Race Daze

My parents came into town this past week to spoil Nora and to see my race on Sunday. It was so nice having them here. My mom said to me that this visit, she feels like Nora really knows who she is. It is true. Nora would ask for them first thing when she woke up and would have to kiss them goodnight before going to bed. She had so much fun with them and got used to having them around all the time. I have a feeling that the next few days without them here are going to be very long. :( Yesterday, in the grocery store, my dad unintentionally stepped out of Nora's sight and she started bellowing "Gee-pa!? Gee-PA?! GEE-PA!?" and was looking around trying to find him. That girl can yell when she wants!

Last Thursday Martha and I did the Stroke and Stride again. I was super pumped for it this time. The weather was intimidating but they did not cancel the race. Yikes! I really screwed up my timing for the race by forgetting to put my timing chip on for the swim and then leaving my number behind when starting the run. Doh! I felt super strong during the swim, too! I cut my run short and turned around when I met up with Martha (who was on her way back) so I didn't quite do a 5K. The timing for the whole race was screwed up because they had to pull people from the water and turn people around because of lightning strikes at the opposite end of the reservoir.
Waiting for the start, I know it looks like we're praying, but it was just a bit chilly. Maybe we should have been praying though.

The swim portion of the Stroke and Stride is 750m (1/2 mile). We had to swim around 2 buoys and then back to shore.

My dad ran the run portion of the race and did awesome. Not bad for being almost 5000 feet higher above sea level than he is used to! He took off when the first people came out of the water, so he was done by the time I showed up to the finish and he ran a few paces with me.
My mom did great keeping Nora safe and dry. Thank goodness for the hatchback, Nora was quite content having her picnic dinner and playing with Grandma.
The BIG one was Sunday. It was a great day, for the most part, even though it started a little too early for me (Martha and I were on the road by 4:30 a.m.) and it ended much later than anticipated. I covered 16 miles (.5 swim, 12.4 bike, 3.2 run) in 1:42, and boy was I even just glad to finish!!

Kim dropped off these thoughtful gifts for me on Saturday night. Thanks Kim!!
Martha gave me these cool stretchy laces for the race. Eliminates the need for tying!! Just slip 'em on and go! Murphey initially thought I was going against my OT grain by using these, because of how insistent I was on teaching children how to tie their shoes at work. I actually think these are a great little invention and great for the hemiplegic population! They even come in fun colors. Martha's are purple and sparkly!!
Since there were over 3000 participants in Sunday's race, the transition area can get a little hectic, so they recommend using balloons to mark where your stuff is so you can find it more quickly. I bought these mascots for Martha and myself.

It was super crowded and there really weren't great places for spectators, so the only pictures Murphey was able to get were of me finishing.

I'm excited to do another one of these. Martha and I came up with an idea to do an olympic distance tri with Kim as a relay. Can't wait!!!

After a long car ride home, and an even longer afternoon nap, we had dinner and then I had the brilliant idea to go on a walk with the dogs. Long story short, Nora persuaded my parents to each hold her hand and hoist her up in the air as we walked along. She absolutely loves this and walks along saying "jump! jump! jump!" I almost said something to them as I saw them do this with her (because I know exactly what can happen), but for whatever reason, I kept my mouth shut. Anyone ever heard of "nursemaid's elbow?" If you haven't, then please listen to this advice:

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, EVER PICK A CHILD UP OR SWING THEM BY THEIR HANDS OR FOREARMS!

Next thing I know, Nora is crying and holding her wrist saying "elbow ok? elbow ok?" Instantly I knew what was going on and we headed to the hospital. They gave her some motrin and we sat and waited... and waited... and waited... For the most part, she held her left arm against her body and used her right hand for everything. After a couple of hours she was pretty restless and would get up and walk around the waiting room and halls with us. She was walking with Murphey when she ended up pointing to something with her left arm and then she flung her arm out to the side several times and BAM, all was fine! I guess she got tired of the wait and decided to reduce the subluxation herself! Good thing she did, because I am VERY squeamish with bones and don't know how I would have handled her screaming as we held her down so the doctor could do what she did on her very own! The doctor quickly checked her out after she did this and we were sent on our way! She has been fine ever since.

So, we did not make it home until around 10:30 that evening. And of course, we HAD to watch Big Brother after bathing her to get all the ER germs off of her, so it was even LATER when we got to bed. Yawn! Makes me tired just thinking of it.