Bachelorette Night!

Grandma Damie got out of the house and actually attended a party last night!  Whoo Hoo! Good thing, because I was the hostess of the party- and that meant I had to stay out late- no yawning and no looking at the clock.  This is very hard for me and my early bedtime ways.  But, I only have one sister so I knew I had to put the party dress on and go have some fun!

Me, Bachelorette Rebekah (aka Sugar Free Candy Love) and Michelle on our way to the Molly Fontaine Lounge for martinis and fun.  

Yes, I made Rebekah wear the condom veil and drink out of penis straws.  I think I kept it tastefully tacky, if I may say so myself.  

I love this picture of my mom, Rebekah, and family friend Jean- caught in a good time moment.

How many martinis have we had?  I am guessing more than a few since I have a tattoo on my boob and Bekah's looking like she is having quite a bit of fun.  

Thank gosh the stripper showed up.  Clark came at a good price...  :)

And, there is no party like a party with my two awesome girls, Laura and Joy.  

Watch Your Video :)

I hardly slept last night in anticipation of returning to swim practice.  (not sure if it was good or bad anticipation!).  I haven't gone in a hot minute as I needed some time off from trying so hard to get my training self back, and finally...this week, I was ready to return.  

And I woke up to rain.  No big, deal, but with predicted thunderstorms on the radar, I decided to stay in and get on the trainer.  It would be a huge waste for me to go back to bed, since getting out of bed is the hardest part for me!  

The Bourne Ultimatum would not work in my laptop DVD player this morning, so I tried to find something to pep me up.  I picked up my Florida Ironman 2008 DVD- the one I have not watched- and stuck it in.  

I got teary-eyed watching the swim and seeing all of the masses of people.  What a cluster bleep!  Just 4 years ago I could not swim 100 yards without stopping- on a 3 minute pace, without a heart attack.  But, I swam 2.4 miles in the ocean last year!  I didn't drown and I had fun!  

By the time the video got to the run, I had already planned out my next Ironman.  Then I saw Joy on the video (in the distance, but I completely recognized her running form).  Next up...me!!!!  There I was!  No one else would notice me, but there I was- sponges on my shoulders and all.  

And of course, the finish line.  What a great day.  What an accomplishment.  It is cliche, but doing an Ironman makes every other challenge in life seem easy, or at least doable.  (not to mention I think this is the only athletic accomplishment I have ever had that impressed my parents- I am so glad they came to watch!).  

Watching the video was just what I needed to re-spark my motivation to keep pushing on.  For me, it is about taking on new challenges and staying true to my own goals.  It is about the inward focus- the challenges I give myself, regardless of who else is around or the perceived external challenges.  And really, the Ironman is a very personal challenge.  Time goals, place goals, Hawaii goals- they may be there, but it is still ultimately about facing yourself.

I am getting so excited just writing about it.  I hope I get to do another one soon!  

Great Life

So, I broke down and bought People magazine last night.  The checkout line was moving way too fast, and I didn't get to read the whole Patrick Swayze article.  Seriously, though, at $5 a pop for the magazine, I could have saved up for his autobiography in hardback that is coming out!

I think what struck me about the article is that he had this amazing, multi-faceted life.  He was a football player, track high jumper, classical ballet performer, actor, animal lover, pilot, ranch owner, world traveller, on and on.  I just kept thinking, what a great life, you know?  I mean, that is the way I want to live my life.  

AND!  Patrick had some pretty bad knee problems which ended his dancing career.  He said he had some regrets that he had to stop dancing and never fully realized his potential, and I really understood what he meant.  But, still, he went on to do so much, and again, had a great life.  Nice lesson for me as I struggle through my injury.  

I had a pretty good week this week.  Work is in full swing, and it is hard.  But, I can say I enjoy what I do and I NEVER look at the clock to see when it is time to go home.  It is actually the opposite- I look at the clock and realize I have run out of time yet again.  

Dave and I also got to eat dinner with our "couple" friends, Justin and Kathy.  We always said we needed another "couple" in order to do "couple things".  This is an old, silly picture of me and Kathy from the Happy Mexican a year ago.  Good times ;)  

And...what else... Bekah and I had a chance to go visit Shelby Angel, shop for wedding stuff, and be crazy sisters together. 

Life this week was pretty full :)

Oh, and Shelby Angel wanted me to let you guys know that she started her own blog at

www.shelbyangel.blogspot.com

Happy Reading!

Peaceful Mind

I generally notice increased stress in my life when my exercise time is low.  Between starting a new job, helping with Shelby Angel, and being injured- there is no doubt my inner stress is shining through!  

I was excited to participate in my old workout plan this Sat with buddies Joy, Nancy, and Laura.  Dave was even surprised when I told him I was going to Saturday swim class followed by a bike ride.  He doesn't remember the last time I did that!  Luckily Joy just did and Ironman, so Saturday was all level 1, easy, and when it felt too easy, we went easier.  

All of a sudden, I started having this amazing string of luck on Saturday.  I was feeling good, and life was being good to me.  I even mentioned to Laura that things were just going too well with my day.    

So...when I got that old stressful feeling today over things that don't deserve so much attention from me, I wasn't surprised when a small run made everything better.  Yep- PROOF that I need to be running and exercising, not sitting around injured and stressed!  Exercise and running in particular give me a peaceful mind.  

And after struggling with the injury for quite a while now, I finally went to see another ortho doc on Friday about my knee.  The good news is he thinks my joint has a lot of life in it.  However, besides the obvious lateral bone damage, he thinks I may have an undiagnosed medial meniscus tear or damage (my original thought too) that will have to be repaired.  And, that really does seem to make more sense because I had just started playing soccer again when I injured my knee.  There is something really suspicious going on, especially with the two huge Baker's cysts and the fact that I can't get over the injury.  At this point, I have been reduced to just swimming.  Even with rehab and strengthening, I still keep losing muscle in my right leg- I have shut down in a neuromuscular sense.  

So, I had permission to get in a nice run today and tomorrow if I want and then I get an MRI tomorrow evening.   We will go from there! 

  

BIG DAY

Whew hew!  My head is spinning, but in a good way.  :)  

Shelby Angel had a BIG day- small surgery, abscess drainage, x-rays, and anaesthesia...plus, a new foster home!   I must say she was a scared puppy when I went to pick her up from the vet's office.  After 2 weeks of food and love, she had to experience more pain in order to keep her healthy.  We are really trying to avoid amputation at this point, especially since she has already lost some bones in her feet either through self amputation or other mutilation, so the vet had to do some draining and poking around in there.  Her feet hurt worse than ever, and I think she was doggone happy to leave the vet for a while! 

So, here is Shelby Angel with her new foster mom, Heike.  She looks scared and tired- because she is.  I bet she wondered when the next round of foot torture would be coming.  I hope she was pleasantly surprised to find that her new temporary home has lots of food, lots of love, another dog for a friend, and a great new human friend.  Of course Heike is already in love with her, as EVERYONE is when they meet her.  Last time I checked they were eating some 5 star main course and snuggling.  Now THIS is the life every dog should have.  

Shelby Angel also made the newspaper here in Memphis.  Check it out here:  

ARTICLE ON SHELBY ANGEL-COMMERCIAL APPEAL

So, like I said- BIG DAY.  I hope all of this brings Shelby Angel the life she was meant to have as an amazing companion to some lucky person.  As for me, I felt SOOOOooooo embarrassed to see my name in the newspaper.  

I plan on making a separate blog for Shelby Angel this weekend for those readers who would just like to follow her progress on her journey to a great life.  The rest of you crazy triathletes can stay here and lament with me as my fitness erodes into the winter months.  2010 anyone?

Time For Week #2!

Here are some more pictures of Shelby Angel.  She is up to 35# now and covering up a few bones.  She still has a longggg way to go, and you would really have to see her in person to see how underweight she is, but she is definitely making progress.  

This first picture of her is my favorite pictures of the day.  She looks so beautiful to me here.  Her eyes are simply amazing, and her coloring is so beautiful.  She is such a pretty dog.  

Here is another picture of the pretty girl enjoying a quiet day in my parent's backyard.  My sister and I snuck Shelby Angel from the vet's boarding house today and took her on a day trip for some relaxation and time with the girls (and papa).  

Damie, Bekah, and Shelby Angel...all smiling!  Every day we get to spend with Shelby Angel brings so much pleasure and joy.  It is as though I found the secret to happiness in life, and it comes packed in this amazing dog.  

Our current big problem- her feet.  Shelby Angel can barely walk.  She is in so much pain and limps so much.  I know it is hard on her because she wants to follow us around everywhere.  This is a picture of her back left foot.  It has a digit that is basically missing with the nail that is cut down to the bone and split in half.  On top of that, there are abscesses.  Ughhh....  poor baby.

This week Shelby Angel will undergo some clipping and draining for her nails and toes.  She will also be getting some x-rays to see if amputations are indicated.  Keep her in your prayers!    

Bekah and I soak her feet several times a week.  We did it again today and watched the puss ooze out of the open sores.  The soaks are painful for Shelby, yet she does not get upset or try to get away.  She has such amazing behavior, she tolerates pain and discomfort for over 30 minutes without so much as a mean look.  It is as though she knows we are trying to help and trusts that we are not trying to hurt her.  What an ANGEL!!!!

I have recently stumbled upon a great website I wanted to share with everyone:  Badrap.  Whether or not you are interested in pit bulls, I think it is a good site for education on the breed.  I had two people at work literally freak out on me last week for even considering saving an abused pit bull mix and letting someone adopt her.  I try not to take things personally, but since I own a pit bull mix- AKA:  Cayenne, well, it didn't sit well with me when they were telling me that I was irresponsible for ever considering putting my family at risk.  They basically wrapped it up by implying that I probably shouldn't ever have kids because my home not safe...I guess I would be an unfit mother because of my choice in dog rescues.  

Well, I guess Cayenne could possibly lick me to death.  Anyone that knows her knows she does not know how to stop kissing.  "Stop kissing me Cayenne"  falls on deaf ears around here.  Last night she woke up a couple of times and just started kissing me.  Come on, Cayenne!  No kisses!       

All I am trying to say is this- form your own opinion...I always believe in that.  However, do it based on education- read more research and valid studies and steer clear of the nightly sensational news.  

As always, thanks for reading my blog, whether it be about training, lack thereof, or animal adventures.  

Holding On Just A Little Longer.....

I am very good at pacing.  I can hold even splits in training and racing.  I can pretty much call my split and then do it within a very close range.  (at least I was good at all of this...hope it is still true! ;)  

I am not so good at pushing through and holding on.  When the pack runs/rides at a higher pace than I think I can hold, I drop back.  I am saving myself....from what?  I am not sure, but I think I am saving myself from a sure death.  

However, this hinders me as an athlete.  The safety of the splits I know I can hold...the familiarity of the paces I know so well...   It is good, but then there is no BREAKTHROUGH.

Since I recognize this as a weakness of mine, I now look for times when I have allowed my comfort zone to dictate my training.  On Tuesday, we were given a really tough set- well, tough for me (non-swimmer)for sure, and I think Steve would agree.  Given the fact that we have both missed a good handful of swim sessions lately, it was a little scary when the main set was 1,900 of different distances on an very challenging pace.  The only thing I could think to say was, "wow...we don't get to talk to each other today, do we?"  There was maybe 5-10 seconds of planned rest between everything...the whole time...if that.  

After the 7th whatever we were on, I heard that voice in my head.  It said, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO HOLD THIS PACE THE WHOLE TIME.  I wasn't even half way through and I panicked.  I sat out the next 100- and the coach asked if something was wrong.  I said- no...but I can't hold that pace!  He couldn't understand why I would stop, when I had made every interval with time to spare- I hadn't even fallen behind yet!  

I got back into the mix after that- realizing my mistake and held strong the rest of the time.  Yes, I felt like throwing up the rest of the set- it was the first time I have ever been nauseous in the pool.  But, when I finished the set (and I did...I made ever interval)- I just wished I had held on a little bit longer in the early part of the swim... it was like having an asterisk by my workout since I sat out one 100.   

So, one of my overall athletic goals is to learn to push more in training- to trust the times coaches give me, even if I think they are ludicrous- and to not drop out of any set until I fall over or drown.  

I am also happy to say I have been on my trainer 2 x this week.  Monday it was miserable- I couldn't wait to get off.  Tonight I enjoyed it just a little more...it reminded me of all of the IM training on the trainer and it was a little easier to stay on.  I have really, really neglected my bikes and I am going to try to start making it up to them.