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!

Connor..Sporting his Tournament Mohawk

Bailey got one, too.

Shelli, me, And Jessika. (I haven't washed my hair in three days..that should explain it)

Today I did 2 dogs and hit the pool with my kids and some friends. I have blown off swim team both Monday and this morning so I swam some laps for 30 minutes and then put on the spf 50 and laid out for the rest of the day. As you can see in the photo above, I have nasty pool hair...but I will wash it tomorrow. Maybe...I promise. HAH!

Tonight is Connor's Baseball Division Championship. His team is UNDEFEATED this season..16-0..and they are playing the team in the other division that is also undefeated. It's sad because one of them is going to feel the stabbing pain of loss tonight, and I am going to cry if we lose. But we won't because a bunch of the kids got Mohawks. (His team is the Indians) That should make a difference..right? Connor plays catcher and he has done an awesome job this season guarding the home plate. I am so proud of him. He actually catches the ball! I have watched the other kids on other teams and they pretty much shy away from it at his age. Go Connor!!

It's already the beginning of a LONG summer. A few days ago Bailey decided to burn down my neighbor's tree, and today he was on a busy road in our neighborhood, and Winfield drove up in his Jeep and had to stop because Bailey (9) was positioning these boulder sized rocks across the road. Winfield apparently yelled at him in a DAD tone ( Winfield has two boys the same age as my two) and came to my house to tell me to get control of my kid. He drove me to the evidence, but the rocks had already been moved , and Bailey beat us home and played dumb while Winfield told me the story. Needless to say, Bailey will not leave the yard again for a while...maybe the summer. I thought he could handle a little freedom on our circle, but I guess I was wrong. It will kill him to see Connor (7) leave the yard while he is stuck at home. He needs a good ass-bustin' to go along with the grounding, but he's already as strong as me so I'll leave that up to the man of the house. I am seriously the worst mom, ever...I'm already counting down the days till school starts back, and that's just awful! I should be able to chill out and have some fun with my kids..but NOOOOO....that would just be a hallmark card commercial. NEVER gonna happen in real life! They just WILL NOT behave like civilized human beings when unsupervised and it's like watching an episode of Malcom in the Middle when it comes to my family. Where did I go wrong?

Summer Speed Sessions

Mark..The coach layin' out the game plan for the summer!

Jeff and Melissa. I met them Last year and now they are Engaged. I think they make a perfect couple!

Speed sessions have started back! Woo-Hoo! It can't BELIEVE it's been a year since I have seen some of those people. I had been dreading tonights work-out for days because it was the 2 mile time trial...and it was HOT as hell outside this afternoon. I drove out there with the usual nervous stomach and anxiety I always experience before a speed session. It's a love/hate relationship. I love it because of the friends I have made and the way I feel AFTER the work-out..but I hate it because I know it's gonna SUCK!.

When I pulled up there were already people circling the track warming up and I started getting excited. Clouds were starting to form overhead outta nowhere, but I was glad because the shade would be nice. As I walked up to the track entrance, who did I see??? Patrick!! I was thinking.."Yay!! Speed Sessions are gonna ROCK this year!" We usually all go hang out after we run and from some of the stuff I have read on Patricks Blog..he likes to party! This is the 3rd time in a week I have run into him. I also saw my friends Melissa and Jeff. Melissa is the chick dressed up as Wonder Woman over in the margin. She's a lot of fun to run with so I was glad to see her there.

We started our mile warm-up..and at about lap 2 the sky opened up and a hurricane came through complete with 100 MPH winds and deadly lightning. Ok..this is Tn..no Hurricane or 100 MPH winds..but still. Not running weather. So we all moved it inside and had our pre-work-out meeting there. After 20 mins the storm passed and we hit the track again to warm up. Then they divided us up into 2 groups. Over 15 min. and under 15 min. (I was in the over 15 min. group.) When the coach said "GO" I took off like a bat outta hell, and after the first lap I thought..YUP.. this is gonna suck, alright. I HATE time trials. If someone were to tell me to go run two miles..I'd say EASY! But there''s something about being timed and running round and round a track that gets to me. Every lap was a struggle. The first mile was 7:15. Too fast. There is NO WAY I can keep up this pace. I was running with Melissa's friend Mary Jane for most of the run and she was FAST. The last mile was a blur of pain and puke (Almost) but I kept sayin to myself.."One more..then we'll talk" So I would run one more lap..get it done, and I would tell myself "One more.." again. FINALLY I crossed the finish line in 15:28. And as hard as that was for me tonight, I was happy with it. Mary Jane finished in 15:07 because she started sprinting the last lap, and I couldn't keep up. But I appreciated her pacing me through-out the majority of the run.

The rest of the work-outs will be based on my time till the middle of the summer, then we'll do another 2 mile run to see where we are at. The target race is the Franklin Classic 5k/10k on Labor Day. I might be doing a half marathon on Labor Day in San Jose, though. We shall see. Either way I hope to get my 5k time down to the 22:00 range or better this year. I think I can do it. It'll be fun to try! (Not even) Whew.. I am glad that's over for the week!

Mach Tenn Tri

Me and Winfield..settin' up Transition..I am so "Not in the know" at this moment!

Concerned look on my face as I surveyed the situation...and put my wetsuit on Backwards. Opps. HA!

I'm thinking "Smile..this is the LAST time I'll ever get the chance to!"


Tip-Toeing into the lake.. About to face death


Made it to my bike by the grace of God

SO glad I Finished! Me, Lana, and Michele chillin' with beer and bananas.

I got up at 4:30 and got ready for the 1.5 hour drive to Tullahoma. Winfield was late picking me up. (Winfield is the husband of my friend, Kelli. She is still too chicken to TRI. We're workin' on her) We left around 6:00. We drove in his Jeep and it was COLD cause he had the top off so I covered up with a blanket and turned the heat up full blast. Then it started to rain. Fun stuff.

We got there and set up the transition area, then I found Emmit who took all the photos for me, and I saw various other people I knew including Patrick, Michelle, and Lana. I was so happy to see my fellow bloggers!!

The Swim portion was living HELL! I was grossly under prepared. THe wet suit prevented me from reaching like I am used to, and my shoulders gave out almost immediately. I spent the majority of the 6/10 mile swim on my back praying to God I didn't drown. 30:38 later I dragged myself out of the lake and spent 5:44 in T1 trying to get my act together for the bike leg.

The biking wasn't all that hard, but it wasn't a piece of cake either. (Anything's better than the swim) I rode almost all of it with a guy that played catch me if you can the whole time. I would catch him..pass him..and he'd chase me for awhile. This went back and forth the whole 16 miles. We passed a bunch of Goat farms so I called to the goats every time I passed one. That was the most enjoyable part of the 59:23 ride for me. I was glad to be off the bike.

The the run was actually the easiest for me this time. I never had to walk..not even the hills. But, I had gotten a Microdermabrasion treatment done on the day before...so my face was ON FIRE when I started to sweat. I passed my bike dude early during the run and he never caught me. I did it in 35:29..4 miles. Now that time is a slow 4 miles for me but the swim just about killed me so I am giving myself a break on my run time. I grabbed a cold towel at the finish line and put it on my poor face. Then I ate pizza, bananas, cookies, beans, HoeCakes, and washed it all down with BudLight. I was buzzin' after just ONE! My total time was 2:13:40...which got me 12th out of 13 in my age group. HA!!! I was pissed at first but I am new so now I don't care. Next year I'll be at the top of the list. Next stop....Moon Pie 10 miler on the 16th..then the McMinnville Tri on June 23rd.

JCC Team Magic Tri!

This is Tammy, me and Wayne. Tammy didn't look this happy after the race. Read on!

This is Michele, Lana, Patrick and Me. There is another girl pictured here I did not know. I think her name is Amy.
This is me coming in for the finish.

Just wanted to give a quick update. I placed 1st in the beginner's category of my age group! I am completely STUNNED by this considering the stress I was feeling over it. And the best part was the swimming! Here are a couple of photos and there are a few more to come! It was GREAT to finally meet Lana and Patrick. I felt like I knew them already, though. I saw David again and we ran together for a little ways for the last mile of the race. The swim was so much easier than I expected it to be. I was comfortable through-out the whole thing.. Then I ran to the transistion area and didn't even bother drying off. I just put on my bike shoes, helmet, and race number and took off. The biking was a whole lot harder than I expected it to be, but it was cool because I could see people's ages on the back of their calf so I picked them off one by one. There were a few steep hills and the finish was downhill.
Back at the trans area I re-racked the bike and put my running shoes on and my sports bra over my speedo. I was so tired at this point and I hadn't practiced any bricks so that first .5 mile was rough. I didn't have an iPod either so I was hurtin'. Once again I focused on picking off my age groupers and passed nearly everyone this way. Then David caught up with me and ran with me for most of the last mile. I saw Christy at the finish line! And my friend Valerie. (Valerie is the one who talked me into this whole thing and she didn't even get to do it due to the race filling up. ) I decided to stick around for the awards ceremony and I am so glad I did! I could not believe it when they said I was first because I felt like I did awful...(But I always feel that way in a race).
Here are my splits: Swim-5:14 Bike-35:47.74 Run-18:35.74
Non of those look impressive me me..but they somehow got my in first place in the beginner category..so I'll take it! The run was especially hard on me due to me not having my iPod/crutch and never practicing bricks. It shows in my time.

Update: I just got an email which said they had tecnical difficulties with the Transition Mats so out Trans times are included in the bike and run times..which means I did better than I thought on those. Whew..I thought I REALLY sucked on the run...But add about 2 or 3 minutes to that. (I was in the transitions FOREVER!)

I saw Tammy (another training partner) at the finish line and she looked like a Mummy. Apparently she had a bad wreck and ended up having a SERIOUS road rash, and they had wrapped her all up. But she's tough because she carried her bike the rest of the way....then ran and finished the race anyway. Lana placed third overall and I think that is awesome! Overall I am very happy with today and I signed up for the Mach Tenn this Saturday. PANIC!!!

Summer..summer..summertime..I just sit back and Unwind.

School is out! They got out Thursday. On Thursday afternoon there was a cook-out for the kids on our street to celebrate the end of the school year . Connor went and Bailey went to my mother-in-laws to swim cause he "wasn't in the mood" for a cook-out. Then yesterday we spent the day at the pool and we did the same thing today. I am already sporting a decent tan..even with SPF 50 on! I refuse to get burned this year. I discovered I still tan through the sport's block lotions so I am going to use those this year and save my 34 year old skin from further damage. I can already tell it's going to be a long summer and I need to find something to do with the kids while I work. they have camp in a few weeks, then we go to Florida for vacation..but that's about it so I am in a panic over what to do with them.

I have been a total slacker this week in every respect. I went swimming once and ran a few times, but that's it. I have a huge fear of the Tri on Monday morning. AAAAHHH! What was I thinking? I don't know why I am stressed over it. My kids Swim, bike, and run every day in the summer and never give it a second thought. I will try to focus on that and just have fun.

I went swimming on Monday morning and I walked Monday afternoon. I also went to the gym and lifted weights. Then yesterday I didn't do anything because of some other issues going on so I ran out of time. I skipped swimming today because I was up too late but I went and did a Speed session work-out w/ Tammy (a girl I met at swimming lessons) and it was a good one. We did a ladder workout. 200..400...800...1600...800..400...200, and we sprinted the last 400 and 200 and raced each other. My hips were on fire!!! (She beat me) I even had that wonderful metallic taste develop during the last 200. I was a good work-out and it gave me a hint of what's coming up in just a couple of weeks. I start the summer Speed sessions with Fleet feet and I CANNOT WAIT!! As much as I dread Tuesday nights in the Summer..I also look forward to them. I have a Love/Hate relationship with Speed Sessions. I love the misery if that makes any sense at all. It's a "good hurt". I came home and wolfed down a Subway and cookie and life is good for another day.

2nd in my age group!!

Here are the results for the Run 4 Kids I did this morning. I placed 2nd out of 41...83 overall!! Woo-Hoo! Bailey (My nine year old) ran it with me, and it was his first 5k. He did it in 30:31. And Connor did the mile run in 8:46. I am so proud of them! I ran it in 25:21 (my Garmin said 25:20) but the girl who beat me REALLY whipped me good with a time of 19:19. Either way..it was a good sized race (479) so I am happy with 2nd place, and I was SHOCKED when they said my name. It has been a goal of mine to place in my age group this year so I guess I can stop running now. HA! And to think I almost didn't go! I haven't been able to sleep any these past few days and when the alarm went off this morning I almost blew the whole thing off. (I was up till 2:00!!) But then I knew Bailey would have been seriously disappointed because he has been training hard for it.(Not really...but he wanted to run it ).so I drug my tired ass outta bed at 6:00 and got motivated. I went in there and woke him up and he shot straight up and got dressed no problem. He was so excited..so that go me more in the mood to run. I am so glad we went! Doug even came to watch us and he was proud of me. Awwww. He NEVER comes to my races. But, I think he came to this one because Bailey was racing for the first time. That's ok....he's almost to his goal weight and he said he'll start running when he gets there so I have a feeling he'll be at more and more of the races in the near future. While I standing in the start line I started talking to David..who I have met before at the Tom King Half through Michele. It was good to see him again and e chatted during the awards ceremony. He placed 3rd in his age group!

I skipped swim practice yesterday morning due to lack of sleep so I went after I got off work and repeated the work-out we did Wednesday morning. I swam a whole hour this time. (well...not non-stop. I would pause here and there) I swam 250 without stopping though, which is a MAJOR accomplishment for me. Stop laughing. I am one of these people who struggles to do a 50 on most days. So I am making improvements! I am feeling more confident about the Tri on May 28th...and I don't dread the pool like I used to. These are all good things.

Yesterday I went for a run to the gym...lifted weights....then ran back to my house. Then I ran another 3 miles. It was about 5 miles total, and I had to walk a bunch of it. BOOOO! Then this morning I got up @ 4:30 and went to Swim team. YAAAYYY! I swam really well today, but I don't have the stamina yet for the entire 1.5 hours. We move outside after memorial day for the long course and I am NOT looking forward to that. The water is 83 degrees in the indoor pool and it feels like ice to me, so the outdoor pool is going to make me scream. I might not ever get the nerve to get in! After Swim practice I came home and went back to bed for a while till my first client came. Then after work I went and got some fins, paddles, and a swim cap because I have been borrowing these things for other team members. I also got a new Speedo two piece. My other "new" one is already looking worn. Then I went and got an awesome micro-dermabrasion treatment which I traded for dog grooming with a girl who does facial's. (I am a fan of the barter system. I got a massage two weeks ago (90 min) from another girl for grooming her dog, too. )Bliss! My next treatment and massage is in two weeks. All is well in my world today. :) (And, I haven't heard a peep out of my crazy- ass neighbor!)

P.S...if you have a chance..make sure you check out Matt the bike store dude's blog. He has an excellent article on why bikes cost so dang much. Interesting!

Bla

Just not feelin' it lately. I went Swimming three times last week..but I really haven't done anything since. Well, I went hiking with the Kids Sunday (mother's day) but that's it. I have attempted to run and my legs continue to feel weighed down..which makes me wonder if I should do my annual Run 4 Kids 5k this weekend. I never do well on this race because it's always the first one after the marathon, and I haven't done any speed work-outs so I always bonk when I run it.

Yesterday I got into a heated argument with our neighborhood drunk. She calls and threatens me and my kids every so often. (When she's drunk) My kids were gone ALL DAY yesterday, yet somehow she witnessed them throwing rocks at her dog numerous times and harrassing her. (Somehow they are always supposedly in her yard on the days she's drunk) She's crazy..but she's fair game if she calls me up wasted. She never calls anyone else about their kids. Just mine. (But she has my business magnet on her her fridge..that's my theory) I started off semi-nice to her but by the end of the call there might have been some foul language involved. (That's the red-neck in me) I ended up calling the police this time though, because she said she wished they were dead and they'd be sorry if she saw them out running around again. SCARY!! She has a dog I used to groom for her, and after her drunken phone calls she'll usually call me to book an appointment the next day. Last year I told her I wouldn't groom her dog anymore because she can't threaten to burn my house down one minute and have me groom her dog the next. I feel sorry for her more than anything. It was Mother's Day and her son moved to Washington state a long time ago..and her daughter was killed in an accident 18 years ago...so I know it's got to be hard for her. I do feel kind of bad for calling the cops on her...But still...I can't let her threaten my children...drunk or not. You start messing with my kids or even threaten to and I WILL TAKE YOUR @SS DOWN!!! (Or die tryin")

And that's about it here at the camp!

Still Swimming

I got up yesterday morning again at 4:45 to swim with the MAster's team and I actually enjoyed it. I "swam" for 1:15...But I couldn't swim the last 15 mins. because I was freezing in the pool and so I got in the hot tub to warm up before hitting the showers. I am going to do it again in the morning which will be 3 swims for me this week! Maybe I will be ready just in time for the Tri on Memorial day. I am thinking about skipping the Mach Tenn because it's only a few days later and there's just no way I'll be ready for open h2o by then. I still haven't decided yet.

I want to wish Patrick and Michele Good Luck on the Half IronMan this weekend. You guys are CRAZY!!!

Swimming...FINALLY!

Well I did it...I got up at 4:45 and went swimming. And the ONLY reason I actually got up is that I had to pee...but whatever..I got up and I went. I met my friend Tammy there (A girl I met at swim class) and I didn't swim very long..but I am going to try again tomorrow morning with the swim team. They practice for 1.5 hours so maybe I won't wus out with them. Then I went and did the hill training with Christy. If you are from around here..there is a hill off of Franklin road called Lynnwood, and it's almost a mile up with a 9% grade. I thought she would hit me for it..but she ran the WHOLE THING without any breaks! I was impressed. And it was steaming hot outside for even more enjoyment. Then we walked down it and there is another shorter, steeper hill that shoots off to the right that she did 4 repeats on. I really didn't run any of these except for 2 of the repeats because I am supposed to go run 6 miles later this afternoon with another group so I wanted to save my legs. (That's my story and I am sticking to it..ha!)

Yesterday I ran 2 miles and it took me 18:00!!! That's pitiful. BUT..the day before (Sunday) I went biking almost 40 miles with a group so my legs felt like lead! (My first brick...24 hours later!) I know..it doesn't count. But man I am dreading the run after biking. I can't imagine I'll be ready for it in 3 weeks. If my legs were that dead after 24 hours..what are they going to be like immediately after the ride? Jello!!

Run for Cinco de Mayo 5k

Well...Christy has completed her first 5k! She was shooting for a 35:00 but that last half of it was all upHill so she ended up with a 42:00. She was disappointed but honestly..if I had been trying for a 23:00 I would have probably finished in 27:00. It was a tough course....especially for a new runner. The start line was at the bottom of a hill, and hills continued through-out..then coming back was ALL uphill. And she hasn't done any hill training at all so now we know what to work on starting next week. She said she thought she was going to die..and I reminded her that she will ALWAYS feel that way if she's trying to beat a time so get used to it. It never gets any easier unless you are just running for the fun of it...so it's not a sign of weakness to think you are going to die. That's how it's supposed to feel! Welcome to running! During the run I kept telling her to turn around and look at all the people she was in front of! (A ton!) She ran most of the distance without stopping. In fact, I don't think she took any walk breaks till after mile 2..which was a MAJOR hill. On her shoulder I wrote "My first 5k" with a Sharpie and so people where cheering her on..and lots of people came up to her and said it was their first, too. And, we were right on pace for the first part of it..my leg never cramped. ( I've been having some issues with my left thigh since Saturday....But I ran this at a much slower pace than usual so I was fine.) After the race she was happy because she knew she gave it everything she had..so she did her best. Now she has a time to beat. And she said she's hooked for sure!

There was a huge block-party after the race and it was fun. Lots of free food, margaritas, and beer! So she has her first 5k under her belt. Congratulations Christy!! I am so proud of you!

On Tuesday I went on the field trip to the AG Fair with Bailey's 3rd grade class. Here is a pic of Bailey and I sitting together on the bus. AWWWW. I kept rubbing his head and mom stuff and he kept swatting me away because his buddies were laughing at him..so that made me do it even more.HA!


Here is a photo of the kids on the bus. Bring back any memories? And if you look closely, you can see someone in green hiding from the camera. THAT'S the "meanie mom". She was fine with everyone else taking pictures..except for me. She would hide. What's that all about? So Numerous times through-out the day I would pretend to snap a photo her way..just to see her sqirm. (I am ALSO in the 3rd grade) HEHE!


Here is a photo a Bailey in front of a combine that cost $250,000.00 in 1993! Can you imagine what it would cost today?
Here is a momma cow , and below is the baby . SO STINKIN' CUTE!
And this a pic of farmer John shearing down a sheep. That was fun to watch.

Later thatt afternoon there was a hot air balloon hovering over my neighborhood. It looked like it would land on our street it got so close!I learned a lot at the Ag fair. It was really interesting. I haven't done much in the way if exercise since the CMM. I walked everyday, but I never went swimming although I did make an attempt. I got up at 4:30 Wednesday morning and couldn't find my suit so I went back to bed. Then yesterday I decided to try to run, and my leg cramped at mile 2..the same was it did at mile 12 Saturday. It stopped me in my tracks yesterday though. Christy has a 5 k tomorrow that I am supposed to be pacing her in. She MAY be pacing me instead!