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First HME Run

In an effort to keep track of training, I thought I'd post on here what I've done and how it felt. That way when I look back I can see if I've made any progress...which hopefully I have. Today was my first HME (Hard, Medium, Easy) Run. Brandon adapted it for me and I ran a 5 minute warm-up then did 3 HME sets as follows: 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy, 2 minutes medium, 1 minute easy.

Here are my paces...they are pretty pathetic...but it gives me room for growth, right?
H: 8:45/mile (I started out too fast and slowed at the end of the 2 minutes)
E: 17:58/mile (that's really slow...)
M: 9:22/mile (I think this was about right)
E: 11:58/mile

H: 8:17/mile
E: 13:26/mile
M: 10:18/mile
E: 13:06/mile

H: 10:00/mile (in my defense, this was up a hill..but it's still pretty pathetic for a hard run)
E: 15:13/mile
M: 10:05/mile
E: 12:59/mile

By the end, I was ready to die and it took me a while to cool down. Fortunately, Bryn didn't wake up until around 6:15, so I had time to stretch etc before the day 'started'. I wonder what Bran has planned for me on Thursday....

Primary

Early this week, I got a call from our Bishop. I thought he just wanted to come over and get to know us a little better. That wasn't the case. Instead, he asked me to serve as the Primary President. I was blown away. Not only have I NEVER worked in primary, but I hardly know anyone. Regardless, that was the case and today I was sustained with my 2 counselors, one of which I 'met' for the first time today. This will be a great opportunity for growth.Yesterday, we bought a car. We finally gave up on the ol' 626. We drained entirely too much money into that car. Our new car has 58000 miles on it, is 'gold mist' and fulfilled one of Brandon's life goals in purchasing it. Elle claims it goes really fast. I mostly like that is has AWD.Yes...three car seats can fit into the back of a Forester.
They could be car models.Bryn has the latest in summer head attire....the summer toque.

Back in Training

Having a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Chiropractor as a husband is advantageous. Not only is he my trainer, but he watches the kids while I train. I finally realized that if I want to run (which I do), I have to do it in the morning BEFORE the kids wake up, and before Brandon goes to work. I have basically until 5:30am. Bran gets me up in the morning and sends me out. Right now, I am just running 3 times a week. He has me running 30 minutes at a very comfortable pace. I love hearing the birds and watching the city wake up while I run. It's very refreshing and gets me started right for the day.

There is a group of ladies in the ward training for a triathlon, but finding time/money to swim is a challenge. Instead, I will train for the Akron Half Marathon. Brandon ran the Akron Marathon last year, which is tempting as you get free Brooks shoes if you finish. Tempting....but I better keep it simple.

White Peacock

I remember Mrs. Peacock from Clue to be the blue piece. But, at the zoo we saw a beautiful WHITE peacock. It was completely white. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, so I have no proof. We were walking down the path from the polar bears and saw this fascinating bird blocking the path. He had his feathers all spread out and seemed agitated. He had no where to go. Both sides of the path were blocked with people flashing pictures. The sides of the path had heavy vegetation. And he was completely blocking the path with his feathers all out. Luckily he turned, and we crept by.

That was Elle's absolute favorite thing from the zoo. She had a list of 5 favorite things, but sneaking past the white peacock was tops. Bryn was terrified of the aquarium. She was not expecting to see fish and other creatures swimming right beside her. I probably could have prepped her more for that one. Having the zoo 5 miles away is nice. Within 15 minutes were we AT the zoo. I love cities!