Mucho Better

I am making up a lot of Spanish these days. I am doing my final clinical rotation at a pediatric clinic, and I have one great kid that knows mostly Spanish and sign language plus some English. She is smarter than me- not even close to being old enough to go to kindergarten, but smarter than me. So, I spend my day making up Spanish by adding an -o to random words I know in French and seeing if she understands. I follow that up by attempting to do some sign language, and since I really only know play, more, done, out, mom, horse, dog, and cat...well, you can see the limitations to our communicationo. :)

Here is a fun picture from Bekah and Jon's engagement party this Saturday.
Can you pick out the poor student in this picture? She would be the one that is too broke to have highlights. My sister and mom don't seem to have missed an appointment in years.....

After taking a morning off from work on Monday, I arrived today feeling mucho better. I am bueno. I am glad the bug or whatever it was that I had over the weekend finally passed. Dave is happy too...our house really, really smelled and I couldn't keep blaming it on Cayenne. My disappointment in missing the race Sunday has passed with the bug. I was really excited to race after a few months of good, quality training. But, you know, some things just don't come to pass and you move on. My season may get a late start, and if I have to delay some racing until then- that is what I will do.

I did run 2 blocks today with Dave before giving in to the knee. He was really amazed at how fast I was for those 2 blocks. I acted like that is the pace I do all of my runs in, no matter what the distance. ( I was really just running super fast since I knew it wouldn't last more than a minute before I had to stop). Then I reminded him that I am an Ironman and of course I am really fast.

Don't feel sorry for him- he has spent years exerting his athletic prowess over me. It is only fair that I knock him down a notch every now and then.

I have a doc appt. next week....more mucho bueno. Onward to healing the knee!!!

And I am listening to Chaka Khan- Through the Fire. I felt it deserved a little shout out on the blog.

Rebelman RR?

So, the plan was to drive to Oxford Sunday and do one of the following:

a. Swim like a shark then ride like a maniac. Maggi was going to be stationed at T2 ready to tackle me if I had some stupid idea like trying to run (because I can't run....so trying would have been silly). She was going to walk me to turn in my chip, and voila- a training day. This would be a PDNF or planned DNF.

b. Swim like a shark then ride like a maniac. Forget the PDNF, no one likes those. Leave T2 and walk the entire 5k so I could wear the t-shirt in the goody bag.

Neither one of these happened. I have been sick for the past 2.5 days, and I am sure this will be normal for a while as I am doing a pediatric rotation and don't have my immunity built up quite yet. Saturday night I knew things weren't too good when I couldn't stand at Bekah and Jon's engagement party without getting sick to my stomach.

Sunday morning, at 4am, I had to make a game time decision since I was still feeling sick. I am not good at sitting out or choosing to stay home. I woke Dave up, which he loves at 4am, to get his advice. He decided that if I needed to get an opinion then I definitely needed to stay home, because if I was ready to go, there is no way I would be sitting around asking him for advice. I took some more medicine and went back to sleep, content with my smart decision to heal my body.

Needless to say, the cry fest began when I woke up.  I cried because I couldn't do the race. I cried when I saw the results- knowing I would have done well were I healthy. I cried when I talked to my friend on the phone. I cried when I saw a friend in the gym and they asked about my knee.  

I realize that this is part of the injury process, and I am going to have days where I do not feel in control.  I am sure being sick on top of being injured didn't help me feel too great either.  This morning my boss asked me to please stay home so I would not come to the NICU sick.  She was absolutely right, because even though I thought I might be okay, 14 hours of sleep later and I still had a body ache (that is not remotely exercise related :)....hopefully I am on the up and up from here.   

Huge thanks to the following friends that were there for me this weekend:

• Dave- I don't need to explain this one.
  
• Alyson- for listening, understanding, and just being there for me.  As busy as you have been, I know you understand the frustrations of training sabotage. :)  
• Gina- for giving me permission to expect more from medical care without feeling like a whiner.
  
• Nancy- for giving me a hug when I start crying randomly in the locker room and reminding me that it seriously could be worse.
  
• Marit- aka: BTCY (blogger triathlete counselor of the year)- for being an empathetic listener, reminding me to be kind to myself and my injury, subjecting her family to an hour of our injury conversation in the car, and helping me think about the bike equation in this mess. 
  

31

I turned 31 yesterday. From my birthday pics, I definitely look older than I did on my birthday last year. I think I spent too many years looking younger than my age, and now I am aging rapidly to catch up. But, since I have always thought the 30s would be my decade, I enjoy the birthdays that just keep on coming.

Of course for my birthday I got Twilight the book AND the movie from Bookie. I usually don't buy books unless I love them. So, I borrowed the Twilight series, but I think it deserves a place in my personal library. I love books- the perfect gift always. Oh, and I made Dave watch the movie late last night, bossing him around and saying it was MY birthday and we had to do what I wanted to do. ha ha!!

My Papa, Nami, Bekah, Jon, Dave, and I went to eat sushi for my birthday. Yum Yum! It was a wonderful dinner with everyone. We picked sushi since it is lent (and we are Catholic except for Dave and Jon). Dave ordered a surf-n-turf roll and no one realized it, so it was funny when my sister and papa realized they were eating steak. They are on the path to hell for sure... or is Dave for tricking them?

Dave, Jon, and Nami leaning back and relaxing on the pillows after a very good meal. Oh, and let me congratulate my mom for getting the whole birthday thing right after 31 years. I asked for bike or running stuff as always, and I got a gift card to Outdoors Inc for bike stuff. Yea!!!!! Normally she would ask me what I want, then get me what she thinks I should want. (example: mom, can I have a soccer ball? here Damie, I got you a Barbie).

and then I wanted to share this t-shirt with you that a soccer teamie of mine was wearing last night. Hilarious. If this doesn't make you laugh....

I have been wrestling with the decision to retire from soccer for good with the emergence of the injury. Dave thinks it would be best for my body if I let the sport go and focus on triathlon. Last night I went to watch Dave play indoor and I saw my friend with this t-shirt on. It was a sign- I mean, I laughed so hard I thought- I love this sport! I have to find a way back on the field! Why is the t-shirt a sign? Because it reminded me of the personality and the energy that I love in the game of soccer. It is not like triathlon, which I love too, but soccer players are special :) I love my teammates and I love the dynamics of the personality and the game.

God granted me some grace for one week as our first game of the season got delayed for a week. So I have another week to think on things and keep pursing the medical attention I need. Ufortunately, he couldn't give me any more time between now and my first triathlon of the season, which is tomorrow.

Yes, for those who have asked if I am racing. I have a plan. No, for those of you who have asked if I can run. It is a physical impossibility at this point- unless I somehow become uninjured today.

I will post a RR tomorrow. Till then.....

Glossing

I think I may gloss over the important role Dave plays in my life. Did you know we had our 4 year wedding anniversary last week? 4 married years together, and 10 crazy years total. (I sometimes wonder what it is like to put up with ME for 10 years....wow....)

Today had yet another morning where he helped me get on the right track.

Me: 5:00am. I don't think I want to go on the Peddler ride. I am still feeling really depressed.
Dave: You need to go. You will regret it.
Me: You always say that. I am not sure it works anymore.
Dave: Riding is the only thing that feels good to your knee right now. You have to exercise. This is important. You always come back happy. You need to do this to feel happy.
Me: But this ride is hard. I just don't know if I have the energy or desire to keep up with the group today. It is just not in me.
Dave: So then you will do your own thing if you don't stay with the group. Problem solved.
Dern if he doesn't say the right thing every time. Yes, I did go ride and I came home happy. Coffee waiting for me and a kiss.

Quick Update On Knee

Short post-

I am trying to keep my head up. Doesn't seem to be meniscus from physical eval. That could be good news if we don't have to repair a tear.

My patella is dislocated medially and there is a nice, big bone spur that looks like it is catching bone in flexion. So, this could be a possible source of the pain and catch that locks my knee and won't let me walk. Possibly.

The problem is we can't really be sure from the eval or x-ray as to what is damaged or what is exactly going on. So, we are on the waiting game again to see if I will need an MRI.

So, I have no true answers to put on my blog today. And I still walk with incredible pain- not walk, limp. Every step I take is painful. I truly pray for the day that I wake up and can walk without pain.

Even though I can't get the answer I need medically right now, I know that there is another right answer to this problem, and that is to stay positive and just do what I can do. So, after crying a ton on Rooney and Cayenne's shoulders, I picked myself up off of the floor and went to lift weights and aqua jog. After all, I have no room to cry when there is so, so, so much I can still work on.

So, totally onward and upward. This will be resolved one way or another and the fastest way will be with postive action.

Turned Out To Be A Big Week

What I lacked in land time, I made up for in water time this week. I hit the pool 7 out of 7 days- 6 swim days, 1 water jogging day (I need a break from the laps). I realized today that I swam 21,600 yards in the 6 days. While a lot of you cover that yardage every week, this is a big number for me. A PR, I guess. See? Even when you are injured you can PR if you are creative enough :) Interestingly, only one swim was with the master's program. Every other swim was a date with me and the black line. I guess I needed some me-time. Add on a couple of extra pain-free spin sessions on my bike, and the week has actually turned out okay.

I have also managed to lose 2 pounds this week. I am getting a little tired of the post-IM weight so I just said no to the extras. They weren't kidding when they said once you hit 30 your body and metabolism change. I guess I am almost one year deep into the metabolism slow-down, and I am slightly regretting every grilled cheese sandwich, tater tot, and piece of cake I ate in the college cafeteria. I said slightly regretting. They were pretty good.

In my up and coming world, I get to go see the ortho doc on Monday about my knee. With some guidance and prompting from friends and family, I forged ahead and got some help. I feel positive that this will all work out with a happy ending once we get a game plan on the table. I may have to make some adjustments with some things in my future, but I am more than willing to give a little to get a lot. Once I can put my finger on what is going on, you know I will work hard to make it right.

Okay, so update tomorrow on the doc visit.
xxxxoooo

SOS

Day 5.... no walking.

Hobbling? Yes- with pain. Walking, not even close. I am a prisoner in my house during this glorious spring break. The dogs would be excited, except I can't take them on a walk. Yesterday I tried to go up to campus and get some work done, but the walk from the car to the building was just too much and I was miserable after making the trip. So another day at home, and I guess I don't need to leave my house to have a pity party. :)

I am still getting the advice to "take it easy" and "don't push myself." I have stopped making sarcastic remarks back because they are clearly falling on deaf ears. I can't seem to get any medical attention until next week because everyone is confident that I will go from not walking to healed by Monday- they must think I will rest extra hard over the weekend.

Normally, ice helps a hurting knee for me. Achy knee- runner's knee- slap some ice and it will feel better. Usually doesn't solve the problem, but feels better. Not in this case- my knee hurts just as bad pre-ice or post-ice. Much like I thought 5 days ago, whatever is lose, torn, or pinched in my knee is still there-ice did not do away with it.  I am in trouble.

Solid efforts have been made by my mom, the queen of acquiring pharmaceutical samples, to bring me some meds to try to help. My friends have patiently answered their phones every day as I report...SOS, SOS...day 3, day 4, still can't walk, no one will help, please send support and back up, mayday, mayday.  

In an effort to stay positive and trick my mind into feeling good, I am entering the NYC marathon lottery today.  I mean, just because I can't walk today doesn't mean I won't be able to pull out a scorching marathon in November, right?   Okay, now I think I may cry.  

It is only fair that I post yet another torso picture of Alan Smith to cheer myself up.  

A Revised-Plan Week

Sometimes you can plan, and sometimes life has other plans for you.  I am technically on spring break for one week, and I had planned to train like a demon this whole week- lots of serious riding, fine- tuning the speed on my shorter running distances, etc....  

Ha ha ha!!!

Since I can still hardly walk....  yes, the knee is still in a bad position.  Internal swelling, some loose body (of cartilage probably) that continues to lock my knee for me, and some nice bouts of pain are continuing to hang around.  Many have offered me the well- intended solution of ice and ibuprofen.  Yes, they tend to sooth things a little, but they can't fix cartilage problems.  Oh yea, and I still get the "just rest" and "don't run" advice thrown my way.  Seriously.  I must look dumber the older I get.  You mean I am not supposed to run when I can't even really walk?  Genius!

Today was a nice break through with a PT that I respect and that does not patronize me.  Nothing is worse to me than someone trying to explain what my meniscus is and what swelling does and blah, blah, blah- as if that doctorate in physical therapy I will receive in 9 weeks doesn't mean a thing.  When I am injured, I need someone whom I can bounce off ideas for active treatment as I consider myself the foremost expert on myself- luckily I spoke with him today and I feel better about what I can do actively to help myself with this situation.  

So, it seems that God had other plans for me this week instead of training.  I think he wanted me to have some time off to pay bills, renew my counseling license and get all of my CEUs in order (I have 0/40 completed right now), mail my friend the tri-top that she lent me in November that I had yet to return, and love on the dogs.  I have managed to make it to the pool every day (mostly with a pull buoy), and just for giggles I bring some crazy Jen H. workout to the pool with me just to spice it up.      

I did manage to get one important thing in order yesterday- the bike situation.  
Remember this guy?  He has been sitting in the attic in pieces.  I felt horribly guilty- I mean, he has been with me through thick and thin in every race I have ever done, even the Ironman.  He is not fancy, but he is a sturdy and reliable road bike.  Well, I managed to finally get all of the parts over the past couple of months to put him back together.  I even washed him yesterday, as he had not been washed since IM Florida.  I hope he will forgive me.  

Fighting for attention (well, it is not much of a fight) is the new girl in the house.  When I actually finished the Ironman, my family finally believed that I liked the sport of triathlon and would stick with it.  With tons of begging and me signing on for a ton of emotional debt with Dave (with a very high interest rate!  ha ha!), I was able to get an awesome carbon triathlon bike for Christmas to carry me forward.  She is used, but in great condition.  She is a huge upgrade for me in every way, and I make sure to tell Dave every day thank you and to talk about how much I love her so he will realize it really was a worthwhile purchase.  (all of the thanks he really wants is for me to earn a pay check again) 

It has been really fun getting both pieces of equipment together.  I feel so appreciative of the new bike I have.  I know how newbies feel when they don't have the newest or priciest equipment- I stayed on the aluminum road bike for 3 years.  I think that I did just fine with the basic things, and if you like the sport enough, everything you need will start to come to you over time.  

I hope to write some more positive updates on the knee later this week.  Over and out!

Stupid Knee

Okay, I feel better. I posted about my dumb knee, read it, feel fine now.

Little Rock Half Marathon Race Report

Not faster, but still some good stuff in there. And some bad. But mostly positive.

Pretty good day to run- temps in the low 50s, not much wind. Didn't get any pretty sun and humidity was at 90%, so it was damp, but good.

Dave caught a picture of me towards the end of the race today :)

By mile 2 I knew the day would be tough. My right knee- not hurting at all during the warm up, and not hurting at all lately (although bothering me on Friday's baby 2 mile run...hmmm....) started to hurt, and bad. By mile 4 I seriously considered dropping out. My pace was great, but my right knee and leg were really starting to hurt. I am happy to say I made it through, but those last few miles were really hard on my leg. I just told myself if I felt this would lead to an injury, I would back off immediately. I am still hurting, but I think everything will be fine with some attention.

So back to the run.

I had a feeling I could push it a little more than Birmingham. Now that I have had a few races this spring (a couple of 5ks, a 4 miler, and a half marathon), I am a little more in control of my pacing. So, from the get go I just went slightly faster. The good news is I never fell apart. I never felt at though my pacing was off or that I started too fast.

Little Rock is pretty tough and hilly- I don't really know how it compares to Birmingham- I think LR is harder, but I know we all just have our own course preferences. Of course Memphis topography is a cake-walk to the above mentioned cities. It just seems that the hills in Little Rock are unrelenting, as in they never go away- not always horrible, but always there. This year, though, I was ready mentally for this challenge. I was craving the challenge of the hills. I didn't let the hills defeat me today. (I am sure the hills did not help my ailing knee.)

2008 recap- I hit the 10k mark at 47:44, but I also lost my pace at mile 6 and never got it back. 5 of my last 7 miles were over 8 min. I was completely defeated by the hills. I ran a terrible second half and finished in 1:44:29.

In comparison, I hit the 10k this year in 48:05. I fought my way through mile 6, and I even ran my fastest split of the day at mile 8. I was just tougher. I didn't let up in that middle portion with the hills, and I even started putting myself in position to race some girls and trade some spots.

But, at mile 10 I ran my only split over 8 min- an 8:07. Mile 11 was really tough for me too. It was hard to focus on my running when my focus just kept going to my knee. I was really hurting. I got myself back in check for the last two miles and gutted them in to the finish line around 7:45 pace. But, those last 2 miles were tough and I felt as though I limped my way to a finish.

Garmin time 1:42:34 for 13.26 miles.

I feel much more positive about racing overall at this point. I am enjoying it and feeling good about my training. I have finally made a commitment to tempo runs, and they are paying off. My focus has improved, and I do a better job of reeling myself in when I lose that focus now.

Now I have some thinking to do on how to break some of these time barriers in my racing- time for me to move on from running the same ol' time every single race. (Loren- got any suggestions?) Time to go baby my knee. :)

David and Damie, post race with medal in hand. Dave was such a good spectator today. He did such a good job of cheering me on and encouraging me.

In LR

Dave and I have made it to Little Rock. So far we haven't done too much except eat Aunt Kathy's food, which is reason enough to come and visit. (She cooks with love- very important!)

This week Dave and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. (yea us!) We figured we would spend some quality time together just doing date-like stuff in Little Rock or Hot Springs, and then I could run the half marathon on Sunday. It was truly funny when I ran into Joy at the expo- we didn't necessarily plan to hang out together today and were just going to meet up on Sunday for the race. Anyways, we ended up spending most of the day with her- and Dave made some hilarious comments about spending our anniversary with Joy. I have to laugh, and truly my friends are such an important part of my life I wouldn't have it any other way.

I had the chance to meet Bart Yasso at the expo, and I bought his book and got a nice autograph saying:

Damie, Never Limit Where Running Can Take You. Bart Yasso

Dave and I loosely decided to go see some races at the horse track in Hot Springs today- kind of an anniversary date. However, we got a little side-tracked and didn't have a big enough window of time to head down that way. I had a moment where I just felt really sad and upset that we weren't going, and I started to cry. I mean, we could have made time to go, I just didn't push for it- not realizing it was so important to me. I finally realized I was crying because it was the one thing Pop Pop and I had recently planned that we did not get to do. He had planned to take me to watch the races on my next visit- a visit that never happened. Horses have been such a big part of my life, and I have always felt that I was missing something since I had never seen a big race at a real track. I mean, Dave will go with me to the track because I ask him too, but Pop Pop would really want to go to the track with me and would enjoy it. Dern it if we never got to go watch the horses together.

And so it was just a thought I had today if you don't make the time to do the things you want to do, you won't do them- they will be just one of those things you wish you would have done. So, next time Dave and I have some plans to do something new, I am going to make sure we do it so I don't have to look back and say- "You know, Dave and I always wanted to do that, but we just never took the time."

Wish me luck tomorrow in the half as I run my booty up some hills. Send some good luck to Joy, too, as she races her way through the course.

A Wednesday Laugh

My sister sent this caterpillar to me today and I thought everyone would benefit from it.

Happy Wednesday! Har Har! :)

Tuesday Night Randoms

So, how about that Liverpool game? How that team manages to play awesome in the Champion's League year after year....consistency when it counts, I swear.

Anyways-

I hung longer with the Peddler ride today. Wayyyyyy longer. I am learning to ride in a pack, jump in time for the sprints, and stay out of harm's way in the back. When I make it home I feel so energized and excited!

That feeling doesn't last until track. The jog over was the opposite of energizing, it was cementing, as in my legs were cemented to the ground. Fortunately this week I had the excuse that I am running the Little Rock Half Marathon this weekend so I didn't need to do pure speed work. Instead I got in the back and did some threshold running to get just a little pace going. One of these days I am going to run out excuses for keeping it light at track. People are starting to look at me weird out there.

In other news, Dave is off to his first soccer game in 7 months. I would like to think that he is going to ease his way back on to the field...but I know better. He is not 100% healed, and he is not 100% fit- but he is 100% depressed sitting around this house with no soccer. So, I gave him the release to play and a nice lecture about re-injury. I am positive he will listen.

Now, the big debate of the night. Do I really want to wake up early to go swim? Do I want to face the new, inflexible, power trip because he is really young and has something to prove swim coach that thinks we all suck because we are triathletes and can't swim? Hmmmmmm.....

Under Construction

Okay...bear with me as I try to update this blogspot. Dave has been bugging me to change the layout for almost a year- as I am not even really into pink. He thought my old layout was not representative of me at all. Of course I can't find anything I am just dying to have as a background, and here I go again with pastels. (Am I getting soft as I get older or what?) I am generally a blue and red sort of girl. Blue is my favorite color- red to race in- lime green is supposed to be my power color, etc.... Oh well, at least this is a change and eventually I will find the background that fits me best. At least I have stepped away from the pink....

Until then, I will have to piece this whole dern thing together again, and it has been a little more time consuming than I realized. It is kind of a pain to re-list everything.....

I HEART my friends!

This is just a little post that is dedicated to my girlfriends- specifically my girlfriends that are also my training partners.  I have a good handful of different friends that fit this category...chances are if you are reading this the post it about you!

We are alike in so many ways.  We are mostly high achievers and set big standards for ourselves.  I was just laughing with Alyson about how we are all pretty type A, and I bet we all did really well in school (well, except I tried to throw the bell curve on that one this last go-around).        

The great thing though is I have girlfriends that are just super charming, cute, smart, fantastic, witty, and....just frickin' great.  Dave is jealous, seriously.  He is jealous that he doesn't have friends as cool and amazing as mine are.  And my girlfriends are amazing at 5:30am swims and 10:30pm beers.  (again, I try to throw the bell curve on this one as I am the mawmaw... I am not very amazing at 10:30 in my pj's).  

We carry those same high expectations with us with sports too.   We just expect a lot out of ourselves.  Sometimes I hear my friends (and myself too!) get down on themselves or doubt themselves.  There is no place for me to chastise- I think I am the worst.  But, what I want to let all of my girlfriends know that you are awesome!  You are awesome athletes and I admire you.  I admire the balance my friends pursue as they juggle work, love, family, triathlon, and personal growth.  

And my girlfriends are fast.  Sometimes they don't see it- especially in the middle of the training rut.  But, it is there.  The beginning of the season always brings out the doubts- I am out of shape, I am slow, I haven't trained enough.  It is the same every year.  But, as the first races of the year start to roll around, I look forward to seeing all of my girlfriends kick some butt, reach some personal goals, and be their bad-ass selves.  

And it makes me feel good about myself because they are my friends.  

Kisses and hugs to happy March training and the beginning of the race season!   

Survived

Today on facebook I posted that I survived. What did I survive? My very first Peddler ride. (I did not say I actually hung on the whole ride, just survived). :)

Memphis people know which ride I am talking about. It is the one that I pulled up to this morning and saw only men, 40 or so of them, in team uniforms, way way faster than I can only dream of being. Practically every single guy on my team was there, and they are super fast. Then all of these super fast roadies. Then me. Thankfully Laura showed up for support.

This is the ride that I have found a million excuses to avoid, even though it starts a mile from my house. It is too fast for me. I will never keep up. I am not strong enough. I can't wake up that early to ride. I can't surge with roadies. I can't sprint. Lots of cant's.

The ride was exactly how I imagined it would be, and I liked it! This huge group heads down the road. It is pitch black and you can't see anything in front of you on the road. First scary thing was beating the train. Beating a train on your bike at 5:45 am in the dark. Smart. Then it was just riding with roadies- the movement, the weaving, going in and out of neighborhoods to get to the big roads. Doing everything possible to avoid being that person getting stopped at a light or by a car- because you will never catch back up.

Then came the sprints- or I guess the start of the real ride. I was actually hanging on. I even needed to pass some guys because I realized that they were falling back, causing me to lose touch with the group. I tried to focus on just staying with the back of the group. It was fast- but fun too!

I realized, though, that I couldn't see Laura. One thing we had talked about was not leaving each other on this first ride since we didn't really know the route. I had no clue if she was in front of me or behind me in the darkness. Well, you can't lose concentration on this ride or you will be off of the back, if you are a rider like me that is just barely hanging on. So, after a mile or so of worrying, I started to drop back and then got caught at a light. I waited for Laura but never saw her. A couple of guys were behind me, but they said they had not seen a girl. I could only hope I had missed her and she was really in front of me, or she had turned around and just did her own thing. (Found out later she had some mechanical probs and didn't know her way around the city enough to meet back up with the group).

Total edit, which I normally don't do to my blog. I want to make it clear that with a little lapse in concentration and completely burning quads, I was off of the back and fading. Waiting for Laura was just convenient- otherwise I was riding going to be riding with some strange guy that was dropping back too!

I finished the ride solo and still got in a good ride- especially for me in the early morning. Who would have ever though I would wake my very non-morning self up for a ride?

It was so fun to not have any more excuses to get out there. Yes, the ride is way too fast for me. But, there were other people that struggled to stay up. And, how will I ever get better at doing the ride if I don't get out there and do it? So I am going to just try to hang on a little further each time I go- make goals to make it to the next street or light before getting dropped. I am super proud of myself for actually attempting to get out of my comfort zone and forcing myself to do something I feared- I pulled up the BGPs this morning.

Forgot?

I had another fun night at track tonight. I ran half of my intervals at I pace and the last half at R pace for a good, steady mental workout. It is getting somewhat fun out there- steadily improving and watching my I and R paces get easy for me.

As I walked off of the track tonight, I thought to myself that my legs sure did feel tired, though. My calves were a little sore and everything was just a little heavier. It must be from the 3 faster workouts I did last week...everything just adding up.

I start driving home and then immediately call Joy, who heard me wonder aloud after practice about the growing fatigue in my legs. I blurt out- "I forgot- I played a soccer game last night." We both start laughing, I mean, how do you forget something like that? Of course my legs are frickin' tired! Hello!!!!! Bueller?

But, when you love something like the way I love soccer, it doesn't even seem to count as a workout, even though it is probably one of the best ones I get in the week. I count it as a rest day, I guess because I don't feel like I am training. Rest day....what? It is so not rest!

Dave even came to watch me play last night since we played our rivals in the final game of the season. At halftime, I walked over to Dave to say hi and he immediately said, "I know what you are doing." huh? He said, "you are purposely running more than you need to out there to get in a better workout. I know you." So not true- it is called hustle, Big Dave. Anyways, we lost in the final minutes which was a bummer- this was indoor so the game can change pretty quickly in momentum.

Some members of my women's team post indoor game.

Dave gave me some good feedback last night. He said I look great out there and I look the lightest on my feet than I have looked in a couple of years. He can't believe how injury free I look out there- which basically reminds me of how injured I had been playing for a long time. Taking the past year off was super, duper smart of me. I did feel good out there. I have, however, lost some of my ability to completely change a game, as Dave says, in the past I would not have let us lose that game. And Dave was right in saying there is no way I can try to be great at 4 sports- and I am in complete agreement. I just don't have time to devote to getting a lot of form back in soccer and trying to improve in triathlon. I mean, I played 4-5x a week in New Orleans. There is noooooo way I could do that now. I can barely fit in 1 day.

Which is no problem- it means that soccer is so much fun for me right now! If I can just stay in good enough shape and keep enough skill to hang with the babies, I mean young ladies (I swear, I just keep getting older and they keep getting younger!), out there, that is good enough for me! I love my women's team. Our outdoor season is starting this Thurs, so I will retain that night as my non-tri, fun night.

And I will try to remember that a soccer game is a workout and that I do get tired from it.