Endurance + Creative: FUN!

As endurance athletes, we may be quiet pre-race, but once we cross the finish, we like to talk about our race experience, reliving the good and bad. We gather in circles with our race buddies, talk with our families, take notes on the drive home or call up our friends and family.

Our experiences matter, so let's extend and celebrate them.

Last fall, as part of my triathlon manuscript project, I helped my friend Kim brainstorm image ideas for triathlon and endurance-themed stamp sets.

There are few resources for scrapbooking or card-making triathletes and I knew Kim's company Raisin Boat would come up with a final product worth talking about!

Talking about triathlon creatively was SO fun! I dragged out gear, tri magazines, books and demonstrated all the crazy fun that goes with our sport! I gave her concept ideas, style suggestions and talked about current trends and demographics within triathlon. It was awesome.

I also gave her a disc with nine million pictures from my families' 15+ years of triathlon events and experiences. Check the sample cards and scrapbook pages.

No more boring seen-it-already clip art--or stick people--now you have endurance-specific images to wish someone luck or preserve your own training and racing experience.

all samples designed by Kim Ziehr or Bobbi Lemanski

Check out all four Endurance sets:

Tri & Triumph
Keep Triing

Bike Race

Finish Line

Raisin Boat is the first company to offer online stamp rental, like a netflix for stamps. You can rent or buy stamp sets. Kim and her friend Bobbie created Raisin Boat, you can read more about them and the company here. Special note: I think Kim is awesome & she is my friend. But it's important to clarify that I am not getting money from sales. Like Raisin Boat on facebook.

Questions for You:
- How do you preserve your race experience? Save the bib? Take notes? Photos?
- What's the best good luck/well done endurance card you've received or given?

3 Little Birds: Sports & the People You Meet

photos: Holding a chick, Oreo the chicken, Marmalade the cat.

We call it our swim date--my husband and I share a lane at Masters' swim on Sunday afternoons. The 90-minute session is one of the highlights of my week and I hate missing it. I love being in the water. I love learning. I love the people.

One of my swim friends is also named Sara, but with an h. With her permission I call her Chicken Sarah--we trade table scraps for fresh eggs from her chickens once a week.

This week Chicken Sarah got a package of live chicks in the mail so I went out to meet the brood.

Fun!!!

This picture reminded me of one of my favorite songs "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley.

Questions for You:

- Have you tried fresh eggs? The pretty brown ones remind me of the eggs Caroline Ingalls always tried to sell to Mrs. Olson on Little House on the Prairie. Now, having them in my own hands, I can tell you they're real and they're spectacular!

- What's one of your favorite Seinfeld scenes?

- What sports have brought you the most friendships? Or best memories?

Friday Fun: Killer Ducks & State Swim Prep

This weekend our oldest (9) swims in two relays at the 12 & Under Short Course State Swim Meet.

He'll swim a 50 free as part of the 200 Freestyle Relay and a 50 fly as part of the 200 Medley Relay. I'm really excited for him and the Sharks!

Last night the team had its state pasta party at the high school and each swimmer got a bag of goodies.

Inside Truitt's bag was a rubber duck. He explained later that he and his teammates noticed the duck has long eyelashes, which was not acceptable. So they took their sharpie markers and decorated the ducks.

Meet Killer.

It makes me smile. I love being his mom and watching him grow up.

Questions for You:

- What would you name this duck?

- How do/did you prepare for big meets, tournaments, matches etc?

Photos by me.

Truitt's 1st Swim Meet!

- Swimmer's hair.

- Spaghettios.Boiled eggs. Puppychow.

- "Go! Go! Go!"

This weekend our son Truitt competed in his first swim meet! Ken and I volunteered (timer, concessions) and chased our other kids around while enjoying our first swim meet experience.

- The youngest swimmers were adorable. So tiny! And great swimmers.

- The teen swimmers were fluid works of art. The events were easy to watch, gorgeous swimming.

- The inside pool venue was hot and muggy! Next time I'll wear a tank top for sure. I'm hoping the warm, moist air was beneficial for my awful cold and cough?

We're proud of our little swimmer! Go Sharks!

Questions for You:

- Did you compete on a swim team growing up? Or do you now?

- What's your favorite age or event to watch?

- Favorite swim team cheer?

photos by us

Which Fin is Faster?

Pretty swirly flower-ish design?

or

Scary pirate theme with dolphins and Rubber Duck?

Photos of my fins by me.

Questions:

- Fins are cool, fins are lame, fins are a tool?

- What would you draw on your fins?

- Which is the faster fin?

Stay tuned for new Athlete Profiles coming soon!

A Subtropical SUGOI Splash!

I'm back from a week in Naples, Fla., visiting my parents. (Photo taken by me at Sugden Regional Park.)
**Thanks Mom & Dad!!!**

The kids and I spent most days swimming, biking, walking/running and taking it easy. The boys were thrilled to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse each morning (we don't have cable at home). So while they watched Disney I'd sneak out and run two laps around the association's loop.

But I left the laptop at home... and therefore have fallen behind on some great posts in the works.
Please forgive me Renee, Jessi, Jen & Brenda!!

So, for now, I give you an underwater photo shoot with my oldest son (8) and I. So much fun!!

Left: I tried to get the disposable camera half under water, I was surprised I caught him in the air. Right: We think his hair looks like a pineapple or something... thoughts?

Left: my new pink goggles. I have huge goggle fit issues.

Right: My new SUGOI Turbo Swim racer which I purchased about a month ago. I really like the design and fit of the suit. My torso is long, so not all suits work. I think it's the straps, they look like an elastic headband and the give they provide help the suit settle down & fit properly.

And the last highly-skilled underwater move from our mom-son photo shoot is called...

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The Pig Nose!!!

Questions for You:

- What's trickiest in terms of fit? Goggles? Swimsuit? Jeans?

- What move/trick would you do?

Jump Back! Water Fun

Recently at swimming Coach Katie had fun things for us to try, including:

- Reverse Swimming: I'd read about this on facebook updates but had never tried it. You swim backwards. It's like watching a video clip of freestyle on rewind, your toes hit the wall first. I LOVED it!

- Ball Toss: In pairs in the deep end treading water each group would toss a ball up and over the warning flags. My ball kept hitting the flags...

- Underwater swim + pool pushups: we swam across the width of the pool, under all the lane dividers and once at the other side did 10 pool pushups x 4. I was surprised how out of air I was.

- Flutter kick + underwater swim: similar to the pushups, we'd do quick flutterkick against the side & then on Katie's call we'd swim across the width of the pool underwater and kick again. I was out of air on this one too.

- Swim belt + cord - put on this belt & then try to swim to the end of your lane. There were 3 levels of resistance. I tried to easy one & it was so fun, especially the reel-in sensation on the recovery. I did something similar on dry land at the Packer Experience years ago.

- Tug of War - each swimmer swims in the opposite direction while hooked to this rubber cord. You want to pull your opponent your way. We've also done this head to head with a kickboard perpendicularly between the two swimmers. I'm not sure which one I like most. Fun!

And yes Jump Back! is a Footloose quote! I love dance movies and I watched Ariel & Ren's romance 100+ times as an elementary school kid. I read someone's remaking it!

Willard: You won't get any dancing here, it's illegal.
Ren: Jump back!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087277/quotes?qt0427126

Watch a Footloose trailer here: http://matttrailer.com/footloose_1984

Questions for You:

- Have you tried reverse freestyle? How did it go?

- What's your favorite dance movie?

Photo credit: Our son jumps backwards into the pool on last summer's Alaskan cruise. The lifeguard didn't like that!