G’s first birthday.

Lots more pictures to come from our very fun visit as well as G’s first birthday shoot!

Splash Pad

The season for wearing bathing suits was coming to an end so the other week we met up with some friends at the Roswell Splash Pad. Even though Carter doesn’t love swimming, this park was right up his alley! There are tons of fountains spraying up from the ground where the babies can run through and play. I think he prefers the splash pad because he can control how wet he gets. It was a beautiful sunny day and even though we didn’t get to stay long, it was a lot of fun!

Sunday Silence

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and

will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Absolute Bliss Spa- Imerovigli, Santorini, Greece

How the Triathlon Changed Me

The Reeders, The Hamiltons, The Bignons, and the Gordons

When I started my triathlon training I actually had no intention of competing! I was mostly interested in getting in shape, losing weight, and feeling better about myself. It wasn’t until a few weeks in that I felt confident that I could actually do the race. I have come really far in nine weeks and can’t wait to continue seeing results as I push myself harder and continue to train almost every day. Since starting our rigorous training schedule I have:

• lost 15 pounds
• lost 4 inches from my body
• dropped two pants sizes
• gained muscles I didn’t know existed
• finally got back to my pre-pregnancy weight (it only took 18 months…what was I waiting for??)
• improved my endurance in swimming, biking, and running
• went from being able to only run for a minute at a time to finishing a 5k distance with ease

I still have a long way to go before I’ll feel comfortable strutting around in a bikini but I can’t believe the changes that have already occurred to my body. The training will continue for the next few weeks because our Tri Group signed up to compete again on October 2nd! After that we’ll hang up our swim suits and focus on running (maybe even compete in a Duathlon!). I am so thankful to have the support and encouragement of this great group of girls helping to get me out of bed every morning. I know for a fact that without them pushing me to train harder I'd still be the lazy lump I was nine weeks ago. I can’t wait to see what the next nine weeks hold and watch as my body transforms even more!

Run

After finishing the bike portion of the tri I threw my hair up, put on a visor, and got ready to run. Originally I was going to wait for my friend Shari but she told me to go on if I got to transition ahead of her. I waited for a minute to see if she was coming but Linc psyched me up and I took off running towards the course. I love the way they set up the run and the 2.25 miles sailed by quickly. The course was set up in the park and utilized the track at the bottom of a big hill. We ran it like a horse shoe- up the long side, turn around, all the way to the other long side and back. The we went back up the long hill and turned around. It’s hard to describe but thankfully all the turning around made the run seem much shorter than it was. We did the course three times before a long stretch to the finish line!

Gulping some water and I’m ready to rock!

I felt great during the run. No brick feeling in my legs at all!

Coming down the final stretch I got goose bumps all over my body and started tearing up. I honestly couldn’t believe that a) I had actually gone through with this race and b) that I was DONE! I made a friend during the race with the gentleman in the bright green shirt. He ran with me for my first two laps, keeping pace and chatting with me the entire time. I probably should have run faster since we were able to carry a conversation (found out he lives in the neighborhood where we train) but it was nice to have the distraction! The lady in the black shirt was competing in her fifth triathlon and had some great advice before we got started. We high fived each other during the run but she finished way before I did! It was so nice to see them, my family, and all my friend’s support systems at the finish line. What an emotional end to a very fun race! I would have sworn I was sprinting there at the end, but apparently only in my head ;) hahahaha

I am SOOOO very thankful that my amazing family could come out to watch me compete. This is not something I ever thought I would do and I love that they could be there to share the day with me. I am also grateful that they did such a fantastic job documenting each portion of the race. I am really thankful to have the pictures to look back on and remember what an incredible day it was!

Bike

We had never practiced on open roads before so when we found out the bike portion of the race would be on main streets some of the girls decided to stick together after the first transition. From the pool we ran up a small hill to where our bike racks were and quickly got dried off! We threw on shoes, clothes, and our helmets and hit the ground pedaling. The day before, Shari and I drove the course and got a good preview on what was to come. One word: HILLY! We trained hard for this race but our area is relatively flat so the mountainous roads surrounding the park were a bit of a shock. Even with our weekly hill workouts this course was tough, tough, tough! Did I mention it was hilly??

The first section of the course took us down the main highway and we knew there were two huge hills right at the beginning. A quick right turn led us to the first obstacle. By then my adrenaline had already worn off and I was feeling the burn. I knew I didn’t want to kill myself so early in the race so half way up I jumped off my bike and finished walking up the hill. The terrain flattened out just enough to catch my breath and then we were tackling another huge climb. We had probably only biked three miles or so and I felt like I was going to throw up so I jumped off, grabbed some water, and gave my legs a break. I walked as fast as I could until the top and then hit the pavement again. I pedaled my heart out and managed to make up some time on the back of the course. There was one final climb before we were directed to one of the main roads and I knew we were in the home stretch. Thankfully there were police directing traffic so I zoomed through the last intersection and gave it my all. When I saw my friend Krissy’s dad filming from the side of the road I knew we were close to the park and couldn’t wait to get off my bike! We made it through the 10.62 miles in 48 minutes and still full of smiles!

It’s funny how incredibly slow we look in this video because I would have sworn I was going all out!

Swim

The morning of the triathlon began when my alarm went off at 4:45am! I hit the snooze button once and then got out of bed to get ready. I had a huge bowl of Cheerios and a big glass of water while I packed my bags. I put on my swim suit, loaded my sleepy boys into the car, and drove up north to the event site. We arrived before anyone else and the event staff had just gotten to the park to unlock the gates. I parked right next to the pool and got out to explore. I walked to the bathroom and then waited for everyone else in the parking lot before unloading my bike. The girls started trickling in and we brought our bikes and gear to the transition area. After that we registered with USAT and headed to body marking!

We had plenty of time before our 8:30am swim wave so we socialized with the people around us and then headed over to the pool to watch the first leg get started. I was expecting to be super nervous and anxious but my tummy felt great and I was just excited to get started! After the first few swimmers started we went to the bathroom one last time and then found our place in line. Since the swim portion was in a pool they started one swimmer every 30 seconds. You did two laps in the lane before dodging under the lane lines and continuing. It was a 250m swim (ten laps) so we zig zagged our way across the pool until the last lap when we ran out to transition. Even though we would receive official times, the event staff was not timing each event separately. Thankfully my sister Alex was ready on the side lines and I finished the swim in 5 minutes even! I was worried having to switch lanes would slow me down but I managed to beat my best practice time by a good 18 seconds!

I may not be very fast, but I am still happy with how my swim went!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s recap of Transition One and the Bike Course!

My First Triathlon

One of the reasons I have been MIA from the blog is because I have been training for my first triathlon! What started as a crazy idea between a group of mommy friends turned into a serious (and fun) reality on September 11, 2011 when we swam, biked, and ran in the First Annual Bootlegger Super Sprint Triathlon. I never in a million years believed I would go through with this race when I began training for it nine weeks ago, but as the days passed and I felt myself getting stronger, I gained the confidence I needed to compete. I could never have done this without the support and encouragement of my Tri Girls- Katie, Shari, Krissy, and Allison (pictured below) and my amazing family!

The Tri Girls pose for a pre race photo op!

These girls helped motivate me to get out of bed every morning at 5am and hit the trails and pool. We tackled an aggressive training schedule and every Friday completed a “mini-tri” to help prepare us. I waited weeks before signing up for the race but I am SO glad these girls helped convince me because it was such an awesome experience. The night before all the girls got together for some carbo loading at the Reeders house. We ate lots of yummy pasta, salad, and garlic bread while watching the UGA vs USC game on television. The babies got a chance to run around and play and the mommies were able to work out some last minute nerves! What a fun night with great friends before the BIG day!

I am going to post about each portion of the event separately so I can remember every detail

but here are some of the photos after we all finished!

Kelly, Katie, Allison, Shari, and Krissy

WE DID IT!!!

And a special thanks to all the hubbies for watching the babies

so we could get in our early morning workouts!

Well Baby Check Up

Carter turned eighteen months old on September 5th! We didn’t have his well baby appointment until a few days later but it went really well. He is still growing like a weed and is in the 95th percentile for height. The funniest part of the appointment was when the nurse came in to do his shot (we were a day too early for the second one). I was holding his hands and trying to distract him so he wouldn't cry and when the nurse poked him he looked right at her and said. “Whoa!” No tears, no fighting, just “Whoa!” It was so cute and we all left laughing! Linc couldn’t come this time so please excuse the cell phone pictures.

• New words= shoes, socks, ants, what dis, juice, Hattie, more (with hand signs), go

Sunday Silence

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:2

Last Lake Post

More Lake Fun

Big Bertha

The water was pretty calm on Labor Day weekend so we blew up Big Bertha and took Carter for a ride! He didn’t hate it…but when I asked if he was having fun he shook his head “no!” hahahaha Oh well, at least he didn’t cry.