Author Archives: lauholder

Oct 30 2009
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one week away from 13.1

last week i ran 10 miles with the best running partner in the world, who i’ll call lorena. sadly, for me (but lucky for her hubby!) she’ll be gone next weekend when i’m running my first half marathon. but her hubby will be running his first ironman, so that’s a much bigger deal, and, you know, they’re married. sooo….

anyway, 10 miles last week was good. it was strangely hot and muggy, on a rainy october morning, so i did something i never thought i could around mile 7.5…. i took off my shirt. now, i’m not going to go running around in my sports bra all the time, it’s still not how i roll, but i will say that loosing the shirt really gave me a second wind!

because lorena knew i had big plans for dancing my face off saturday night at julia’s wedding, and she knew i was going to do so in high heals (which is almost as strange for me as running shirtless), she suggested i give my legs a little ice bath. we bought some ice (i still owe you $5 lorena!) and i went up to my bathroom. here goes nothing. filled up the tub with lukewarm water, poured in 10lbs of ice, squealed a little, but stuck it out for 10 min. i think the water should have been a little colder, but i think it helped.

then it was party time. and though i brought flip-flops to change into once i got my dance on, they stayed in my purse, while i kicked it in the high heals. who is this woman in my body?? so weird. still i had a blast.

till i woke up sunday morning, not with a hangover, but with the sorest left quad ever. i could barely walk down the stairs. i figured it would feel better monday, but no.

so what did i do?

i got a massage.

my first ever male-massage from some dude named byron with really big hands. it was a little weird at first. i had to bite the inside of my cheek for the first minute or two to keep from smiling or laughing, but big-hands-byron worked his magic, and i was much more mobile when i left. whew.

went to yoga tuesday, got my butt kicked, but still felt ok on the quad.

finally ran 5 miles thursday, and my quad was a-ok.

practiced yoga again today, and i think i’m set for another 10 miles tomorrow! then it’s one short run next week, lots of rest, and BOOM, i’ll be a half-marathoner on saturday! assuming i finish. that’s my only real goal. would love to get as close to 2 hrs as possible, but finishing and having fun is much more important.

i’m pretty excited. i can’t believe i have come to like, maybe even love, running. never say never.

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Oct 20 2009
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it’s official

i just registered for my first half marathon.

i’d been putting it off, just in case… thinking i’d wimp out at some point. but the (sad) truth is (sad only because i’m proving myself wrong…) that i actually enjoy running now. 7 miles 2 weeks ago was hard. 8 miles a week ago was easy. 9 miles this week was fun. and even my little 5 mile runs on tuesdays and thursdays are getting faster and easier.

my peers have a lot to do with it. a few weeks ago i ran a 10k and came in 97th place. all my friends were TOP finishers. but because i had PR’d by 8 minutes (setting a new personal record that was waaaaay faster than my 10k in april) my friends cheered me on like i had won the whole thing. i felt like a champ.

and i’m meeting new people too. some girls i’d never met before are now running with me on tuesdays, which a) forces me to get out of bed, b) pushes my pace, and c) expands my social circles. my saturday running buddy is my favorite, though. she makes the time fly by!

so i’m super psyched for november 7. thinking i may even sign up for another in december. ridiculous.

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Sep 08 2009
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9 miles in 9 weeks

i really don’t LOVE running. i put up with it, and i enjoy it at times (because i like anything outdoors) but it’s not my favorite. still, i run.

and i was thinking i’d drop tri-training for the next 5 months and focus on yoga and weight training instead. i miss yoga! and it’d be especially helpful in this little process we call discernment (which i’ll have to expound on later).

the thing is, though, the weather is so friggin’ awesome right now. how can i be indoors?!?!

so i’m going to keep running. though i lack some motivation. what to do? create a goal. and that goal is: run a half marathon november 7.

yes, i know i only ever run 3 miles. and i did run 6 miles once in april, and it wasn’t difficult to do, but i haven’t run that far since. shoot, i’ve had no need to!

until now. now i have 9 weeks to add 9 miles to my run so i can run 12 miles.

oh, wait… i just googled half marathon distance and found it’s actually 13.1 miles. so actually i have 9 weeks to add 10 miles… but 9 in 9 sounds better… so we’ll just pretend.

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Jul 28 2009
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tri number two

i completed my second triathlon last weekend, with the added bonus of my mom’s presence. yay, #1 fan!! she took some pictures.

here’s the run down.

i finished the 750 meter open water swim in 20:02. faster than my last tri time, but i still came in 14 out of 14 in my age category. i love swimming, but i’m really not that good at it. and i’m a lot worse when i’m traveling every other week. definitely some room for improvement. the best part of coming out of the water was seeing my mom and jocelyn cheering on the shore and realizing my best friend finished right beside me.

i picked up the pace on the bike. it was a short course, only 10 miles, so it’s hard to tell how it compared to the last race (which had a longer, flatter course). i finished in 34:51, 7th out of 14. i felt good about it, even though i fell off my bike on the dismount. i can never remember if i’m supposed to dismount before or after the line! so i just tipped over. oops. too bad my mom didn’t get a picture!

the run was a bear. super hilly. even my “elite” triathlete friends said it was a hard 3 miles. i finished it in 30:21. boo. but not terrible. good enough.

my transition times were faster this time around.

making my total time 1:28:43. i threw my arms up in triumph, hootin’ and hollerin’ as i crossed the finish. it was a really great day. thanks for being there, mom!

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Jul 23 2009
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outdoorsy girl

today i took some of my middle school kids to a theme park. three girls rode over in my car, singing to my adele cd.

suddenly, the girl in the front seat turned to me and said, “do you climb?”

“errr, yeah… i do like to climb, actually… why?”

“you just look like an outdoorsy kind of girl.”

“why is that?”

“your chocos, your watch, your climbing bracelet…”

“that bracelet is from africa. it’s not a climbing thing.”

one of the girls in the back, sporting mark jacobs sun glasses, piped in, “it’s true. you look outdoorsy. it’s not my look, but i think it’s cool.”

even after cutting 8 inches off my “hippie” hair, my kids seem to think i’ve still got some crunch.

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Jul 23 2009
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costa rica

last week i went to costa rica with a group of 17 (11 kids, 6 adults) peeps from my church. we spent most of our time in san jose, the capital, working on the diocesan house (which is essentially home base for the regional episcopal churches).

it was a great time. we worked our tails off, plastering, sanding, sealing and painting walls, cleaning up our innumerable messes, gardening, and working (and playing) at hogar escuela, one of our pet projects. hogar escuela is a safe place for children to play and learn. it is a nursery, a school and an after school program. the children there typically live with their mothers, and know no father. if it weren’t for hogar escuela, these kids would be left to the streets during the day while their mothers worked to make ends meet. the streets are not a safe place to be.

hogar escuela started 45 years ago with only 6 families. several years ago, it was almost shut down, bankrupt and in ill repair. with a little help from the church and a lot of dedication from the families in san jose, hogar escuela is now one of the top ranked schools in costa rica (maybe the top ranked school?) and a favorite place for us to visit.

the episcopal diocese is about to build another school and daycare center like hogar escuela, just outside the worst slum in san jose, guarari. there, families live in corrugated tin lean-tos. most have come over illegally from nicaragua, where conditions are even worse. i look forward to returning to costa rica in years to come to see the school’s progress.

our lighter moments in costa rica were spent eating, drumming, singing, salsa dancing, watching the premier of harry potter, playing LOTS of games, zip-lining through trees, and chillin on the beach. we came home with stronger relationships, different perspectives, fun memories, inside jokes, new priorities, and a hunger for more of what God has to offer and asks us to offer of ourselves.

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Jul 23 2009
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ireland

finally… the long awaited (and highly abbreviated) synopsis of our pilgrimage to ireland.

every year, as part of our 10th grade sunday school curriculum at church, a group of teenagers and teachers depart on pilgrimage together. it is a unique opportunity to leave the rhythms, rigors and routines of home behind. to come away, together, to a foreign land. to explore our surroundings and ourselves, and to draw closer to God and one another throughout our journey. it’s pretty awesome.

this year 37 young pilgrims and 6 slightly older pilgrims spent 10 days traveling around western ireland. you might think it’s impossible to have any kind of meaningful community with 43 people–i was definitely concerned. before i left for ireland, my boss (and head priest) asked what i was looking forward to most in leading this pilgrimage. having never lead a pilgrimage before, i told him i was looking forward to the things i knew i’d have no control over… the moments of grace. he said, “so… you’re basically excited about everything.” “yep,” i said, “i’m pretty psyched.” that was certainly the case with the community forged during our trip. it was nothing any of us could have controlled or planned for, and God’s grace was hugely evident as a result. again, pretty awesome.

so what did we do? we explored castles and forts. we walked around abbeys and cemeteries, thinking (and writing) about how we would want to be remembered. we hiked 4 miles along the cliffs of moher, mere inches from 800-foot drops to the rocky shore below, contemplating the sheer greatness of God, and how it makes us a little nervous and draws us closer all at once. we played golf (the monastery where we stayed had a pitch and put course). we bought loads of groceries and cooked meals for one other (iron chef style), we served and cleaned up after one other. we hiked up crough patrick, the second hardest climb i’ve ever done, in part because of the hail that rained down on us as we summated the slippery shale incline. we traveled to the smallest of the aran islands, a place called inisheer. we visited pubs and listened to irish music. some of our kids met up with local kids and went to an irish dance. we worshiped together in some really holy places, most memorable for me being kevin’s church, which is covered by sand every year, and every year dug out by the islanders on june 13. we shared ourselves in a way we will likely never share again, crying and laughing in spaces made safe by God’s presence. really, it was awesome.

i came home very exhausted, because really, it was a lot of work. but i also came home renewed, because really, it’s fun to watch God work.

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May 20 2009
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pepper: an update on awesomeness

i just want to say that i love my dog.

she usually sleeps on her bed, down by the foot of my bed (so i won’t step on her in the morning)… but last night she dragged her bed to be right up next to me. little girl warms my heart!

most nights she gets up very quietly, puts her wet nose up to mine, just to make sure i’m still there and breathing, and then goes back to lay down.

life with a dog is the best.

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May 13 2009
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one more triathlete geek

From 2009 Spring

well it’s official. i’m what you might call a “triathlete.” or at least i’ve completed my first triathlon, and it was fun! it all started about a year ago when i first moved to the area. one of my first friends was getting ready to run his first ironman triathlon, which is a little ridiculous, but it turns out there’s a whole slew of people that do that kind of thing here and like it.

i swore off the stuff. i love these peeps, but they’re a little ocd about training, and i knew i’d never be in their league.

but then one of my girlfriends did her first tri last fall, and kept talking about how FUN it was… so i caved and started training in january.

now, i use the term “training” a lot more loosely than my tri geek buddies. i do swim, bike and run every week… sometimes 2 or 3 things in one day. but i don’t get up at 6am every saturday to go on 80 mile rides! ain’t my thing.

sunday was the big day. my girlfriend and i got up at the crack of dawn, careful not to wake all our house mates (we were lucky enough to crash with our friends and their families at the beach… we had thought we might just have to pitch a tent near the race!) we arrived, picked up our race packets and chips, got “body marked” with our race numbers, and made our way to the transition area to set up all our gear. we were reeeeeeally excited. after lots of walking back and forth and making last minute adjustments, we took off our shoes and headed to the lake.

we were the 5th wave of swimmers (second wave of women), so we just stood in the warm (79.2F) water while watching others swim ahead. before our wave started racing, i saw two bodies emerge from the water and run down the dock… my buddies… some of the ocd crew. i was excited for them.

then it was our turn! in a made rush of water and slapping and kicking and splashing, we collectively made our way out into the lake along the race course. the first 100 meters are the worst. everyone is just swimming on top of each other, and it’s awful. but it’s not so bad after we all spread out. this was my first “open water” swim, so i wasn’t used to having to look up for markers and trying to swim straight. sooo much easier in the pool. 750 meters and 23 minutes later, i too was out of the water and running down the dock. people were cheering… i couldn’t help but laugh!

in the transition area i threw on my socks, cycling shoes, helmet and sun glasses, grabbed my bike, ran out, clipped in and started pedaling. and pedaling. and pedaling. it was a kinda boring ride, and honestly, i didn’t ride it fast enough. i kept thinking i should save steam for the run, knowing that would be the hardest part (have you ever tried running after riding? it’s not easy!) so i dismounted at 48 minutes after riding 14 miles. 2 down, one to go.

i threw my bike back on the rack, took off my cycling shoes and helmet, put on my running shoes and hat… and as i was clipping on my racing belt (that holds your race number) i heard one of my friends yell, “get out of here, lau! stop taking so long! GO!” i looked up, startled, and took off running.

the running, in terms of terrain, was more boring than the ride… but it was fun in that i ran into (or past) 3 of my friends, and we cheered each other on. as i rounded the last corner before the finish line, really hitting my stride, i saw two friends yelling, “kick it in! you got it!!!” so i kicked it in. 29 minute 5k. not fast, but not bad after everything else… bringing my total time to 1hr 45min. whew!

i grabbed a water and made my way back to the finish line to cheer in my girlfriend. we hugged, we laughed, we felt like rock stars.

and that was it! i’m now a triathlete! i’ve been thinking of how to change up my training and racing ever since, but i’m still swearing off the ocd scene. i haven’t even worked out since sunday! and that takes effort. but the game is back on tomorrow… and the next race is in july. sweet.

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May 04 2009
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boys’ beach trip… what the…?

i had the absolute pleasure of taking 9 middle school boys to the beach this weekend. we stayed at a place with revolution era forts, great for hide & seek. we only spent about an hour on the beach because the boys were just playing so hard the whole time. basketball all morning, fort running after lunch, mini-golf in the afternoon, dune jumping (i had a hard time not joining in on that one, but i kept reminding myself that my knees aren’t as young as theirs, and i’ve got a big race next weekend), and then a little beach time before clean-up and dinner.
all the things that you might expect to have on a all-boys weekend did.

1) the church bus wouldn’t start. luckily a mom lent me her minivan for the weekend.

2) one of the boys caught something in his eye, which continued to irritate him all day, so we took a little trip to the ER after dinner. he left with an eye patch, thus nick-named “patchy” the rest of the weekend.

3) while at the ER, the other 8 boys, bored out of their minds, started throwing rocks. the police had to give them a little pep talk as a result. oops.

perhaps the worst thing that happened, though, was MY fault. as i was following the GPS in my borrowed minivan, i turned down a dead-end road by accident. upon realizing my mistake, i whispered, “dead end? what the f!” really, i said the letter ‘f’ and did not use the word, but it was implied. and the boys immediately heard me (despite the blasting music and shouts of laughter as they threw playing cards and sour patch kids at each other) and gasped, collectively.

the favorite phrase for the rest of the weekend, was, of course, “what the f?!”

great. GRRRREAT.

glad i could be a shining paragon of upstanding christianly behavior.

surely Jesus cussed when he stubbed his toe?!?!

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