Night at the Rockies and a family bike ride.

Jackson and Josh were invited to walk the field before the Rockies baseball game. They had fun and really enjoyed the first hour of the game and then it was time to do other things. Jackson decided that knocking a loose tooth out on the field was the right thing to do. We had a great time eating Ice cream and dip-n-dots.(it even helped his gums feel better) It was almost 10pm by the time we got home and the boys were very tired. They were able to get baseballs at the game and now have them in their rooms with the game tickets. Take me out to the ball game!!!

Here are a few shots of the family bike ride this weekend. Anne is getting use to her new road bike, Josh is getting better at climbing and riding over 5 miles at a time. Lexi loves to sit in the Burley and just be able to talk non stop for as long as she wants. We are having a great time this summer and really enjoying the trails around our home. Jackson and Josh's Triathlon is in a few weeks so we are going out on training rides a few times a week. Anne has her 1st in August and is having fun with the new bike.

I love the summer time, the days were you wake up in a good mood and the kids are having a good morning. I love those days where you have fun doing thinks that cost little money and you spend time with one another. I love those days were your batteries seem to charge at a faster speed and you feel that you really can take on the world (or at least work on Monday). I love the days were you just feel good, I love those summer days and wish they would never end. I am so glad that the family is having a good time riding bikes. Anne and I were able to Ride at Chatfield again on Saturday night and then off to Susi Den. What a great date.

I love you Anne,

T

Lexi on a good day

Here is a great picture that Liz sent us and I had to post. I love my little girl.....

Boulder Peak Weekend

This last weekend was a very fun weekend for me. Anne and I went on our first bike ride together on Friday night at Chatfield Res and had a great time. This was her first time clipping in and riding. We went 15 miles and she was a rock star.

Saturday morning the family went back to Chatfield to the swim pond and we witnessed Anne making it to the island and back for the first time. The kids had a blast playing in the water and as everyone of our Friends finished their swims they each played with the kids for a bit. The kids really enjoyed the pond and look forward to when they can go again.

Saturday night I made my way up to Boulder to the Beck home where Chelsea invited me to spend the night. I did have a reservation at the Holiday Inn but they seemed to book it for the weekend before. The Becks have a really great home overlooking the Boulder valley and after packet pick-up we had tomatoes, fresh basil from her garden and mozzarella with vinegar. What a view and night. We then joined the peeps for dinner, it was a blast and I had a good time and an early night.

RACE RECAP:

I could not sleep past 4am so I decided to get up and was the second car in line for the opening at Boulder Res. I racked my bike in the most ideal spot and was back to the car for rest time. The first was off 15 minutes late and it was hot by the time I started to put on my wetsuit. I was able to see Anne and the kids before I went off and had a huge surge of enthusiasm.

Swim: I was right at the start and was able to avoid much of the swim start tango and was off to a good pace. This race I wanted to push a littler harder than I have the previous races and settled into a good strong pace. I passed the last boey and was headed for the swim exit in record time. I ended up coming out of the water and into T1 in 24:25 the fastest swim time yet for me. I was out of T1 in 33 seconds and off to ride. I felt OK on the bike, the climb on Old Stage was harder then it felt like it should have been. Again, I made the decision to push a little harder on the bike than I normally do on race day. I saw people falling off their bikes and stopping on Old Stage and so I was having to go in and out of traffic. Nelson road was fast and fun, I was able to catch a few of my age group guys that were eager on the first half of the bike. I came into T2 ready to do my best on the run even though it was hot and I was feeling a little "less than". I was able to hear the kids and Anne yelling so I went to the side were they were after getting my shoes on and race belt gave them a high five and was off for my 10k run. It was such a lift hearing them scream and helped me focus and head out on the run. I finished the bike in 1:15:14 which was 20.8 mph and a T2 time of :50. I was able to climb out of the res and was able to get settled down into a good pace, traffic on the race course was a bit bothersome and I had to adjust my pace to pass people but all in all I was feeling good on the first half. At the turn a round I decided to hold the current pace, it was blazing hot and I was afraid that I would run out of gas well before I hit the finish line if I tried to speed up. At mile 5 I had the 5th runner in my age group pass me at a really good pace, I tried to jump on and did for a 1/2 mile and then let him go. I settle back down and made the last climb to the finish and was able to run through the shoot with my two boys in hand. I felt like I did the best I could have. I made a few errors with the swim speed and bike pace but was thrilled at the end of the day. I really felt like I had a really good "ok" run. I look forward to Nationals in September and I will focus on getting fast. I will post a bunch of pic in the next few days of the weekend. Here is a shot of the family at the end of the race. Thanks for coming up Anne, I love you.

T

Anne's first Deep water swim

Anne had her bike fit today and was very excited to get things set right so we can ride on Friday night for Date night. She was asked by Steve to go into the front room to turn off the treadmill while he was working on her cleats. Next he heard her scream because the treadmill was off but on it was her new Desoto T1 Wetsuit. She was sooo excited that she tried it on and walked around the house until she got too hot that it had to come off. She finished the bike fit and was off to get ready for the pond. Because if you got a new suite you have to try it out ASAP.

We grabbed swimsuits, kids, life jackets, and a few other items, tossed them in the car and we were off. She put it on and she looked totally hot!!!! Booo YAAAA my wife oh ya.....Headed for the water and was in faster than I have ever seen her in the 10 years of marriage. The kids were all dressed up in wetsuits, life jackets and watching Mom get in the pond. Anne had the biggest smile and her confidence was rising by the moment. She put her goggles on and headed off to swim the shoreline. 100 yards later she stopped and headed back. She then took off towards the island 300 yds away and looked great. She made it most of the way and then headed back. The kids were having a blast playing on the shoreline and watching Mom do things she has never before done. We are soooooo proud of you Anne you are our ROCK STAR....

Saturday she is going all the way to the island and I will post photos of the crew at the pond.

Did I say it's RACE WEEK and Anne has a new wetsuit and a bike that fits.

Friday night date is a ride around Chatfield and Dinner. I am Lovin it.

Love you Anne,

T

Race week, PR and Jackson the funnest of all

This is race week, Yea. Boulder Peak was my best run race of last year and the time has come again to give it a shot. I have put many training hours in and some really good races and I feel like I will do really well. I am feeling strong, healthy and race smart. I look forward to race week, the build of excitement for a chance to be a kid again. This race even has a speed zone on the downhill can you say BOOOO YAAAAA. Nelson road is after the climb and the fastest road I have been on and I am really ready to go after it. I feel that I can be a little stronger in the swim and run and still preform on the run so we will just have to see. Can I say I love race week one more time, a-----ya-----I think so. So many things to talk about and I am wanting to keep the post small so here is what is on my mind and what is really cool for this week.

1. Track: I did a P.R. on the mile on a track and came in at 6:12.30. I planned and executed and preformed better than I wanted to. I was shooting for a sub 6:30.
2. Anne's bike shoes came in and she has a bike fit tomorrow with Steve.
3. Anne and I are going in a bike ride date on Friday night. OH YA
4. Jackson stayed at track and ran with me in the end and is getting really strong.
5. Jackson and Josh both have Baseball games this week.
6. We went to dinner tonight and Jackson was a rock star and had a good time with all 16 of us.
7. Can I say I love Practical Coaching!!!!
8. Work is going really well and I like what is going on of late.
9. I love my wife.
10. Race Week, sorry it slipped.
11. Anne will get her wetsuit this week and will swim at the pond this Saturday for the first time swimming deep water and over 300 yards.
12. Anne and I will sign up for our first race together.
13. Race WeeK
14. Love my wife, and Kids. Jackson was a rock star tonight with the adults.

OK you can see that I am feeling pretty high right now and will hopefully come down some time Sunday evening. IT'S RACE WEEK

GO BOULDER PEAK!!!!!! Good Luck everyone.

I love my life, wife and kids.

BOO YAAAA

Love you Anne,

T

4th of July weekend

We have had a wonderful, exciting and fun filled 4th of July weekend. It started with Jackson making the decision to cut his hair. He wanted to see if he could donate it and found out that it has to be at least 10 inches long and so he could not. He just wanted to get it cut so here is the Hair today Gone tomorrow pics.

The 4th of July started at 4:30 am for me with the decision to go to Masters at DU with Sonja. We had a really fun workout because the pool at DU is a 50m pool and I do not get to swim that length very often. We swam in the same lane and ended up the workout with fast 50's. She beat me 3-1 and the 4th was off to a really good start. I was able to get home in time to make breakfast and get the house ready for the Highlands Ranch parade. Josh and Jackson both were really excited for the candy that was tossed off the floats. The weather was really hot and after 1 hour we were cooked and the parade was finished and we had 2 bags and 1 purse full of candy. After a few quick stops and a really fun stop at Albertson's we were ready for the BBQ. Mom and Lexi stayed home and Jackson and Josh came with me to get fireworks and propane. We had fun picking out the bag of fireworks and both boys were really excited to find out that they would be lighting them off. We went swimming and then home for the night.

Kristin, Paul and kids came over and we had a great BBQ. We had fun just playing at home and relaxing. Around 8pm we started to light our fireworks show.

Everyone had a really good time. Lexi and Dad went to bed and Jackson, Josh and Mom went down the street to a neighbors house and watched them light off Wyoming style fireworks until late in the night. I was trying to get ready for a ride to Mt Evans the next day so I put in earplugs and went to sleep.

Paul came with me riding on Saturday and we joined about 12 others for our Annual Mt Evans climb. We start in Evergreen at 7800 ft elevation and climb all the way up to 14300 ft, 32.5 miles later. We started out together and then broke into groups. 3:45 minutes later I made it to the top, dehydrated with elevation sickness. I jumped into the van and enjoyed a nice casual ride back down the mountain. The day did not go as planned but it was fun none the less. I came home and had a good meal and relaxed with the family. I went to bed at 10pm last night and Anne let me sleep in until 8am. Booo Yaaa, I feel good. We had a great breakfast and now are going out for the day. Anne is swimming, kids in Kids Club and I will try to run 8 miles on these tired legs. We are going to Putt Putt this afternoon and do a little shopping to cap the weekend off. What a great time, I love my family, love spending time with them and just hanging out. Lexi is a doll, Josh never out of energy and Jackson is finding his way as the big brother. They are all doing such a great job and I am so proud of them. I love my wife more every day and I have to say life is good right now. Tell next time,

I love you Anne,

T