Dana Burland

Wow, I had a great racing day today. Today was the Grand Rapids Sprint Triathlon, an event I've been training for 8 weeks for. And man did that training pay off. This was my fastest GR Sprint Tri EVER! I had my best swim time by a minute, best bike time by a minute and a half, and fastest run time by about half a minute. PR'ing was not my goal, my goal was to relax and enjoy the race, though focus in and push the bike portion. This was my first time racing with cages on my pedals allowing me to push down and pull up and maximize my cycling, the first time I spent nearly all the race in my highest/toughest gear setting, and the first time I spent nearly all the race in my lowest handlebar hold crouched position. Best of all, this race felt relaxed and fun (mostly). On the swim I wasn't trying to sprint, but was able to relax more than I think I ever have in open water. I wasn't panicked or fighting it. On the bike I tried to stay in the moment and push, focused on gettin...

The sun is shining, chalk stained drawings litter the driveway, and fresh mulch has been laid around the yard. Today is the last day of school, and the official start of summer.  I'm working at my desk with a jar of incredible backyard-cut pink peonies nearby, drinking cold coffee (not purposefully), while watching a huge snapping mama turtle lay her eggs in a hole she dug in that fresh mulch I mentioned.  Everything and everyone is in bloom right now, growing fast and furiously. Like my peonies, I look at my boys and wonder: HOW are they so bold and brilliant? I don't feel like I've done enough to make them this way!  A finished his first season of soccer, and his first year of Kindergarten, with flying colors. My shy guy who once "participated" in a soccer season glued to my leg (as I participated in it for him), who walked into school for the first several days hand-in-hand with his older bro, now confidently runs through life on his own. He loved being on his ...

There's no actual moment when kids go from little to big. No particular birthday or event. Instead it's like the weather, where kids can seem as small as the sun barely showing in the sky on a cloudy day, or so big and bold it's like a bluebird day. More often than not, it's partly sunny--they're little-ish big or big-ish little. Sometimes though, it's undeniable.  Boy, was that true this past weekend. We were up north to ski. Friday's weather was AWFUL. Cold and snowing. Bad visibility on the slopes and ungroomed trails. I didn't both taking A out to maneuver him around the bunny hills, he would have been miserable. Instead we slid Hot Wheels cars down the ramp behind the stairs of my great aunt's challet. He fell into a deep nap before dinner. Little.  But Saturday was true bluebird day in more ways than one. The sky was clear, it was beautiful, warm, and sunny. And my boys were big. C stayed out skiing THE ENTIRE DAY. Five-ish hours, I think. Beyo...

Or alternatively titled: The Triathlon That Wasn’t Supposed to Be. We were supposed to be skiing up north, unfortunately missing the first of three monthly mini indoor triathlons at the YMCA. Instead it snowed with sub 0 temps for nearly 2 weeks, making a drive and ski up north too dangerous. Boy were we bummed to cancel our trip. BUT, a surprise weekend at home meant saying “yes” to a few things we turned down thinking we’d be out of town. Like A’s basketball game, where he spent the entire game GLUED defending his opponent, only occasionally breaking to butterfly swing his arms while running to the opposite side of the court. Six year olds playing sports are truly the best. Also: the indoor tri. At A’s basketball game, my brother and I realized we could and probably should try to sign up late to compete, or we’d regret it. About 16 hours before the event we were signed up and ready to go. Now… I’m not in shape for this. Because… Christmas cookies. The goal was to compete...