JUST GRAND

Madison Lynn Permenter

May 23rd our daughter, Rachael, became a mother and Karen and I became grandparents. So, being the proud grandpa that I am here are more than a few photos of the cutest granddaughter in the world. (photos by Karen)

Heeeeere's MADDIE!

Mom and daughter

Grandma and granddaughter

Auntie Rebecca and Maddie

Grandpa and granddaughter

My girls

LABOR OF LOVE

Water leaking, water gushing; 2 centimeters, 4 centimeters; dilation, balloon inflation; IV fluid, amniotic fluid:, stretching, tearing, new mom forbearing; contraction, distraction, uterine inaction; tears of pain, tears of joy; soon we'll say "it's a girl, not a boy." waiting, waiting our breath abating ... a gift of God, new life creating.

Our daughter Rachael is at the hospital in labor. I'll post more when our new granddaughter is born ...

GO FOR IT!

Three and a half weeks until Ironman 70.3 Hawaii - Honu.

"That's the way to run, up front until you die." One of the great high school cross country coaches, Joe Newton, said that a few years ago, and that's how I plan to race Honu. Well, I won't be up front but I'll be giving it my all, which I normally hold back a little so we'll see how long I can hang on for.

'YOUR DEVICE IS IN A BAD STATE'

"YOUR DEVICE IS IN A BAD STATE."

"I couldn't agree more," was my first thought as I read the message on my computer that had popped up when I plugged in my Garmin Forerunner watch after training today. That message pops up every so often when I don't quite get the watch plugged in all the way.

I don't know about my watch, but that is exactly how I am feeling physically and mentally. I'm in a bad state. I'm drained and with the race only a month away training is only going to get more intense over the next two weeks. Longer, harder, hotter and faster until my peak training day.

Today on my 10-mile run I felt like giving up. Just walking away. I seem to feel like that about a month out from a race. The pressure of the race and life, doubts about my training and just plain old lack of motivation wear me down and cause me to wonder if all the effort is worth it. After all, it's only a race and it's supposed to be fun, not work. The couch is calling these days louder than the road and it is taking everything I have to keep pounding the miles away.

I have a training plan and a race goal and somewhere between last year's race time and my race goal is reality. Somewhere between now and the starting gun that reality will shift either closer to my goal or closer to last year's time depending on the effort I make over these few short weeks.

As fatigue and the pressures of life mount over the coming weeks, my grit, endurance and will power will be put to the test. If I fail and give up, shortening my workouts and lessening my efforts, race day will be a sufferfest and I'll be lucky to match last year's time. If I endure for just a few more weeks, hang in there and complete my plan, race day will be, well, it'll still be a sufferfest, but a well-earned sufferfest with a whole different meaning.

As the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, "Great is the power of habit. It teaches us to bear fatigue and to despise wounds and pain." So my plan is to just hang in there and stick to my training plan and even though my Garmin watch is in "A Bad State," come race day, hopefully, my mind and body will be just where they should be.

PEAS IN A POD

Here are a few images from Sunday's Peaman race. Sunday's event was a guys-only race. Following the race was a pinata smash for the kids. Check out the video below. (If you are reading this on Facebook you'll have to go to my blog to see the video.)



Next Sunday (Mother's Day) will be a girls-only race, or if you are 19 or under and a boy you can also do the race.

One of the kids trying to break open the pinata.

Peaman giving directions before the swim.

Peaman as colorful as always.

Me talking to Rob before the swim.

At this Peaman you get shot at the finish apparently ...

In Hawaiian, "pau" - pronounced pow - means finished. Oops! where's the copy editor?

Peaman was kind enough to honor me with the "Perpetual Pea" award. So I get to keep the ancient healing stone until the next Peaman before it is passed onto someone else. Thank-you Peaman. Proudly displayed on our bookshelf.

After the race.