Holidays Archives - Kate Dugan

After Christmas: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

December 29, 2015 by Kate 6 Comments

Many people love the holiday season, but my favorite time of year comes after the hoopla of Christmas has passed.

Don’t get me wrong, I have some friends who are Christmas Lovers – they begin counting the weeks until Christmas starting in July, finish their holiday shopping by September, decorate in October, start playing Christmas music and carrying around Starbucks holiday cups in November, and begin their official daily countdown on December 1. But more than all of the prep, what I love most about Christmas is seeing my family, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. I have to admit that every year, I feel a sense of relief once the Christmas craziness is over, probably because every year, despite my best efforts, here’s what happens:

I buy gifts that people pretend to like, but really, miss the mark. I know, it’s the thought that counts (and I do try!), but I’m über practical so I can’t see the sense in buying people things they don’t love.
Starting in 2014, I travel with young children (who puke in the car!!).
I eat far too many cookies. I can’t really blame anyone but myself for this one. I’ll just say I don’t do well when tempted by treats. Check out this photo of half a pie I found in the trash room in my building. Apparently I’m not the only one #thestruggleisreal … though I have to wonder, did the leaver of the pie actually think a stranger would raid the trash room and eat the rest??
I end up pushing (and getting pushed) through crowds of tourists in midtown Manhattan. We took the kiddos to see the big tree and they LOVED it because they are obsessed with lights at the moment. It was so worth it, but we had to endure lots of shoving to make it happen.

My favorite time of year is after Christmas, specifically this week, which I always use to look back on the past year, look forward to the next, and get my household in order for what’s to come. I don’t do big New Year’s resolutions, but I do appreciate the idea of a fresh start. There is something exciting about a new year, unmarred and unknown. I like to look at it from this distance and wonder what might unfold.

To give you a sense of what I’m usually up to during this week, in past years, I’ve written a personal vision, set goals, completed photo projects, created vision boards, re-organized my apartment, refreshed my wardrobe, and more.

This year, I have a week off from work (yes!!!), but so does our nanny (gah!), so I’m on full-time mom duty, which is super hard. It’s easy to forget this when you’re a working mama. Taking care of two toddlers is no joke!

This week, I have grand plans to dive head first into my list of projects. Between nap times and the time after C+E’s bedtime and before mine, if I focus, I should be able to get my organization on and wipe out 80% of this list. Bolded items are priority items.

It helps that this week is a recovery week for IM training and that Michael will be traveling at least one night. I am substantially more productive when he’s not home luring me into takeout and Netflix!

Here’s what’s up (by area):

Kitchen

Organize the Tupperware (honestly, this should be a weekly task)
Clean out coat closet
Clean out kitchen pantry
Reorganize “junk drawer”

Living Room

Set up charging station

Master Bedroom

Sift through drawers / closet and purge unused items
Hang calendar & new framed art

Nursery

Clean out C+E’s drawers, donating clothes that don’t fit / are out of season
Sell / Donate old gear / toys
Set up new toys

Self / Family

Write Thank You notes
Take advantage of after Christmas sales to buy triathlon gear for training (in progress)
Use gift certificates (in progress)
Go through photos from 2015 to reflect on the year
Consider 2016 and create a vision for the year

Do you have extra time away from work this week? How are you spending it? What are your end of year traditions?

I hope you enjoy the rest of the week!

Last Minute Gift Guide for the Mother Runner / Triathlete in your Life

December 17, 2015 by Kate 4 Comments

There are just 8 days until Christmas. If you celebrate, it’s time to get moving on the gift buying. I ordered some items on Amazon that, despite my Prime Membership, won’t make it to me until 12/28. I know. Unbelievable! I know… I’m really spoiled by Amazon Prime.

Personally, what I want most for Christmas is to spend time with my family, immediate and extended, enjoying good company and good food. Despite my best efforts to convey this to my parents, grandma and other relatives, however, I can tell they have a ways to go before they get into the whole ‘minimalist Christmas’ thing. I do believe we’ll get there – I just think it will take a few years.

So, if like me, your loved ones want some hints about gifts on your wish list this year OR if you have a mother runner / triathlete in your life who you want to surprise with something lovely, here’s a my list of gift ideas, all of which can be procured or created at the very last-minute.

Babysitting Coupons – Especially during my pregnancy, loads of people offered to watch my twins for me once they were born – the generosity of this offer is not lost on me, buuuuut how many times has it actually happened? Zero (not counting my mother, who is also our current nanny). To be fair, I haven’t asked – it’s just not my style. So, if babysitting is truly something you’re up for, put it on paper, make sure the receiver knows you’re serious, and follow-up to schedule a time.

Delicious Coffee and Travel Mug – and I don’t mean Starbucks. My household is currently obsessed with Stumptown Coffee. We go through so much coffee these days – it’s unreal. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than fresh, hot coffee, brewed at home. But since we are usually sprinting from home to the pool to work and back to the gym again, we need a solid, leak-proof cup that holds enough coffee to keep us going and keeps its contents nice and toasty!

Triathlete T3 Kit – I think that combining some great ‘transition’ gear (that enables the speedy transition from training to work… the third transition in triathlon) in a waterproof cosmetic bag can be an easy last-minute idea. And it enables you to be creative with the contents, most of which can be found at your local drugstore (in case you’re reading this on December 24^th). My ideal bag would contain:
1. Aveda dry shampoo
2. Face wash wipes
3. Disposable razor
4. Hair ties (for those who have long locks)
5. Travel sized tinted moisturizer (with spf) and mascara – for me these are the basics that I usually wear even on minimalist make-up days
6. Protein bars – for recovery, of course. My favorite are Vega
7. Electrolyte tabs – Nuun or Endurolyte Fizz
8. Tiny first aid kit – with band-aids and antiseptic wipes

Meal prep for a week – For this gift, you can hire a cook or DIY. My sole experience with a gift like this (so far) was when my SO met a personal chef in the RRCA coaching class he took, who he later hired in advance of a particularly busy week to prep meals for us. The result was amazing! We had healthy, delicious vegan meals packaged and labeled in our fridge to eat from for about 4 days. Highly recommended.

Happy shopping to you! I’m wishing Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of the mother runner / triathletes (and their loving, supportive, awesome families)!

That Time I PR’d, Crashed my Bike, and Traveled to India for Thanksgiving

November 25, 2015 by Kate 5 Comments

For the first time, I’ll be out of the country for Thanksgiving! My dad is in Delhi for 8 months for work so I’m visiting him before Ironman training kicks off and I’m basically chained to my bike for 8 months. This is my first trip alone since the twins were born. As much as I am jazzed about having a break and catching up on some sleep, I found myself staring at the toddlers in the security line at JFK today, missing my babies. Lucky for me, Michael sent me several videos while I was waiting to board my flight of C&E being super cute.

I’ve never been to India before so I’m really excited to see Delhi and meet some of my dad’s colleagues. We are celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with some American expats. No cooking this year for me!! Over the weekend, I expect we will venture to the Taj Mahal. Aside from that, the plan is to see the sights in Delhi, get in some gym time, and of course, spend some quality time with my dad! Oh, and deliver coffee and Fig Newtons to him 🙂

Here’s what my week looks / has looked like:

Sunday – 4 Mile Race / test out tri bike
Monday – Off / Packing
Tuesday – In Flight
Wednesday – In Flight
Thursday – Swim + Strength
Friday – Treadmill Run + Strength
Saturday – TBD, depending on sightseeing plan

The 4-mile race on Sunday is as close as I’ll come to a Turkey Trot. I was nervous because my training has been irregular since mid-October. I wasn’t sure if I should go for a PR or not, but I wanted a quick finish because this was also the race that my Mom’s in Training athletes were running and I wanted to cheer for them near the finish line. Conditions were nearly perfect – 51 degrees and overcast with minimal wind. I showed up in shorts and a t-shirt, which was definitely the right call. Many runners were wearing tights and long sleeves. I’m sure they overheated. The racecourse was the typical 4-mile course in Central Park, which I know well. On this course, I usually plan for a slower first and third mile and faster second and fourth miles due to hill are location.

Here are my splits:

Mile 1 – 7:46
Mile 2 – 7:33
Mile 3 – 8:15
Mile 4 – 7:29

Finish Time: 31:13*, Prior Fastest 4 Miler: 32:15, Age-graded %: 61.77%

* Of course, I ran a bit more than 4 miles according to my watch, which is why the mile times do not add up to the total time.

I finished in time to see all of the Moms in Training athletes approach the finish line. They showed such enthusiasm and had a wonderful race. It was truly a great morning.
I returned home around 10:30am feeling energized. The sitter, our neighbor, let C+E fall asleep 2 hours ahead of schedule, which is out of character for them. Usually they fight their naps! She said they were tired. I contemplated waking them up, but then decided to take advantage of the time to finish my art homework. I had an hour of family time before I was off and running again to art class. I’m taking a Pen and Ink class at the local YMCA. My first homework assignment is pictured here. It’s so nice to have a creative outlet!

After art class, I forced myself to go outside on Michael’s tri bike. As I mentioned, the temperature was uncharacteristically warm so this would likely be one of my last chances to try it out before we put it on the trainer for the winter. I’ve never ridden a tri bike before and I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE my road bike. The experts tell me a tri bike is a must for Ironman. I’m lucky that my BF is the same size as I am.

I felt nervous about clipping in on his bike. Our apartment is about .5 miles from Central Park so I’d have to start out riding in NYC traffic, which means lots of clipping in and out. Always an adventure. From the start, the deck seemed stacked against me. The street behind our apartment is in the process of being repaved so it is currently really rough and I started out on a slight uphill. It took a few turns of the pedal to get my second foot clipped in. And then there were several times I had to unclip and reclip on the way to the park. I was improving each time. Michael’s pedals definitely felt different than the ones on my road bike.

I finally made it to the park. I got into aero and sped off. It felt good. I was cruising on the flats at more than 25 miles per hour. There’s noting like getting on a bike after a long break. It’s completely exhilarating.

After about a mile and a half I was on the west side of Central Park, which has a series of rolling hills. This was the moment that I realized my legs are not in cycling shape. I stayed in aero going up the hills. This side of the park was more crowded and I was passing lots of slower bikes and getting passed by a few speedy cyclists. I came up behind a bike just before cresting the second uphill on the west side. I planned to pass on the right. The biker swerved right as I was approaching. I yelled, “On your right!!” and tried to swerve farther right, but I couldn’t hit my brake in time (because I was in aero and not used to braking on a tri bike). It all happened in slow motion. I clipped the cyclist in front of me, dropped a loud F-bomb, and found myself lying on the pavement with my right foot still clipped in to the right pedal. I landed on my right side, hitting my elbow, hip and knee. The person I hit managed to stay upright, but circled around to see if I was ok. He apologized over and over. I told him it was my fault. It was.

I was shocked and feeling really shaky so I pulled myself up and moved off to the side of the drive, laying down beside my bike in the grass until I could calm down. My breaths were short and shallow. This is the closest I’ve ever felt to a panic attack. A number of bystanders came over to check on me. I was scraped and bruised, but mostly shocked and embarrassed. Though it crossed my mind, I quickly dismissed the idea that this was a bad omen for Ironman training.

Gingerly, I hopped back on the bike. My elbow was in a bit of pain so I stayed out of aero and found the quickest route home. After detailed inspection, I was fine and the bike was fine.

Apparently there are some drills that I can practice on the trainer in order to improve the speed at which I can go from aero to braking. Transitioning from a road bike to a tri bike is a bigger deal than I thought. I underestimated it. Lesson learned.

Despite the wreck, I am pleased to report that riding in aero is pretty fun. It definitely feels different from being in my drops on my road bike.

I am thankful that my wreck wasn’t worse, that I have such a supportive and wonderful family, and that I get to pursue activities that I find both challenging and fulfilling.

Tell me: What are your Thanksgiving plans? For what are you most thankful?

Anyone Turkey Trotting this week?