Cost of Triathlons + Cost of new baby = ??

Spoiler alert...  Conclusion to my very valid study a triathlete costs about the same as a child!

The cost of housing a triathlete for 1 year:

Fuel (gels, sports drinks, etc.): $200 ( I actually don't spend that much here because I hate gels and sports drinks so I keep them to a minimum and try to supplement with natural foods)

Race Entry Fees: $250 - $600 (I've been there done that with the big name expensive races so I will be sticking with the cheaper lesser known brand names for any of my big races)


Extra cost in groceries: $250 - $500 (I actually don't spend too much extra here but that might be because I have a hard time learning how to taper my food intake when it's off season)


New gear: $300 - $3,000 (are you just buying new tubes, a new tri suite and some new goggles or do you need a new wheel set and a fancy helmet?)


Coach: ?  Nope not gonna happen on my budget (that's why I became level 1 USAT certified before training for my 1st IM so I could just train myself)  Ha!!

Travel Costs: $200 - $1,500 (I camp when I can, never fly, try to race close to home whenever possible, but if you do a half or full IM in a race year it will easily reach the upper end)

So I tend to be very cheap frugal and tend to sit on the low end of this but my guess is some of you out there could easily surpass the high end of this :-) $950 - $5,800

The Cost Of Raising A Child From Birth To Age 2

• Child birth: $8,000*
  
• Diapers for 2-1/2 years: $1,800 for cloth or $2,400 for disposable
  
• Breast milk or formula for first year: Breastfeeding up to $450, or around $2,000 for mid-priced formulas
  
• Commercial baby food second year:  $1,300
  
• Baby clothes: $912 for the first 2 years
  
• Childcare:  $8,000 -$12,000+ for 2 years
  

The total cost of having a baby in the first 2 years falls somewhere between $12,462 and $26,612. You can break this down to something like $500 to $1000 a month.
Yes, in the end, babies are perfectly manageable cost wise. A baby costs no more than a car payment in the first 2 years.
 http://pregnancy.thefuntimesguide.com/2009/01/cost_to_have_a_baby.php

If everything goes as planned I hope to spend about  $5,700 in the first year that's assuming there aren't any surprises with the cost of child birth and my parents actually do end up moving up here to help with child care (no pressure!!).  And btw who has a car payment that is 500-1,000 ?!??!!  I've never had a car payment over $200 but again I'm not a big spender...


So if you break it all down it looks like we will be able to afford at least 1 triathlete and 1 baby on 1 salary.  Now if hubs decides to start doing triathlons (which he might/or might not have threatened promised in the past) or that he really wants a 2nd child then we will need to have 2 salaries or we'll just have to pick one or the other.....  :-)

What do you think?  Am I totally off on my calculations?



On a side note I thought I'd share my new favorite product.  I went cold turkey when I got pregnant with both my beloved Diet Dr. Peppers and Caffeinated Teas so I found a slightly flavored carbonated water that has no artificial sweeteners and is all natural.  I LOVE IT!!!! Now don't get these if you are expecting something sweet.  It's like having soda water with a twist of Lime or whatever fruit flavor you pick. Which is enough for me not to get bored of plain water...

How is a pregnancy like an Ironman

Soooooo you probably knew this post was coming.  I mean come on I don't get to do race reviews or brag about how I rode x# of miles and puked up a new gel that I tried, or how that cool new race gear has made my life so much easier but I still need to distract myself, so why not write about this.  I'm only 8 WEEKS away from the finish line!!!!  I've been meeting with prospective pediatricians instead of running buddies and my brain is itching for some competition not baby talk but so instead I'll bide my time..

What does Ironman and Pregnancy have in common?

* Months in advance you have thought about the possibility of completing such a daunting and strenuous task but deep down you still aren't quite sure if you can truly do it. 

* You talk about should I do it shouldn't I for a while and drive people nuts.

* Out of no where it happens you are signed up and have to start training, you hope that last bout of going out happened before there was any chance of side effects...

* Should I use the Galloway/Bradley method?

* There is some nausea and dizziness as your body gets use to the new strains and types of fuels.  You have doubts if you can make it through many more months of this (Phase I) build phase.

* Then you hit Phase 2 you have a surge of confidence because you are all of a sudden feeling better, got your energy back, full of positive feelings, start letting yourself think this isn't so bad I can do this!!!

* Phase III Nerves start to kick in, what was I thinking!?!?  Am I ready for this?  My life is going to change forever!!  Did I do enough to prepare? 

*  Do I cheat or go drug free?  (Ok, Ok, I'm KIDDING) It's not cheating for pregnancy just for sports..... but you get what I meant, the decision has to be made...

*  Do I need a coach or can I do this solo?

* Gear check, pack my bag, what will I need for race day?  Who's going with me?


* Ready or not........  Ready, set, go!

* Finishing feels so good that you forget all the pain you just went through (I hope so one of these I've done twice and one of these I have yet to experience for the first time!)

* You get some pretty awesome bling at the finish line!!  And brag and brag and brag until people are sick and tired of hearing about it.  So do I get a t-shirt too? :-)

Any of these t-shirts would work:

Do you ever find yourself comparing things to your races?  Even if it may seem a little inappropriate?

Colombia Trip, Swollen Feet and 10 weeks and counting...

I survived my trip to Colombia and had lots of great food, great family outings, and my husband has a new appreciation for driving :-)   Where to start.....

I booked the trip before I knew I was pregnant so I went for the cheapest flights which meant we had an 18 trip each way, YUCK!!!  But once we actually were there we had a good time.  I think I'll tell most of this story in pictures.  But before I do this let me tell you a little story about being pregnant and exercising while visiting a country that thinks pregnant women should sit at home doing who knows what for the 10 months they are pregnant. 

Story 1: They tried to kick me out of the hotel gym.  They didn't realize I was pregnant when I first walked in so I had already been on the spin bike for 30 minutes, then while I was on the stepper for 10 I was arguing with the guy that said I couldn't be in there.  I said look at your own rules on the wall it says if you are pregnant or might have a heart condition to visit a Dr. first I calmly informed him I had visited my Dr. and she encourages me to continue working out.  He kept trying to say it was too great a liability but I told him I had signed in and that had a disclaimer on it!!!

Story 2:  They almost didn't let me kayak with my husband in a 2 person kayak with a life vest and calm waters.  I had to practically sign my life away.  And explained that I have safely still been swimming a mile at a time and was confident that if my kayak over turned I could swim the maybe 250 meters to land!

Story 3:  I was at a local park that measured about 437 meters each time around and I am getting to where I only run about 1 mile and the other 2 or 3 I walk fast.  Well I was doing the jog portion of this and a HOMELESS guy told me to slow down!!!

And that's just a few of my stories. :-)  I promise I am exercising at a lower intensity and for less amount of time and under the supervision of my midwife!  It is for the best of the baby and my own sanity that I continue some kind of exercise regimen, THE END!  Ok I'm done with my little rant.

I was so unprepared for the swelling of my feet and legs and I wake up at night with them aching and not to mention the Charlie Horse's that feel like my muscle is being ripped away from the bone by a mean gremlin! Ok so I'm being dramatic but I promise it hurts...  So I'm trying out my compression socks to see if that helps, I figure it helps with circulation so why not!  It's usually back to normal by morning but man by the end of the day I could leave my hand print on the top of my foot from all the water that is trapped under there....


10 Weeks until A- Day when Aiden Richard will be joining us!  That is unless they have the due date a little off.  Any bets on when he'll actually come?  They say I'm measuring about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule but then they tell me not to get excited because that doesn't necessarily mean anything.    

We will be cutting it close cause the baby shower isn't until mid July and we have absolutely NOTHING ready but I am confident everything will fall into place!  I'm getting very excited and am very thankful that I have a such a supportive husband that has been so involved in this with me!  We are excited to meet A.  You might have the same birthday month as your doggie sister :-) 

So what have you guys been up to?  I need to catch up give me your favorite summer moments so far!

Photo dump and catching up...

So as most of you guys know by now hubs and I are expecting a boy, we also had very early on miraculously agreed on a boy and girl name quicker than we've ever come to any decision.  If it was a girl Adrianna and if it was a boy Aiden.  So we've been calling the little guy Aiden since we found out about a month ago.  Well just yesterday I saw that the name made #10 on the most popular boy names! AHHHHH!!!!!  I spent all of yesterday trying to convince hubs maybe we should go with Antonio or Marcus or Pierre.  He refused to even consider it he said nope it's stuck I've been calling him Aiden so it's Aiden.  Well I have to admit as I tried using the other names (just to bug him)  they didn't sound quite right.  So as much as I didn't want to our son will apparently have a popular name.  But we like it, it matches our personalities.  Aiden Richard Arnold :-)

My 5k and boot camp classes finished for the semester which made me sad but the ones who participated in the Run for the Zoo 5k did awesome and exceeded their goals!  I'm so proud of everyone in both my classes they have all worked so hard.  I am taking next semester off considering I can barely run anymore.  After about 1 mile I'm in excruciating shin and calf pain so I have decided to stick to spinning, swimming, walking and weight lifting for my last 3 months of pregnancy.  Or my stomach might get big enough to be in the way of spinning too!  I'm going nuts but I'll make it!  I'm just not cut out for the whole process of being pregnant but I know I will love the final out come.  So technically this will be my 1st mother's day which just sounds weird!!! But I'll get use to it. 

I took some pics of a friend for her first mother's day with her cute baby. 

So tomorrow hubs and I take off for a much needed and long vacation!!!  Guess it's kind of like a baby moon

since it will be the last vacation we'll be taking for a LONG time...  We are going to Colombia, SA which is where all my extended family are and hubs has never been or met any of them.  He's excited I'm just not sure he realizes what he's getting into :-0 I have a very big family!  Have you ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding?  Yup well it's like that! 

We will get to spend 2 days at this all inclusive resort and I can't wait!!  Just not so excited about wearing a maternity bathing suit but I'll get over it.  For me the best part will be eating all the fruit and foods that I miss so much from there.  So I will be MIA again for a little while, I guess you guys are getting use to that but I'll make sure and post photos once I get back.

Some photos I was playing around with to get some ideas for the babies room...........

Happy training!! Run a mile for me!!

Ohhh triathlon how I miss you!

I am so grateful to still be able to swim, spin, lift weights and walk!  So don't get me wrong I am so very thankful that I still have a capable body that is just temporarily having to slow down to take care of this little business called creating a life! :-)  But it is ok to miss my triathlon life and it makes me appreciate it more and more each day.  With triathlon season kicking off I'm getting daily reminders of what I would normally be doing at this time of year and what I took for granted for so many years.  As I drive home and see cyclist heading up a hill that I use to train on regularly, as I get emails reminding me of fast approaching registration deadlines, as I see friends posting race pics and reports, I smile and relive some of my favorite triathlon moments.

I'm finally reaching that awkward stage where the belly is just starting to get in the way of things.  It's starting to get harder to bend over to pick something up or to stretch.  As I try to get up from the recliner I bob back and forth a few times before I can get the momentum to push the legs down.  When I run my shins feel the strain of my extra weight and I'm only running about 1 mile comfortably after that it's a constant battle balance of when I should give in and walk the rest.  I bemoaned to hubs the other day that he's gonna just have to start rolling me everywhere.  But then I think of the women who have had to be bed ridden due to complications, or those who could never do a triathlon.  It takes me back to what initially made me not only decide that I could accomplish an Ironman finish but made me feel like I had an obligation to do an Ironman.  Because I can!!!  Watching story after story of people who had obstacles in their way or were told they couldn't do an Ironman and still found a way to get there.  Some of those stories ended in heartbreak and were cut short at the swim or bike cutoff.  So I thought what is there to question, I can therefore I will!

While I sit here and yearn for my triathlon days to come back I also know there were days I didn't want to drag myself out of bed for that early morning run or there were races as I drug my equipment to transition with a ball of nerves in my stomach I thought why do I do this to myself.  But I want to capture these moments of want of desire to remind me when I am able again that not only will I go back and do a triathlon but I will choose to make the most of each workout, each rest day, and each race.  Now I will have someone new to pass along all the lessons that triathlon has taught me and even if the little guy doesn't choose to follow in the triathlon footsteps of his mom he will know what it is like to be part of a great community of strong people with a will and desire to overcome anything!

Swim because you can,

Ride because you can,

Run because you can,

TRI even when you think you can't!