Outnumbered

It's been a while since I last wrote, so now seems like a good time to get caught up.  Harper is now approaching 3 weeks, which sounds like no big deal, but to any parent, it's crazy.  To think that our last baby is already 3 weeks old.  Yes, I said last.  We get asked quite often if Harper will be our last and both Sarah and I, without hesitation claim, "oh yea!"  Not that we don't or couldn't handle a fourth child.  It truly comes down to logistics and finances.  Raising a kid is not cheap (ahhh....duh).  If you would have asked me just one month ago and asked me, personally, if I wanted a fourth kid, I would have laughed, asked, "are you serious," and come right back with a short two letter answer..."NO."  But, with Harper here, and most of the "honeymoon period" over and done with.  Having a third kid around the house isn't half bad.  Sure, it helps having Super Mom around the house all the time, but Sarah and I have adjusted rather nicely to being a family of 5 from the previous family of 4.  Sarah has been at home since Harper was born and will continue to stay home with her and the girls until the beginning of May, at which time, I have taken some time away from work to help out around the house and to keep Harper at home just a little longer, before sending her to childcare.  It really hasn't been all the bad around our house.  Hectic?  Yes.  Loud?  Sure.  Messy?  Oh yea.  Enjoyable?  You bet!  Sarah and I have helped each other out when needed.  Sarah is and always has been the baby whisperer of our relationship.  And truthfully, I don't really "do" babies.  Sarah and I have each taken on our own responsibilities based on our strengths.  Sarah cares for Harper and her around-the-clock needs, while I handle the two older girls, who don't have the same constant needs, but seem to have their own frustrations.

Cousins!

Grandma and Grandpa Kohl

Raising a baby will take a lot outta ya!

Simply adorable

As my title clearly states, Sarah and I are now officially outnumbered, 2:3.  3 munchkins to 2 adults.  It's not fair, not at all.  But that isn't the only way I am currently outnumbered.  There is also a current ratio of 4:1, yes, four to one.  That ratio is girls to boys.  As Three Dog Night infamously wrote years ago, "One is the loneliest number."  But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love having my little girls.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one teammate on my side, but, as I often say, everything happens for a reason.  I think if money was not an issue, Sarah and I would definitely try to have a 4th kid with hopes of my elusive son.  But, let's be honest, money is most definitely an issue and our house is not going to be growing overnight with the size of our family.  So, we are only able to have as many kids as our paychecks will allow.  Trust me, we are really pushing the limits of our paychecks to see just how many kids we can support every other week.  But I know neither Sarah nor I would have it any other way.  We are happy, all 5 of us.  

The first 3 weeks have come and gone so quickly.  Last weekend, we brought Harper and our family to Jennifer Lee Photography in Downtown Little Chute for our family pictures and Harper's newborn pictures.  We have only seen a couple of photos so far, but can not wait to see the rest of them.  That same day was Maya's Preschool Family Night at the YMCA.  For a dish to pass, Maya and I made little fruit bowls that were made to look like dolphins.  It was something I saw on Pinterest earlier that week (shared by my mother) and I must say they turned out pretty cool.    Harper has had a ton of visitors ranging from family, friends, and coworkers.  She is truly a blessed kid and lucky to have the family she does!  

Short Training Update

With it being so long since my last post, it has been even longer since I last wrote about my training.  I have registered for just about all my races for 2014 which means my race schedule for this year is just about complete.  I still need to register for the Door County Fall 50 Ultramarathon, but the registration period for that does not open until April 1st, so I still have a couple days until I even have the ability to register for that race.  There are a couple of other local races I have had my eye on that I have not registered for yet, those being the Neenah Duathlon on May 3rd and the Green Bay Triathlon on June 1st.  There are a couple of stipulations as to why I have not registered for either of these races yet.  First, the duathlon, it falls on the day after my cousins wedding.  Yea, not the best atmosphere to be in the night before a race, but we will see.  As for the GB Tri, I am scheduled to work the night before and the race starts at 7:00am in Green Bay.  I am done with work at 6:10am in Oshkosh, an hour away.  So, once again, it falls into a "we'll see" category.
As far as my training, it has been right where I want it to be for the end of March.  I am on track for the Green Bay Marathon on May 18th.  My shin/calf has been a non-issue ever since I took the three weeks off between January 6th and the 26th.  Since my 30 mile run on my 30th birthday, I have changed gears from a volume focused training plan to an intensity based training plan.  Each of my runs has a specific prescribed pace and purpose.  I have done Goal Marathon Pace workouts (6:50/mile), Tempo Runs (6:20/mile), Mile Repeats (5:30/mile), Long Runs (7:30-8:30/mile) and Easy Runs (6:50-7:50/mile).  I have still been doing intermittent bike and swim workouts between my running.  Today was actually the first day I was able to get my bike outside and actually ride outdoors.  It was about 36* when I went out the door this morning but was windy as hell.  It's always fun to do that first outdoor ride of the year, because it is always a rude awakening to remember the challenges of hills and wind.  It's so easy to forget that when your stuck indoors for hours and hours throughout the winter.

As I said, my training has been going great so far, but I find myself needing to keep myself in check.  I find that am I constantly saying, "Hey, you aren't training for an Ironman this year!"  It's like I am always wanting to do more, go longer, add an additional bike ride or swim when and where I can.  Especially now, I need to just stay focused on my primary goal of running a sub 3 hour marathon, which I think I have been doing a good job of so far.  Tomorrow I have my third Marathon Goal Pace (MGP) workout.  I have been doing these workouts with a total distance between 12-16 miles with built in longer intervals completed at MGP.  For instance, tomorrow, I am scheduled to run 3 repeats of 3 miles done at MGP with 2-3 miles rest/recovery between intervals.  My total volume is 14 miles, so I am planning on running a 3 mile warm up before my first interval and end with an easy 2 mile cool down.  These are challenging, but very rewarding workouts.  I have high expectations for these workouts and hoping that they will properly prepare me for the Green Bay Marathon in a month and half.

My first race of the year is coming up in a couple weeks with the Oshkosh Half Marathon on April 13th.  My goal is to finish around 1:23 (6:20/mile pace).  If I am able to run a 1:23 half, I will feel very confident in running a 2:59 marathon a month later.  The only caveat is that I work the night before and after the race.  So fatigue will definitely play a factor.  I will still go out and try to run a 1:23 race, but my expectations are not nearly as high as they would be if I was not working the night before.

Our SWAT Team did a Photo shoot with a local newspaper
to recognize our SWAT Team of the Year Award.
This was one of the pictures taken.  Yes, that's me on the left.

With everything falling in place with our family and Sarah and I getting back into a routine, I plan on writing a little more regularly about my family and training life.

So....until next time!
Be fast, be strong, and carry on!