50 States Completed

All 50 are done.  What started out as a conversation on a bar napkin in 2008 soon turned out to be a wonderful, yet daunting, challenge.  And we did it.  As a family.  Since completing Hawaii in June, we've had several conversations regarding which race we liked the most - which was more challenging or family-friendly or had the best medal or the best finish line food.  It's hard to answer these questions because we had so much fun tackling the distances and races and providing the girls with educational opportunities that you can only achieve through travel.

So here's a few of my favorite categories:

• Best race with husband.  Hands down it would the Arkansas adventure race.  Scared the holy hell out of me.  I had never been mountain biking.  I hadn't been canoeing since I was 16 (don't even think about doing the math!).  And I most certainly was impaired when it came to reading a compass and actually finding my way in and out of a forest.  But Little Rock was awesome.  We visited the world's biggest nacho cheese festival, watched the Arkansas Razorbacks football game at a local bar listening to everyone say "Woo pig sooey" over and over.  And we had fun as a couple.
• Best race with Megan.  This is a tough one.  I loved running side by side with her in the University of Notre Dame Sunburst 5k race where she complained the whole time until hearing the band playing on the field, sprinted, and beat me by 4-5 seconds! It was also awesome to see her finish 3rd in her age group at the Savannah Halloween 5k race.  A beautiful course, but the best part was she wore he medal the entire weekend, except when she showered! Finally, it could have been the Rhode Island 6-hour Ultra race, where she sat in the car between my 2.5 mile laps, came over to cheer me as I came around the corner, and then be greeted by me at the finish line where I said, "Ive had enough of this running. Let's go shopping at Nordstrom's."  And that's exactly what we did.  She was always my biggest cheerleader, regardless of the race distance or how boring the day would eventually become.
• Best race with Bridget.  Along the way, Bridget and I started the tradition of running a Halloween race.  We would dress up and, in the beginning, I would push her in the jogging stroller.  Our race in New Mexico, the stroller didn't show up in time for the race (no thanks to United!).  Greg got on the web, found a jogging stroller rental place, and had a replacement stroller delivered to my hotel.  He did all this from Cleveland!  In Seattle, she ran her first kids race, which was a 1-mile fun run.  We were dressed up as two Draculas and she kicked ass! We've run 3 more races since then and she even completed her first 5k locally and, of course, it was a Halloween race. For race experience, it melted my heart that after I won 3rd place in my age group, I received a trophy for the Alice in Wonderland Little Ruell 10k race in Oklahoma.  Bridget carried my trophy around the entire weekend - she even held on to it while sleeping in her car seat!
• Best family vacation.  This is a tough one.  Hawaii for obvious reasons.  Alaska was pretty cool, too, especially being greeted by Bridget at the finish line holding a bouquet of the longest-stemmed dandelions I've ever laid my eyes on. But the funnest of the all was at the most magical place on earth - Disneyworld.  I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in 2009. I wasn't trained properly and that was reflected in my horrible 2:40 finish.  But the race opened up the MGM Studio Park for the runners and their families only.  We got to meet ALL the princesses, take tons of Disney character pictures, enjoy the rides and eat some of the most unhealthy food on the planet.  It was a wonderful family vacation had by all of us.
• Best finish line food.  Another tough question.  The Ann Arbor 10k had fresh fruit by Whole Foods, which was such a delight, and fresh-baked breads from Zingerman's.  Yum!  The Des Moines, Iowa half marathon had an amazing smorgasbord of deliciousness as well, but the Prairie Fire half marathon in Kansas had piping hot Krispie Kreme donuts and fresh, locally roasted coffee at the finish line.  Now that's why I run.
• Best schwag.  Hands down, I loved the Portland, Oregon Freshwater Trust Triathlon for the schwag.  Each finisher received a hat (that I still wear everywhere), a stainless steel water bottle, and a pint of Descheutes.  Second place would go to the Ironman 70.3 Honu triathlon in Hawaii, where we received hat, shirt, and the best tasting Maui potato chips made on this earth!
• Best scenery. The Crazy Horse half marathon and the Park City Half Marathon tie for this category.  Both races took my breath away.  We loved Mount Rushmore and Rapid City, South Dakota.  Would even go there again! In Park City, I got to watch the Tour of Utah and meet Bob Roll (swoon - if you're a cycling/Bobke fan).  They were both had outstanding organization, race volunteers, and amenities.  I would run both of these races again and highly recommend others enter as well.  
• My favorite race experiences.  It wasn't the distance that made the race special.  And I've run big races and really small races.  I definitely like the small, hometown races the best, without a doubt.  I loved the Bill Luti 5-Miler. I ran cross country in high school so this race was even more neat.  Bill Luti was the high school cross country coach for 4 decades.  He stood at the 2-mile mark and yelled out the time.  I heard so many people yell out "Thanks, Coach Luti" that it truly made the race experience wonderful.  I also loved the Jerry Zucker Metric Century Plus Ride, where I met George Hincapie.  I rode for 69 miles with two wonderful women, who were 20 years older than me and could kick my ass in cycling.  Truly humbling and rewarding experience.  But I will never forget my first marathon - the PF Chang's Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona.  I had no idea what to expect and yet I was nervous and excited at the start line and overjoyed at the finish line.  Greg and Megan greeted me and he gave me a beautiful Tiffany necklace to congratulate me.

It's been a wonderful challenge and I count my blessings that I was able to do this with my family and in good health (good health is an arbitrary phrase, you know).  

Fun Around Maui

We arrived safely on our little 8-seater plane.  Holy crap, I had never been in a puddle hopper before and was surprised over how low we flew.  I could see the water VERY WELL.  I had to be brave and hold Bridget's hand, who sat across from me and not let her know that I was freaking out as well.  But our pilots were fantastic and got us there just fine.  Phew!

Maui is stunning.  I was not prepared for all the natural beauty.  While the Big Island is a bit barren and full of lava rock, Maui is lush with foliage and greenery.  Every day was a calm 80-85 degree day with sun and a clear sky.  A tropical paradise.

We checked into our hotel and I would soon realize that the Fairmont chain would compete for my love and affection with Kimpton.  The Fairmont Kea Lani was amazing from every single vantage point.  Just look at this.

Top left: view from lobby. Top right: view from our room.
Bottom left: great action shot of B enjoying the pool. Bottom right: Me & pumpkin sporting our beautiful leis.

For our first night in Maui, Greg had booked us for the Old Lahani Luau.  What a treat! There were several kid-friendly activities for Bridget, learning to dance for me, and other little activities to enjoy before dinner.  We even were greeted with mai tais to drink when we arrived!

One of our first sightseeing activities during the day was our trip to the Maui Plantation Farm.  The best part was sampling fresh pineapple in the fields and learning about the 3 different types of sweetness.  Even better was receiving 4 large pineapples to take back to CLE!

Sunset ocean cruise would have to rank toward the top on this trip.  Beautiful views of Maui from the ocean, a great little ukulele performer, and talking to the captain made this excursion so much fun!

Not everyone was happy about the boat ride!

And now I would have to get ready for the biggest surprise of the entire trip!

Hawaii Family Fun

After a shower and a good night's sleep, we spent our final full day on the Big Island at Volcano National Park and sightseeing around the island.  Such breathtaking scenery.

After a little fun and sightseeing, it was time to check out of the Orchid and head over to Maui.  Our ride awaits us!

Is it just me or does this look really small?! They had to weigh us and our bags...

Two Islands, One Big Race, 50 States

We did it.  We hit 50.  50 states, that is.  And just like that, a goal was reached!

Hawaii was amazing and was everything we thought it would be and more.  We arrived mid day in Kona to one of the most beautiful sights we have seen.  Just look at the view from our hotel.

For the first 5 days we stayed in Kona at the Fairmont Orchid.  Absolutely beautiful with friendly, attentive staff.  Highly recommend this hotel, if you're planning a trip to the Big Island.  First thing we did when we landed late Wednesday was check-in to the hotel which, by the time we landed, was well after our bed time.  Dinner, relax and take in the scenery was all that we planned to do.  And sleep.

The girls enjoying one of the many cool activities at the Fairmont Orchid - lei making!

Thursday, we headed over to Kona to pick up our bikes we had reserved.  I got a sweet Cervelo named Gino and Greg found a Cannondale that would be his ride for the race. We brought our own pedals, but never thought about bringing our own seats.  We would soon learn the importance of that mistake!  Rest of there day was spent poolside and relaxing while squeezing in a little scuba and light open water swim.

Friday, was packet pick-up and athlete check-in.  If we weren't nervous before, we would be now.  We grabbed our packets, ankle timing chip, swim caps, signed our waivers, and drank lots of water.  The race would be hot, hilly and humid.  Hydration was necessary.  Oh, and we hit the expo shop and found a couple cool shirts with all the racers names on the back.  What a great keepsake!


Friday evening, we took our bikes to mandatory bike check-in.  The Ironman 70.3 Honu race was unlike any other triathlon I had raced.  Normally, you check in your bike the morning of the race and lay out your towel, organize your transition area, and then head down to the water.  Not this Half Ironman.  We had to drop off our "T2 Run" bag during check-in.  No room for mistakes at this point.  Then, early Friday evening, we rode our bikes to the bike checkin, which was about 7 miles from the hotel.  Holy crosswinds, batman.  What the hell was I thinking when I decided to enter this race?! I know, I thought "Go big or go home." Now this was suddenly feeling like a super crazy, super insane choice!  We found our assigned rack, checked-in our bikes, and took the bus back to the hotel....in silence...freaking out inside.  We don't get CROSSWINDS in Cleveland.  My right hand and shoulder blades were already aching from the death grip that I had trying to prevent myself from tipping over on the bike from the forceful direction of the winds.  This was after a 7-mile ride.  I had to come out of the water, hop on to the bike, and cycle 56 miles! Uh oh.

The rest of the evening was light and easy.  Early dinner, early to bed.

It's 5am? How can it be 5am? Holy crap, we're doing this.  And off to the Athlete Bus we went with all the other racers at our hotel.

Swim
As soon as we arrived at the T1 Transition Area, I dropped by T1 cycling bag and headed down to the open water swim.  Nerves were on heightened alert.  I knew I could swim the distance.  I even felt comfortable with the open water and channeled my inner Crowie Alexander Got Milk Commercial (The open water is my playground, he says).  I knew I could do this.  But could I do it with nearly 1,000 other athletes, with waves, in salt water, and under 1 hour 15 minutes? And the women were the last wave, so there was no cushion for finishing as the clock started ticking with our group.  Greg and the male group got a 7 minute cushion over the women.

I did.  Made it out of the water in 1:03 and change.  A bit slow, but I'm pretty sure I zigged and I zagged way more than necessary.  My dad always said I ran like a Singer sewing machine on zigzag stitch.  Pretty sure I swim the same way.  But hell, I did it.  But this is where the first of many mistakes began.

I walked across the sandy beach to the showers they had to rinse off the salt.  I piddled.  Seriously, I stood there and enjoyed the rinse.  What was I thinking?! Then I walked the 200+ yard hill to the transition area, thinking I was conserving energy.  No no no.  The (and yes. there's another "then"), I couldn't find things logically in my transition bag, had to dump out the contents, sort through my crap, find my gels (which would NOT slide into my back pockets in my race top because I was soaking wet), and had to insert my gels into my bra.  Mental note, get a bento box and organize your fuel, Robin!  I start to head out of transition and then realize I forgot to apply my hoohah cream.  No way was I going to tackle 56 miles on an uncomfortable seat without the miracle of hoohah cream.  So back to the port potty I went.  By the time I hopped on my bike and exited transition, I spent nearly 20 minutes in transition! Stupid.

Bike
There was a giant hill immediately out of transition.  And this was only the first of MANY hills I would encounter on this fine Saturday morning.  The hills, the headwinds, the crosswinds, and the fact that I was not at a good racing weight, would all challenge me.  I raced a good portion by myself, which also meant I didn't have to worry about drafting concerns!  No penalty tent for this girl.  Since we weren't allowed to have music, it also meant I had a lot of alone time...so I sang.  And I only know the words to a few songs...mostly rap songs.  And my voice is awful!

While the scenery was beautiful, I remember very little about the course other than it was hot, hilly, humid, but filled with breathtaking views of the ocean...and lots of lava rock.  The turn around was in a neat little town called Hawi (pronounced with a "v" instead of "w") and I was so grateful to be able to say I was over halfway!  About 40 miles into the race, I ran into Greg, who was with the medical team due to leg cramps.  I pulled over to check on him and chatted with the medical team to make sure he was ok.  It was a wicked hot day and it got the best of many athletes.

The final 5-mile stretch was through lava fields and I was stunned over just how how my body would soon feel.  I was rounding the last couple miles and a volunteer told me that it was nearly 12:30pm - the cutoff and I better hurry.  As I entered the chute, I was told I missed the cutoff by 4 minutes.  4 lousy minutes! I racked my bike and paced a bit, considering whether I should just dart off on the run anyway.  The run cutoff allowed athletes in the transition area until 12:45pm to get out on the run course.  I still had 10 minutes and only needed to slide my feet into my running shoes, throw on my hat, and head out.  I wanted to do this so bad because I had the legs to do it.  It's my thing, running.  But I'm only a rule follower and that was that.

So I wandered off to the medical tent to see if Greg had checked in.  Afterwards, we grabbed our t-shirts and a couple beers and watched as the finishers came through the run cute.

Amazing experience.  I conquered the swim.  I handled the bike just fine in all the heat.  And I knew I had the legs left for the run.  This could only mean one thing...I just HAD to sign up for another half ironman to prove that I could do this.  I had to have closure.

But first, I needed a shower.  Boy, did I smell!

Bridget's 7th Birthday

If you're following this little blog of ours, you know that we don't celebrate birthdays in ordinary ways.  We love trips.  I will forego buying a new dress or shoes so that I can sock away travel money!

B had been asking for awhile to go to Disneyland (we love all things Disney) so we thought we would surprise her with a trip.  I arranged for Meg to fly from Dayton to Cleveland so that she could take the CLE to LAX flight with us.  Greg was already in LA for business.  I had to figure out a way to "surprise" B because she is quite the savvy traveler.  While she was sleeping the night before we left, I packed a weekend bag with both our clothes.  I told her we had to go to the airport and take a suitcase to Greg because his boss was making him fly somewhere hot and he needed shorts and stuff.  She believed the first lie. 

Things started falling apart when we pulled in to the long-term parking.  She asked if we were flying somewhere (because we always park in a certain long-term parking lot).  I told her that the airport was under construction and short-term parking was destroyed (which was true).  As we went through security, that's where the ruse got tougher to keep up.  I wrote a note on the boarding passes so that the TSA guy wouldn't ask her questions and told him it was a surprise trip, but of course she asked why we had to go through security to get Greg his clothes.  This was all NOT making sense to her!

But the best part was Meg, who had been hiding behind a column, jumped out to hug B and yelled "Happy Birthday!" We then told her she was going to Disneyland.  B was more excited to see Meg and could have cared less about the trip! Lesson learned.

Even though it poured the whole time we were in Disney (yes, we brought the Cleveland weather with us - we always do!), we still had a magical time.  We rode rides, enjoyed shows and just had fun as a family.  I think our favorite dinner, though, was at Shabu Shabu....until B fell asleep in my lap from a long day at Disney.

We even managed to squeeze in a day at Laguna Beach (no LC or Lo, Brody or Steven sightings, darn it!).

Great trip for the birthday girl!

A Day in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City? Yep, Utah.  Love that place.  In order to knock out Idaho, and to keep our travel expenses under budget, we flew in to Salt Lake City. Had our flight not been delayed, we had planned on seeing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform.  It's kind of a big deal to see the Choir and their Thursday evening practice is open to the public.  Both Greg and I were pretty pumped about this, but we just couldn't get United to share in our excitement...go figure.

The next morning, before making our trek to Burley, Idaho, we managed to kill a few hours at Discovery Gateway, the kids museum in SLC.  What a wonderful place! Best of all, Bridget got to be treated to her kind of fun, rather than boring old adult fun.

Had to drag her out of the place...but we had packet pick-up and she had a 1-mile race to run!

Hello, Miss 49!

I just registered for the 49th state! I can't believe we've accomplished so many states in such a short period of time.  What started out on a bar napkin as a silly challenge has turned in to some of the best family memories and fun with my husband and two kids. 

Later this month, I'll be tackling Idaho.  I'll be running/walking a half marathon and laughing the whole way as I check off state 49 on a Saturday morning.  The evening before, my youngest will be running the kids 1 mile race, in which she will receive a medal.  I think one of the best things about this challenge has been seeing my two daughters take part in races and actually enjoy running.  I'm one lucky girl!

Now, Hawaii...you elusive 50th state...it's time to start thinking about you!

Chicago Weekend Getaway

I've always said I love living in Cleveland. We are within a day's drive to so many major cities and destinations.  Within 8 hours, you could be in New York City.  Within 5 hours, Washington, D.C.  And within 6 hours, Chicago.  For my birthday, Greg surprised me with 4 seats to the Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z concert.  Not sure who I was more excited to see as I've been a fan of both for a VERY long time.  I saw Justin when he was with N*Sync in Pittsburgh in 2001 and again when he was solo in Cleveland while 9 months pregnant with Bridget in 2007.  I have never seen Jay-Z in concert, but was over-the-top thrilled at the thought of seeing him live.  And let me tell you, both were AMAZING! Absolutely electrical performances. 

Chicago is just a kick-ass town for a weekend getaway.  Plenty of shopping, food, bars, nightlife, you name it.  We managed to get in some Magnificent Mile time and introduced Bridget to her first full experience at the American Girl store.  She opted to pick out her own doll with brown hair, blue eyes and freckles - just like her. She shopped for her doll's outfits and I even sprung for a pet for her American Girl doll. She was thrilled.  Meg enjoyed the shopping as well and managed to snag some great deals at Nordstrom. Even Greg found a new murse (excuse me, man bag) at Tumi.

If you've never ventured out to Kuma's for their burgers, you really must.  May possibly have one of the best craft beer lists in Chicago as well.  Worth the trip!

And if you stay in Chicago, be sure and check out the Kimpton hotels.  They get customer service right. The manager's reception included complimentary Sangria and the morning coffee is to die for.  I love the in-room yoga with complimentary yoga mat and they provide maps with distances for runners.  Greg and I enjoyed a nice 3.5 mile run along Michigan Avenue to the Lakeshore.  Hot, but so worth it.

Great weekend and great family fun!

Meet American Girl McKenna, the newest addition to our family.

 

Right before the concert.  We made sure that B wore the Bose headphones to limit the sound.  She was a trooper hanging in there till midnight.  She was so excited that this was her 4th concert this year - Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, and now she can add Justin and Jay-Z to her list.

 

Ashford Castle and Learning to Fly Falcons

Our Ireland trip started in Dublin, moved south to Cork and the Blarney Castle, headed off the beaten path to the southwestern corner of Ireland to Kinsale, then moved north above Galway.  Since we had visited Galway during our last trip to Ireland, Greg (our trip researcher) decided on Cong as our next overnight stay (well, two nights, that is). I could have stayed much, much longer!

Cong was the sight of The Quiet Man, the 1952 film starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara as well as being home to the 5-star, luxury resort, the Ashford Castle.  We enjoyed Ashford Castle's "servant's quarters" as our hotel at the Lisloughrey Lodge.  This may have been one of the most enjoyable and beautiful places I've stayed during our travels.  With the short walking distance to the town, the amenities, and beautiful morning view, I highly recommend the Lisloughrey Lodge.  The grounds of the Ashford Castle and Lisloughrey Lodge are joined by a path, which we enjoyed walking to find our Falconry lesson. Yes, falconry lesson.  We felt so "Harry Potter" and wondered if Hedwig would be sending us an owl post!

Ashford Castle. This picture is so postcard perfect that it's hard to believe it was taken with our iPhone.

We came across a couple, who offered to take our picture.  As we chatted with them, we found out that the wife went to Ohio State and her brother-in-law was from our town.  Small world! What I also love about this picture is that Bridget, Meg and me are wearing our new Hunter wellies. Love B's pink ones!

Can you tell how intimidated she was to have a hawk sitting on her arm? She was so brave and eventually started enjoying herself. Her smile in this picture kind of says, "I don't know about this..."

After a few minutes with the hawks, this "bird lady" couldn't get enough.  In this picture, both birds decided to land on Meg's arm at the same time.  She was so excited - just look at her smile!

The view outside our hotel, the Lisloughrey Lodge, that we woke up to every morning.

Travel Thursday: Ireland

This summer, my extended family will be spending a wonderful week in the beautiful, bucolic setting of Ireland.  We spent a couple weeks visiting Ireland, England and Scotland over the holidays in 2002-2003 and it was an amazing experience.  Meg even rode the Hogwarts Express (or what the Hogwarts Express was modeled on).  This year, B will get to experience Dublin, Cork, Galway and anywhere else we stumble upon.

As you can see from these pictures, Ireland really is breathtaking to behold.