Climbing

Carter has really taken an interest in climbing lately. Thomas found a climbing gym with lots of great stuff, including this climbing treadmill. We're curious to see how long his interest in climbing holds...

Too Much Ninja Warrior

I'm thinking we may have watched too much American Ninja Warrior at our house this summer...

Trust me when I say that this is the very least of it.
(just the only thing I have photographed)

Tour DeCatur 2012

Thomas and Carter ran in the Tour DeCatur today. They did a 1 mile fun run together and then Thomas did the 5K. Carter did a GREAT job on the mile! He ran the whole way, and they clocked in at 10:28. Pretty impressive for less-than-6-years-old. He now wants to run the 5K next year. I told him if he runs a couple more 1 milers, we'll do it!

Exercise

I can't recall the exact context of this moment from a few weeks ago, but Carter announced he wanted to do his exercises. He then proceeded to do pushup (singluar) and jumping jacks (plural).

Warrior Dash!

This past weekend, I ran the Warrior Dash with Park and Ashley, and it was quite the event. It is basically a 5k race...with obstacles. It takes place over 2 days, with race waves starting every half hour, with over a hundred people per wave. Lots of people in costume, lots of beer, lots of general merriment. My wave was at 3:30 in afternoon, so we had a chance to watch and absorb before we took to the...street, lake, mud, trails, barbed wire, walls, and fire.

Well, I've had some pretty crazy days, but this was certainly fun!

Eli and a reluctant Carter before the race.

Carter feeling better after getting the official warrior hat and shedding his shirt to look more like lots of other people.

Before the race, looking serene, thinking "this will be interesting, I believe...."

Off we go, with FIRE! The first mile or so was a regular run around the lake/pond. I decided to avoid the crowds and make some decent time, as I was wearing actual running shoes and clothes and not a wedding dress or superhero outfit....

The run around the lake ended with a jump INTO the lake for about a 100 yard wade/swim (see in the background above). Then you slog out of that into 3 sets of burned out cars and a field of tires. And mud.

Over the top.

Just after that you hit a 4' plywood wall to scramble over, then a barbed wire fence about 2' off the ground to scramble under. Through mud. Repeat that FIVE freakin' times! I was okay with the going over, but the going under was hard for an old man.

After a little more trail running (and mud), you hit the BIG wall. After that it is another hill of tires. And mud. Seemingly several more miles of strictly uphill trails. With mud. Then several more obstacles that I was too busy conquering to take pictures of (and they were back in the woods away from spectators, so no photos). A suspended horizontal cargo net 40' long to crawl over (which I busted a$$ coming off of and was bleeding and massively brusied from), a 2' high blackout tent also 40' long that required an army crawl to avoid the giant wood beams in the dark put there to (apparently) knock people unconscious. Then a giant hill covered in plastic and hosed down for a super long slide into a pile of hay and likely another runner. The 18" deep mud pit with barbed wire just at head high you had to crawl under, the other pool of (slightly less) muddy water with floating logs to swim over. Then, finally...

FIRE!

2 sets to be exact, back in front of the adoring crowd. Grace under pressure is all I can say about that photo.

After.

"WTF did I just do to myself?!?!?!"

Park and Ashley before.

And after.

I would highly recommend seeking this race out in your area and getting a BIG group and being warriors. Next year, we are getting more people, and more drunk. It should hurt less. Thanks to Eli and Carter for being a great cheering section and support team!

After 5 at our House

This picture shows you a little glimpse into a typical late afternoon at the Fowlkes abode.

Thomas, doing his One Hundred Push-ups daily workout.

Carter, naked. (Naked is his favorite state this summer, though he prefers to be naked with friends).

Thomas and Carter, horsing around together.

Me, I'm in the kitchen, cooking dinner. At least, until I'm summoned to capture the hilarity. But just before that, Carter and I were doing some yoga together, too.

Also, Thomas would like it to be stated, for the record, that he'd already done over 60 push-ups before this was taken (60 Carter-free push-ups).

Athletica

Just a quick catch up post on all my recent major athletic endevors. First, back in the beginning of June was the major milestone of my first triathlon, aptly named the My First Triathlon at Lake Lanier just north of Atlanta. Matthew and I had been training for several months, at least around work and kids and life, and I was super-pumped for the big race. I left the house at 4:30am to meet Matthew and head up north. The race was great, the experience was great, and I think I might even do another one. I didn't drown, didn't crash, didn't pass out OR need an ambulance, and actually beat my goal time by 12 minutes! Congrats to Matthew and Jeff for their amazing races as well. In case anyone was wondering about the specifics, here they are:

Swim-.25 miles: 12:55

Transition 1: 2:12

Bike-12 miles: 44:49

Transition 2: 1:59

Run-3.1 miles: 31:48

Total: 1:33:41

My transition set-up pre-race

Finished! Thanks Matthew and Jeff for all the support! Thanks Kirsten for the picture and the cheering!

Next up was the Atlanta tradition Peachtree Road Race 10k. The largest 10k in the world, me and 55,000 others ran down Peachtree Street for 6.2 miles. It was my first time and I was glad to get a space in the lottery and to have a space sort of near the front (Group C out of groups through X). It was hot, but well organized and lots of fun. Give I hadn't done much running (or any exercise at all since the triathlon), I was quite pleased to finish in 58:56! In case you (like Rob) were wondering, that a 9:30 mile pace.

Yup, hot.

Woo-hoo! Fake finish line photo! Actual finish line another .2 miles away!

Triathlon Training

Thomas has been doing a terrific job training for the triathlon that we're doing in June. He's working out a ton and has done several practice 5Ks and a 10K with our friend Matthew, who is also doing the race. As for my training, it's not going as well. But I did recently do a 5K, so that's one workout down... Later that night, Thomas, Matthew and I made flaming steak sauce to counteract all those calories I burned.

We're still looking for more friends to join us in the triathlon... I could definitely use a buddy!

Jingle Jog 2009

Thomas ran his second Jingle Jog 5K last weekend. This year, Carter joined him for the Elf Run (a terribly organized 50 yard dash for young kids to run with their grown ups).

Bronwyn was there to run it with Carter.

It was the coldest day of the year so far, which Carter did NOT enjoy.

But, apparently, it wasn't too cold for ice cream...

Chomp-n-Stomp

On Saturday morning, Thomas ran a 5K at the Chomp-n-Stomp festival. He ran the same race last year (and Carter wore the same sweater). This year, the cop leading the race missed a turn, so the 5K ended up only being about a 4K, but it was still exercise before 9am, so he was happy enough. Later in the day (after a brief swimming lesson interlude), we went back to the festival for chili, where Park, Ashley, Anna and baby Sam joined us for an absolutely beautiful day!

Jingle Jog

In December, Thomas ran another 5K - the Jingle Jog. Apparently it was very cold and very hilly. But The Varsity provided chili dogs after the run, so it was worth it.

5K

Thomas ran the Chomp & Stomp 5K this morning. His goal (as mine was when I did one several weeks ago) was to run the whole way--and he did it! He even had the energy afterward to carry Carter around.

Chomp & Stomp is a chili cook-off festival. The run is in the morning and the chili is from 10am-8pm. We left after the race, around 9, ran some errands, and then went back for the chili around lunch time. Note to ourselves for next year: Don't leave after the race. Kill time until the chili starts and just eat chili and drink beer at 10am. By lunchtime, it's too crowded and they are out of lots of chili! Also, make sure friends are in-town (ahem, Park & Ash) to enjoy festival with you (and share child-watching duties)!

Help, Please!

I have continued the grand adventure in running - thanks, in large part, to Amy's suggestion about the Couch to 5K program. Having a very specific workout has helped immensely. And I'm happy to say that the running is going very well (though I still think running more miles than you can count on one hand is just crazy).

However. It has recently come to my attention that I'm doing something somewhat unorthodox. You see, when I mention running in casual conversation, it usually goes something like this: "When I was running the other day, I was listening to my NPR podcast, and I heard that..." [fits of laughter from whoever I'm talking to]. Apparently, listening to NPR while running isn't normal.

While I do LOVE my NPR podcasts (I never drive, so how else will I get my NPR fix??), and don't intend to give them up, I understand that music might also be a good running motivator. I particularly came to understand the power of music when I was in Arkansas for Easter, and I had the pleasure of taking a spin class that my dad teaches. He uses GOOD music, and it definitely gets you going.

So, I need your help to compile a really, really good playlist for running. I need upbeat, peppy tracks, people. Please help! I'm seriously musically challenged.

An Experiment

I've been conducting a little experiment lately. A couple of days a week, I leave the house around lunch time and go for a little...run. Completely out of character for me, I know. But, there are a lot reasons for me to give running a try:

1. I'm quite out of shape.
2. Since I'm quite out of shape, I get a workout really fast.
3. Running is free and requires no equipment.
4. Running gets me out of the house. (Since I work at home, we have only one car, and Carter is cared for at home, I can go DAYS without leaving the house.)

Of course, there are also lots of reasons that this is a completely ridiculous idea:

1. I hate running.
2. I've always hated running.
3. I will always hate running.
4. We live at the top of a hill, so no matter which way you run, you have to come home uphill.

So, the jury is still out on how this experiment will go. I'll keep you posted.