Triathlon season is in full swing- and I am loving it!!! I have finally started training again...I mean, not with a plan, but I am out there doing my thing :) I plan to have a plan. Soon. Until I make that happen, I am just trying to keep moving.

So, this past week was super fun for me, though, because I had the opportunity to spend some time with different athletes in Memphis. On Thursday, I had a chance to hang on to a roadie's wheel for an extra loop after the Peddler. I don't know what came over me, but when Curt Arthur and his friend passed me on the way home, I just jumped in with them. It was so out of character for me. And, when they asked if I wanted to ride a little more with them, I said yes! That was way out of character too! Maybe I am becoming more of a morning person after all (doubtful, really). So, I got to hang on to them as they practiced a good tempo pace with some tight turns in the neighborhood. I was very much admiring their dedication to training in the early morning. As much as I am just along for the ride and happy to actually be up and doing something, they were executing a training plan!

Saturday was kind of more of the same. I had the chance to meet Mark Newman, an excellent veteran athlete- yet tri newbie...although I guess no one told him that newbies don't win their age group at MIM. :) So, when he asked if I wanted to ride some more, I said yes! And I was pretty sure it would kill me to do it, but I said yes anyways. And my friends that know me best know I do NOT say yes to certain death. So I hung on...mostly, anyways. There were those hills....(3 to be exact where I just had to suck it up and hope he would wait on me) and thankfully Mark was the type of guy rider that did not up and leave me to prove a point. But, I mostly could hang, and after 40 miles I had to tell him thank you for the great ride, but I was tapped! And again, Mark is training for some 70.3s and it was great to see his dedication to training- I mean, he was going to do that same ride whether I was there or not- good stuff.

So, when Caroline Blatti asked me to run with her on Monday I was wondering- what is going on here? I am not a "yes" person, I am a NO person. I don't ride or run with faster people, or if I do I already have an escape route planned. Where is this all coming from? And she said we would run easy but let's just be clear that her easy pace is my tempo pace! And, since I have done exactly 0 tempo runs in 14 months....well, fine. I said yes and she could run easy and I would suffer but I was showing up. And, what a smart girl that one is! She is an excellent runner with some great advice. Boy do I have a lot to learn about running and improving! And I didn't feel self-conscious or lousy running next to such a superb runner- but instead I felt invigorated and ready to work on being a better runner.

So, I was really out of character this whole week, but I think it was because I was ENJOYING all of the people I encountered. I had so much fun watching their training unfold (as I sucked on their wheel), or picking their brain, or just being with them! Thank you! So I am learning that if I am willing to hang on to some faster, better people from time to time I may learn a few things and enjoy a change of pace. But, believe me I still have that "no" inside of me that I will use often. It is a mechanism of protection from doing too much, too fast, too soon.

So, great stuff going on here in Memphis as everyone is out training and working towards their goals. Which reminds me that I may need to try to pick some goals out and make a plan and all of that good stuff.

Presters

Every night I was going to sit down and write a post on Presley, but I just couldn't really do it. The vet told us to give it two weeks and then the chances of getting Presley back were very unlikely. So, two weeks passed this past Tuesday.

My best reading buddy...

I just have so much guilt and sadness. Guilt for not protecting my buddy- and sadness that he is gone and I did not get to say goodbye.

Presley has been with me for 10 years. 2000-2010. He lived with me in New Orleans when it was just the two of us. He rode in the car with me every weekend to go and visit Dave in Mobile when he was still in college. As a young cat, he followed me around everywhere and would not eat unless I was in the room with him. He would sit on the side of the tub while I took a shower, and when I went to the bathroom, he went to the bathroom. Our best times together were reading books. I mean, I can't even post kitten pictures of him because that was before digital cameras!!! All I have are paper photos!

Presley still made a shower appearance from time to time as he got older.

I am pretty sure Presley got tired of Rooney and Cayenne, but he would tolerate them as necessary. :)

Here is Presley hovering over me while I study. It was as if he knew he could grab my undivided attention. It seems that all animals know this trick....

Presley was a huge tomcat. He RULED the neighborhood. There was only one cat in this whole neighborhood that was brave enough to come into our yard. All of the neighbors knew Presley- he was respected as the biggest and baddest cat around. And, people lived in fear of him. Pet him if you dare- he may rip one of your eyes out if he gets tired of your presence. My own family was scared of Presley! I am not even kidding! Everyone was scared to pet him because he could turn on you in a second! One neighbor fed Presley every night just because he was scared that if he didn't feed him, he would start a fight with the other cats! (and Presley ate at least 5x daily here! ha ha!)

And here is the last picture ever taken of Presley. The dogs had just eaten my Los Locos arm warmers, and I was a little peeved. Every animal came out to give me kisses as I sat on the couch and worked on sewing up the rips in the fabric just to remind me how wonderful they really are.

So, I just miss him so much. I miss him every time I leave my bedroom in the morning- and every time I pull up in the driveway. I still look up in the trees to make sure he is not waiting for me to save him, and I still search for him in the neighborhoods when I run. I haven't put his food bowl or kitty litter away, and I haven't taken down the flyers yet...but I know I need to. I just really miss my friend. I have always wanted to be able to tell my animals goodbye when it is time for us to part ways- to tell them that I love them and I appreciate their company, good humor, and snuggles. I want to tell Presley that he made so many of my days better just by being around me...and that he was a good friend.

And, since he was such a good reading buddy, maybe he is reading this and he already knows this.

MIM Relay- Felicitas!

Thanks to my husband and well-meaning friends, I have been dubbed the "paparazzi" after whipping out my camera at dinner last night to document our fabulous post sprint/pre-oly meal. But our meal was fabulous- love me some friends and food. Consider my blog a scrap book of happiness, even if I do scare my friends with my stalker-like pictures and posts. :)
So- on to race #2!

No amateur challenge for me- I think the injuries are teaching me some lessons.

But, I did follow up the MIM sprint on Saturday with the bike TT for a relay team- FELICITAS. (yes, I give my teams a name because I am fun like that)

Swimmer: Meet Julia... without embarrassing her anymore than I already did today, let's just say that she has a very famous, 5 color tattoo that only a select number of people can wear, and it is NOT an m-dot. hmmmm. After recently coming out of a 3 year full retirement to play in the pool again, I convinced her that an open water swim would be fun! hee hee! She did amazing, of course, and I think she may even enter her very own first triathlon soon because she had so much fun!

And runner: Rachel...so awesome to be sandwiched on the bike by amazing athletes. She is such a strong, fast runner. And, she is the mommy of two!!!! Fit mamas rock! Rachel had the unfortunate HOTTEST part of the relay...ouch....the runner always has the most pressure. Of course she did great!

So, Felicitas won 1st place overall female relay. Yea us.

Somewhere in the middle there was a cyclist- and that would be me. I raced in my Splish bathing suit, and for some reason, this bothered a lot of people. I can't tell you how many multiple comments I had on my bathing suit..."why are you wearing a bathing suit to ride your bike?" Well, because I didn't want to put on a jersey and shorts for a 90 degree race? Maybe they were trying to tell me my butt doesn't look good in a bathing suit, and I just didn't get the hint. Fine, I will put down the oreos.

So, I am not really a TT girl. I have done this only 1 time before. I mean, I just find it easier to swim and then get on my bike. My HR is already up and I am focused. No, I don't bring my trainer to the race to warm up, although I do see the benefit. I was too busy taking pictures of Julia at the swim start. (paparazzi). There was a girl in the relay transition warming up on her trainer, and I got slightly nervous thinking...she may be serious about this.

And so Julia comes in and I have a big lead. My HR is probably at 80 and all of a sudden I have to TT! Ha ha!!! There is hardly anyone out in front of me- 4 male relays and the college division. So, I just try to start picking off the college kids one by one- and the guys were so sweet. Almost every one of them said something really nice and kind as I passed them and I was so appreciative and just wanted to let them know that if they give it a few more years they will be kicking some butt. Anyways, huge sweethearts out there and great sportsmanship.

So, one male relay was out of reach and one other male relay passed me but otherwise I think I got everyone else in front of me. It was a little lonely out there with no one around for most of the race, but it was great training. I was passed by two guys near the end and found a whole new gear to keep up, so it makes me wonder if I left it all out on the course. But, I am sure TTs are something that take practice to figure out how to ride the fine line.

I haven't raced over 14 miles in 2 years, so I was glad to see the 23ish miles pass with good time. Wow, has it really been that long? yes, it has. crazy. I think for the sprint I avg 22 mph/12.8 miles and today it was 21.8ish /23ish miles, so, not a huge drop in speed which was good- no knee pain, legs responding fine, everything is good. I wanted to break 1:05, and I did with 1:03 something or other. It is hard to compare year to year or hour to hour as conditions change yearly and hourly on the course, but I was happy with the results and feel good about my ability to handle two hard days of training/racing back to back.

Otherwise I spent the rest of the day drinking beer, saying hi to out of town people (Angela Kidd! who rocked!!!), stalking sister Madonna, and cheering on pros. And, I just made an executive decision to sleep in and skip swim in the morning. I think I have gone 7 days in a row with a 4:45am wake-up call, and that is just not acceptable. Boy do I wish I could skip work tomorrow as well.

Oh- and-break the pain. one of those inside jokes after too much MIM.

Happy training!

Memphis In May Sprint Tri

This is part 1 of my first double ever. I am not doing the amateur challenge (sprint + oly), but I am doing the bike portion of a kick ass female relay tomorrow. So, this is my first weekend to ever race back to back. Bring it!

First- and most importantly. I have GREAT friends. I saw so many people today that I love- what a great crowd at the race. Chad (thank you for the help this morning), Darin (thinking of you), Melanie D. (what a kick butt race! you are looking great!), Joel (thank you for bike support!) all of my Thunder friends, all of my Terrapin friends, all of my Infinity Multisport friends, Rachel R (sucks about the flats...we will get them tomorrow), Lindsey A (great job on your first tri!), etc, etc, and especially to my team Los Locos- a huge, awesome support group (with the exception of Miles who didn't bother to tell me good job or go Damie or anything as he passed me on the bike- he has already been reprimanded for that one). I love my teammates!!!!!!!

Damie and Laura- no Joy. She is on her honeymoon. :)))

Laura and I wore our team SPLISH suits! We love, love them- and no one else is wearing one, so we are like twinkies! They were so comfortable and easy to wear- AND- if you need to squat behind a tree on a covert bathroom mission, you can- unlike a tri-suit. I'm just saying....

So, I went out extremely easy on the swim to the first turn buoy. I was determined rid myself from last race's swim curse, and I made a plan to get to the first buoy like I was warming up, and then I could hammer home. I didn't panic at all, so curse over, and next race I look forward to taking it out a little faster. I know I can net an overall faster swim time than I did today, but I was willing to sacrifice some time to have a happy swim. Came out 6th in age group.

The bike was an easy, flat course. I unfortunately had to play leap frog with a girl in my age group for half of the bike, and I finally gave up, dropped back and just stopped trying to pass for a while since she would just immediately pick up the pace to get back in front. Towards the end, we picked up another girl in our age group on the course who joined in at our speed. I waited until we got to the last hills, I mean bumps, and pushed hard to get over them and away from the other two girls. It was a good tactical move- I left them and had a clear ride to T2. Jumped into 3rd place in age group.

And then the run. Humid and tough cross-country run. The two girls from the bike caught me pretty quickly- so much for my smooth move on the bike! I really did try to keep them in my sight, but they KILLED me on the technical parts of the cross country course. Well, they really killed me on the whole course- they were at least 30 seconds per mile faster than I. I never did pick it up out there and never felt like a runner. I was quickly facing the facts that I am no longer a runner, I am the girl that everyone runs down. I started to have some negative thoughts creep in, but I was able to rein them in and just tell my legs to do the best that they could, and we would continue to work on the run through out the year. And you know, my run is not horrible, it is just not competitive. I dropped back to 5th place in my age group for the finish.

And it is all good stuff. :) I did break my goal of sub 1:09- with a 1:04:42. I enjoyed the competition so much- it is so nice to have a break from the local scene and just get in the mix with some really great athletes.

And of course I am super motivated to improve my run, but I have thought it through and there is NO shortcut and NO easy way there. So, I cannot expect huge improvements this year and I must be realistic with my expectations. And I am cool with that. I know that it takes TIME to drop time, especially if you have been running for a long time. But, I am definitely feeling mentally ready to work on the run- and the knee did not hurt today which is a good indicator that maybe I can start adding in a few miles or another run per week. No pressure- no worries.

And- on to the BIG day tomorrow, as I again am stoked to have some great relay partners- and I mean they are so awesome I am totally the third wheel that will have to work hard to not screw it up. :) I am not sure how to TT 23 miles tomorrow after racing today, and I am sure it will kind of suck, yet be rewarding at the same time. So funny how athletes justify craziness.

Time for a nap!!!!!!!!!

This and That!

I realized today that not being able to really run in the past 6 months has been a blessing in disguise. Yup, I never thought I would say that, but today I realized it was a gift! Today I had two women watch me work out in the personal training class I have been doing for the past few months. They kept commenting on how great my arms looked. Who me??? Spaghetti noodle arms? Thank you Cato!!!! Thank you for all of those stupid squat-thrusters and plyometric push-ups. (and it did not hurt my ego to hear them say I must be in my 20s).

I owe my consistency with strength training to my injury- otherwise I would have been out running! Doing the same ol' thing with probably very little change. With some added strength, though, maybe I can make some real changes in my swim/bike/run. I have always been missing an element of power and strength, and now I have an opportunity to work on it. I will definitely hit the strength circuit HARD in the winter as well!

Haven't checked out the public library in Memphis? You are missing out on some STEALS! I always check out the 2nd floor (go to the right) sports section. Look at what I found tonight! A Kenny Moore book on what has made the great runners so good- as well as Joanie's book. Super cool! (I was about to throw up, though, when Dave asked me who Joan Benoit was.)

And, Dave was about to throw up when he saw these books on the table. AH ha ha ha ha!!! I just can't help it! I promise, promise that after these 3 books I will read Dog Gone It, Lamb, and the Bourne Identity- lovingly sitting on my dresser just waiting for me to choose them. I will back away from the Fabio books.

Happy Tuesday Morning!!!!

I am delaying the inevitable...work.  I guess I should go, but life is so good at home.  

First of all, no Presley. To say that our hearts are broken is an understatement. We look at the front door all day long, thinking he will be waiting there for us at any moment. Emails have gone out- flyers have been posted in the neighborhood. It is hard not knowing what happened to him. My wish is that he is happy and safe, or that death was swift and honorable for him. We are not giving up yet, but the window of time for finding him is getting smaller.

Yesterday I went for my longest run since surgery- 8.5 miles. The great thing about it was that I was not just tolerating the run, I was enjoying it. My muscles and bones are starting to gain strength, so the impact of running is not as harsh as it was 3 months ago- or even 1 month ago! I continue to have huge amounts of swelling from some leak in the back of my knee- but I am not going to give up on it and just accept that as part of the deal.

I have also found that it is really helping to switch my long bike to Sundays, thus leaving Saturdays open to run. For a couple of years I have been riding long on Saturday, followed by a long run on Sunday. It is just what everyone does! With the long run offering the most impact to my joints, I don't know that it made sense for me to do so many on tired bike legs. The risk in switching days is not having that big group for long rides. But, I guess I can tolerate some solo riding if it helps my running come along. So, I am aiming for more running on Saturday, and more riding on Sunday.

okay- so now I just have to actually motivate myself to go riding. Easier said than done when I just want to be lazy on Sunday.

Presley :(

Totally bummed....more than bummed, really. Very sad.

Presley has been missing since Tuesday night. There has been a pack of stray dogs in the area killing cats, so that is a huge worry. At this point, we aren't sure if Presley: 1. is lost, 2. was killed by dogs, 3. up in a tree, never to come down 4. prey to some horrible human, or 5. living with a nice foster family.

Since there are about 100 stray cats in my neighborhood, the chances of #5 are slim, but since that would be the best option right now I hope he is safe and happy.

In the meantime, I am a wreck. Dave and I both cry daily and spend our free time searching for him. Coming home to the house is the worst, because he is not here waiting for us.
Most people are scared of Presley. He is one tough tom-cat. He is also my baby- we have spent almost 10 years together. We miss him and want him to come home safely.

Little Bits

I rode my bike to work today for the first time ever.  It was so much fun (minus the sucky Memphis traffic).  It was really a fun way to start off my day, and it gave me a few bonus miles!  I felt so green today! 

I am still trying to juggle a workout schedule that gives me enough recovery to heal this right leg.  I wanted to run tonight, but I have learned that running the same day as a hard ride just makes me miserable.  2 years ago- work out hard back to back... no problem.  Today- work out hard back to back...feel miserable.  

So, throw in the bike ride to work, and I get a nice, easy ride that is broken into two pieces to make it even easier!  I get a few bike miles into my day without the backlash of real ride.  

The nice commute allowed me to go to track without feeling beat up.  I did not set foot out of my house without writing my projected interval times on my hand.  I do not make these up- I get them from Daniels.  I ran exactly what I wanted to run tonight...an appropriate pace for 8 x 400 from the Daniels' formula.  

I realized, as I was running my warm up to track practice tonight, that I cannot expect my body to do the things today that it could do healthy 2-3, or even 5-6 years ago.  I need to give it a chance to do the small things right first.  I need to be able to run comfortably.  I need to be able to do some miles.  I need to be able to recover and run more than 2 x week.  This realization eased my mind as I stepped onto the track and ran the times that were applicable to today- not what I ran years ago.  

And hopefully the fast stuff will come with time.  And I will be ready for it! :)

Beautiful Day in Memphis

How do you know you are a successful wife?

When you talk your husband (who hates running) into running 2.5 miles with you, and then convince him to return home early to start dinner while you finish your run.

:)

Somewhere along the run, he wondered aloud how he ended up in such a marriage as he looked over and saw me flicking snot mid-stride. I laughed so hard I had to stop running for a moment to settle myself down. Life is so funny sometimes!

It was a beautiful, beautiful Saturday here in Memphis. I was able to run in the afternoon and it was cool and perfect. Since I have not had the opportunity to run much this year, I missed most of the beautiful spring days and felt very lucky to have this one. I managed 6 miles- my best and happiest 6 miles since surgery. That brings my weekly total to 10.5...ha ha!!!!

The goal for the day was to run 6 miles- to force it- to make myself start running again. I know I have to get the muscular endurance back. I know I have to just get out there and do it and make it come back. Luckily today I didn't have to force it like I have on every other run this year. It was the old me!

Then I got home and realized that the back of my knee was so swollen it looked like someone had hidden an Easter egg in it. :( I am icing it now and not letting it ruin my overall attitude towards my nice run.

But I know that swelling is not promising- and 6 months of swelling is not a good sign. I think that with this surgery, I have had to accept that there is some bad that has come with the good. I definitely feel a high level of frustration as I battle the side effects. (add hip problems to the knee swelling...and that is a whole other story and even bigger problem that I won't even attempt to address in this post). The problem is, I sometimes feel that the bad outweighs the good, and that was not an expectation from surgery. So, the serenity prayer is definitely part of my daily routine!

Sooo...more time, hard work, and patience. Those principles apply to just about anything in life. :)

Off to read another cheesy romance novel. I have been picking some bad ones lately. I know, I know. You think they are all bad. Not true. A bad romance novel still has the characters only kissing at page 200- I'm just saying. The good ones have moved on from that 100 pages ago.

Next, Please

Home again...another adventure over.  Here are a few more pictures from my Jazz Fest 2010 weekend.  
Dave and Damie- we took a similar picture in 2001 in the exact same spot.  We compared the two pictures, and our reactions were so funny.  I said- "we look great!" and Dave said "boy, do we look old now!"  

The girls hanging out on Kate and Tim's porch post Jazz Fest.

I can't get away from doggie love- Ollie and Jacques spent some quality time on our laps.  

Some of our Spring Hill crew on Sunday night.  

And the best part of the weekend- Dave rented a Camaro for me!  My long time friends know that the Camaro is my dream car- my parents would never let me get one, and now that I am old enough to get one on my own I am too broke.  Well, I was spoiled this weekend and I am plotting a way to buy a Camaro- one day, that is.  And yes, I went really, really fast in it.  Hee hee!!!!!

Jazzy!

Just a few pics from Jazz Fest 2010. I am beyond tired from my endless parade of over-the-top weekend activities, but as one of my patients told me the other day- I live an interesting life. (IMO)

Acura stage- watching Pearl Jam (saw them last in 1997- Eddie Vedder still has it going on). I got to see Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Rebirth, Galactic, - and my favorite of the day...Kenny Wayne Shepherd in the Blues Tent.
Some New Orleans humor...
One of my favorite dishes at Jazz Fest- fried plantains. Jazz Fest is as much about the food as it is the music. I do NOT fear calories- I had an oyster biscuit, crawfish beignets, crawfish sac, crawfish pie, fried plantains....
Jazz Fest is always a great time to meet up with friends- here is Dave with some of our Spring Hill College friends from Dallas, Charlotte, and Nola.
Dave and I after Jazz Fest.
6 of us (I am sitting on Dave's lap) piled into the smallest car in the world to go out. I wonder if we will still be doing this in our 40s......