The weekend is here! Who doesn't love the weekend? I wish every day was a weekend day. Fun, training, friends....

I kicked off my weekend by riding downtown and volunteering for the Move It Memphis 5k/10k.

Whoo Hoo Rachel!!! (bad lighting in picture, oops!). She is my amazing training buddy- the way faster, way more talented, amazingly awesome training buddy that still lets me tag along. She is a consistent 18 min 5k runner, even when training for other distances. Today she raced some University of Memphis chicks and I think came in 3rd...not bad for a 37-year-old chick. Right now I am taking a break from speed work, but I can't wait to start meeting back up for our 5:45am kick-our-own-butts interval workouts.

And my other pal, Mike. Michael. I always want to say Michael as he is military and I think the formal name goes with the salute. :) I am making him show the camera that he was first place in the 10k today. Whoo hoo!!!! A couple of weekend ago we raced a 10k together and decided we have both gotten slowwwwww. He is racing his way into shape, and I am adding miles to my plan. Either way, we are going to meet up next year and do the Valentine's day couple thingy and hopefully kick some butt!!!

And my eternal gratitude to Alyson and Lilly for keeping me company this morning.

Alas, the volunteer job ended and I still needed to get in 3 hours on the bike. Alone, but not lonely, I headed through the hood to the country. I am not sure which is better. In the hood, I might get mugged, but in the country, the trucks WANT to run me over. People are such jerks in their cars. I think I have a better chance of survival in the hood, honestly. I ain't skeered.

Some hours later, I was hungry (because I ate all of my food at the volunteer post) and ready to be out of the wind (I forgot it just gets windier as the day goes on in this part of the country). But, I have to say, I had a good day spending time with Torres (aka Nando, my bike). I love, love, love my bike. Do not buy a bike without talking to David Lacek if you are in this area. He will help you figure out which geometry will fit you best- do not guess and spend all of that money. Every time I ride my bike I am so amazed at how much I like my bike. It does make a difference.

Okay- time to kick up the feet, finish reading Dog On It, and then head to a Mardi Gras party. Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Healthy food all day long- all week long. (I think- I am not qualified to define healthy eating)

Glass of red wine in hand. Okay, 2nd glass of red wine.

For the first time in a couple of months, I am not completely drained on a Thursday night.

Is it the healthy food? Why do I have energy?

I don't know that I care, so I go to the kitchen to get some Girl Scout cookies.

Dave has polished them off.

And that is my reward for healthy eating. I wait too long to eat the cookies and they are gone.

Doesn't that qualify as negative reinforcement?

EDIT ON FRIDAY: I found the cookies. Dave hid them. The trick actually worked because by the time I found them I didn't want any and couldn't help but laugh. Who hides cookies from their wife? Really? Good stuff.

I don't have any profound training blurbs for today. (Do I ever?) So go check out the most recent post by Jen H. To add to her post, the most common complaint that I hear this time of year, especially on the bike..."I am so slow!!!" Well, it is cold and we haven't been riding, and we need to build back up, and it will come, and on and on. I mean, are we racing next week? And that local race in April is not the world champs, soooo.... chillax.

Get rid of your bike computer for a while so you aren't so consumed with mph. Shoot, I haven't used my bike computer in almost a year! (okay, okay. but that is because it died and I never did fix it. I don't have a bike computer out of laziness, not principle. I found, though, that I didn't really need it to race. I know what hard feels like and I don't need a certain mph to tell me if it was a good ride).

And, Jen also talks about blogging, facebook, twitter, .... all which can be draining to athletes. At least I don't twitter, and facebook is an afterthought, but I am wayyyyyy guilty of spending too much time on blogs. Like right now when I should be getting ready for bed.

Today was the happiest Wednesday around. Wednesday- my new favorite day of the week. First, I was the teacher's pet today in swim class. Seriously. My new favorite phrase is "everyone but Damie." (because I was doing the skill correctly). I got a couple of phone calls after class for that one with some teasing.

Secondly, I took a nap today. OMG. Heaven. I could sleep 12 hours in a total day if I didn't work. And, it was raining. Perfect. Guess who woke me up? Dave. Of course. I think he does it on purpose because he resents my Wednesdays.

Thirdly- I cooked dinner tonight. Wife points for me.

Whoo hoo Wednesday!!!!

Some good days...

I think God was reading my last post and decided to cut me some slack. I did not see a single stray animal on the way to and from work on Friday. Whoo hoo!!!! That is the first time in forever! If my day ended on that note, it would have been a good day.

But there was more! Then, one of my kiddos made some progress with some developmental skills- and I was able to tell mom...your daughter is getting stronger. Yea!!!! THEN, I got a text from another mom telling me that she had a big surprise for me on Monday, and I could hear the excitement in the text. I have a feeling her little guy started to crawl...what a great way to end my Friday at work. (now, I know not to let work determine my happiness in life. There will be good and bad days- progress and stagnation. It does feel good when life throws me a little bone from time to time in the work department, thought...)

It did not end there. I strapped on my camelbak and hit the trails. It was the best run I have had in foreverrrrrr. It was super slow, but my body felt super great and I could have completed that same run over and over again. Lately I have been thinking and solving problems and stressing- but not this run. Nope- clear mind and clear heart. Just running.

I ended my trail run at the Humane Society, where I "officially" volunteered for the first time. I had a huge dose of Shelby Angel love to start off the night. I got to play with so many amazing, awesome dogs. I think I went home in a doggy love coma I received so many kisses from them. I am in love with a few new dogs, of course...the black 50 pound dog that just took over my lap and slobbered all over me..and then there was that pit with all of the scars on his face and clipped ears that was SUCH A LOVER to me and all of the other dogs. Of course I am partial to pits, and I love it when I meet pits that have survived bad humans.

And I think I really did fall into a doggy love coma last night because I don't remember falling asleep.

I did awake to a great ride this morning with Lucia, Amy, Cheryl, and Linda. This group of girls is hilarious. They are so in the loop with everything, which just cracks me up. I think they know more about me than I do! It felt so good to be outside and in their company.

Then I hit the pool to put in one more hour this week....

Next I jetted over to work to get in a few extra hours so I can save up for some things on my "want" list.

And now the glass of wine.

And the only thing that keeps running through my head is a little Ice Cube with "Today I didn't even have to use my A-K. I gotta say it was a good day."

It was...a good day. A couple of good days. Whoo Hoo!!!!!!

I am having an old school night and watching Real Genius before bed (although now it is on DVD instead of VHS). My sister and I watched this movie a million times in high school before bed. It is one of those movies that we can quote almost word for word. Along with Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian, I think everything you need to know in life can be learned in Real Genius.

So what is going on around here?

• I am pretty sure that this morning I had my longest swim ever. However, I don't remember it. I don't really remember getting any sort of rest interval at all at practice, so the morning is one big blur. All I know is that somewhere around noon I fell asleep in my parked car because I was so tired.
• I am back on my bike after a one week break. I was happy to find that I still loved my bike the very second I got back on her.
• But I am still going to skip the small chain ring ride in the morning. I foresee many, many early mornings in my future...so I think I need a few more mornings to sleep in.
• I am no longer DFL in the kick sets at swim class.
• Tomorrow the camelbak and I are hitting the trails for a run. I wonder what problem I will solve in my own little head.

Okay.

Otherwise I am just working. Working. Sometimes I am great. Sometimes I suck. It is hard being a therapist. There are great days where a baby gets a new skill and everyone is happy. There are frustrating days where a kid isn't making progress and I feel like the failure. But, the next day always comes and I just try again.

Tomorrow I also volunteer for the first time at the Humane Society. I am excited, but a little sad as well. I know that my little volunteer hours don't make big changes- and I want big change. Today on my drive to work I saw 2 dead dogs/1 dead cat, 2 dogs and 4 puppies... malnourished and neglected, and 3 stray and abandoned dogs trying to cross a 6 lane road. I sometimes wonder if most people have hearts or souls. I know I am supposed to love my neighbor as much as I love myself, but sometimes I hate my neighbor and their abuse of the earth and its creatures. There is no way for me to express to you the impact this has on my spirit day in and day out. I see this every single day and really suffer. It is my daily experience in hell.

On that note. Yikes! Sorry about that one. That was complete Debbie Downer.

Okay, Dave turned off my movie and gave me the "5 minute warning." I am not sure when I moved back in with my parents.....but it is obviously time for bed!

Another full weekend- 1% training and 99% everything else. I really needed an "off" week this week. I rarely take them, but when I get to a point where I don't want to do what is scheduled, I know something is going on and I need to back off. In this case, I didn't feel physical fatigue- I think it was more stress/spiritual fatigue. Dave likes to tell me "if you could make money worrying, we would be millionaires."

Friday night I skipped the trainer and went to Bikram. 90 minutes of the same, hot routine- that somehow never feels the same. And, the theme of the night- "things are hard enough without letting our minds interfere..." The class was speaking to me.

Nothing like napping in a dog pile for a little R and R on a Friday night.

Saturday morning I ran a slow 10k. It is just that everyone else is getting faster while I am getting slower, you know? I can't wallow in disappointment (although I will find a way to wallow a little). I am racing completely pain free, and my 14 months of rehab has paid off. But, running races "to see where you are" or "for fun" gets old quick. I would love to see some PRs or some progress in the run department. My low mileage- on average of 12 to 15 miles a week for the past 4 months- just isn't going to cut it. I honestly never thought it would. Runners get fast by running. I will leave it at that, be prepared to make the changes, and go with it.

So, the other 99% of the weekend was spent having a fantastic time with my in-laws and family. Dave's parents rode the train from New Orleans to visit us. As usual, we had an amazing time. I can honestly say I have lucked out tremendously in the in-law department. I guess my amazingly nice husband had to get his sweet disposition somewhere. :)

Cute Kara Interview

It is hard for me not to love Kara Goucher. I always think of Salazar telling her she would never be fast enough to be the best in the shorter races (5,000- 10,000) and how she picked herself up from that, took the honest feeback, and moved to the marathon. Strong person! This interview below is just too cute- what a positive person. It makes me want to run a cross country race as well. :)

Post-Race Interview With Kara Goucher

Snow Thoughts

It is snowing in Memphis. Here is a picture of Cayenne eating snow this afternoon. This dog will eat anything. Acorns, sticks, socks.... you would think we never feed her. Now she is so hungry she is eating snow. I guess it is because she lived on the street as a puppy and went through a period of time where her next meal was not guaranteed. 2.5 years later at our house and she still acts like we don't feed her 2 meals a day. As I type, she is climbing into my lap (because she is a great size for a lap dog, right? ;) and trying to drink my coffee and lick my desk.

So, on to the thinking stuff.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about coaching. What do I want in a coach? How will I benefit from a coach? I have gone through most of triathlon without a coach, and a recent longer period of time without being coached- one year with injury and one year recovering from surgery. I think I did a pretty good job of getting myself back in gear, but I am staring down the 2011 year and wondering...how can coaching help me, and what do I want from a coach?

I have evolved not only as an athlete, but as a person. As the days go by in my life, I make subtle changes within myself. My values also change as I grow, even if the changes are subtle. One thing I have really noticed is that year after year, it is becoming much more important for me to be surrounded by people that I like and respect. And vice versa- people that like and respect me! Mutual respect and interest in your friends is a precious gift!

So, in the past, I think I could say that I want a coach to make me X faster or run Y time at a race. Things are changing slightly for me, and I can say that my needs are not only about athlete development, but about surrounding myself with great people that I trust, like, and respect.

So what do I do when I want to think this over? I go run. I go run in the snow and enjoy the soft crunch beneath my feet and think! It was great to jog (there was no running) in the snow and just stop when I felt like stopping. Good for the mind.

And on to the topic of $$$ for coaching services....my married readers can probably relate- talking to your spouse about the insane amount of money triathlon can cost is not the best dinner conversation.

So...I talk to my papa (always up for these deep discussions). I asked him, "How did you pick your guitar teacher? Why him?" And I think his response was exactly "He is world class." What we discussed was the value of a coach vs. the cost of a coach. Obviously, the $$$ for a coach has to be a big consideration, especially since I share my income and expenses with another person- our goals and decisions have to be aligned- and reasonable. (And while papa can afford "world class"- ummm....not so much for me). What I concluded after talking to my papa is that value does not always mean the lowest price. Value is more aligned with expectations, delivery, and services rather than dollars. Throughout most of my life, I have thought of value in terms of a "deal." My papa put it into a better perspective- getting what you need and paying someone what is fair for those services is not about getting a deal. But if you are both happy with the arrangement, it is a deal for everyone in a bigger way.

So, there is more for me to think about with my current and future training needs as the year unfolds. My instincts will guide me to the right place (if I will ever just listen).
Isn't Rooney the best? He loves to play ball in the snow. I have been really sentimental about Roo lately, wondering what in the hell I am going to do when he is no longer with me. Dave said last night that Rooney would give his life for me- and I know this to be true. That dog protects me like nothing I could have ever imagined. He is my BFF soulmate.
Cayenne on the other hand scares people with the bully breed, but is such a baby. She is still sitting in my lap. And she just farted. I have yet to figure out what she contributes to our family besides her cuteness. She is a mess.

This isn't supposed to happen on a Friday!

Not quite the start to the weekend I had hoped to have. I have been so proud of my immune system these past few months. Sick? Not me!!! But between the pediatric rotations at the schools, clinics, and homes combined along with the nursing home, well, I finally caught something. And I feel awful.

I just took some Nyquil, which I haven't touched in probably 8 years. So if this post gets weird, you will know why.

First, I want to share with you a good article. I have always liked Peter Gilmore, the marathoner. Here is a nice article he wrote on his training post college in Africa when he wanted to learn to run like the best. He gives a few good take home messages.

I also wanted to share with you some good progress towards 3 of my New Years 2011 goals.
1. Pay off remainder of student loans.
Dave and I are kicking butt and taking names. As of today, 2-5-11, I just have one big loan left. I just kicked another one to the curb. Dave and I have paid a total of 5 different student loans (big, in our estimation) in full since June 2009. The end is in sight- June 2011 if we can keep our acts together. This is big time.
3. Become a volunteer at the Human Society.
My training commences Sunday, 2-7-11.
4. Buy a pair of race wheels.
I grew sick of scrambling, borrowing, or going without. With some stealth on ebay- combined with a fairy godmother, I will have my own, used, mismatched, great wheel set in my possession this weekend.
Goals # 2, 5, 6, and 7 still need some work.

Otherwise, there was some good training going on around here. Now there will be no training, just sleeping and aching. I was supposed to do a small race tomorrow, and I was really looking forward to it since I have not raced since my last 5k in October. It looks like I may have to alter my plans a bit and consider that race entry a nice donation.