Taper = Weird happenings!

• On: 06/08/2009 18:20:09

I really do love the Taper week!  I look forward to the rest and more free time to do things other than Triathlon!!  But, I swear, when I taper VERY weird things happen…here are few in just a few days!

·         Our kids are still in school – until June 17^th (that is how many snow days we had) – so, it has been pretty status quo here..and since it really doesn’t feel like summer yet, I can not believe it is nearly mid-JUNE!!!  Slow this summer downnnn!

·         I did not sleep well last night.  No, not nervous, I am not nervous about my race this weekend, but we had very severe storms and because I slept nearly 10 hours on Saturday night (yeahh!) …well, you know how that goes…so, I had VERY weird dreams.  I VIVIDLY remember having a baby.  Yes, I recall EACH detail of the birth process and compared to delivering my twins, our 3^rd child was a PIECE OF CAKE!  We had a baby boy and named him Max.  Maxwell Harrison.  Seriously, I have thought about this dream ALL DAY!!!!  AHHH.  It was so real, ya know?

·         I got up this morning early – and that was NOT fun after not sleeping  stellar, but I had to get up and coach Masters.  I was CRABBY!!!  Sometimes I think we are allowed a day or early Monday morning where we are crabby.  I had no real reason other than I was tired, it was POURING rain and freezing out and well…it was 5.30am!   Anyway, I get to the pool and get the swimmers rolling and one of the newer girls in the developmental lane looked at me with those glassy eyes when I said, “300 with every other length drill.”  I could tell she was struggling to digest that set so I went over and helped her with it.  She asked me, “Jen, How many lengths is that?”  Ok, now typically this would just roll off my shoulders and I would help them understand yards/meters, 25 per length, etc.  But, she caught me in a bad mood and I said, “you know…I will not translate lengths and laps into yards for you….if you want to learn how to swim as a swimmer, we need to be able to swim in 50 yards, 100 yards, etc.”  Oh bad, Jen!!!!  It just flew out of my mouth and OF COURSE I was serious, but I typically try to pad that response a bit well…..nicer.  So, I apologized and re-phrased it for her.  !!

·         Graham has been trying out for our Traveling soccer team (Morgan is still picking the daisies, which is FINE)…he has been playing soccer since he was 6 (he is only 7!) (youngest he can start) and Graham is a VERY VERY active and competitive child (hmm, wonder why?) so we are doing what we can to utilize that energy in sport.  He has a passion for running and soccer – so I am going with it…anyway, soccer tryouts (yes, tryouts!) were two nights last week – in the corn fields of Illinois (my allergies were kicking my ass) and then the final team was announced last night.  He was SO cute – we kept checking the TEAM page to see if he was selected – and he was!   THEN, today we had to go and register and pay for him to play.  And, the lady at registration (bless her heart) handed me oodles of paperwork and a sticker.  I asked her what the sticker was for and she replied simply, “your car window.”  OKKKKKKKKKKK, not this mom…..Yes, I guess all this stuff makes me a soccer mom, but TRUST me….I am not your typical soccer mom!  I refused the sticker….nothankyou.  But, do you see that lady over there in those JEANS?  Yep, her…she’ll take the sticker.

·         You know, this whole soccer thing (sorry to bore you w/ the details of this, but this is my kid’s life now…) kinda made me REALLY THINK about the kids that are not in houses that are as lucky….the registration fee for this Travel team + the uniform, etc, was A LOT OF money.  Even I did a double take.  Of course, I can not say anything b/c Jerome and I do TRIATHLON!  But, the other side of that…I thought about Graham’s friends who would LOVE to do this Travel team, but they have single moms or parents that are in trouble with their jobs or out of work and it really made me realize how unfair programs like this are – I am sure there is financial aide, but you know what???    I am not  so sure…and that really got me thinking about the clear delineation of social classes…..and not sure I was comfortable with it.  I would love to sponsor a child that could not otherwise be able to play.  I think I am going to ask the head coach about this.  Trust me, this is NOT a simple few hundred dollar program – oh no!

·         I saw 3 of my VERY GOOD Friends from High School at the soccer tryouts – Brian, Patsy and Jenny….all 3 of them SUPER soccer players in HS..so funny what goes around comes around…they were giving me crap b/c I never played soccer….We were all laughing like old times!

·         I really do LOVE the taper  - I know a lot are freaking out during their taper (carrie!) but it is all ok….it is so fun when you know you are ready to RACE!!!!  It is when you are unsure and have doubts when the taper is stressful.  Anyway, I went to do my swim workout today and went to the closest pool – a 25 meter pool.  I typically do not swim in meters ONLY b/c this pool is like 1,0000 degrees, and I would rather swim SCY if the water is cool….but, I had already coached in the hot pool/deck – so I needed to stay close.  Anyway, MAN It is amazing when you are rested and ready to race – I was looking at the clock and had to think (remind myself!) that I was in SCM versus SCY b/c I was swimming so well!  Ahhhhh. 

·         After lunch I went out on my TT bike to do an easy ride….and I literally was out for 10 minutes and the sky opened up!  I got dumped on – that rain where you have to stop b/c you can not see?  Then, as soon as it came, it left…but there I was drenched and my poor little bike soaking wet!!!   UGH….I really do not like cleaning my bike!

·         When I was out on my ride – I was on this little road where the speed limit is 25 mph and the cops are ALL OVER this road…and I saw a snapping turtle with a car stopped near it and a younger kid outside near the turtle with a towel….having the snapping turtle jump and snap at the towel.  I thought the kid was trying to get the turtle off the road…so I kept riding….then, I had to circle back and there was the turtle – DEAD!!!!!!  I WAS SOOO mad.  I think that kid tortured that little poor turtle AND then ran him over.  I was getting VERY upset, but there was nothing I could do…he was long gone.  What a jerk.  UGH…seriously, how can anyone do that??

·         And, when I pulled over during the MASSIVE rain today (and just laughing inside b/c I got rained on yesterday too on my bike!) an older guy pulled over (this is a nicer neighborhood) and asked if I was ok…And, I answered YES…Then, he said, “You know…it is absolutely pouring out here!”  Um, yes, thank you….and I said, “If I rode only when it was nice, I would never ride!!!”  And, the old man said, “you know what….that was the smartest thing anyone said to me today!”  And with that we both nodded at one another and moved on.  We understood each other.

·         We leave on Thursday for the East Coast – it is like Christmas week for me.  Yes, I am that excited to race…nevermind the racing hard work stuff….I just love this adventure and we usually rent a mini-van (gasp!) to drive there, but this year, my new SUV is big enough, so we roll in that.  But, first, I must pack!

·         I will be off my laptop from Thursday-Tuesday.  I will play on Facebook a little bit, but will not blog or work!  I don’t need to say that I love my job, but even though I love my job, I do need a break.  Once I start telling athletes that they can NOT count their swim lengths/laps in numbers and they need to count by 50, 100, 150,etc., it is TIME for a breather!  It will be nice to re-connect with the kids and Jerome on this road trip and focus on me and my race @ Eagleman.  I have some athletes racing EM (Angela, Kate, Catherine) and I know they understand as well, so thank you.

I will see you all on the flip-side!   Let all the hard work do it magic!  Good luck to everyone racing this weekend – ‘tis the season! GO GO GO!  :)