Anna Runs Her First 5k

On a wet New Years Day, Anna ran the Resolution Run 5k.
Daddy ran alongside, providing her with snacks (dried fruit, etc), while Mommy walked behind us carrying Ariel in the backpack.
The first 1/2 is all downhill, which was great, except that Anna was having side cramps.
The uphill was tough but Anna kept seeing Mommy getting closer and that motivated her to get running again.
At the aid station, Anna drank some and doused her head, just like the pros.
Then she trudged up the muddy trails, moving to the side when runners went by and finally making it to the top!
She was a trooper!  She enjoyed the finish, laying on the ground and eating race-food and soup.

Auburn Criterium

I was nervous before the start of this race. It was my first crit. We had 11 laps ahead of us. The first 3 were very fast and broke the pack apart. I clung on to some riders and fortunately we turned into a small group trying to stay in the race. Those behind us were getting pulled to prevent getting lapped. And some ahead of us were burning out and drifting back behind us. On the last lap I gave an extra burst at the top of the course and just got ahead of the 5 in my group and was able to fly through the tricky descent and roll to the finish line barely ahead of them. Only then did I realize we were the last group so was glad to have been able to finish the race. And placing 17th was higher than I thought.

Temp Racing Blog

This is where status and results can be posted about our weekly racing events.
This would be connected to our www.teamsoares.com site.

Troy's Foot Pain

(3/3/08) I had heel surgery on Jan 30th by Dr. Dana Verch, orthopedic surgeon in Auburn, to fix some issues in the back of my left heel.

For 9 yrs I've had pain back there and Dr. Verch estimated that there was a bone spur, a calcified part of the achilles tendon, and a degenerated bursa sac.  He went in and removed all of that, including a part of my heel bone behind the bursa sac.  He only removed 10% of my achilles at the attachment and said the rest of my achilles looked very good.

The first 2 weeks I was on crunches.  Then I used a special boot to get around real well and could swim a little with pull-buoys.  After a month now I can almost walk normally (slowly) and I can ride my bike 20 miles.  It seems that every day I get a little more strength and mobility back into my achilles.  Maybe I can try running in a couple more weeks...

No, I haven't been going crazy without the running.  I got in a few good runs before the surgery so it's been nice reflecting back on those.  I've been really busy with work so haven't really thought about training.

There's still pain in the heel from the surgery so I don't know if my original problem is cured or not.  But either way, I'm glad I had the procedure done and everything's gone very well.  And the Lord has made it really easy, giving me a lot of help in Robin and a job that I can do from home.  Spring is coming, looking forward to getting out more :)

Racing & Training

In 2008, Troy, Robin and little Anna Rose expect a lot of excitement with the coming of a new baby.  Robin is pregnant and is due to give birth at the end of July.  Anna's birthday is July 29 so she just might have to share that day with her new sibling...hopefully she won't mind(=  Anna is doing very well.  She loves to "wake up and play", run, bike, and explore.  She plans on doing some fun runs this year like the year before and cheering on Daddy and later Mommy at the races.  Troy is recovering from heel surgery (see below) and is working really hard.  He is back with Rockwell Collins and is working out of our home with their Iowa office.  He's back on his bike and in the pool.  He's looking forward to doing some 1/2 Ironmans and short tris in the near future.  Robin continues to stay fit with swimming, spinning and running.  She enjoys playing and chasing after Anna.  She looks forward to doing some short tris after the baby comes.


We so grateful for the many gifts and blessings that the Lord has given us.  We have found a wonderful church home.  We both are part of a couples Bible study which is a first.  Robin is also a part of Women's study too.  Anna loves Sunday school and looks forward to playing with the kids.  Our desire is to continue to keep the Lord first in everything.  He is a wonderful God and Savior and we want to glorify Him in all that we do. 


We'll keep you posted on our season:)  Thank you for visiting our site!  Feel free to e-mail us any comments.  God Bless!