Wild About the CATS!!!

Today was a big day for those of us who are University of Arizona Wildcat basketball fans; we made it to the Sweet 16!!!!! Tip off was at 4:45pm....so we knew we needed to rock a SUPER EARLY morning workout. My hubby has to leave for work by 5:30am...YEP! That is right! We got up at 4:00am to get Insanity done today! INSANE!!!! I also needed to get my short run (25min) in today. So I ran right after our workout, so that I would be done in time for him to leave for work. It made for a very productive morning!!!! 

Work was steady this morning in the hospital and very busy in clinic this afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't get home until there were only 10mins left in the second half....we clawed to the end, but we lost. Regardless, I am very proud of our Cats for making to the Sweet 16!!! Bear Down! Now, the boys are in bed. I did some prep for tomorrow and I am exhausted, it is only 8:30pm. But tomorrow we have another early morning workout, so Good Night and Sweet Dreams.....

Center of the week has me feeling centered!

Started the day with a great swim at the YMCA! (Dreaming of open water....someday) It always feels so good to get into the warm water when there is still a slight chill in the air. It is even nicer when you get to watch the sunrise as you swim. I did my base endurance test today, a timed 500meters. It took me 15mins. After that, I did some kick board and buoy dills and then cooled it down. It was about a 40min workout. Swimming alone always feels like a form of mediation for me. I focus on my breathing and not much else but the small things that bring me joy, like the warm water and the sunrise. It is a very calming and centering activity for me.

Colin was off today, so he was all over the boy's morning routine. He made me breakfast and I was out the door to work by 0730. I love mornings like this!!! Work today was good. Nothing too crazy. I was done by 5pm!!! That is always a treat!

As soon as I got home we did day three of Insanity. It was a great workout! I have a lot of "room to grow", very challenging!!! But FUN!!! Then it was a normal evening of homework, dinner, and baths in the Keating house.

Short and sweet! I love how great I am feeling! I also love how well I am sleeping, LIKE A ROCK! I am sore, but it is a "good hurt". Looking forward to tomorrow!

Life back in balance...

Today I went back to work after having the last week off for my sons' spring break. This is the first year I have ever taken it off when we don't have any trips planned. It was such a great week. It was filled w/ lots of spring cleaning, organizing, projects, lots of quality time with the boys, time with friends and family, and ended with a trip quick to the Grand Canyon! With all that said, I was happy to be going back to work today. Words can not begin to express the pure joy that being a nurse, especially a cardiology nurse practitioner, gives me. I work with an amazing interventional cardiologist. We have a wonderful relationship, which I treasure. So, as I said, I was happy to go back!

My husband was nice enough to get up early this morning to get our Insanity workout in before I went to work. (He was off today.) He knows that I prefer to workout first thing in the morning, we both tend to find too many excuses not to do it if we don't do it early. Day 2 of insanity was challenging, but not nearly as bad as I was dreading! But I will admit, I am SORE tonight! We all know that tomorrow will be worse after yesterday's workout....The good news is that I did get some recovery time tonight because today is my day off from Tri-training. 

Colin made me breakfast before I left, so I was set! But what I realized while I was driving to work is that I didn't plan my snacks or meals this week. Normally, I would bring some healthy snacks (fruit, almonds, yogurt) or even pack a lunch...but I totally spaced it and I walked out the door without my water bottle! Bummer! This seriously impacted my water intake today. So, my number one rule of being a working triathlete mother was broken; ALWAYS PLAN AHEAD-ORGANIZATION IS KEY!!!! Gerrrrrrrrr....

Today proved to be a wonderful example of why I love my career so much! My first consult this morning was on a gentleman with a previous cardiac history that came in with chest pain. I recommended a cardiac cath, long story short he got it late this afternoon. He had an old bypass graft that had acutely clotted. Here is the text of the pictures from my doc! We call this cardiac porn! 

Interestingly, my dear friend and Momma idol posted an interesting blog from a Momma she follows about the decision to be a working or "stay at home" mom. http://www.harvardhomemaker.com/don-t-be-a-hater-support-your-fellow-women/ I always find this argument fascinating. Quite frankly, I don't think it should be an argument at all. We are all individuals who need different things to fulfill us. I know that I personally could never be a "stay at home mom"; I need the interaction, stimulation, and gratification that being a NP gives me. Does this mean that my boys suffer? In some ways I am sure that they do. But life is all about give and take right? It is not a "one size fits all" kinda world. I do know that being passionate about this argument one way or the other which results in hurt feelings is not appropriate, EVER! I don't know if there is such a thing as "balance", but I sure like to believe that I am doing the best with what God gives me everyday! 

And the insanity begins...

Up early this morning and charged up for the challenge! Boys got up simultaneously...and said they were going to do Insanity w/ us. As I pulled out a pen & paper to log our numbers our 3 year old (B) pulled out his coloring tools and went to town. J acted like he was working out w/ us, but attempted one or two reps and stopped. The Fit Test was super hard!!! Colin & I both nearly puked!!! But it is done!!!  J suggested we weigh ourselves after to see how much we lost!! Wish we saw progress that fast!!!!

 And on that note...honestly my picture, measurements, and weight gave me the frustration and motivation I will need to "Dig Deep" over the next 60 days!!! But I will try to remember...
Many of you wives & Mommas know that training is always more fun with your hubby, but it is hard to do with two lil kids. So this is how we do it; I called my Mom & asked her to take the boys from 4pm-6pm, thankfully she said YES! We dropped our SUV off at the pool w/ bike rack & gear. Then we dropped the boys off. We came home & jumped on the bikes!!! My parents were nice enough to drop our boys to us at the pool. BAM! Couldn't do it without them!! 

The 20mile ride was fantastic!!! We were also joined by my cousin (Ray) and his daughter (Brittany). It was such a beautiful ride!! 

We were running late to the pool, I dropped my gear (thanks to my amazing hubby) & jumped in the pool with 2 of my Desert Tri Girls (DTGs)!! Put in a 25min swim...cut short due to some cramping. (A reminder to hydrate more...)

While I was swimming, my hubby kept B entertained at the splash pad. J is a great swimmer, he has been on competitive swim team since he was 4, so he did laps w/ us!!! When I was done, my hubby jumped in & did his lap time! It was a total family event!!! Did we come home late? Yes! But we all showered, ate dinner (which I premade) and the boys were in bed by 8:30pm. I call that success!!! 

And my reality of Day One is that I could NOT do this without my AMAZING support system!!! (Thank you Sharon Silvas, for this post today!)

On a special Momma Note...

By happenstance, J and I started a journal together tonight (Thanks to Pinterest!! http://www.mamajennblogs.com/2010/11/mama-me-journal.html?m=1 ) It's been in the works for some time, but today I put it on his pillow! He was so excited! Which filled my heart w/ pure joy!!! I can't wait to see what this lil book gives us!!! 

It was the perfect ending to an incredible day!!! 

Foreplay....NOT!!!

Sorry...no pictures for this one!!!

So...part of our Insanity Kick-Off is to do pictures, weights & measurements...

We did them together. Naked. In our bedroom. My first comment was, "Is this supposed to be the Insanity version of foreplay?!?!" After they were done, I felt less than sexy, but luckily my hubby loves me unconditionally! Cuz these pictures and measurements are not pretty!!! And it's never honorable to be able to out weigh or out measure your husband. But the reality is this is the story of my life...and again, thankfully he loves me unconditionally! And hopefully these results will make the real foreplay that much more fun!! Wowzers!!!! 

Tomorrow is a new day....

Tomorrow is a new day unlike any other...tomorrow I may bite off more than I can chew or start the greatest journey of my life...time will tell. 

Two big goals; 1) Insanity 60 Day Challenge w/ my hubby (http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do) and 2) 20 Week Olympic Tri 2x-Balanced training (http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=40)!! My goal is to do the Mountain Man Olympic Tri in August!!! (http://www.mountainmanevents.com/mountainman1.htm)

And my newest goal...to share this experience with you along the way. A dear friend and coach of mine, Kristen Lodge, is my inspiration for all things Tri. She also suggested that I may have a little something to share about this journey (She is a writer too). So here it goes! 

For those of you who know me, which I am sure will be the majority...you can stop reading now. But for those of you who don't, here is a little about me and why Kristen thought this journey maybe fun to document...I pray it serves as inspiration...

I am a Mom of two amazing lil boys, J (8) and B (3). My husband and I have been married for 15 years. We are childhood sweethearts, we've been together for 21yrs! I am 34, turing 35 in September. I also work full time as a NP in a cardiology practice, which I love. I am very dedicated to work which makes this whole balance that much more difficult. One MAJOR blessing in my life is that I live/work/play in the community I grew up in, so I have a lot of support!!! My Mom watches our boys while we work, so that is another major advantage. 

I have been Tri training for the last year. I did my first sprint Tri a year ago with my cousin (Michelle) and one of my very best friends (Elyse Hammett). A huge source of support comes from a small local group of friends called the Desert Tri Girls (DTGs). These women have become my rock and motivation when it comes to goal setting and training. I call myself the best faker! These women can out run me, out bike me and out swim me any day!!! But I am faking it until I make it! I completed 4 sprint Tris last year along w/ doing El Tour de Tucson (60 miles) for the first time in November 2012. This was w/ the only women's cycling group in Tucson, Team Soul (http://teamsoulcycling.weebly.com/), very humbling and an honor. Finally, last month I checked Ragnar Del Sol (http://www.ragnarrelay.com) off my bucket list with the most amazing group of women I have ever met, Rock'N Ragnar Girlz!! It was one of the best experiences of my life!!!! I can't wait to do it again. 

In the coming 20 weeks, my goal is to share this journey with you. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It will be personal and hard....but I will do my best to share my struggles and victories w/ you!!!