This week was the first week we spent in Kentucky as a family. It was pretty rainy and stormy this week, but we were safe from any severe weather. For the most part, we worked on getting settled in and finding the important things: bike store, gym, grocery stores, and Graeter's Ice Cream. I was also able to get into the Derby Festival Mini Marathon on Saturday, so we had a visit from Grandma already in our new temporary home!
On Monday, we did a bit of exploring. Our first stop was the VO2 multisport store, where Ryan had been doing some rides. I figured I would come here first to get the lowdown on the local gyms. The reviews online were conflicting. I was also able to get some information on the Derby Festival, and learned that there was a good shot that I would be able to get a bib from a person who was unable to run instead of trying to get a charity bib. After leaving the store, we checked out the local Y, which proved to be very expensive, and then went to Urban Active. While the reviews were not as good, it was in my price range and is a lot like Powerhouse Elite. I didn't join anything today and wanted to give it a think. We also found Kroger. My team Aquaphor kit arrived today, just in time for me to throw it on for a group ride at VO2, but it was cancelled due to rain. I did go over there and reiterate that I was interested in a bib, and things were looking good for me to get one. We also went to Costco and really stocked up on things. I feel like we won't have to do much shopping for a while, except for fruit and milk.
On Tuesday, I joined the Urban Active gym and got in a workout. Keira and Soren seemed to have a good time at the playroom. We left the gym a little later than I wanted, and headed over to the Oxmoor mall to attend a story time at Pottery Barn Kids. Sadly, being 5 minutes late meant that we missed it. It was only 1 story. We did get the booklet stamped and will try again later. We didn't find a play area at the mall (perhaps we missed it), but we did find a fountain.
Ryan did a group ride that evening, and we went to Meijer while he rode.
On Wednesday, we didn't do a ton. We went to the gym, and then to Target. I did find out that I was going to be racing in the mini marathon, which meant that it was sort of OK that I wasn't able to bike this week and I could justify a "mini" taper before the race. We pretty much just hung out at home until Ryan got back from work. It was raining again, so neither of us could ride. We had dinner and then went to Graeter's for ice cream. On our way out, we saw a sign that it was buy one get one free sundaes on days that it rained in April. Darn! How did we miss that? It would have been cheaper to get 2 BOGO sundaes that 4 single scoops!
On Thursday, I did a light workout at the gym and we had to go back to Target to exchange a defective rubber ducky. It filled up with water in the tub today, and I bought that kind specifically because they do not fill up with water.
Ryan got all set to do a ride that evening, and then I got the kids ready to take their new bikes outside! We rode over to a small pond. Keira and Soren had a great time. Then, we got caught in the rain. Both kids were destroyed when I made the head back to the apartment. That was a proud moment for me (as was making the rule, "no riding your bike in the kitchen", which happened this week too). I took the kids home and made dinner. When we finished with dinner, it was POURING! I figured that we should head back out to Graeters and get our BOGO sundaes, since this was our last shot at these. I didn't want to get ice cream the night before the race, or for it to rain on race day. They had a kids sundae, and I got one for each, and got Ryan's to go. Poor Ryan, he got caught in the downpour on his bike. It was the worst rain he had even ridden in. He arrived home freezing and soaking wet. It took him a while to thaw out enough to enjoy his sundae.
On Friday, we headed into downtown Louisville to go to the expo. I was going to be picked up "my" packet from the VO2 booth since I couldn't pick up someone else's packet. It was a nice sized expo, and the kids got some fun freebies. I was really glad that I went down, as the exit that I mapped out to take was closed due to flooding. It gave me the opportunity to drive around downtown a bit and get a little familiar with it. I did not think to drive to the start/finish area, but was able to map directions that did not require the closed exit. We grabbed some lunch downtown and Keira and Soren enjoyed playing outside around a fountain.
My mom came into town that night after the kids went to bed. Ryan had planned to do an early morning group ride while I raced.
On Saturday, I woked up early to head down to the race. I got there in plenty time and was able to get a parking spot very close to the start/finish area. I was in corral D by my number, and tried to change it, but then decided to not worry about it. I was able to get into corral C with some people I talked to before the race, and then moved up and into corral B. I was still no where near my goal pace, but at that point, the crowd was pretty thick and it was too close to the start time. It took me about 5 minutes to walk to the start line after the official start. The race was HUGE. I really didn't have a good concept of how big it was until I saw how far back the corrals went. I played catch up the whole race, constantly passing people. It was a fast course, very flat. The highlight of the course was running through Churchill Downs. We ran on a path around the infield. The hillies part was going under the tunnels to get in and out of the infield. There were lots of spectators all along the course which also made it more fun. I finished with a PR of 1:38:39. I was very pleased with this time, and with the race in general. It was very fun and I would love to do this race again.
I got home and realized that Ryan's group ride had been cancelled. Instead, he rode 4 laps of Seneca Park to get in 60 miles with hills added into the route. While he was finishing up his ride, my mom and I took the kids on a bike ride around the complex. We were able to see lots of ducks and turtles. The kids had a blast enjoying the beautiful day.
Once Ryan was back, we had lunch at PF Changs. Soren napped and everyone else rested. We had pizza for dinner, and then everyone went to bed early after a tiring day.
On Sunday, we were attended the Louisville 1st ward, which is the one where our apartment falls. It was at 9:30, which is a great time. It is a small ward, with mostly younger children. I was excited to learn that members of the ward volunteered at the water stop at mile 23 of the marathon yesterday. I bore my testimony on how grateful I was to be here and what a blessing it is to have the Church everywhere. Keira enjoyed Primary. Soren did OK for the first half of nursery, but then got sad and I joined him for the second half. It was a pretty busy group of mostly boys, a lot different from his group of mostly girls in MI.
We did a webcam call with Nana and Papa after church and hung out around the apartment for the rest of the evening. We had thought about going for a walk, but we had more rain, and it got too late after dinner to do any more exploring.
Up for next week, we will hopefully have some better weather. Both Ryan and I need to do a lot of riding. We also plan to do some more exploring.
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