About thefasteryoupedal

Hi! I'm Liz and I am a 38 year old teacher from Las Cruces, New Mexico. I'm also a fan of mountain biking, road biking, running, and traveling. I'm always up to try something new! This blog is for me to share ideas and also to receive new ideas!

Busiest Summer Ever!

Posted on August 30, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

So I thought that by having a baby that my summer was going to be SO boring. My plan was to sit at home and pretty much raise a kid. I actually worried about how I might go insane being stuck inside all day. This summer has been the complete opposite!

As I was going through all of my pictures, I have realized that this summer is a whole bunch of shenanigans all rolled up into one! I am safe to say that this has been one of the busiest summers of my life!

We were busy getting all these road trips together. Mike competed in the Boulder Half Ironman in August up in Colorado! I love this pic of him coming in at the end of the bike ride!

We had many get togethers with the Barrows over the summer! I was able to see all ten Barrow kids this summer at some point in time. We had to have our Si Senor trips!

Mike’s youngest brother Jared was married in the Gila Valley temple at the beginning of August. It was our first trip with the baby and the dog. (We had to give Barney a sedative to be calm on the ride and he got to hang out in the chapel while we hosted a luncheon after the wedding.)

Olivia’s been trying out new toys and getting so big! I can’t keep up with her! It’s been fun trying them out in between our many daily trips running errands around town.

Mike went up to Cloudcroft to do some training rides. It isn’t a summer unless you can go to Cloudcroft!

We’ve made many car trips with the baby or dog or both of them. Olivia traveled to California, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada!! She is a travelling fool!

We went to San Diego in July to hang out with the family and continue the tradition Mike and I have kept to go there for the last three years!

We took our first flight to Las Vegas at the end of August to see the family before my mom took off to move to Salt Lake City.

Mike and I were able to eat at Wahoo’s in California and Colorado. I love how they are popping up everywhere!

We’ve been riding out on the Dona Ana’s every Tuesday night. Mike and I are obsessed with using Strava. I love to see my improvement when it comes to riding and running!

Stephanie and I had our weekly walks on the Triviz Path. So sad I am not working with her this year, but so glad that I have her to hang out with!

I was called to work with the young women in my ward and have had a blast! In June, I went up to Cloudcroft for the day and spent the time with them at Youth Conference. I was in charge of playing games with them and making sure everyone got up there okay..it was nice to go up to the mountains!

The summer is coming to an end, but Mike and I can look back and think about how awesome it was to stay so busy! We love summer!

4 Months!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

Stats: 50% percentile for weight (doctor isn’t too worried…she is growing so tall!), 90% percentile for height (25 inches), and 75% percentile for head size.

Favorites: Her exersaucer, playmat, swing, Monks, bright-colored anything, chewing on anything!

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: I still give props to her Wabbanub. That thing was so great on the flight I took to Vegas. I fed her a bottle on take off and then slipped in a paci and she was out for the whole flight! Mike and I are so scared we are going to lose him. We need to get a back up!

Things She Hates: Needles. Crowds. I think she might be a little clausterphobic…I don’t blame her!

Facts: Rolls from back to tummy all the time, improved on tummy time, likes to practice standing, eats and sleeps like a champ.

Sleep Habits: Goes to bed between 8 and 9 at night, wakes up at 3, and then goes back to sleep until 7 or 8 in the morning. (I think putting her on solids this week will help too!)

Doctors Visits: We just got back from the doctor today. Still getting treated for cradle cap. He also gave me a schedule of starting solids! So fun!

Eating Habits: 30-35 ounces a day of newborn formula (we now have officially changed it to infant formula with rice cereal!)

Milestones: Recognizes mom and dad from across the room, rolling over, smiling, giggling, grabbing toys, grabbing hands, following objects with her eyes….so many things!

Looking Forward To: Having her sit up on her own and experimenting with all sorts of solids the doctor ok’d.

Flashback Friday: Working At Walt Disney World

Posted on August 16, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

I’ve been de-cluttering my upstairs this past week and I came across my scrapbooks from 2000 on. I found this whole scrapbook on when I went down to Orlando, Florida in June of 2003. It was seriously one of the best summers I had. I always had dreamed of working at Walt Disney World and was able to check it off on my bucket list. I’ll show you some of the “behind the scenes” things I kept. (I am soooo sad that I lost my name tag with my name and where I was from! That was the best souvenir!)

It all started with a massive road trip with my mom. Funny thing is, I ended up staying a night in Las Cruces, NM at the La Quinta on Avenida De Mesilla. Little did I know I would end up there one day!

When i arrived in Florida, I had no idea where I was going to live and I hadn’t even applied for a job. I remember walking into the casting center and pretty much telling them I would do anything. Since I had done food service, they snatched me up right away because that is the busiest job in the park. My second and third choice on my application was for attractions and characters.

They interviewed me on the spot and five minutes later, I received this card:

I was to work Seasonal at the Plaza Pavilion which was located in the Magic Kingdom Park.

They made you go through a week of training, which included learning the history and timeline of Disney, learning about the best restaurants at Disney, as well as how to get around the massive property (this ain’t no Disneyland!). WDW is 25,000 acres of property. It’s crazy!

I had to dress up on my first day and we got a tour of the Magic Kingdom without people in the park. They taught us all the “secrets”. For example, there are a lot of hidden Mickey’s across the park and they were showing us how to find them. Also, they taught me how to get the high score on Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters! To this day, I can’t remember the secret….dang it!

This is probably illegal, but here is the underground map of the Magic Kingdom. I would take a bus from the back parking lot. There I would go into the wardrobe department and grab my chefs outfit and then go to the locker room and change with Cinderella and Snow White and then walk over to Tomorrowland. They call it the Utilidor.

I loved the Disney University. I would sit in there and check my email and chill. Not to mention, my church met there every Sunday. Kind of funny to listen to my church service with pictures of Walt Disney all over the wall.

I worked 12 hour shifts four days a week, but it was awesome on my days off because I had free access to all the parks. Not to mention, I was 45 minutes away from Cocoa Beach and an hour from Tampa. I spent the summer boogie boarding and shell hunting!

I’m so glad I did it! Unfortunately, I was teaching at the time and had to go back to work!

Teaching A Baby

Posted on August 12, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

As you all know I am a middle school teacher, and have officially taken the next year off to become a stay at home mom for Olivia’s first year. Switching gears to the newborn and toddler stage has been a little different. I’ve never realized how little things are important to a baby.

Looking in mirrors, staring at purple polka dots, and talking to an elephant are daily activities right now.

She is thinking and taking everything in!

Even TV has caught her eye! We have to be careful!

Here is a list of things I recommend to keep a newborn -4 month old occupied:

1. A playmat.

2. A bumbo.

3. Crinkly toys that make noise.

4. Pandora—so many awesome baby stations!

5. The Wabbanub!

6. Books! Even though they can’t read, she loves the pictures!

I also recommend using a Boppy (if you have one) to help with those babies that don’t like tummy time….like my kid!

Here’s to a year of learning how to be a kid all over again!

San Diego 2013

Posted on August 9, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

Our summer has been full of road trips! Our first one was to San Diego, California at the end of July. We have to go every year as tradition and this year was OIivia’s first time of many trips to come!

When we got there the first night, our first reaction was to go to Mission Beach and touch the water! We were lucky to stay at The Beach Cottages at Mission Beach. I highly recommend them. We just walked straight out to the boardwalk from our room…so awesome. Thanks to my dad for hooking us up with reservations because you have to plan a long time in advance.

We went down to Old Town and ate at the Coyote Cafe and then did some browsing along the shops. You find some very interesting things…

Olivia was so good about travelling around. Thankfully she was going through a sleepy phase and slept a lot while we were down there. I like to say the sea breeze is calming for babies… 🙂

We have always wanted to ride the roller coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach. Believe it or not, it is awesome! It looks so small but it packs a punch! We followed up with a Tilt O Whirl ride too. We got soo sick, but it was worth it!

We went down to the Seaport Village and took some family pictures and ate some Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. It is pretty sweet to watch the boats move in and out of the docks.

We also rode our bikes up La Jolla Parkway (also known as the Scenic Route )over to Mount Soledad, where you get an awesome 360 view of the city.

My sister and her daughter came along for the trip as well as my dad and his wife. It was really nice to have family along to help out, especially when I am not used to having a little baby on a trip like this!

Aunt Jen bought Olivia a San Diego hat….which she loved!

We took some time over at the Mission Beach park and played on the swings!

This is the view from our hotel room. Sarah and I were walking over to 7 Eleven to get some slurpees. Nothing says summertime like a slurpee!

Our ride back was great! Olivia slept most of the way and was a trooper. We had to make a few pit stops to feed her and change her, but other than that we made it in good time!

It’s a great trip with a lot of FREE things to do when you are there! I love that it is a family tradition!

3 Months!

Posted on July 30, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

Stats: We didn’t have a checkup this month, but I stood on the scale and she was 14 pounds up! At the rate she is growing, she should be at 24 inches now.

Favorites: Crinkly magazine book that Aunt Stephanie gave her, sitting up, and Monks the Wabbanub.

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: Her playmat. She didn’t like that thing a while back, but now we can put her under it for a good half an hour or longer. So glad!

Things She Hates: Getting out of the bath. Crowds. Finishing her bottle when she wants to eat more (she likes to eat!)

Facts: Less naps, SO much better at tummy time, smiles and sounds like little laughs every once in a while, starting to put things in her mouth, loves sitting up in her stroller, recognizes mom and dad

Sleep Habits: She still sleeps from about 9:00pm til about 3:00am and then gets up for a feeding. Then she will fall back to sleep until about 7:00am or 8:00am.

Doctors Visits: No check up this month!

Eating Habits: Loves to eat! She is definitely getting some rolls on her!

Milestones: So many things are happening this week as she turns 3 months! She did her first big road trip like a champ. She is definitely a lot more expressive and seems to want to learn a lot. She is a thinker. Always looks like she is thinking.

Looking Forward To: Watching dad cross the finish line in Boulder, CO.

2 Months!

Posted on July 10, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

So I have been slacking a little on the whole blog situation. I really wanted to keep it up to date at least a few times a week this summer, but I’ve been so busy. I have always made fun of people who have babies and then drop off the face of the Earth. I have officially turned into one of them. I have to keep telling myself “This is only temporary.“

I’ve realized there are things you CAN do with a baby and there are things you CANNOT do with a baby. Grocery store shopping and mall visits are doable, even though I have to throw all the groceries around her while she sits in the cart. I really have been trying to run with Olivia more, but unless it’s time for a nap, she is not having it!

Before I forget, here are her two month stats:

Stats: 12 pounds (exactly!), 23 inches (exactly!), 75% percentile head

Favorites: Monks the Wabbanub (see below if you are not sure what a Wabbanub is…)

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: Fisher Price swing, the fact that she still likes to nap, and Monks the Wabbanub..

Things She Hates: She officially loves her bath now…now it’s just a battle of when she gets out. She screams! During the bath and before…dead silent..

Facts: Not sleeping as much, eats about 5 oz a feeding, smiles a lot, coos a lot, sees further distances and focuses more, and really likes to look at herself in a mirror.

Sleep Habits: She cat naps throughout the day. At about 8:30-9:00pm, I give her a bath and a few ounces of formula and that will hold her ’til about 3:00am in the morning….it is awesome! Then I feed her and she goes back to sleep immediately until about 6:00-7:00am. Love it.

Doctors Visits: Her normal 2 month check up along with a visit for some major cradle cap going on. It’s slowly starting to go away!

Eating Habits: She is still an eater. She will not pass up a meal. We still are giving her Enfamil Newborn, but are sad to say pretty soon we have to bump her up to Enfamil Infant.

Milestones: She reached out and grabbed a toy that makes noise this morning. Lots of smiling and cooing. Sitting up all by herself with the aid of a couch or Bumbo. She is starting to get different cries for different things.

Looking Forward To: Taking her to California to see the beach!

The Return of the River Dog

Posted on July 2, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

The Rio Grande has been dried out for winter and I was worried that they were not going to release any water from the dam. Usually it is in May when you see the river build up, but this year they waited until June because of the drought situations.

Of course, we had to take Barney down the river! He has been a little neglected lately because of all of the craziness of the baby, so we had to pamper him with his two favorite past times….frisbees and water.

river2 ‘

I love this time of year with the beautiful summer sunsets! What a silly jumper!

There were families taking pictures and people on picnics while we were playing. Barney was putting on a show for everyone. A photographer came around and asked if he could take pictures of Barney while he was jumping. You know how we love our pictures!

Silly dog.

Strava and Other Motivators

Posted on July 2, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

I am SLOWLY shedding the pounds as I prepare for my race in October (details will come soon). Not breastfeeding really took a toll on my weight loss goals, because I know it helps to shed pounds faster, so I had to step it up! Thankfully, I have a husband who watches the baby while I work out and family that watches Olivia on nights when Mike and I go out to work out together. When I do go to the gym, I make sure to do at least an hour of cardio. I really like using the Arc Trainer at Planet Fitness.

Yesterday, I upped the incline on it and it gives you a full body workout, especially the legs. I highly recommend going from 40-60 minutes on it. I was reading that you really don’t get a fat burning workout until you hit at least 30 minutes, therefore anything after that will be gold!

I LOVE Strava. I know it has been around a while, but I highly recommend this app for your phone, computer, IPAD, etc. The competitive person that I am is perfect for this.

On Tuesday nights, we have been going on the Tuesday Night Rides (just like old times). I slowly have started going on the beginning trails. Each week I record my rides and race my previous times, as well as other times that people have posted using Strava. I love trying to break records!

I missed the trail. I missed the downhill and the feeling you get after a good ride! It feels so good to be back on the bike!

Last but not least….RUNNING. I have to step up my running for a race I am doing in October. I am currently up to three miles, when I do run. I have been running at least two or three times a week. It has been so hot outside so the treadmill has been my friend. I managed to get Olivia up on Saturday morning to take her for my first run outside the neighborhood. Las Cruces has added an awesome running and biking trail around town. I was able to do a quick two-mile run along that trail. Olivia was a champ!

Howling Coyote Triathlon 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

On Memorial Day Weekend, White Sands Missile Range held another triathlon for the Southwest Tri Series called the Howling Coyote Triathlon. In New Mexico, most triathlons are running, biking, and then swimming. In other states, it begins with the swim, then bike, then running.

This triathlon had a 5k run, 18k bike, and then a 400m swim.

These pictures are a little out-of-order so bare with me! Mike came in pretty quick on the bike portion with three other people. I love this picture of him coming into the transition area. He said it wasn’t his strongest bike portion, but I still think he looked pretty good!

Mike was using this as part of his training for his upcoming Half Iron Man in Durango, Colorado (which is in August) and the XTerra Triathlon the following week. I love the WSMR triathlons because the people are so friendly and it is such a good way to introduce yourself to becoming a triathlete. There are people of all ages and abilities that come to this so you don’t feel very intimidated (unless you are super competitive!).

I was loving the patriotic uniform at the starting line. Mike was ready to go! He did awesome on the run!

I am amazed at how people can remember where there stuff is during transitions. Mike was saying transitions are key. They can make or break your time. When he participated in the Fort Bliss Armed Forces Triathlon the week before, they actually timed his transitions and he found that he needed to fine tune it a little more. Some people can win by seconds and a lot of time it was the transition that you could make up time on. I love the idea of having a milk crate available to sit and put your shoes on and take them off during transition.

Most swims are open water, but this one takes place in a lap pool. On this race, you have to go up and down a lane and then switch lanes when you return. Some lap pools are long enough where you only need to swim down it and then transition to the next lane at the end.

Congratulations to Mike on winning his category and getting fifth overall! He said his run was the strongest portion of this race. He told me that each race he feels like there is one strong portion and that its nice to see what you are excelling at and what you need to work on when it comes to practicing and preparing yourself for other races.

Great job Mike!