It has certainly been a rollercoaster of emotions in the family this week. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows we have covered it all. On the low end..... Vince my thoughts have been with you all week as you cope with the tragic and sudden death of your girlfriend. As I plan to do on race day you must take it one moment at a time and one step at a time. Whatever you do make sure it is the best thing for you and your well-being. There is a cute little girl named Emily and a soon-to-arrive baby named Liam who need their awesome Uncle Vince. We all love you and are here for you. Then on the high end we have Josh and Jordin. The competed in and conquered the Tough Mudder race in the Poconos this weekend. They ran 11 plus miles and tackled 27 obstacles in the process. Any race that features an obstacle named Artic Enema is not for me. Oh and there was also one called Electroshock Therapy that featured shocks of 10,000 volts!!!!! Umm....NO. In addition to those fun sounding ones many of them included water which would be great if it was 80 degrees out but alas the temperature at the start of the race was a balmy 21 degrees with a feels like temp of 17. Despite being as Josh so aptly put it "broken down and brought to places he has never been before" they did it. Oh and after they crossed the finish line Josh proposed to Jordin and she accepted. CONGRATULATIONS on both accounts. I love you both.
 |
| Josh & Jordin ready to get wet, freezing, muddy and shocked! |
My week of training was relatively uneventful. It has been a recovery week so the volume has been low. Of course my idea of low is 14 hours. When I got my schedule from Jeff for the week it said to include a hour of sweet spot riding in Saturday's bike workout. Now my idea of sweet spot is my couch but I was guessing that wasn't what he was referring to. Just for the record it refers to 88-93% of FTP. I think they need to change the name to something more appropriate like "Oh sweet Jesus will this ever end spot". Just sayin'. Saturday's bike ride was downright demoralizing. 4 hours on the bike isn't a problem. 4 hours on the trainer because it is only 30 freakin degrees out is a problem. On the positive side I was reunited with the Penguins of Madagascar and got to see two episodes. I also watched some show featuring Otis the Party Cow who apparently fancies himself as the king of the barnyard. Quinn mentioned yesterday she needed some giddy-up in her get up so I offered to introduce her to Otis because he is clearly the man.....er cow....for the job. I mean just look at him. I want to jump out of my chair right now and bust a move!!!!
 |
| He is a total party animal |
On the negative side it occurred to me that my bike trainer and I need a divorce. I love the thing...I really do. It has made me stronger and more fit. It has provided me with shelter from the rain and snow and safety from traffic but after 4 hours today of giving it everything I had all I got was a sore back, sore legs and a sore ass. We are a great team for short periods of time but we simply can't spend more than two hours together anymore. Sayonara bike trainer. Ok not really...I still need you but I really hope the rest of the weekends between now and July 22 feature temps greater than 45 and limited rain.
Today's run was only 10 miles. Who says that??? If you say only and 10 miles in the same sentence you are clearly insane or training for something big. I happen to be both. The weather was perfect...42 and clear. Kerry joined me for the whole thing which was awesome. We blabbed non-stop the entire time and the run passed rather quickly and uneventfully. There was one point when Kerry decided to run the wrong way away from home as opposed to toward home. I asked her where the hell she was going but she really didn't have an answer. It is just one of those things that happens during these runs....we occasionally lose our ability to speak, do simple math, form a sentence, follow directions etc. So Week 17 is done and Week 18 starts with a day off. Cue the angels and harp music. I only had to wait 21 days for this one. Off to my sweet spot now!!!
It was an absolutely incredible weekend for us as we got to watch our amazing son and future daughter-in-law experience the Tough Mudder. The fact that they completed it in the horrible cold conditions made it all the more amazing. They are two determined individuals (Josh must get that from his Aunt Dee) and we couldn't be more proud of them! I am so thrilled that they are now engaged and look forward to having Jordin officially become part of the family (I am not sure that Jordin is looking forward to that though! My thoughts are also with my dear cousin Vince as I know he is going through a very difficult time right now and I just want him to know that his entire family loves him and is there for him. My prayers are also with David, Tracey, Collin, Aunt Lorrie, Uncle Jim, Chris, and Susan as they are tryng to remain strong and dealing with David's illness. I wish I could say something that would make it better but unfortunately I don't have many words right now that could possibly ease their pain. Again we all love them so very much and wish we could take it all away. Life is so fragile and I know we all take so much for granted but even if it is for a little while, let us all stop and reflect on how blessed we are and be thankful for what we have.
ReplyDeleteLove to all
Jacki
Beautifully put, Jacki. We are so blessed with our family that in good times & bad we are here for each other & will do what we have to do at all times. The very sad news of Stephie's death and David's failing health was balanced with the very happy news of Josh & Jordin's engagement!!
ReplyDeleteWe will deal with each moment as they come & be here for one another. I love you all so much & count my blessings each day for the family I have. God bless us, every one!!