Latest..

Well.. I just read Lana and Michele's race reports for the IronMan and I am completely inspired. I feel like I want to go run 1000 miles today in honor of them. Of course I could probably only bust out 3 of the 1000 but even so I am just in awe of their accomplishments and I think I will start training for my half..officially.

School is going really well for me. Better than expected. I have made a A on every test so far and the studying hasn't been too horrible. The professor has turned out to be a hoot and I love her. So much so I am taking her class again next semester. (A/P 2) I have met some cool people in the class I enjoy and have become friends with.

As far as training goes, my hip still hurts but I am trying to run. I have also started doing bootcamp at the YMCA every morning at 5:45 to sort of kick start me back into regular training. I figure it will get me into the habit of early morning work-outs since I have no time in the afternoons to train with school, work, and kids taking up the day.

I swam my first mile a few weeks ago (With breaks..can't do a solid mile yet). My kids are on the swim team this winter and I was going swimming on the days they swim cause I was there anyway but there is ONE lane open for free swim during practice and 6 people swimming circles in that lane so I am trying to go after work twice a week and then on sat. or sun. The weekdays are hard and sometim es I get there and sometimes I don't. After bootcamp is over in seven weeks..maybe I will re-join the masters swim program and swim in the morning at 5am. (Whew) I have to do it if I ever plan to REALLY swim a mile. Can't take breaks in the ocean or lake. I saw Lana talking about how much fun she had during the swim and I shudder. maybe someday I will feel the same way. I have to admit I am finally enjoying my swims somewhat but I can't say I would if I had to swim 2 miles while being kicked in the face. She's a freak of nature!!

Bailey in his warm-ups
This is Bailey standing between two of the biggest 11 year olds in the history of 11 year olds. Bailey is considered to be on the average/larger category of the growth charts if that tells you anything. What did they feed these kids anyway? He had to swim against them and was not happy.

Bailey about to start the race

Again.. Massive kids. Maybe I should get Bailey some protein shakes. Something. I never considered him to be scrawny till this day.


Connor on the other hand...He's just a skinny kid and will always be. He will never have to worry about a weight problem other than trying to put some on. He takes after my side of the family and looks just like my brother at that age. My brother can still eat his weight in food and not gain an ounce. Connor about to start his race

SCHOOLED

I started school last night and there are some things I am going to need to figure out. To begin with, I slipped one of my kids ADHD pills last semester to see if it would help. Come to find out, that's what my problem has been all along when it comes to school. When it's kicking...I absolutely love the feeling. I feel ecstatic and my brain becomes an information sponge, so see why college kids buy it on the street. I didn't have to go to these extremes, though. I easily obtained a prescription and last semester I took it everyday. (Vyvance- 30mg)

The side effects are horrendous though. I can't eat, I am thirsty, I can't sleep at night, and talk about being a BTCH...when that stuff start's wearing off at the end of the day I become moody as hell and lash out. I talked to the doc about it and there's not much I can do but take a different pill towards the end of the day to ease me off, but I am not big on pills so I didn't do that. I just waited till the end of the semester and I have been off of it all summer. Well, I started taking it again last week to get used to the side effects and went to school last night. The problem is....it wear's off during class. (Downward spiral commence.)

So #1...The instructor is Russian. It's hard enough to understand her with the accent, but when I can't focus it's REALLY HARD.

# 2: She is very Russian. Strict, to-the-point. (Think Edna Mode of The Incredibles...The lady who made the "Super-Suits". Not sure if she is Russian but that's who she reminded me of. Or even Lucy Lu's character on Charlie's Angels. The scene where she was in front of the group of men at the business meeting) She bit someone's head off (Including mine) over a question on the syllabus, then asked "Anymore questions?" I looked around and everyone is timidly shaking their heads "No" with these huge eyes. "Good..Now, back to the syllabus." Ah Maaaaannnn. This is going to be a LOOOONNNNGGG semester.

# 3: During the lecture portion, I found myself floating away, feeling bored, and a song stuck in my head. ("In My House"...Mary Jane Girls. OMG SERIOUSLY?? No more 80's on the way to school for me!) This didn't happen last semester in my history class. I found it to be the most interesting topic in all the world and took notes that could be published for a study guide. (Everyone wanted to borrow mine because I always made 100's on the test...plus ALL the extra credit questions) I looked over my notes from last night when I got up this morning, and I can barely read them. It looks like a 2nd grader wrote them.

#4: I almost beat the shit out of the vending machine because it took my money. I snack like crazy when the meds wear off, and my blood sugar is low from the lack of food all day so it's not a good time to mess with me. Some poor kid put some change in the machine to help me retrieve the object of my desire (Cheddar cheese pretzel Combos) which worked because then 2 fell out. SCORE!! I'll pay him back Thurs.

So what do I do? School is going to be as challenging for me as an IronMan if I don't get it together.

Oh.. I almost forgot. #5: NO DRINKS IN CLASS! This includes water. The medication causes me to be extremely thirsty even after it wears off so there's yet ANOTHER distraction, and I was watching the clock and counting down the minutes till break so I could suck down my water bottle.

Me: 19 on watch in the Navy

Here's another moment in time from the Vault. Responsible me...3 am watch with another chick. We were the only two in the barracks that night because everyone else was out doing some night drill. We had the radio up and we were dancing, and were having the best time blowing off some bootcamp steam, but was short-lived... unfortantly we got caught. The rest of this week was spent scrubbing floors and toilets with a toothbrush. Worth it? OF COURSE!!

This past Sat I did the M'Boro Hot 100, only I did the 33 mile loop instead of the 100 mile loop. (I'm not crazy yet) My riding buddy Jessika IS crazy though and she did the 100 mile. She has only gone 55 miles before that so she was convinced her life was coming to a close about half way through it, then luckily she said she went numb and doesn't remember miles 75-100. I think I did really good on my little loop and I was only beginning to wish for an end to it the last 3 miles. The weather was perfect...cloudy and spitting rain. Had it been hot and sunny like last weekend I am sure I would not have had as positive of an experience. The 17 mile stop was basically a buffet so I can only hope future rides will be as delicious. Can't beat peanut butter and honey sandwiches after a long ride.

Yesterday I tried out some speedwalking and let me just say..It Aint no JOKE!! I felt it in my calves and abs so instead of running I will do this when my training plan calls for it. I started Physical Therapy last week and they don't want me running for the time being. I am praying they can get my hip fixed because I am going crazy with anxiety. I need to RUN!! I swam today for 30 mins. and I am supposed to ride tomorrow but Tropical Depression Fay may have other plans for me. It's supposed to rain for the next few days. Bummer.

I start school tomorrow night, and I am taking Anatomy and Physiology. I will be going 2 nights a week. This is the main source of my anxiety because I know how I get over school. Everything else starts to slide and slack off....Working out, cleaning the house...etc. I have a 4.0 right now and I shudder to think I have to do a repeat of last semester to obtain one again this semester, but this class is going to be even harder than my last classes were. (History and Med. Terminology) I studied my ass off for those grades and that is ALL I DID!! If I am gone again for awhile, you now know the reason.

GNAC

LAst week I did a ride with GNAC starting at Edwin Warner Park. There were three different levels to choose from, and I choose the shortest route of 24 miles. When I lived in Tullahoma, I used to bike 22 miles every other day on my hybrid and it was a piece of cake. This ride?.....not so much. Most of the people riding this distance had completed an Ironman only weeks ago, so this was to be a "Slow-recovery ride" for them. "Good" I thought. "A chance for me to keep up". They all had their IronMan gear on and their fancy Tri-bikes so I was already intimidated, but maybe since they were doing a "recovery" ride I had a chance.

I took my position at the back of the pack with the sweeper, and off we went. The pace was comfortable and I felt really good. They must either be tired or I am a stud because I was keeping up with ease. (I honestly figured they were tired..maybe I can keep up the whole distance) About 4 miles into it, we came to our first "Hill"..(Is that what they called it?) This is where I got left, and I came this close >< to loosing my breakfast. They went up the "Hill" like it was a straight-away. Just up and over...I swear I heard rocket engines. Where did they get this strength, and who is this guy coming back down the hill? Is he CRAZY? It was all I could do to keep from legs moving and not topple over. The guy who came back was coming back FOR ME!! (Awwwwwww. Now if I can only refrain from throwing up) He encouraged me onward and wasn't even winded, and I couldn't respond to anything he was saying except a grunt. FINALLY...the top of the hill came into view around the bend, and WOW; there was the rest of the pack not too far ahead of me. "See?" The crazy guy who came back for me said, "You did it, and you ARE keeping up." "Grunt" I said. From there we were going 37 MPH straight down and around some serious curves. I made it. This ride went on and on endlessly and FINALLY some dude towards the back with me got a Flat tire. THANK GOD!! I know that's awful but I needed an excuse to stop.

Deciding

Kelli and Me

Somehow I am now motivated to start....or RE-start training. Maybe it's the Olympics, or maybe I am just stir crazy. I don't know. But Kelli has asked me to train for the M'boro Half in Sept. (BWAHAHAHAHA) and I am also thinking of doing the Jack and Back. Keep up the training and throw in some swimming for good measure and I can do a Half IronMan later next year. That's the plan. (Swimming....UGH)

Although I know for a fact I cannot be ready for a half marathon by Sept. considering I can't run to the mailbox next door, I will train with Kelli but I don't think I will sign up. Maybe by Dec. I can be ready for the Memphis Half so in reality I am shooting for that. My friend Kerry from the bike Pedler took me on an endless ride last week and I feel more confident on my road bike. I have issues with falling over so I rarely ride it. This morning I went 14 miles with Doug, and I think I could have gone 20 in the time allotted, but he has a Trek hybrid and can't keep up the pace so 14 it was. I plan to do another long ride with Kerry again this week and then a ride or two on my own.

In the morning I am going for my first swim OF THE YEAR and pray I don't drown. One lap. If it's all I can do then it's all I can do. I know I can do more but I don't want to set myself up for failure.. HA... If I do one... YES!!!! If I do more...even better, but it starts with one.

I am trying to get Kelli to train with me for the Half IronMan but she has Hair issues. Her hair is super curly and thick, and she only washes it a couple of times a week because it takes her forever to blow it out straight so she stays out of the pool unless it's a wash day. I recently cut all my hair off because it was damaged so it's no big deal to me to get it wet, but I can admit it was a pain last year when it was longer. I only washed it every 3 days if I didn't swim. NASTY! With it short I can wash it whenever. When I was 23 it was REALLY short, and I have thought about cutting it off like that again. Here's a pic of me with my sister in 1996 . ( I was 23)

UPDATE: I went swimming this afternoon instead and I swam 20 whole laps! WOO-HOO!
I will swim 21 on Wednesday. If I can do 40...even better.

Almost a year

Where I have been? To be honest, I haven't been training AT ALL this year. I am a total bum. I have had injury after injury which has kept me from training..or running I guess I should say.

I signed up for the CMM half and my hip went out again during the 10 mile run. I hobbled home the last 2 miles and that was back in March. It's STILL screwed up. I am convinced it's a stress fracture but who knows. (The doctor if I would go)

SOOOO..my newest mission is bike riding. And I don't mean road bikes, although I have been doing that with my husband 3 days a week. (He's lost 20 lbs) I am running any errand in a 3 mile radius by bike if at all possible. Yesterday I ordered a FreeRadical to attach to my Trek which will make it even more of a beast. It should be built up by September hopefully and I will even be able to haul a weeks worth of groceries home.

I started back to school last semester and that took up a HUGE portion of my free time. For the first time ever I can say I am a nerd. I have a 4.0 gpa. Woo-Hoo!! Although I will be 80 before I ever graduate, I will chip away at it and hopefully get into nursing school. It is so competitive, though so my other options would be economics or urban planning. But I think nursing would be an easier job to obtain, and it has always been an interest so I have my heart set on that.

I would really like to start training again, soon. It drives me crazy to read the other blogs and see what ya'll have all been up to and I have nothing spectacular to report. I had hoped to pursue a half-ironman this year and maybe I would have if my hip had cooperated. Not only that, but my neck and back kept going out, too. I haven't had an issue with those for a month and I started walking again. My hip aches towards the end of my 4 mile loop, but it's almost immediate ( like 1/4 th of a mile) when I try to run. The biking/ walking is keeping my weight in check somewhat. I've gained 6 pounds, but compared to last year I needed the extra cushion because I got too skinny according to Doug. I don't like how my clothes fit but I guess it's Ok. They are tighter around the butt and thighs. I am blaming that on biking. (At least that's what I am saying anyway. LOL! Of course It could also be the chocolate malt balls from Fresh Market I am addicted to. It's like a chocolate bomb in your mouth. Heaven. )

Now for your entertainment... a pic of me at 19 years old when I was in the Navy. Miramar, San Diego, CA 1992..Grunge was cool...



I did my first 5 k around this time, The Carlsbad 5000, and I had a bike I rode EVERYWHERE. I went to the beach every weekend by bike. It was faster than taking the bus. I fell in love with the vibe there..everyone running and biking and just loving life. VERY different from the place I grew up. (Small town where I mostly got made fun of and crap thrown at me when I was out biking or running. WTF?? LOL.)

No responsibility..no worries. My friend took it. We were hiking around in the desert-like region of the base taking photos of the landscape and posing. I remember posing for this pic like it was two weeks ago. What was I thinking about? Not bills! I can tell ya that right now. I was probably thinking about the F-14 pilot I was obsessed with at the time. I was not "allowed" to date the pilot because I was enlisted and he was an officer. Did it stop me? (Did it stop anybody? Heeeeccckkkk NO!) Or maybe I was smiling because it was taken in a place I knew was "Off Limits". Oooooooooooooo..... We never could figure out why and of course that was the place we would all hang out. We never got caught either..lol! I think that was part of the charm...seeing what we could get away with in the military. So many rules... It was a good thing and a bad thing for me. I tended to "walk the line" a bit back then when it came to rules; sometimes crossing it, and I don't know why. My theory with the military was that the rules were there to keep us in line, and they knew we would break some. But if they had tons and tons of them maybe it would help to keep some kind of order. And some of them...eh..... The chick who took the photo was my partner in crime. It's like we were on a mission to see what we could get away with on a daily basis. What was under that concrete thing I was sitting on? A tunnel? A tunnel to what?? Is that why the area was "Off Limits"?

These days a flash of that girl shows up from time to time..esp when I go home. I don't know what happens to me, but when I get around my old friends...there she is. It happened this past weekend at a party in my hometown. I am no longer 35 year old married mother of two/ business owner bogged down with worry and responsibility. I'm the chick in the photo. Of course, those who really know me don't take me seriously. And those who don't know me...I apologize. I realize how I came off. And I would like to take this opportunity to blame the antics of Saturday night on my Best guy friend of all time...Timmy. I can't even look at him with a straight face and he just has this way of making mischief pure joy. Look at him...You can just tell there's gonna be trouble before the night is over and he brings that side of me out like no one else and he always has! Timmy, I love you more than I can say!

It's been MONTHS!!

NO..I am not dead. I just haven't been training at all since the Triathlon. I noticed over the summer I was getting weaker and weaker until it got to a point that I could hardly run at all. I would go to speed sessions and barely make it around the track one time, I couldn't keep up with my running buddies, and I was just plain old exhausted. And then basically after the triathlon I collasped. I was so frustrated because it didn't matter how hard I tried to push myself, my body refused to cooperate, so it got to a point to where I just stopped training at all. I finally went to the doctor and after some blood work, they found I had hypothyroidism. Basically, my thyroid has shut down and that zapped all of my energy. The doc said over training can cause it...especially if it was starting to not function as well anyway. I had the flu back in March while I was trying to train for the Country Music Marathon..and I haven't felt 100% since then. I am thinking that may have contributed to it. So now I have to take a pill every day for the rest of my life to do the work of my thyroid. I have been on it since Thursday of last week, and I have been running a few times, but I don't feel much different. I hope it just takes a while for the pill to kick in. Of course, the lack of training these past few months might have something to do with it. I am able to complete a full work-out at the gym, so at least I can do SOMETHING. And I am walking....I have the energy for that. I will just continue to do what I can until I am able to train again.

Last night the boys stayed at my mother in laws house so Doug and I went out and got crazy. His friends were playing at The End so he invited me to go. (We hardly ever go out) We started at a Mexican Resturant and I have a Margarita. (yum).. then we went to this place called Alladin's Hookah Bar. How cool was that? They had a belly dancer come in and I wanted to stay but we had to get to his friend's gig. I already had a nice buzz working so I took pics of us making out, and we ended up leaving early (hehe) On our way out the other wives stopped us and said they were jealous. They wished their husbands would kiss on them in public places. Doug really isn't a PDA type of guy either...it was just one of those nights I guess. HA! I am wanting to be proactive in spicing up our marriage a bit. All I seem to do lately is bitch and complain about EVERYTHING that's not right in my life. I feel it's time to take matters into my own hands and stop waiting for things to happen. If I want excitement..then be exciting. Easy..simple. If I am bored..find something to do. If I am sick..go to the doctor. I mean DUH. If the house is a mess..clean it. .....Ok..that may be pushing it. :)

Cedars of Lebanon Tri

Michele, Me, Wayne, and Patrick

Zbuck!

Connor's stitches are out!

Yesterday I did the Cedars of Lebanon Triathon (my third) and it was a sprint. Because I have been such a slacker this summer with my training..it was difficult and I am not exactly proud of my performance. But, at least I was out there...right? I need to be fully awake for any morning races/work-outs so I set my alarm for 4:00 and began the wake-up process. I got ready and arrived in Lebanon, Tn around 6:00. I was one of the first one's there! (I am so over zealous) When I found out my race number and found the place to rack my bike..I knew I had made a mistake. For some reason I put down a REALLY fast swim time so they put me up close to the front. I was number 163. No pressure! As I was picking up my race packet..I ran into a fellow blogger. ZBUCK!! I knew who he was immediately, because he looks just like the photos on his blog. I introduced myself and I met his brother . Zbuck was really fun to hang out with after the Tri. I also saw the usuals....Wayne, Michele, and Patrick. The swim was REALLY difficult for me..it was a 300 meter but since I can't swim worth anything..I struggled. I think got passed by like 100 people. Ther bike portion was no picnic either. LOTS of hills. Once again I called out to all the live stock I passed to see if I would get a re-action to take my mind off of it. I don't know why I can't resist the urge to do that. There's no tellin' what the people around me are thinking when I do that. HAH! The run was also hard. I saw so many people pass me on the turn-around..people I was close to in the swim line when we started. BUT..Wayne came back for me when he was finished and ran the last mile (which was uphill) with me to keep me from walking. THANK-YOU WAYNE!! AND>> I even passed a guy I started the swim leg with. He passed me in the pool and was out WAY before me..and I caught up to him in the run leg and beat him!

I ended up coming in 12th out of 23 in my age group. Nothing spectacular. Oh well. It was fun. If I am going to do tris..I have GOT to get out of this slacker mind set and actually train. I can't beat myself up for not performing well if I'm not training properly. I was dog tired after the tri and went home and took a nap. Next stop...Staggerwing Du in Tullahoma next weekend!

Connor got his stitches out last week. I took that picture right after they were taken out..and the scar is actually almost white today. Incredible! No one will even notice it in a few months.

3 days later

Connor UpDate: We removed the bandage about an hour ago to get a peek of the damage and it's looking good. The swelling has gone down, and it's a little bruised, but it's not near as ugly as it was the night it happened. It's going to leave a mark for sure, but I think after it fades it won't be that bad. He hasn't complained of any pain or asked for anything like Advil or anything. He's a trooper. He has been really calm (unlike him) since it happened so I know it was hurting, but last night his energy and personality started to return. Today he's smiling again. The swelling in his lip is almost gone but the tooth is still loose. (cringe)

Yesterday I ran a 5 k with Bailey and Christy. I ended up having to push Christy's stroller which contained her 2 year old son and it was a work-out! My butt was on FIRE during that run. Needless to say I didn't even come close to a P.R., but I want to push him around at least once a week now because I think if I did my strength would improve tremendously. I'd hit all kinds of P.R.'s!

Once Again...

I had just run a 4.3 mile loop with Fleet Feet, and I had taken a shower when Bailey came busting into the house screaming. I only caught bits and pieces, but I heard "Fracture", "Medics", and "Connor", and "he's gonna die." Immediately I felt my blood rise to my head and I started shaking..and I thought the worst. Like maybe he'd been hit by a car. I was terrified! I had on my P.J. bottoms and a tank top and dashed to my car along with Bailey and Doug, and we drove to the scene. There were about 20 people..mostly kids and 6 or 7 adults gathered around him when we got there, and one of them was a doctor. He already had Connor's head bandaged. Apparently Connor had been racing some kids he knew in the church parking lot on his Scooter and slammed into a pole with a concrete footing. When he left the house he had his helmet on, but he had taken it off...of course...as soon as he was out of sight. The doctor on the scene (one of the parents of the kids Connor was playing with) directed us to the E.R. and assured us he would be fine but he would definitely need stitches. THANK GOD it wasn't serious! There was blood EVERYWHERE so I am sure Bailey just completely freaked and thought he was dying. He ended up with 9 stitches and it looks like the scar on Harry Potter's head. (Just in time for the release of the new Harry Potter movie AND novel. ) This is the 4th time Connor has had stitches in his short life. (He'll be 8 in October). He ALSO had a busted lip and one of his permanent front teeth are loose. I am fine with blood and cuts, but teeth....I'll hit the floor. When I saw that the tooth was loose, I got weak and sickly. (I have to have gas just to get my teeth cleaned and I have NEVER been able to pull the kid's teeth. Bailey always does it for himself AND Connor. I'd pass out) Anyway, the tooth should tighten back up in a few weeks. (just typing this makes me lightheaded). He did that once before with his baby teeth and loosened them from a bike wreck. They were all crooked after that..but they tightened up. PLEASE let this one stay in his mouth!! I couldn't deal if he lost it. I'd freak every time I looked at him.

Speed sessions

Speed sessions really killed me last night. One mile warm up..then 4x1200 Intervals. I did the first 3 right on the mark in 5:45 with a 5:00 rest in between..but that last one was a killer. I really didn't do it. Just here and there with it. The last lap I decided to run with speed racer Jeff and try and do a 1:20 400. He was going to pace me and I got to the 200 mark in 40 seconds..started tasting metal, then quit. And to think this is his 10k pace!! How in the Heck??

Today I worked like a dog grooming dogs, then I went and swam laps. I am not sure what I have done, but I have a pain in my neck that is shooting down my arm. It started after the swim work-out. Hmmmm.

Tomorrows plan is to run the 4 mile loop with Fleet Feet (in my neighborhood...like a treadmill). We will see how that goes. My last few longer runs have been really sad. REALLY sad. I feel like I have never run before. I HATE that. I have a 5k Saturday and I want to break 24:30 but I don't see that happening.

Where have I been??

I have been working my bootie off....THAT"S where I have been! The summer months are the busiest for me, and the majority of my income is earned this portion of the year. I can't possibly catch up on everything I have been doing since my last post, but the quick version is training, working, and going on vacation last week to Florida where I was a TOTAL slacker! Well..not completely..I swam laps everyday in the pool. 1000 m at a time and I felt really good. But, I only ran once and it was so hot I did a half-ass attempt so I skipped out on the running the rest of the week. I ran 6 miles yesterday after we got home from a 7.5 hour drive and I felt good to be moving. Here lately my runs feel like I am brand new, but I think it's because of the heat and humidity. I ran a 5 k on the 4th of July and my time was so pathetic I aint even gonna post it. Really embarrassing. Oh well. I am lifting weights today, and I have speed sessions tomorrow..so maybe I can swim on Wednesday. Hopefully. My next Tri is next weekend and I really need to get to the pool. So that's it. BORING I know. Sorry. If I think of anything exciting I have missed.. I will post it. Cheers!

The latest

I'm back. It's been extra super busy in my corner this past week so I haven't been online much or updated the blog in a while..but here's what I have done this week.

Monday...Lifted weights with Jessika..Then had an acid peel on my face. It's peeling like a sun burn.
Tuesday..Speed Sessions-200 fast 200 jog
200 fast 400 jog
800 fast 400 jog....Then repeat these again. It sounded easy till I did it.
Wed...I don't think I did anything..but I had every intention of doing something. Ha!
Thurs...I ran 4.3 miles with Fleet Feet and I was doing good till my abs cramped up past the point I could run through. Someone said it may have been the combination of the gel I took..lack of hydration, and the humidity. It's never happened before like that...Upper abs. I have had stomach cramps and stitches..but this was doubled over pain and I wondered if I regretted not wearing my Road Id because I thought I may fall over on the side of the road for about 5 minutes there. Pretty Intense.
Tomorrow I have the day off again and I am having lunch with a friend. But I may try to go swimming sometime after that. (right).

Laurie's Day Off

Any suggestions? Anyone? Anyone? I have the whole day off tomorrow and nothing has been planned. Anyone know what I should do? Class? Anyone? Anyone know what it's called when you have a free day and nothing to do? Something "L _ _ K-of-planning"?...... LACK-of-planning.

This is a dilemma for me. I can't tell you the last time I had a day where nothing was in my calendar for me to do. I just don't function this way. I don't have any dogs booked, the kids will be gone, the husband will be playing golf..and I....I have absolutely NO IDEA what to do with myself. How crazy is that? Hmmmm... What to do..what to do. ..


UPDATE: Ok..It's funny the stuff a person can come up with to do when the slate (calendar) is clean.I got up at 6AM and didn't go to bed till 2Am. I jumped from activity to activity..starting the day with a 6o minute run at 6:30 with Kelli, and the day ending at a Karaoke bar with a rowdy group of friends. I'd say I found something to do! I wouldn't wish for a day like that EVERYDAY, but was so good to just have a day off and see what it brings. There was running, shopping, Mexican food, margarita's, A LOT of water, bar hopping, beer, swimming, a sunburn, a pedicure, a nap, more beer, dancing, some shots, singing...the day just went on and on and each hour brought something fun. I now think EVERYONE should plan a free day with nothing planned every once in a while and just see what happens. It's safe to say a good time was had by all!

Speed Sessions Week 3

When I drove out to the track..I could see a dark cloud starting to form, but I didn't really think it would rain. It has rained on and off all day, but the radar was clear an hour before Speed Sessions were to start..so I figured the night would be clear. I was wrong. A DOWNPOUR hit around 5:45. I called Doug to ask him to check the radar agin and see if he thought it would blow over pretty soon. From the looks of it he didn't think it would, so I hung out for a while and got out of the mood to run. I thought about going to the gym instead. Then...all of a sudden..it stopped. DANG! Just when I thought I was going to get off the hook.

Everyone who was waiting out the rain in their cars headed down to the track and warmed up 1.5 miles. It was still cloudy and I thought the weather was perfect. Then the Sun came out. MAN was it humid after that. I looked out over the track and steam was rising. it wasn't 5 minutes before everyone looked like they had jumped in a pool!

Tonight work-out was not a picnic either. I did 9x400's at a 1:48 pace and alternated a 400 jog after each lap. The jog was to take twice the time of the run. I was supposed to do 8x400's but I lost count and kept running with a chick who was pacing me and she was doing 10x400's. After the 9th one I asked her how many that was and she said 9. Opps. All of my laps were under the time frame though, with the last one at 1:39. Then I did a mile cool-down. I was DEAD after that work-out so instead of going out to eat all sweaty and nasty I came home and ate some Chinese food and drank a Mich Ultra. I LOVE Speed Sessions..but only after I am done with them for the week.

Patrick...Where were you???

I have had yet ANOTHER slacker week. Spending time at the pool..blowing off running, swimming, and biking, Can't seem to get my act together with any form of training. However, I HAVE worked my tail off grooming dogs this week, which may explain the laziness in every other aspect of my life. Summer is so busy in the grooming trade. We did 17 dogs on Thursday alone!! I got finished around 6:45 pm and I was dead tired. But, I am bummed because I skipped out on the Moon Pie run. I never got the chance to build any mileage since my post-marathon hiatus, so I just didn't go. My kids were still in Baseball Tournaments anyway, and so I went to that. This week it is my hope that I will get back on it instead of talk about it. I have a 5k I am planning on this weekend because I don't feel like I am ready for another Tri yet. Last night I went out with my friend Kelli to try and blow off some steam. It was fun. Today I plan to spend another day at the pool aging my skin and drinking Long Island Teas. Doug wants to watch the Golf thing on Tv and it's Father's Day so he has the right. We went to eat Brunch at the Country Club this morning, and I should go run some of it off, but ...Nah. The Pool is calling! I do know that my newly defined ABs will not stay visible much longer if I don't get back on the training soon. It was hard enough to get them to show up...all of this laziness and beer is not going to help matters much.
Here's a photo from this morning at the Country Club. My Husband and my Boys. I am thinking I may shave the Mohawks off this week because baseball is over. Those haircuts are crazy enough, and they refuse to spike them up the way they are supposed to be, so it just looks like a REALLY bad haircut when we are at the pool or in public. If they would keep them spiked at least people would know it's supposed to be a Mohawk. I spiked them this morning, though. We got a few looks at the Country club..I don't care..but I think it would be better for the beach to go bald. I don't know..whatever.

Speed Sessions Week 2

Super-Stud Patrick!!

Jeff and Mark

Melissa and Me

Man..This was a tough one..(Aren't they all). Coach Mark had us run a two mile time trial last week to get our base, then he based the rest of the summers workouts on our times.so my workout for tonight went like this...
Warm up 1.5 miles..then Run a 200 in 54 secs.....jog a 200...run another 200 in 54 secs....jog another 200...Run a 400 in 108 secs.....jog a 400..... then repeat this sequence two more times. Everyones workout was slightly different depending on the mileage they run during the week and how fast they ran the 2 miles last week. I was excited to know I had moved up to group 3 from group 4 last year. PROGRESS!!
Funny story...On the workout board all of our times were listed So I wrote them on my hand so I wouldn't have to keep the numbers in my head during the run. (Watch out for that runner's math) I wrote 200=54 and 400=1:08. Anyway..I would do my 2x200's in 54 seconds, then I would BUST ASS trying to do the 400 in 1:08 because that's what I had written on my hand....And I was gettin PISSED because the best 400 I could come up with was between 1:40 and 1:48. I just couldn't figure it out! Was I REALLY in that bad of shape, or was Mark just trying to kill me? I saw Wayne and asked what the hell and as it turned out I was hitting it perfectly because he informed me that the time was in Seconds..not minutes. I looked again and it said 108 on the board..not 1:08. I felt so stupid. I decided to keep it to myself till I was cooling down and started chatting with a few friends and they confessed they thought the same thing I did! We shared a good laugh. I mean.....to go from a 54 sec 200 to a 1:08 400?? And I was actually TRYING TO!! Hello??
After Speed Sessions I went out to eat with Melissa, Jeff and Coach Mark (I tried to invite you Patrick..but you "disappeared". Oh and BTW...I have "her" narrowed down. ;) ) Melissa and I confessed our "Duh" moments to Mark, and he laughed and said a bunch of people were scratching their heads too because they couldn't run the pace either and couldn't figure out why. Runner's Math, man. It'll get you every time!

Slacker...

I have been such a lazy loser since the Tri last Saturday. I never went to swim team last week, and I only ran Speed Sessions and a mile or 2 on Thursday, so Sunday morning my plan was to run 12 miles and get back into the swing of things. I have a 10 mile run this Saturday called the Moon Pie, and I am not EVEN ready. I got up Sunday with good intentions, and met a girl to run with. We did the 6 mile loop and that's all I had in me. I couldn't run any more than that because physically I felt weak and mentally I was DONE. I can usually push through some weakness...but yesterday I couldn't find the boost ANYWHERE so I stopped. Wimpy. After that I went to the pool and got WASTED drunk with my friend Kelli for whatever reason (I'll tell you..one beer and 2 or 3 Long Island Teas..I lost count) I remember joking that I was going to blog about it and the heading would read.."Hello...My name is Laurie..and I am a Long Island TeaAholic" For some reason that was funny yesterday....this morning?...Not so much. I came home from the pool and shot off some foul emails, then I went to bed at some point and woke up around 9:30 pm...went back to bed at 10:30ish, then woke up this morning at 4:30 and made it to swim class!! Yee-Haw! I haven't been to swim class in over a week so it felt good to be swimming again. I am going to try my hardest to make it 3 times this week and lift weights maybe tomorrow or this afternoon. We'll see how it goes!

My new Employee

Yeah..SUCKS doesn't it? It's a dirty job....

But SOMEBODY's gotta do it. Might as well be you!

FINALLY..A solution to my summer woes. If you haven't been keeping up, a couple of entries ago I was desperately trying to figure out what the heck I am supposed to do with my two paths of destruction running free in the neighborhood. Then it hit me.......Put their poor little spoiled Brentwood butts to work. I was so excited to be able to spend some quality bonding time with my oldest trouble maker, Bailey, this morning. He had SOOOOO much fun learning the ways of the cold-cruel world ..earning his keep. I'll bet it will be the LAST time he comes into my shop and complains of being bored. He'll find SOMETHING constructive to do..like clean his room, do the laundry, pick up the sticks in the yard, pick his nose......anything. I have laughed so hard today watching these scenes take place, I had to snap a few pictures for history's sake. Oh, don't worry. I paid him for all his hard work, and he'll have some cash to spend at the concession stand at the ball park instead of hittin' me up every 5 minutes. That snow cone will taste so much sweeter when he thinks about what he had to do to get it. Connor..You better lay low buddy, because YOU'RE NEXT! If you come in and tell on Bailey for something trivial ONE MORE TIME while I'm working, I'll have you picking dog hair out of every nook and cranny of that shop for the next SIX WEEKS!! You have the cutest little hands that are perfect for the job. It'll be a BLAST! I have HAD IT and I really can't wait. Yes..I am talking to you with your know-it-all sassatude, and your superiority. The end is near..I can FEEL IT!! (I have a strong suspicion that my groom shop is going to be spotless real soon.) Hey..sorry about the tone of this post..but I don't call it "Train or Insane" for nothing. I'm going CRAAAZY. Look into my eyes! (Of course..there could be a dash of PMS involved, too)

The agony of Defeat!

Connor and his Division Leader Trophy

Final Score

This was a NAIL-BITING game..but we were defeated by one point! That was the closest game we have played and it was against the other divisions undefeated team. Both of us 16-0. We were ahead some of the time..they were ahead some of the time..but they had the Home Team advantage and got to bat last..and they got us. I want Doug to do a more complete version of what happened in this game, but he says "Let it Go". There were a couple of plays which I believe to be a bad call on the umpire's side..no seriously..there was some huffing and puffing of coaches and officials in the field for a few minutes..but it wasn't in our favor. We were behind at this point but scored SEVEN RUNS in the 5th..which is all they allow..so then the home team came got up to bat and had one out..scored three runs..and beat us by 1 point. They were a tough team. But even the parents and coaches on the other team admitted it was the closest game they had played, too. It could have gone either way..and SOMEONE had to lose. Oh well.The boys took it well, though. The tournament starts up on Saturday morning and I have a feeling we will see them again at the championship..hopefully beating them this time. They all got trophies tonight for being the division leaders, (That's what it's all about..trophies..right?) so the kids were happy. AFter the game we went out to eat with a family we have made friends with over the season, and I shared a MONSTER margarita with the wife, Anne. It was so good..and much needed after that game!