For those of you who follow Perez Hilton, The Baby Alex Foundation is his featured Cause of the Day at www.perezhilton.com. When you get to his website, just search for The Baby Alex Foundation, and you will find information on us! Thank you, Perez Hilton, for some very much needed and appreciated marketing.
The Baby Alex Foundation launched its newly designed website last week. We will email our donor newsletter tomorrow (on Alex's 3rd birthday), so if you haven't signed up for our newsletter yet, please visit the site and sign up. The newsletter is also posted on the site.
The Foundation is well into its fall fundraising drive, which includes a reception in NYC on November 11th. To donate, get more information on the fundraiser or how you might help us market the Foundation and raise money for our 2011 pediatric brain injury grants, please visit our website: www.babyalexfoundation.com.
Thank you, thank you Perez!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Karate
For reasons entirely of convenience, we signed Izzy up for karate, along with Alex, who is now taking his second session. The sign-up says the class is for children 2 1/2-5 years old. Izzy is only 20 months old. I did not have high expectations for her participation, but I thought she could at least watch, and that would be more beneficial than trying to find a babysitter for her for the class or forcing her into the child care across the hall. To my great surprise and relief, she jumped right in and loves it. She needs me to stand next to her, and to run with her through the obstacle course, but that is only to provide moral support.
And Alex...he has completely come out of his shell. He was timid and shy during the spring session, but is now the first one to raise his hand for anything. He is completely focused on the instructor and the tasks at hand and no longer needs me to help him through the obstacle course. What impresses me the most is how his balance is improving. He was barely able to raise either of his feet off the ground to kick during the first session, but now can raise both of them equally well. This is partly due to his age, I'm sure, but also due to the fact that he has been practicing for his karate class. He is also challenged to kick higher and balance longer in class than he would have been at home.
Before we read about the benefits of karate to children with neurological issues, it never crossed my mind to practice punches, sticky palms, blocks and kicks to front, side and back. These movements really help Alex's balance. He is also learning when it is okay to punch and kick (in class, in self-defense) and when it isn't (at your sister or the dog). It helps to have a children-savvy instructor. Alex's instructor is excellent. He allows the children to be children to a point, and then reigns them in and asks them to focus so they may perform. He compliments them on their natural abilities and occasionally shows off his skills, which are impressive and demand respect.
And Alex...he has completely come out of his shell. He was timid and shy during the spring session, but is now the first one to raise his hand for anything. He is completely focused on the instructor and the tasks at hand and no longer needs me to help him through the obstacle course. What impresses me the most is how his balance is improving. He was barely able to raise either of his feet off the ground to kick during the first session, but now can raise both of them equally well. This is partly due to his age, I'm sure, but also due to the fact that he has been practicing for his karate class. He is also challenged to kick higher and balance longer in class than he would have been at home.
Before we read about the benefits of karate to children with neurological issues, it never crossed my mind to practice punches, sticky palms, blocks and kicks to front, side and back. These movements really help Alex's balance. He is also learning when it is okay to punch and kick (in class, in self-defense) and when it isn't (at your sister or the dog). It helps to have a children-savvy instructor. Alex's instructor is excellent. He allows the children to be children to a point, and then reigns them in and asks them to focus so they may perform. He compliments them on their natural abilities and occasionally shows off his skills, which are impressive and demand respect.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Pacticing Finishes
Although I have thought and talked about goals I achieved while training for this latest Ironman, I didn't think about how my racing might affect the kids, except to worry over whether I was spending enough time with them and giving them enough energy when I was exhausted. I didn't really see other positive effects of my racing until we got home from Louisville.
I was standing in the kitchen contemplating my missed spot in Kona, wondering if I should enter IM Florida a few weeks away to give my race another shot, while Alex and Izzy were playing around me. Then Alex said, "Mommy, hey Mommy, watch me. I'm crossing the finish line." He then ran around the kitchen island with Izzy trailing behind and he threw up his hands as he crashed into the couch yelling, "Go, Alex. Way to go, Alex. You finished!! Yay!!!" He jumped up and down and waved his hands. "I finished my race, Mommy, did you see?"
I read in the NY Times this week that child obesity is on the rise in NYC, despite efforts to lower it. I have no idea the percentage of unhealthy children who have unhealthy parents, but I would bet it was pretty high. If Alex and Izzy are active because their parents are active, then we aren't only doing something for ourselves by being athletes, we are influencing the long-term health of our children.
I was standing in the kitchen contemplating my missed spot in Kona, wondering if I should enter IM Florida a few weeks away to give my race another shot, while Alex and Izzy were playing around me. Then Alex said, "Mommy, hey Mommy, watch me. I'm crossing the finish line." He then ran around the kitchen island with Izzy trailing behind and he threw up his hands as he crashed into the couch yelling, "Go, Alex. Way to go, Alex. You finished!! Yay!!!" He jumped up and down and waved his hands. "I finished my race, Mommy, did you see?"
I read in the NY Times this week that child obesity is on the rise in NYC, despite efforts to lower it. I have no idea the percentage of unhealthy children who have unhealthy parents, but I would bet it was pretty high. If Alex and Izzy are active because their parents are active, then we aren't only doing something for ourselves by being athletes, we are influencing the long-term health of our children.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
On Sleep
Sleep seems to be the cure for much suffering. It heals the body and mind, physiologically and chemically. It can also be a marker as to how much you are stressing your mind and body. If you need more sleep, you are working harder than your previous normal.
Over a week now after the Ironman, and I hardly need to sleep at all. For 4-5 days, all I could think of was sleeping, but once my body recovered, it became an energized shell of my former self. Training has pushed me into another zone of productivity, and now that I am not training with the same intensity, I am able to be more productive in my office, with my kids, in my writing, etc, on less sleep. I am back to my old routine, up at 4:30am, in my office to write until the kids wake up, then working on The Baby Alex Foundation during nap times (I used to nap with them when I was training), and then again in the evenings I back in the office to work or read after the kids have gone to bed. I am still training, gearing up for a 50K in October and a 50 miler next March, but neither of them takes the same effort as a multisport event done well.
I learn much about sleep from watching my children. On Mondays, they nap for a good 3 hours. They are exhausted from new weekend experiences, playing with friends, staying up a little too late. And when they are sick, my children nap and nap and nap. And they recover, quickly usually, unlike I did when I was training and not getting enough sleep. Night time is a bad time to teach them something new--they need a good sleep to process the days' experiences and before they can learn something new.
The one element most new long distance athletes forget to factor into their life is sleep. They can plan their day around work and training, but they forget to plan sleep into their schedule. Often, it just isn't possible, especially if there are children involved. But somehow, the body manages to adapt. I know that my health high will wear off over time and I will be back to needing 8 hours of sleep a night and not being as productive as I want to be during the day. I'll know then it's time to train for another Ironman.
Over a week now after the Ironman, and I hardly need to sleep at all. For 4-5 days, all I could think of was sleeping, but once my body recovered, it became an energized shell of my former self. Training has pushed me into another zone of productivity, and now that I am not training with the same intensity, I am able to be more productive in my office, with my kids, in my writing, etc, on less sleep. I am back to my old routine, up at 4:30am, in my office to write until the kids wake up, then working on The Baby Alex Foundation during nap times (I used to nap with them when I was training), and then again in the evenings I back in the office to work or read after the kids have gone to bed. I am still training, gearing up for a 50K in October and a 50 miler next March, but neither of them takes the same effort as a multisport event done well.
I learn much about sleep from watching my children. On Mondays, they nap for a good 3 hours. They are exhausted from new weekend experiences, playing with friends, staying up a little too late. And when they are sick, my children nap and nap and nap. And they recover, quickly usually, unlike I did when I was training and not getting enough sleep. Night time is a bad time to teach them something new--they need a good sleep to process the days' experiences and before they can learn something new.
The one element most new long distance athletes forget to factor into their life is sleep. They can plan their day around work and training, but they forget to plan sleep into their schedule. Often, it just isn't possible, especially if there are children involved. But somehow, the body manages to adapt. I know that my health high will wear off over time and I will be back to needing 8 hours of sleep a night and not being as productive as I want to be during the day. I'll know then it's time to train for another Ironman.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Day After...
Today is actually the day after the day after, because we spent the entire day after the race in the car driving back from Louisville. This morning, I woke up more stiff and tired than yesterday, ready to get into the pool to stretch and do a short workout.
I finished 19th in my age group, not fast enough to qualify for Kona. I lost the race on the run, which was brutal. Temps in the mid 90's, high humidity, the times were very slow on this race for everyone. I knew things were really tough when several of the pros walked past me, on what I thought was their second loop of the run, but which turned out to be their first loop. I have never seen so many people walk in a race before, even one this long. Still, I trained all summer in the heat of the day and was very disappointed in my legs for giving out. I walked through the aid stations, but ran the whole race, hoping to find some hidden strength that just wasn't there. It was an awesome race, despite the disappointments, and I accomplished many goals along the way. And now I am ready for 2011!
Ultra distance races are so amazing on so many levels, one of them being that no matter your performance, you can't help but smile and feel so proud and honored to be crossing the finish line, fortunate to have a body that will physically take you to the end. The day before the race, we took Alex on a trolley ride around the city, which was a thrill for him. We discovered the trolley the previous evening when we hopped on it to get to dinner. That evening there was another rider, like Alex, who just wanted to ride for the fun of seeing new sights, the thrill of the hum of the engine and to hear the bell go ding-ding. He was a young kid, in a wheel chair, with severe brain damage, obviously unable to walk or function on his own. He was with his two caretakers. My heart hurt, for the little boy, for all children with CP and for the parents who do their best to care for them. It also reminded me that no matter what, I needed to have a safe race. Alex could care less if Mommy qualified for Kona. He just wanted his mom to snuggle safe and sound in his bed when it was all over.
The crowds and the volunteers are amazing at these races. They are so dedicated to the racers, giving their energy all day to helping the athletes find the courage to keep going, even when mind and body say stop. Louisville was particularly friendly and volunteers traveled across the country to help out. Thank you, thank you volunteers! You have inspired me to do something good for someone today.
Alex and Izzy had a blast on this latest adventure. They logged miles in the hotel hallways, swam in the pool, waddled around the city of horses with great enthusiasm. They seem to have grown up a little bit over the weekend. And Erik, such a trooper to help drive, care for the kids, support my training for 9 months, and be there to hug my disappointment away at the finish line...he realizes it is a lot more fun to be the athlete than the spectator, and he is already signed up for Ironman Canada in 2011. Thank you Erik and I look forward to being on the other side of the finish line.
I finished 19th in my age group, not fast enough to qualify for Kona. I lost the race on the run, which was brutal. Temps in the mid 90's, high humidity, the times were very slow on this race for everyone. I knew things were really tough when several of the pros walked past me, on what I thought was their second loop of the run, but which turned out to be their first loop. I have never seen so many people walk in a race before, even one this long. Still, I trained all summer in the heat of the day and was very disappointed in my legs for giving out. I walked through the aid stations, but ran the whole race, hoping to find some hidden strength that just wasn't there. It was an awesome race, despite the disappointments, and I accomplished many goals along the way. And now I am ready for 2011!
Ultra distance races are so amazing on so many levels, one of them being that no matter your performance, you can't help but smile and feel so proud and honored to be crossing the finish line, fortunate to have a body that will physically take you to the end. The day before the race, we took Alex on a trolley ride around the city, which was a thrill for him. We discovered the trolley the previous evening when we hopped on it to get to dinner. That evening there was another rider, like Alex, who just wanted to ride for the fun of seeing new sights, the thrill of the hum of the engine and to hear the bell go ding-ding. He was a young kid, in a wheel chair, with severe brain damage, obviously unable to walk or function on his own. He was with his two caretakers. My heart hurt, for the little boy, for all children with CP and for the parents who do their best to care for them. It also reminded me that no matter what, I needed to have a safe race. Alex could care less if Mommy qualified for Kona. He just wanted his mom to snuggle safe and sound in his bed when it was all over.
The crowds and the volunteers are amazing at these races. They are so dedicated to the racers, giving their energy all day to helping the athletes find the courage to keep going, even when mind and body say stop. Louisville was particularly friendly and volunteers traveled across the country to help out. Thank you, thank you volunteers! You have inspired me to do something good for someone today.
Alex and Izzy had a blast on this latest adventure. They logged miles in the hotel hallways, swam in the pool, waddled around the city of horses with great enthusiasm. They seem to have grown up a little bit over the weekend. And Erik, such a trooper to help drive, care for the kids, support my training for 9 months, and be there to hug my disappointment away at the finish line...he realizes it is a lot more fun to be the athlete than the spectator, and he is already signed up for Ironman Canada in 2011. Thank you Erik and I look forward to being on the other side of the finish line.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
15 Hours to Race Morning...
We arrived, after 13 hours of driving and a trip to Hersey World. Bike is checked, so are bike and run bags. I swam the course this morning with all 3000 of the other atheltes in the race this weekend. The Ohio River is a great place to swim, tastes like mud, but a nice 85 degrees for those who like it hot!
Weather looks to be in the mid 90's on race day, but the humidity is much less than it was 5 weeks ago when I trained on the course. Should be a beautiful day for the race. My general observation is that Ironman athletes are in better shape than they used to be 4 years ago when I did Florida. As the sport heats up, the competition is tougher and everyone is in better shape.
Louisville is lots of fun for the kids: free trolley rides up and down 4th Street, a great pool at the hotel to swim, tons of running space along the river.
I'm exhausted. My Ironman will be done when I finally line up to enter the water on race morning. Sunday should be a lovely day of doing what I love to do, without anyone calling my name ("Mommy") to tell me their poopy diapers need changing. There should be a separate race for Mommy's!!!!!
Weather looks to be in the mid 90's on race day, but the humidity is much less than it was 5 weeks ago when I trained on the course. Should be a beautiful day for the race. My general observation is that Ironman athletes are in better shape than they used to be 4 years ago when I did Florida. As the sport heats up, the competition is tougher and everyone is in better shape.
Louisville is lots of fun for the kids: free trolley rides up and down 4th Street, a great pool at the hotel to swim, tons of running space along the river.
I'm exhausted. My Ironman will be done when I finally line up to enter the water on race morning. Sunday should be a lovely day of doing what I love to do, without anyone calling my name ("Mommy") to tell me their poopy diapers need changing. There should be a separate race for Mommy's!!!!!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Countdown
So, with exactly 6 days until the race, the countdown has begun. Six days from now at this time in the morning, I will be marked with black ink on my arm and leg, and will be watching with amazement as the pros start their powerful swim. The Ohio River is immense and intimidating, with a strong current and murky, dirty water, and watching the pros clobber it as though it were a monster sneaking out of the closet gives us mortals confidence that we can stand our own.
Alex, whose maturity level at times seems to match my own, is beside himself with excitement about the upcoming adventure to Louisville. He understand we are taking a major trip, that Mommy is going to be racing a triathlon (and that he wants to race too!), and that we will be making stops at some exciting places. We are stopping at Hersey Park, at a hotdog stand featured in Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network, at a horse breeding park in Lexington, and staying always in hotels with pools. Izzy, who understand less about the actual details of the adventure, nevertheless does not want to be excluded, and when we talk about it, she heads to the door to put on her Crocks, ready to go. "Ready," she says. "Not yet", I say. "We still have a couple more days." "Ready," she repeats, feeling as I do, that we might as well get this show on the road.
Short run and swim yesterday, short spin and run today, short run and swim tomorrow. The legs have completely stopped aching, my body is no longer tired, and yet, I think to myself, am I really ready, can I really cover 140 miles in a few days, shouldn't I keep training for a few more months or maybe just get in one last 15 miler or 80 mile ride, just to be sure?
One of the major lessons I have learned through long distance racing is to trust my body. Your body will perform as you have trained it, and often slightly better. If you can shut off the logical side of the brain, which tells you that long distance events are crazy, that you need to rest in case you get chased by a lion tomorrow or run out of food this winter, and race on pure emotion, you not only race well, but you also find yourself at complete peace with yourself.
Alex, whose maturity level at times seems to match my own, is beside himself with excitement about the upcoming adventure to Louisville. He understand we are taking a major trip, that Mommy is going to be racing a triathlon (and that he wants to race too!), and that we will be making stops at some exciting places. We are stopping at Hersey Park, at a hotdog stand featured in Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network, at a horse breeding park in Lexington, and staying always in hotels with pools. Izzy, who understand less about the actual details of the adventure, nevertheless does not want to be excluded, and when we talk about it, she heads to the door to put on her Crocks, ready to go. "Ready," she says. "Not yet", I say. "We still have a couple more days." "Ready," she repeats, feeling as I do, that we might as well get this show on the road.
Short run and swim yesterday, short spin and run today, short run and swim tomorrow. The legs have completely stopped aching, my body is no longer tired, and yet, I think to myself, am I really ready, can I really cover 140 miles in a few days, shouldn't I keep training for a few more months or maybe just get in one last 15 miler or 80 mile ride, just to be sure?
One of the major lessons I have learned through long distance racing is to trust my body. Your body will perform as you have trained it, and often slightly better. If you can shut off the logical side of the brain, which tells you that long distance events are crazy, that you need to rest in case you get chased by a lion tomorrow or run out of food this winter, and race on pure emotion, you not only race well, but you also find yourself at complete peace with yourself.
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