The Red Hills Triathlon

1/3 Mile Swim 16 Mile Bike 5K Run

Well with much anticipation and lack of sleep, the day has finally arrived. My first triathlon of the season and with great competitive spirit against by friend Rob, head-to-head for the first time. This has been the much touted best friend rivalry for quite a while and now we are to actually go at it together, and in the same wave no doubt. The wave is the 40+ men and women. While I give Rob alot of credit for being and awesome runner, he is actually NOT 40 yet, but due to USAT rules he has to race in the age group of the year of his birthday. HA! An official "cheater"...LOL

So, there is much of a bragging right to be won here today. Rob with his 20 something 5K time and me with my 21+ mile per hour bike speed, it will all come down to the swim and transition times, or so we think anyway.

The Red Hills triathlon gets it's name from nothing else but the hills from around the Tallahassee area. They are not monster in nature, but they are hills none the less. For some good reason, I LOVE hills and Rob hates them. So I plan to take this to my advantage, if I can that is. I know that Rob can blow me away in the run, so this is my only advantage and I will have to capitalize on it.

Well it is Friday, April 3rd and I am heading down to Tallahassee early to get there before 6 so that I can get my race pack and possibly go over to the race site and check things out. I get there around 5:30 and pick up my race pack and head over to MaClay Gardens State Park where the race will be held. Luckily the park rangers are leaving as I pull in to the gate and I don't to pay the $4 entry fee. I am only going to be there a few minutes anyway so why should I have to pay, right? So I scoot on in and follow the signs to Lake Hall where the race will start. As I pull into the parking lot, I see quite a few people there and some of them are actually swimming in the lake. The water temp is supposedly around 70 degrees, so that is pretty cold to me. So of course I have to go down to the lake to check it out and feel the water for myself. It is actually not as bad as I thought it would be.

So I am standing around admiring all of the people and the beauty of the park when I guy comes up putting his wetsuit on. Aha, what a great idea! I will go get mine and hit the water for a quick swim. Couldn't hurt to get a little head start on the competition, right? So I head back to the car and get my stuff and go change. I hit the water running with the intent to just swim out a few 100 yards or so and come back. The water is actually perfect for me and I cruise out like a battleship, armed and dangerous. This being the first time I have actually swam with the wet suit on, I am totally amazed at how buoyant I am. This is awesome!!! I am going to tear up the swim so I think. As I am swimming back to the boat ramp, a small group of 20 somethings have arrived to check things out and are now watching me. Me? Why me? I am nobody. They are curious on how the water is, so I tell them that it is wonderful. The only problem that I had was my goggles fogged up a little.

So I am now off to change back into my street clothes and call Rob to see if he brought any anti-fog stuff for our goggles. He does have it! YAY. No problems. Well I am starving now and I really need to go check in to the motel. So I head over to it and check in. I ask the clerk where a good seafood restaurant was. My traditional pre-race meal is grilled fish, rice, and steamed veggies. So I have to find it somewhere in town. The clerk highly recommends that I check out Barnacle Bills. It is about 2 miles right down the road.

So off I go to find the local treasure. He is right and it is packed. It is Friday evening so it is normal. I go in and it just like I though. A hole in the wall with great food. Just like I like it. So I head right over to the bar where I am going to eat. It looks as though there specialty is raw oysters, but I don't know if that is a good choice for a pre-race meal so I ignore the temptation. I really need carbs and protein, a complete meal in other words. I choose the grilled Salmon with some kind of Greek sauce cooked on it. It is very good as I expected and so was the sweet tea, rice and veggies. I am stuffed, especially after 4 glasses of tea!

So I now head back to the motel to check out my emails and the latest news online, which usually takes all night. I do need to try to get to bed a little earlier than normal though. Rob and Lisa are leaving late and won't arrive until around 1:00am. So I check out my online necessities and head to the room. It is now 11:00pm and I decide to try to go to sleep. Well after much brain activity, I am unable to fall asleep and before I know it Rob and Lisa arrive. It is now 1am and we have to get up at 5:45 to get ready and get to the race and set up.

So we chit-chat a while finally go to bed. I think that I got about an hour to sleep before the alarm goes off. So I hop up and hit the shower.
My nerves are starting to get cranked up, but I don't feel nervous. This is supposed to fun! Rob says that he is getting a little nervous too. It is going to be a great head-to-head race between us. I am really stoked to finally see how it goes too.

So now we are at the race looking for a place to park. We finally end up about a mile from the starting line and we have no lights to see what we are doing! GREAT!!! Well everything is OK because we have plenty of time. We gather everything up and ride our bikes to the transition area. It is already packed, but the excitement is filling the air. Not to mention that there are lots of pretty girls to look at! LOL Tallahassee being the home of Florida State University has plenty of them. I figured that some of them would be in the race too.

So I set up my transition area and put on my wetsuit halfway.
The race director comes on over the megaphone and says the they are going to play the American flag song. So we listen with anticipation with our hands over our hearts. We now head over to the lake and get ready for the start. There are 5 waves and we are in the last one. Which is good for me because that means there is less people behind me to run me over!

Well the gun finally goes off and we are running in the water. I dive in and start churning it up. I think that I am going at a good pace, but I can feel my heart rate starting to climb rapidly. I am not in MY pace so I start to back it down a little. Well I immediately start to get run over, bumped, and everything else that can be thrown at me. If I was only a little faster this all would go away. I wish!!! So I have to deal with it for a while until they all pass me. LOL I am now not feeling good and I feel as though I can't breathe. I am starting to panic and am trying to decide what to do. I can't stop, so I look over at the safety crew that is all around to assist us. A girl spots me and asks if I am OK. Of course not! Can't you tell that I am about to drown? I refuse her help and flip over on my back to try to take a break and catch my breath. I do this for probably 100 yards and start to feel alot better. I am now at the back of the pack and the water is not as rough and crowded. I am at the second turn so I flip back over and am going to try to make all of the way back without stopping again.

This works great and I am back to full steam ahead.
Maybe I need to start in the back next time?!? So I finally arrive at the boat ramp and walk out of the grueling water. I finish the swim in 12:31, 9th in my age group. Lisa is standing right there and is taking my picture. She tells me that Rob is just in front of me and of course I don't believe her. But she is right and he has just entered the transition area. So now I am pumped and run to get on the bike. Rob is only about 10 seconds ahead of me and I know that I have the advantage on the bike. It is now my time to shine.

I head off up the hill and start looking for Rob. There he is and I catch him around mile 2. He knows that I am coming and is dreading it too. I pass him going up the first hill, but he gets me going down the next one. The battle is on now!!! The next hill is mine and I am not going to let up. I smash the hill and never look back. So now that I got rid of my nemesis, I have to concentrate on passing as many people as I can. I loose count at around 30 as this 59 year old man passes me like he is on a mission! Damn it! Who does this old man think that he is? He can't do that to me. So now I have another mission, To keep up with this guy and not let me beat me.
Well that is all fine and dandy until a 60 year old guy passes me! What the hell? They must have taken a double dose of Geritol this morning. I am in dead trouble now. Push, push, push I keep telling myself. These guys really know what they are doing, which is kicking my ass! I hang with them for quite a while but they eventually drop me. Oh well. What is a young pup like me to do in this kind of situation? Take it like a man and just hope that I am still alive and able to compete when I am their age. LOL

So on we go. I am maintaining a good pace and averaging 21 miles per hour. I just wonder how much of a lead I have on Rob? Where is he? Do I have enough lead so that he can't catch me in the run? I hope so because here it is. I finish the bike in 45:35, which is 21.1 miles per hour. 4th in my age group too! I have not finished the bike section of any tri lower than 5th in my age, ever; and I am proud of it too.

So I fly into the transition area and throw on my running shoes and take off. I see Rob coming in as I am leaving out and know that he is going to be about 2 minutes behind me. I know that he will catch me somewhere on the run, but don't know where. I am still stoked that I am leading him at this point and give it my all. I have been wearing my heart rate monitor the entire race and it gone off a couple times during the bike. It sounds an alarm when my heart rate gets over 180. I look down at it and it is reading around 176. I am running a good pace for me as I don't want to burn myself out trying to stay ahead of Rob.
If he passes me it will be OK. So I am about half way into the run and I turn a 90 degrees corner to the left which gives the chance to look back for Rob. SHIT, there he is about 100 yards behind me and he is coming strong! Oh well, I will just have to eat it and mess with him as much as I can.

I hear him running up behind me so I holler back at him to slow down. There are a couple of other guys close by and start laughing at us. We start yelling at each other in a friendly way and I try to block him. LOL My heart rate monitor is now freaking out as I am talking while running and also trying to mess with Rob. I look down it is says 196~! SHIT, I am going to die...I have to slow down. So I say good by to Rob and he is gone. I keep going and now my heart rate is saying 201...OMG!!! I have never seen it that high before. What the hell is going on? The beeping is loud and it never stops until I finish the race! I finish the run in 27:01, 2:21 behind Rob.

Well he got me this time! So I am heading back to the pool and with the wetsuit this time. LOL Although I won't be using it again until August, I still need to get used to it. Maybe I can go to the lake and swim there before the water gets too warm. Only time will tell.


So in conclusion, Rob ran a 1:25:29 and I ran a 1:27:50. Here is the breakdown:

Swim Adv T1 Adv Bike Adv T2 Adv Run Adv
Rob 11:54 +:37 2:03 +:10 47:08 2:00 22:26 +2:23
Scott 12:31 1:36 45:35 +1:23 1:10 +2:13 27:01

For the official results go to Results

St. Patty's Day Inline Invitational

Well hey there ya'll. Last weekend was my first inline skating race of the season. It was held at the Sparkles Skating rink in Lawrenceville, Ga. on March 20-22. Steve, Matt and I headed up right after work on Friday. We didn't have any races on Friday but we wanted to get up there and watch the time trials. A time trial is a one lap "rolling" start. A lap is 100 meters. The fastest time wins the pot of money, $200. The fastest time was 8.89 seconds, which is 25.2 miles per hour!!!

So the races are over for Friday evening and we decide to head out to find our motel. We find it and guess what? The office is closed and no one is there to check us in! So we just go across the street to the Best Western and get a room there. Who has ever heard of a motel closing their office at 7:00pm? Oh well, they lost our business.

So we check in and find our room. We have to head straight to bed because we have to be at the rink at 5:00am for warmups as racing starts at 6:00am. Of course I can't sleep being all nervous and tense about my races. I think that I finally got about an hour of sleep before the alarm went off. Another long day of racing!!! So we get up, hit a quick shower and head to the rink.

My first race isn't for a few hours, but I want to get some more time out on the floor. It is very sticky and fast. I need to try to get used to it before I have to race, so I get out there every chance that I can. You can never be too prepared for a race on a newly coated floor, especially one that you have never raced on before.


So my first race is finally here. Veteran Men 500 meter final. There are 7 guys in this division to race against. I come off the start in 3rd place. After a couple of laps I pass up into 2nd and that is where I finish. My second race is the 1000 meter final. I come off the start in 5th place because my left skate slipped!!! Now I have my work cut out for me. I really need to place at least 4th to get a medal. So after a few laps I pass up to 4th. A couple of guys are fighting for position and get together and I am able to pass both of them for 2nd again. So now I have to try to catch the leader, but he is too far ahead already and I finish in 2nd again.

My next set of races is the Novice Master Men division. There are 15 guys signed up, so we will have to race in heats with 3 to qualify for the finals. The first race is the 500 meter heat. I come off of the line in 3rd place again. But get passed pretty quick! Wow, these guys are faster than my first races! I have to pick it up a notch. A couple of the guys are pretty big fellas, so I get to pass them as they quickly run out of steam. I am able to finish the heat in 2nd place.


So we go to the 500 meter finals. I come off the line good and am in 3rd place. I am skating a good clean race when I get passesd. I will need to pick it up a notch again. Well a notch too late and I finish in 4th place. So I now have to do much better in the 1000 meter race to finish on the podium. I know that my training will payoff and I can beat these guys in the longer races.

The start of the 1000 meter heat is clean and I actually finish in 2nd place again. If I could just catch that guy in front of me!!! The 1000 meter final is here and I must finish at least 3rd or better to get on the podium. So we are off to the races again and I am in about 5th place again!!! I know that these guys are going to fight for position, so I am going to wait a few laps and see what happens. Well again 2 guys get together and fall down. Some guys start to poop out and I finally finish in 3rd place. So my final placement is 3rd for the Novice Master Men.


Another end to another great weekend of racing. More to come...

Callaway Gardens 5K

Well all I can say is Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! This was by far the coldest it has ever been for a race that I have participated in. I think that it was around 32 degrees at the start of the race, and not too much warmer at the finish of it. My official time was 25:31 and I felt every minute of it. It was only the second time that I wore my leg tights to stay warm and sure am glad that I did! I just wished that I would have worn my gloves too. It was just freezing, literally! I don't even think that I broke a sweat until the race was over and I was standing around waiting on the results.

Well I was elated when they finally came out because I finished in 3rd place in my age group! Cool, well I mean freezing!

It was a good race for me and I got to see several of my friends up there too.

Me & Mickey kicked ass in the Marathon

Well my most dreaded Sunday is finally over and now I have to learn how to walk all over again! Kent, Rob and I made our way down to good ole Disney World and opened up a great big can of WoopAss on that little Mouse. My first Marathon started off as a good trip with Kent as my riding partner. The trip down was good as I had someone to talk to. It really makes the time go by. So we get down to the Expo and find Rob after we pick up our race packets. We only had about 15 minutes to check things out before they closed up, so just looked around while Rob shopped, like always! We were starving by the time they ran us out, so we headed over to Celebration to find us some carbs. The Maccoroni Grill caught our attention, so in we go. It is similar to Carabbas (my fav) so all was good. Pasta and sweet tea is always a good pre-race dinner, although I really wanted some rice.

So we head back over to Lake Beuna Vista drive to find our motel the Orlando Vista to check in. An older motel but pretty and nice. There were a lot of racers staying there too. Everything was good until we heard the barking dogs! What the hell is that all about? So we call the front desk and find out that it is a pet friendly motel. So we complained and hoped for the best. Well I guess the pet owners finally arrived, because we never heard them again (at least not that day).

Well Rob has to get up early in the morning to run the half marathon. So we get ready to hit the sack. Kent and I decide that we are going to sleep-in and hopefully get up in time to see him finish the race. He said that he was going to run a slow pace to finish in around a 2:30 half marathon.

So it is now 7:45am and Kent and I are wide awake. So we hurry and get ready to go see Rob finish the half. We figure that he will be finishing around 8:15 or so. So we rush over to the family reunion area and start texting and looking for Rob. After about and hour goes, Rob finally texts us back and says that he is over at the finish line watching the racers come in. So we go meet him and ask him what his time was. Well he was way off of his guestimated time and finished in 1:45! So we rushed to get ready and get there for no reason because he was finished before we ever left the motel. Oh well, sorry Rob. But congrats on the great time. Hope you have enough left for the marathon tomorrow!

So we get Rob and head back to the motel to get cleaned up to go eat. Rob wants to go to Downtown Disney to find food, so we head over there. We decide to eat at Wolfgang Puck's Express Grill and of course we are looking for more carbs. I get the kids peperoni pizza, Kent and Rob get the chicken penna dish. All was quite good. So what are we going to do now?

We decide to head over to the Magic Kingdom to hit some rides and possibly see the fire works show. So off we go, hi-ho hi-ho hi-ho. Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, Monster's Inc comedy show, Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, and woooeeee we are getting tired and hungry again. So Kent decides that we need to check out Tony's restraunt within the park. So we head over there and get right in. I get the Grilled Salmon with orzo pasta which was excellent. We get talking to several other people eating next to us that are also running in the race. That was nice because we got to get their perspectives and experiences about the race. One guy was doing the Goofy like Rob and actually finished the half just a few minutes before Rob did. So we are through eating now and are trying to decide what to do next. We are all pretty tired so we decide to just head back over to the motel and maybe try to turn in a little early. We do have to get up around 3:00am to get ready for the race. Start time is at 5:50am and all of the roads will be blocked off well before that.

So we go back to the motel and watch a little tv and check my emails. We finally hit the sack around 10:00 or so. I slept pretty good but we both kept getting up to go to the bath room because we had been hydrating all day and night. I must have gone 5 times.

Ok, the alarm clock goes off at 3:00am sharp and I hit the shower running. I am kind of excited and apprehensive at the same time. I have never ran this far before and don't know if I can actually do it. Well I am here and I am going to do it no matter what. I am feeling 100% and somewhat confident even though I am not looking forward to it. I am planning on doing the "run a mile walk a while" thing and see how it works. All I want to do finish, and if I get a respectable time doing it, then all the better. So we are ready now and try to call Rob, but no answer. He is still asleep and isn't getting up. He finally answers and says that he will meet us over there at the race area.

So I grab a banana and we head out toward the race area. I also take 2 ibuprophren to preempt the on-coming pain. We get near the EPCOT parking area and it is a total log jam with cars trying to get in. We have plenty of time and at least the line is moving some. About the time we get parked, Rob calls and says that he is almost there. So we go ahead and head over to the baggage drop off area and wait for him before we head over to the starting line. He meets us there is just a few minutes and we head over with 15,000 of our closest friends. It is quite a long walk to get there and everyone is trying to get their last bathroom break in before the race starts. It is really funny how everyone just throws all of their morals out the door when you do want or can't wait to go. So we get to the starting line and it seems to be backed up a mile. We are all in different starting corrals so we wish each other good luck and head to our differnet corrals.

Rob is in B, Kent is in C, and I am in D corral. D just happens to be the front corral on the outside lane of the starting line-up. A, B, & C are all on the inside lane with the Pro-Elite about 300-400 yards behind us. We must have the longer route to run before the race merges back up at the 4 mile mark. They do this to enable the field to get spread out so their won't be that many racers on the road at the same time in the same spot. It is a pretty good idea I think and it does work. Can be kind of confusing though for some people. But I guess it all works out in th e long run, literally!

Well I finally make it to my corral and I am probably 100 yards from the starting line. The race director makes some last minute announcements and the count down begins. When it gets down to zero, a whole lot of fireworks go off and lights up the sky. And we are off to the races. Well at least the people at the front of the line are. It takes me about 3 minutes to actually get to and cross the start line. But I am finnally on the road and running. Everything is good as I don't run over anyone and don't get run over either. I quickly spot an older guy that a t-shirt that says he is member of the 50 states marathon club. Well of course I have go over and ask him what that is all about. He tells me that he has ran a marathon in every state and has a total 156. WOW, I am dumbfounded! That is incredible and an awesome accomplishment I told him. I wished him good luck and continued on. I wonder if he beat my time? LOL

So I am running along at an easy pace which is about the same pace as everyone else. I have brought my camera with me with the plan to take a picture at every mile marker. My other plan is to run to every mile marker and walk though every water break. Which I will definitely stick to.

So I see mile marker one coming up ahead so I go ahead and get my camera out of my pocket and out of the zip-lock baggie that it is in. I don't want to take too much time taking the photo. I take a quick picture and walk about 100 yards before I start back up. My time is 13:10. Officially my time is 10:10 since it took me 3 minutes to get to the starting line.

So I am off again looking for mile marker 2. I see it far ahead and get prepared just like mile 1. So when I get real close I merge over to the left side of the road to get out of everyone's way when I slow down. Well there is girl in front of me and she just stops without warning! I almost fun right over her. Jumping to the left of her right at the last moment, I miss her. There are several people taking photos so I fit right in. I ask someone to take my picture with me in it and they do. My time is now 24:34.

Mile 3 is now 37:40. I am sticking to about an 11:00 minute pace, which is fine.

Mile 4 is 49:09.

Mile 5 is 1:01:13 Still on an 11:00 minute pace! YEAH!!!

Mile 6 is 1:12:43 and I am starting to feel a pain in my left little toe. It is the first time that I have worn these shoes so I suspect that I am getting a blister. But what can I do about it? Not much out in the middle of no where! Oh well, I will have to just keep on trucking.

Mile 6.5 and I have got to go to the bathroom, and it is not to pee! There is a water break coming up ahead and they have porta-potties. So I will stop and do my business. This takes approximately 3 minutes as I have to wait in line.

Mile 7 is 1:27:59 so I am now up to a 12 minute pace.

Mile 8 is 1:41:36

Mile 9 is 1:52:44

Mile 10 is 2:04:15

Mile 11 is 2:16:38

Mile 12 is 2:28:54

Mile 13 is 2:41:16 But my official half marathon time is 2:40:05

Mile 14 is 2:56:01

Mile 15 is 3:09:09

Mile 16 is 3:20:35

Mile 17 is missed somehow and I didn't even get a photo!

Mile 18 is 3:46:07 and I am still on a 12 minute pace!

Mile 19 is 3:58:21 and I am starting to really hurt in my hips. I decide to walk more now.

Mile 20 is 4:11:12 and I walked a lot and it only pushed my pace to 13 minutes.

Mile 21 is 4:22:43. Oh look, I must have found so extra energy! My pace went down to 11 miuntes.

Mile 22 is 4:35:26 and everything is really starting to hurt now and my pace is back down to about 12.5 minutes.

Mile 23 is 4:49:44, a 14 minute pace and I am hurting alot!

Mile 24 is 5:02:28 and I decide to try to run the rest of the race without walking. Except to take pictures.

Mile 25 is 5:14:33

Mile 26 is 5:26:38

Finish line is 5:29:07 and officially my time is 5:26:50. an average pace of 12:48. Not bad for a first (and last) timer I think.

Mickey Mouse - Here I come....ready or not!

Well the time is here and the marathon is only a few days away. Am I ready? I don't think so, but I will give it a shot anyway. Who knows, maybe I will finish and in a decent time. As long as my back holds up, I should be fine. Famous last words my legs say! I feel as though I am 100% even though I haven't been running much. Only time will tell.

I have been hitting the Y pretty hard since the holidays began, and wouldn't you know it, the Y has changed their schedule for the new year! I haven't really figured out what or how I am going to do what I really want to do yet. So here is a rough plan:

Monday - Turbo Kick then Body Pump
Tuesday - Body Pump then Swim
Wednesday - Skate Practice
Thursday - Body Pump then Spin class
Friday - Body Pump then Swim
Saturday - Skate Practice
Sunday - Skate Practice

Tried the Turbo Kick class for the first time this week and it was a real challenge to keep up. But I was soaking wet when I finished so at least I did get a good workout. Very fast paced and high energy class, which is what I like and need. They actually started a Ballroom Dancing class on Monday too, but I need a partner to do that. Anyone interested (female that is!)? I need to learn how to be light on my toes! LOL

I really think that all of the core strengthening that I have been doing is starting to pay off. My last 2 skate practices have been really good and I can see my speed and control increasing. I think that the turbo kick class will help with all around quickness and agility too.

I just hope that the Mouse doesn't get in my way this Sunday!!!

Can you sing "YMCA"

Well it has been a while since I wrote anything, mainly because there hasn't been much to write about. Almost everyday I go to the Y after work to get my workout in, except for the days that I have skate practice. Here is the routine:

Monday - Body pump class 1 hour then swim 1000 meters
Tuesday - Body pump class 1 hour then spin class 1 hour
Wednesday - Skate practice 2 hours indoors
Thursday - Body pump class 1 hour then swim 1000 meters or something else
Friday - Body pump class 1 hour then swim 1000 meters or take a day to rest
Saturday - Do something else to have fun - A day off!
Sunday - Skate practice 2 hours indoors

I know that it sounds a little mondane and boring with the same ole routine, but it is winter time and it sucks outside. The weather has been really shitty to say the least. Freezing 2-3 days, then it warms up and rains for a day or 2, then it gets cold again! No daylight hours to do anything outside even if the weather did cooperate.

I do have one little note of exciting news. I actually did do something different last week! I played racquetball for the first time in about 10 years. I saw an old friend at the Y and she invited me to play a few games with them last Thursday. It was a lot of fun. I actually didn't play as bad as I thought that I would! The only down side to the day was that I played in my running shoes and both of them ripped through the mesh on the outside edge towards the toes! Oh well. The good thing is that I have another back-up pair to run in. I also ordered me a new pair of Ektelon racquetball shoes too. So I am good to go as they came in today. Yea!

As for this week, I am leaving on Thursday to go to the Bahamas for some Scuba diving. We leave on the 18th and return on the 24th. Going to Nassau and diving with Dive Custom Aquatics outfitters. Then we are hoping to do a little open ocean fishing. They say the Wahoo are really good this time of year.

Well here's to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

It's indoor time now

Well old man winter has come early this year and is here to stay I think. So I have hung up the bike and running shoes at least for while. I am totally training indoors now. Started going back to body pump and spin class down at the YMCA. My back is about 95% now and getting stronger every day. Body pump has really helped I think but it is a little sore since I started back. But I think that is a good thing. Spin class has been good too since it really gives me a great workout.

I still haven't started back running since I hurt my back. I have been thinking alot about that lately because the marathon is only a couple of months away now. I really don't know what I am going to do about it either. Any suggestions? I am scared that I am going hurt myself again. The body pump classes are really going to help strengthen my core and lower back, so maybe that will be enough to keep it strong. I can only hope! I will probably start training on the elliptical machine and then move over to the tread mill after a few weeks of that. I'll just have to take it slow and see how my back feels.

Skating practice has been going good with my new skates. My feet are slowly getting used to them and hopefully the break-in process won't be too long. There actually is a skating race this Sunday in Warner Robins, but I really don't think that I am ready for it right now. Steve is trying to talk me into going, but I just don't know right now. I will have to get back with you on that.

Last weekend I had the kids after the Georgia-Auburn football game. Rob and I had planned to take all of the kids to the Callaway Gardens Nitewalk through the Christmas lights. We did it a couple of years ago and the kids had a really good time. Robs girlfriend Lisa and her 2 boys also came, so we had enough kids to keep entertained. The weather was good but cold. The walk went good too but I think that it was just a little too long for the kids. Well all had fun especially after the walk eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate. We also got to see Santa in the big top tent.