Goin' Campin'

Trying out Nana and Papa's Tent


We are headed out on our first camping trip this weekend! Two nights, in a tent, with two kids.... The dog stays home. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that the whole premise for the trip in the first place is so that I can do "My First Triathlon" race at Lake Lanier Saturday morning! The triathlon in now just a hiccup in the weekend, rather than my main event. :) Last night, we set up the tent in the back yard to make sure all the parts are accounted for. We borrowed it from my parents and after they let some young men use it. The tent was returned to them with no bag, no directions... We decided to play it safe and set 'er up. The children had so much fun in there! Their excitement got Eric and I really excited for the trip. We think (and hope) that they'll love it!

The kids were so excited to get in the tent...

Ethan loved flopping in the tent!

Chocolate ice cream on the boy's face...

Save Our Skin 5K - First Place Woman!!!

I won my first 5K! Well at least, the "female" portion of the 5K. I was the Overall Female Winner. There were 258 other women running and they were all behind me. There were also 177 males and I managed to finish in front of all but 14 of them, making me 15th overall with 436 runners total. My finishing time was 20:18... I was hoping to break 20 minutes again, but of course I'm pleased with my result. It was very strange running with only a few men in front to lead the way... I kept waiting for some fast chick to take me down, but it never happened. I don't know if I'll ever get another "win," so I sure am enjoying the moment!

Ethan and the Penguin: "Hi there, Penguin!"

Georgia Aquarium Trip

We decided to take a trip to the Georgia Aquarium when Nana and Papa were in town. We had a great time and were able to see pretty much the entire aquarium, plus the 30 minute 3D movie. The 3D movie was very neat! The kids really enjoyed it, and both kept their special glasses on the entire time! I thought for sure I'd be headed out of the theatre with Ethan crying. We were sprayed with real mist, and fish and sharks came swimming right at us. It was a "friendly," cartoonish movie, so I think that's why the kids did so well with it. Here are some pictures from the day. Enjoy!

Camping With Nana and Papa

Lauren, Ethan, and I went camping with Nana and Papa at John Tanner State Park from 5/12 to 5/15. The State Park is awesome! It's got a nice sized lake and sandy beach with a 1.1 mile paved path around the lake, two playgrounds, and a second smaller lake with a nature trail (ie, more natural dirt path). Good for taking a nice run, bike ride, or walk. We stayed in Nana and Papa's 38 ft. motor home so we can hardly call it "camping," or "roughing it." The highlights of the trip were a nice, long nature walk where we identified wildflowers, animals and fish, our first swim of the season, and roasting marshmellows at the campfire. I also had a nice seven-lap run around the lake that I thoroughly enjoyed. I should have taken advantage of the "open water" swimming to prep for my first tri, but I was too wimpy... the water was COLD!!! We all really enjoyed the trip, but camping is not easy, even with all the frills. Eric and I will try tenting with the kids very soon. We've just had a busy spring with soccer!

Gotta Run,

Caryn

Brookhaven Bolt 5K

I ran a 5K this past weekend on 5/17 down in Brookhaven just to revisit the distance. It's been since before childbirth that I've actually done a 5K, so I was interested to see how my speed is being affected by marathon training (and childbirth, motherhood, late nights, early mornings, carpooling...). I finished in 19:59, which I was pretty happy with. Not only did I (barely) break the 20 minute barrier, it was a hilly course. The race director was honest about the hills on the course description, so I knew it would be challenging. I ended up 2nd overall for women, and well, first in my age group I guess b/c the winner of the race was a 21-year-old runner with Olympic aspirations. I had fun running such a short distance. It was over so quickly! As compared to the marathon, of course. I'll be trying a "tri" (triathlon) in a few weeks and the run portion is a 5K. Some good experience gained!

Gotta Run,
Caryn

Boston Marathon Splits

For my record...

Mile 1 8:07 Mile 14 8:01
Mile 2 7:26 Mile 15 7:44
Mile 3 7:43 Mile 16 7:42
Mile 4 7:39 Mile 17 8:26
Mile 5 8:22 Mile 18 8:25
Mile 6 7:56 Mile 19 7:51
Mile 7 7:56 Mile 20 8:13
Mile 8 8:03 Mile 21 8:42 (Heartbreak Hill)
Mile 9 8:04 Mile 22 8:02
Mile 10 8:04 Mile 23 8:35
Mile 11 7:58 Mile 24 8:09
Mile 12 8:26 Mile 25, 26, 26.2 20:30 (9:31 average)
Mile 13 7:54 Finish: 3:34:03 Boston Qualifier!!!

Average Pace: 8:10

As reported from BAA:
5K 24:03
10K 48:49
15K 1:13:41
20K 1:39:21
1/2 Marathon: 1:44:26
25K 2:03:42
30K 2:29:08
35K 2:54:35
40K 3:21:27
Finish: 3:34:03