Let's Get Caught Up...

Every time that I try to commit to blogging more, it seems that commitment has the opposite effect to my blogging! All though, in my defense, I have had a lot going on and I am going to share today! Here are the top things going on m=in my life and why I have not blogged in awhile.

1. We moved! My family moved to a new house in late April. We added a couple of bedrooms, a dining room, pantry and more space. We are loving it! It already feels like home to me, now if I can just get rid of all the boxes!
2. We got a new King size bed and I am loving it! It is so comfortable. I can't wait to go to bed at night to sleep!
3. We also got a new couch which is also very comfortable! See pics below.
4. My son Jared was in a school play and my wife was the "play mom", so they were out of pocket practicing everyday for awhile, so it was just me and my two boys most evenings. The play was excellent and of course my son did a great job!
5. Birthdays! In the past 2 weeks, my son Jared, my mom, my niece and my grandmother all had birthdays in April! Crazy huh?
6. NBA Playoffs are on!  I love the Playoffs! I only wish my Grizzlies could get past the Warriors!
7. Ceiling fans! I have been hanging ceiling fans in my house with the help of my new neighbor! I am not a handyman, so I have needed the extra knowledge to get this done.

So I have my first sprint triathlon in about 11 days from now. I am worried about how I will do. I have not been hitting my workouts like I should have and I have been blaming the move. Whether or not that is a legitimate excuse, it is what it is. I am still looking forward to the race and I know I will finish it, but after all is said and done, I am thankful to be able to race and I am going to have a great time!

The right way to use a couch

The Proper way to use a couch

27 New Goals and some Ramblings!

Saturday our new running group met. We had 34 people signed up and 27 people actually show up for the meeting. I admit, I was nervous. I am not a great speaker and I feel I am even worse when speaking in a church setting, but it went off well. One of the things I asked everyone to do was to list their goal for the course! I have to say that I had 27 different goals form these new runners. It was very inspiring. I had responses from "finish a 5K" to "get in better shape" to beat a "PR of 41 minutes". It was very inspiring to see people who were not runners, getting out and running. I am so looking forward to the next 12 weeks and watching them grow in this sport!!!

They have also inspired me to get up and run in the morning.

I am having my biggest month on the bike so far.

I went to Game 4 of the Grizzlies vs. Clippers on Sat with my oldest boys and some friends!  Lots of Fun!  Go Grizzlies!!!

20 days until my Olympic Tri, which I am hoping for sub 2:45, but not very confident.

I am also on a Hot Tamale kick!  Good stuff and fat free as well! (says so on the box)

I weighed in at 179 this morning!!!!

Coming up in a day or two, I am posting my review on Zoggs goggles and there will also be a giveaway of goggles!!!!

Daily Ramblings!

• I am very glad last week is over. After the Boston Tragedy, and the death of a neighbor, it was a long week.
• Very glad that LE got the bombers, thermal imaging from a helicopter???? That is movie type stuff
• My wife says I got a box waiting on me when I get home, don't want get anyone too excited, but there is a new giveaway coming soon!
• 2 weeks off due to sickness can really affect your endurance, I am finding out.
• This weekend, my wife and I and some friends made our way back to the Warrior Dash! It was much harder than I remembered from last year, and it has taken me longer to recover. I was wicked sore this morning.
• We stayed int he same hotel and the same hotel room as we did last year!  Weird!!
• I am not 25 anymore (this was just re-emphasized to me this morning)
• My Olympic race is less than 30 days away and I am not sure about getting that sub 2:45 anymore. This cough really hit me hard.
• We are starting a running group at our church this weekend. It's more of a couch to 5k group and I am excited to see who shows up!
• I did not do anything special for Earth Day, sue me
• I think the LA Clippers are the biggest whiners and floppers in the NBA!  Go Grizzlies!!!
• I am down 13 lbs since Christmas! I am right at 181 lbs, and I would like to be between 170-173 for Redman.
• Hard to believe school is out next month.

Me and Emily at Warrior Dash!

That is about all that is on my mind right now, thanks for stopping by!

James Day Festivities

Yesterday was James Day! I hope you all had a great day, cause I sure did. James Day is nothing more than a personal day off from work, but it involves no "honey do" lists, it only involves things I want to do, which is what makes it my day.

James Day actually started Thursday evening after work, when I completed my first OWS of the season. Greg, Dave and I met at Dave's house to take advantage of the beautiful lake he lives on. I admit, I was looking forward to it all day. I had almost forgotten the feel of OW and the feel of my wetsuit, so it was great to get back out there and swim. I was a little worried about water temps because we have had so much rain in the past few days, and I had good reason to be concerned. The thermometer read a brisk 64 degrees, not sure if you can see it in this picture.
The water really slapped you in the face once you first jumped in, but after about 10 minutes in the water, it actually felt really nice. We hit a couple of really cold pockets of water in the middle of the lake, but other than that, it felt great! Anyways, I was happy to get that first OWS out of the way, we did 1000yd swim and it felt really easy. I noticed that my swim stroke is a little bit different in OW than it is in the pool for some reason. I feel like in OW I stretch out more and glide more than I do in the pool, and this is something I will have to look at further.

James Day festivities continued on Friday. I was able to wake up, take my older boys to school and then head to the pool for a 1000 yd swim. Afterwards, I was back hoe, changed and took my youngest to his Mother's Day Out class and then I headed out for 6 mile run. Next on the agenda was lunch with my bride. My wife and oldest boy were heading out for a Mother/Son camping trip this weekend, so I was left with my middle and youngest. So we had to go grocery shopping and load up on manfood! Dinner consisted of Mac N cheese for the little guy, a fish dinner for middle son and a nice grilled steak for dad! I ate and watched my MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES beat the San Antonio Floppers, I mean Spurs!

During the second half of the game, I was on my bike on the trainer. I rode fairly hard and felt really good, even after a busy day.

Overall, James Day was a huge success, and I think I need to get another one on the schedule pretty quick!