Decade in Review

I'm a member of an online women's forum- kind of like the Knot, but way cooler- and the decade in review came up. I thought I'd add mine here.

2000- Finished my Freshman year in High School! Dyed my hair purple for the first time. Became a cheerleader (omg, seriously!?). Buried a close friend from suicide. Had a crazy summer cheeering and traveling my little brother around from state to state for moto racing. Turned 15. Met my future husband!

2001- Won conference in Humorous Interpretation for Forensics in school, somebody found my storytelling funny. Stopped cheerleading, it never would have worked out, anyway. What I would consider my Swan Song year in swimming- did fantastic at state, and had two relays win gold at nationals (NSG's). Watched future husband and brother race motorcycles.

2002- Swam, but not well. Got distracted by a boy (oh that scoundrel). Started taking college credit courses while still in HS. Husband graduated HS. Became a car hop at Sonic. I wore roller skates and black booty shorts. Seriously, easiest job ever. Look cute, don't fall, smile. Made bank. Started Senior year.

2003- Kept working. Went to school only in early AM's for college credit. First time purchasing a vehicle. My dad thought I was crazy buying a new car when they got me a perfectly good one the year before. Future husband bought a boat. Started wake boarding, well struggled at it. Graduated HS. Started college full time.

2004- Paid off said new car. Between sonic and the bar, I made money. Not kidding! Started getting kind of good at wake boarding, began competing. The boat thing caught on. Started working at future husbands boat dealership. Decided I missed swimming. Went back to club swimming at age of 19. Had to start all over.

2005- Finally requalified for swimming nationals. Tore labrum in right shoulder. Cried a lot. Retired again at age 19. Started getting really good at wake boarding. Earned world ranking of 45 in women's open cable wake boarding. Began looking at homes with future husband.

2006- Bought home with future husband. Started big girl job at hell hole law firm. Graduated college. Thought about attempting triathlon. Purchased bicycle. Did first triathlon. Met some new best friends for life. Did a few more triathlons. Turned 21. Did a half ironman triathlon. Won my age group. Qualified for Triathlon Long Course World Championships. Signed up for Ironman.

2007- Devoted life to training for first Ironman. Busted my ass. Began to worry weather I would ever get married to future husband. Had terriffic year in triathlon. Hated my job. Got engaged- on the beach, at Ironman. Completed Ironman.

2008- Began planning wedding. On cloud nine. Got fired (or, as they so nicely put it, "position is being terminated, and you will be eligible for state unemployment") 7 weeks before wedding. Best thing that EVER happened to me. Got married to WONDERFUL at dream Halloween Wedding, 8 years to the day of our first date. Went on AWESOME honeymoon to Mexico. Came back to job offers waiting for me. Started at new job.

2009- Excelled at new job. Did first stand alone marathon. Got pregnant.

2010- Finally got new car. Had the mustang the whole time. Planning on baby date of July 24. Turn 25 in August. Probably going back to school part time. Maybe new house? Going to have a great life. On to the next decade!

Preggo and The Heart Rate

Okay, my previous post brought up the 145bpm HR bar that my Doc set. I've had a few responses to it, and I've started doing some research online. I'd like to open this up as a forum if any are interested, to discuss heart rates in pregnancy.

To start, I have fall into the "Fit" category by exercise frequency, duration, and intensity, however my BMI throws me in the "Overweight/Sedentary" category. I'm by far a skinny woman, but I also do my best to avoid sitting on my ass stuffing Cheetos in my mouth while watching reruns of For the Love of RayJ (usually).

I'm looking for information, both pro's and con's of exercising at a higher HR for a duration of no more than and hour at a time. I feel like working in the 155-165 range is more adequate. For example, my HR during the Kansas City Marathon (which I was right around the old date o' conception) averaged 163 for just over 5 hours. This is a very comfortable HR for me to hold for any given time (duh). Well, it was 12 weeks ago. Now, as I am about 14 weeks I can feel HR spikes and understand that I will have a higher HR at lower intensity, and open myself up for greater cardiac drift after any bursts (climbing on the bike, for instance).

I found this article, via FitPregnancy.com, which is more up to date than several dating back over 15 years ago. Thoughts?

Should I monitor my heart rate when exercising?
That may depend on your exercise intensity and workout goals.
By Carole Anderson Lucia

Q: Should I monitor my heart rate when exercising?
A: That may depend on your exercise intensity and workout goals. As long as you have a low-risk pregnancy with no contraindications, such as high blood pressure or symptoms of premature labor, exercise is good for you, and aiming for a target heart rate can help you work out at an appropriate level. While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women use the "talk test" when exercising (if you can talk normally, your heart rate is acceptable), in 2002 Canadian experts suggested utilizing target heart rates. But since those rates were based solely on age, they are inappropriate for some women, including those who are sedentary or very fit, says Michelle F. Mottola, Ph.D., director of the Exercise and Pregnancy Lab at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. The new guidelines establish target rates according to age and fitness level."Women can still use the talk test to stay in the correct range, but now they can be even more precise with their workout goals," Mottola says. The best way to determine your heart rate is to wear a monitor, or you can measure your pulse for six seconds and multiply by 10.

Fitness Level
Target heart rate: ages 20-29

Unfit (sedentary and/or overweight)
129-144

Active (exercise occasionally)
132-152

Fit (exercise regularly at high intensity)
145-160

February/March 2007

Hold Up, Heeeyy

Hold tight, I have a lot of random thoughts flying around in my brain.

Sticking Stuff Up My Nose
After doing most of KMA Spin last night with a tissue stuffed in one nostril, I decided I had to do something today.
Have you ever tried a NettiPot or Sinus Rinse? I'm having a cold/allergey thing that is apparently preggo related. Doctor and pharmacist agreed, use a high volume sinus rinse, whatever that means. Okay, I just thought that it was like a nasal spray. Right? Wrong! Let me walk you through this. First of all, I purchased the sinus rinse bottle from NeilMed. The pot thing was just a little too weird for me. It's an 8oz bottle that you fill with the packet of solution (pretty much Ph Balanced salt water) and warm water. Then, you bend over a sink and put the bottle against one nostril. Squeeze lightly. Guess what happens next! The stream runs out of your OTHER nostril AND your mouth! This is pretty much what happens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWVTuZ8AEf0
I'm not fully breathing yet, but I'm incredibly congested. It's suggested to do this 2-4 times a day, so hopefully by tonight, I'll be breathing better.


Kick My A-Spin Class
Definitely deserving of the name last night. There were several rounds of speed squats, isosquats and leg cranks (these are all things that you do very quickly off the bike before getting back on the pedal away again). My ass is screaming today. Guess that means it's working.


Mustang Sally is Now at a New Home
Sadly, I said my goodbye's to my beloved Mustang this week. After much talk about whether to just keep her or sell her, we decided there just wasnt enough room in the garage, and she could be a great car for someone else. We pretty much had a bidding war (because she's just that awesome), and my ideal buyer got her- a 20 year old girl who starting crying she was so excited. Perfect! So, I bid you adieu my beloved.
However, to add to that, my adoring husband did buy me a new car about a week away. It's a Volkswagon Jetta. SO much fun to drive, and just a beautifully made car (Thank you German engineering and Mexican labor). She's black, so I have thus dubbed her Joan Jetta. Get it? Get it! Damn, I am sooo funny.

I WILL race in 2010: Rock the Parkway!
There's a new 5k/10k/Half in KC! It's a beautiful course the goes along scenic Ward Parkway this spring. I'm so pumped. I can't wait. I'll be 20 weeks and some change, so I won't be too big for it to be painful to train or race. The difficult thing in my training has been following doctor's orders: Keep hr under 145 (!?) and take a short walking or active break every 30 minutes. I mean seriously, 145? That's like not even 70% of a maximum heart rate! But, okay, whatever. I don't want to overcook the munchkin thing.

Tagged?!

Like the case of H1N1 that finally got me last week, I've been hit. This time, it's just blog tag. Trish (AKA Womanof1000blogs) tagged me in her latest blog.



So, here we go.




7 things about me.



7. I hate running. I know, weird. I do triathlons, marathons, every distance from zero and up. Still, running isn't a favorite. What I do love, however, is competing. Usually this is just with myself (can anyone say 18 mile run by myself AFTER work? No? Then read this. ) So why do I run, when there are so many things I can compete in? Well, underwater basket weaving is kind of tedious, and really, running requires the least amount of technical gear. Sure, I have a lot of the fancy schmancy stuff, but really it requires two working legs. Thank God, I have that.



6. My hair changes color faster than my uncle's veiled chameleon. I don't know what it is, but when I'm platinum blonde, I'd rather be a redhead. When I'm deep brunette, I want pink streaks. Currently, I am two platinum chunks and a pile of strawberry champagne. Your guess is as good as mine.



5. I know something you don't know. And I'm not telling for at least another month or more.



4. I am a Twitter fiend. It's ridiculous. Social networking be damned, I can't help it. Follow me on Twitter at TriathleteBride (Duh). Don't have Twitter? It's connected to my Facebook status. We're not friends? Well, looky here ---> It all feeds into the right side of my blog. Perfect.



3. I once quipped, "I'd rather give birth to a litter of puppies than have a baby." Please, please, please, do NOT tell my child this when it's old enough to be scared by it.


2. My husband has, on several occasions, been confused for Travis Barker. View Husband. View Barker.


1. I like to have fun. It can be out drinking with the girls, on the lake with best friends, dinner at Grandmas. I love to have fun. Fun at work, fun at home. I try to be upbeat and happy when possible. I do have some Negative Nelly, but I really try to be happy and fun (this does not read as wild-and-crazy). I enjoy life. So should you.












PS
I have to tag someone, so Tim, Julie, Andrea, and Moto Michele, you're up.

Where Are This Child's Parents!?

My father would have slapped me and locked me in the basement.





Skimpy Prom Dress Lands Teen in Cuffs
Marche Taylor, 17, Was Denied Entry to Her Prom Because of Her Revealing Dress
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
May 13, 2008 —
For high school student Marche Taylor, the prom may be a night to forget, not remember, after a dispute over her midriff-baring dress ended with her in handcuffs.
When she arrived for her prom Saturday night in an outfit that consisted of a short skirt and straps of material across her chest, the 17-year-old Houston senior was told to go home and change if she wanted to be admitted, according to school officials.
"The young lady came to the prom wearing an inappropriate dress after the students were told what the guidelines were," Houston Independent School District press secretary Terry Abbott said.
Only one inch of an attendants' midsection was permitted to be shown and slits in dresses could be no more than three inches above the knee, according to the Madison High School prom 2008 guidelines obtained by ABCNEWS.com.
Additionally, "see-through fabrics should not be worn in places which reveal private body parts," the document read.
Students planning to attend the function were required to sign the guideline document and return it to their homeroom teacher, school officials told ABCNEWS.com.
If students did not sign the guidelines and adhere to the dress code, they would not be allowed to attend the prom, school officials said.
And, according the prom chaperones, Taylor's dress fit few of the school's guidelines.
Prom Night Ends With Handcuffs
Taylor failed to leave the prom when she was asked to, according to Abbott, and instead began making a scene. Abbott said Taylor began yelling and acting "belligerently."
"After she was told she would not be allowed in unless she went home and changed, [Taylor] became aggressive and belligerent and eventually police were called to escort her from the building," Abbott said. Police hired internally by the school district handcuffed the teen and placed her in a patrol car until she calmed down, Abbott said.
No official arrest was made, according to several local authorities.
The principal of Madison High School, Aubrey Todd, whose prom it was that Taylor was trying to attend, declined to comment to ABCNEWS.com.
Taylor, who could not be reached for comment, told a local television station that she saw no problem with her risqué outfit.
"I actually like the dress," Taylor told Houston's KHOU of the yellow garment that left her belly bare and covered only parts of her chest with a single piece of fabric. "Everybody else likes my dress.
"She shook her head, she was like 'you are not getting into this prom,'" Taylor said of the prom's chaperone, who she said stopped her at the door of the local Marriot hotel, where the event was being held. "We were arguing back and forth because I wanted to know why I can't get into my prom."
Marche admitted to becoming infuriated after being denied entrance and asking for a refund on her prom ticket.
"They didn't give me any options but to go to jail or go home," Taylor told KHOU.
But school district officials stand by their decision, questioning how the teen could have been allowed to appear in public wearing the outfit in the first place.
"[Taylor's dress] was very inappropriate and frankly I'm surprised her parents let her out of the house like that," Abbott said. "The school did exactly the right thing by enforcing the rule."
Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures
var s_account = "wdgnewabcnews,wdgasec";

Twenty-Ten: Yep, that's different.

Yeah yeah yeah. It's a new month. New year. New decade.

I'm laying in bed right now, laptop propped beside me, roll of tissues on my tummy, puke bucket beside the bed. Yippe skippy for starting the year off with H1N1. Actually, I don't think that's what it is. It's your run of the mill flu. Oh Joy.

I've never been much for barfing. Not a favorite of mine. The last time I barfed was in July, after drinking way too much at a concert at power and light (I can't even tell you who was playing). I've even made it the last three months sans barf.

What's with the last three months? Did I attend a big party? Puke on the marathon? None of the above. Actually, I'm knocked up. Yep, straight prego. 12 weeks and counting (28 to go!). Due July 25, 2010.

This has put a bit of a damper on my plans for an Ironman this year. I think though, that this might be a bit cooler. Well, okay, grant it more women have had babies than have done Ironman, but right now it's sorta a big deal.

Anyway, I'll do my best to keep my cliche pregnant woman sayings to a minimum. I will repeat this song in my head every chance I get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJRzBpFjJS8
(Crap how do you embed youtube videos? I can only get half the text to copy...)

At this point I'm pretty much out of triathlon for the season. I'm going to continue with my swims, runs, and KMA class as long as a I can. I'm even hoping for maybe a half marathon in October. We'll see what happens.

I'm just along for the ride.