Okay Ms. Tri to be funny asked me about PB2 & my shakes. What is it? Like I said it’s a magical gift from the heavens. You can order it at www.bellplantation.com/ or some people sell it on ebay, etc. You have to buy a case, but please trust me it is 100% worth it. The stuff is nothing NOTHING but peanuts that have been pressed in some magic way to remove all the fat and gunk and reduced to a powdery substance. You mix it with water to make PB, but I prefer to just use it for taste in oatmeal and shakes. It only has 54 calories and 2.8 grams of fat in 2 tablespoons, and 1 gram of sugar!. And it’s all natural. No I don’t work for them, but hey bell plantation if you want to sponsor a newbie triathlete holla at me. As for my shakes, I got some good tips from Nytro, I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing – use whey isolate powder b/c isolate is the easiest form of protein to digest, and always add some flax oil b/c you need good fat with the protein. I bought chocolate and vanilla powder at my local market, but Nytro recommended a brand called Dymatize ISO-100 b/c it comes in yummy flavors and doesn’t foam. The only other real rules were to use high glycemic fruits/juice in the morning, but not at night. So a banana and pineapple would be fine in the morning shake, but stick to fruits like apples and pears at night. I have been having juice with powder before my workouts, the one I drink at work has consisted of chocolate powder, frozen blackberries or raspberries, a little coffee and water, I make one shake with 2 scoops of powder and sip on it when I get hungry at work, I still have lunch. I have an after dinner shake too. No milk for me. I’ll let everyone know how it goes. I am basically consuming 4 scoops of protein powder a day for 84 grams of protein and the powder has 100 calories a scoop, the flax oil, I get 1 tbsp a day.

I went to a nice little happy hour with some gals that I know from the tri club and then the one I didn’t know were from a local running club. It was fun. I know I had one beer too many b/c I told a story about pooping my pants a leetle bit. Good times. But since I had one beer (I only had 2, but they were 20 ounce wheat beers!) too many, I decided to sleep in a little and I will ride the trainer tonight. Tomorrow will just be swimming and then Sunday the 30K! followed by 2 easy miles to total 20. I hope to “race” the 30K so I have a better indicator of what my marathon time will be. Of course Cinti has some touch hills. So, I figure I will run with a pace group 10 mins slower than I feel I could do on a flat course.

Oh and I got tagged again by Tri Newbie, so here are 7 more facts about me.
1. I miss my dad every day, especially when it snows b/c we talked about the weather a lot when I would call home, yesterday was a month
2. I want kids, but am horribly ridiculously scared of being pregnant, if I could talk the hubby into only adopting, I would and I would never give birth and be fine with that.
3. I seriously used to have dreams of being the first famous white girl rapper and when I would get drunk in college I would break off some serious freestyle raps about people
4. I majored in Electronic Media in college and used to want to be a news broadcaster, then senior year I worked for Fox in Cinti and pretty much hated being in the newsroom and when I realized I would have to move somewhere like Hazard KY to get a chance, I abondoned that dream and got a job selling bridge joints, fun stuff
5. I talk too much, way too much and am alwasy reminding myself not to dominate conversations, but am not very good at reigning myself in
6. I am a howard stern fanatic and now that I have sirius satellite I pretty much listen to him all day long
7. I followed Phish around for a few years, but around college classes, I saw them over 70 times and miss them a lot. I met them once backstage from winning a raffle, they were nice guys. But I don't listen to Phish much anymore, I followed them with an ex and the phish memories are all wrapped up in the ex memories and I like to leave them locked in a trunk in the brain attic.

Wellll it’s official, I signed up for the Greater C leveland Tri HIM on August 10th last night. Ooooh I am scared. When I should have been working yesterday I spent a bunch of time comparing the plans I had picked out and decided on the trifuel one. It’s simpler, I don’t do well with do 200 of this and then 800 of this, but swim for 45 mins, run for 50 mins with hill repeats, that I can understand. Me like simple. So, my official training starts on March 24th and I am already SCARED to death. On a good week I exercise 7-8 hours, with this plan I start at 8 hours a week and spend most of the weeks between 11-13 hours. I think I will be grumpy! I think I will be hungry! I hope I can keep up with the plan. Nothing on it is too intimidating, the bike hours will be way up from what I do now and there will be an extra swim. It is going to be hard up until May 4th b/c my long runs will be followed the next day by a long long bike ride. I think for my marathon taper I will ease up on the HIM training, I want to be strong at the marathon for sure and then the week after I might not hit the training plan numbers. But those 3 weeks aside I hope to stick to the plan to a T. I’m kind of sick to my stomach thinking about it, but will feel better once spring is here and I can give open water swimming a try. Also, I can’t wait to start bricks, that will be new to me.

Brock and I ran this morning and boy oh boy was it cold. I think it was about 9 degrees this morning. My eyelashes and eyebrows froze and even now an hour later my eyes still feel funny. It was tough, we went slow, my legs have been in really bad shape these past few weeks. I think it’s b/c I was sick and maybe I was running sloppy and then I didn’t hit my miles last week. But whatever the reasons, my right knee hurts and both of my legs just ache a lot more than usual. I also have been on a “diet” since Monday and I cut back my carbs and I think I cut them back a bit too much b/c I was slow this morning for sure. I am basically drinking a protein/flax oil/juice shake before I work out, then eating breakfast, then for a snack I have another protein shake, then lunch, then another protein shake, then dinner, then an evening shake! Lots of protein, Nytro was kind enough to give me lots of good advice that she got from a very well know nutritionist. I’ve only been doing this for 2 days, but boy oh boy have I been full and felt good. And the shake I’ve been making for work has chocolate whey protein isolate, flax oil, powdered peanut butter (PB2, the powdered PB from god) and raspberries so it’s just oh so tasty that I can seem to forget about all the friggin Hershey kisses across the way and the m&ms on the desk behind me! The evening one I use vanilla whey isolate and decaf coffee with a little vanilla extract. I’m also keeping a strict journal of what I eat and how I feel before/after, etc. Anal to some, but I have struggled with getting back to my “fighting weight” for over a year now and believe me this will be the year I do it! I’m already down a bit! But I was up a lot, so that’s not too exciting.

I have a 30K in a few days and I am hopeful it will go really well. Weather.com tells me it’s going to be like 40, I sure hope that come true, it will be perfect racing conditions! Now I need to figure out what to wear, all I have around are winter winter running clothes. Can’t wait to pack those away.

Okay those of you who use trainers, I have some questions! I have a magnetic trainer, on the back it has a little dial that you can turn and it will move the back part (who knows what it's called) up to your tire to up the resistance I guess. Well to be honest I never thought much about that back dial and kind of left it where it had been since I got it! The resistance seemed about right as I upped my gears. Well, Gary used it and moved it! So, last night I had to think about that wheel and I turned it so it was juuussttt touching my tire and got on my bike...then I determined it really wasn't enough resistance when I was in the big gear and hopped off and adjusted it and then when I was doing one legged drills I couldn't even move it so I adjusted the F**KER again. Anyway a few of the times I got a burning rubber smell from my tired rubbing against this back part. Is that normal? Expected?

Here's a nice picture of Cinti, taken from the banks of my friend Mindy's house in KY, in honor of the Flying Pig - which is really creeping up on me!

So I scoured the internet for a HIM plan last night and narrowed it down to 2. Anyone have an opinion?

From Beginner triathlete, it’s a 20 week plan that has an individual PDF for each week. You get one rest day and the first week starts with a Sat 90 min bike ride and then a Sunday 60 min run. So, I can totally handle that. I am used to tracking things by miles, but this one is all time.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Scott%20Herrick/halfim/preparing_for_your_first_half_ir.htm


The other one is more of an intermediate plan, but seems a lot more cut and dry and simple than the one above, but I am not sure that’s a good thing. But I like simple! The one above has a lot of instructions and drills.

http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon-training/Half-Ironman-Training.php

Opinions anyone? Both are 20 weeks, so the HIM is August 10th, that means I pretty much start training in 2 weeks. Yikes. I don’t think it will be too hard to balance the marathon training and this training plan, I’ll just be running more than the plan recommends.



Here is a picture just because, of my first 10K 2 years ago at the Cleveland marathon, I feel like I am going to throw up. Good times.

Alright - I got tagged by Tri guy JT and Mr Skin! You can visit their blogs from my links on the left. The rules are:

1 - Link to the person who tagged you (again over to the left)
2 -Post the rules on your blog (that would be what I am doing)
3 - Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog (see below)
4 - Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
I am going to tag

Josh - http://justjoshfunk1.blogspot.com/
Ellie - http://runningandserendipity.blogspot.com/
Christine - http://runninduff.blogspot.com/
Patrico - http://cuencanoinmo.blogspot.com/
Salty- http://notpeppery.blogspot.com/
Louie - http://tripapalouie.blogspot.com/
Kim - http://ultranewby.blogspot.com/

5 - Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged (will do)


7 facts about me

1 - I am the youngest of 5 girls. My closest in age sister in 9 years older than me though, so she went to college when I was 9 and I had the house to myself.

2 - I volunteer for Shar Pei Savers and have 2 myself. I grew up with them. We got ourfirst one at a pet store in the 80s, we didn't know any better back then. Then in college I worked for a very reputable shar pei breeder who won all kinds of awards, we got 3 dogs from her. Seeing the dogs there just broke my heart and got me involved in rescue. I never realized what horrible lives breeder dogs have. Now I am all about adoption and you will never catch me buying a dog or cat when millions die everyday. Ikind of wish all breeders were outlawed, there is just no need for mom and pop breeders in my opinion. Yes, yes, breed integrity I know. But I think we'd all be fine if one day there were nothing but mutts left.

3 - I read extremely fast and go through 3-4 books and 8 magazines a month. I just finished 2 really good books - My Lobotomy and Hope's Boy, both were true stories and very good reads. Some of my favorite books - Bridge to Terabithia, Time Travelers Wife, Fried Green Tomatoes, and the Harry Potter books.

4 - I have a horrible horrible debilitating fear of spiders, sharks are a close second. i could never live in FL b/c of the wolf spiders. Once when I was snorkling I almost ran into a shark and another time I was on a sandbar when a shark swam by and I stayed on that sad bar so long b/c I was afraid to get back into the water that I got sun poisoning.

5 - I used to do community theatre (I was Peter Pan!) and was a founding member of an improv comedy group called Don't Tell Anna in college (Xavier University), that improv group is still around.

6 - I had a lot of pets growing up, rats, lizards, mice, a chinchilla, ferrets, a baney rooster, tree frogs, and of course many dogs and cats.

7. I met my husband at a trade show for work in Columbus. I was selling bridge patching materials at a highway maintenance conference. He is a civil engineer. We hit it off at a bar and hung out for a day or so. Then I went back to Cincinnati and he went to Cleveland, but he emailed me and then he came to visit about 3 weeks later - we went and saw the Adam Sandler movie Punch Drunk Love. That was that. We saw each other every weekend for the next 10 months at which point I moved to Cleveland. We flip flopped weekends. We got engaged after only 6 months (but then waited another year to get married). We've been married 4 years!

TGIF and all that jazz. Woke up this morning to 5 inches of snow in my driveway! But I got my butt to the gym anyway and did 4 miles on the dreadmill, some pushups and bosu situps and headed home. Tonight I hope to run a few more miles outside. Last night Sara and I did 5, it was cold and I had to pick Gary up from the car dealership b/c he took my car to get serviced, so I didn’t get to run any longer. We went to Dicks and both got some new bike shorts while we waited for Toyota to call. So I am left with 16 miles to do this week, which wouldn’t be a big deal except this morning on the dreadmill the top of my left foot started screaming at me. You know how the little bones on the top of your foot? Well everytime I took a step, they hurt towards the inside of my foot. Bad juju I tell you. Running on snow should be okay tonight I hope. If worse comes to worse and the pain is bothering me on a snow run, then I might just have to take a few days off which means I will be short on my miles this week, which sucks my ass, but I would rather do well in that 30K next week then trudge out a bunch of junk miles. Which is all I’ve been doing this week, bad run after bad run. I have been so slow lately. I hope when spring comes I can find it in me to really work on speed.


Oh and beware people it’s girl scout cookie season, yikes! I already got attacked by some Lemon-aids this morning. I hope I can sidestep the thin mints.

TRISH - if you are reading this, I lost your email addy! Do you remember the website that allows you to set up a page where you can take donations for a race? I had one for my MS trip, you had one for the marathon, but can't remember the website!

Last night G and I ran to the library, literally. I had books to return so we both ran with books in our arms, it was kind of hard! I started the run off with a backpack, but quickly found that that wasn't going to work b/c the bookbag bounced everywhere. G got fit for his bike yesterday and got it home last night and put a light and cadence moniter on it and got it set up on the trainer. He was like a kid with a new toy. Your first road bike is something, learning the gears, getting used to the seating position. I am so happy for him. It's a good looking bike too!

So, I wake up at 4:45 anticipating my alarm that was to go off at 4:47, don’t ask me why I needed the 2 extra minutes. I lay there in bed trying to psyche myself into getting up. My running partner had already called me the night before and said that it was going to be way to cold in the AM for a 9 miler, I agreed and told him not to worry about it. However, I did still plan on just getting out there. I leaned over G to check the temps on his clock – 8 degrees. 8 degrees! I did the math in my head and figured that was about 80 below windchill. No one should run 9 miles in that, right! Especially not the route I was planning on which was just straight up Fairmount Blvd which tends to get a little windy. So, I talk myself out of getting bundled up and start thinknig about the treadmill, my gym doesn’t open until 5:45, I’ll only be able to get in 7 miles max before getting ready for work. Then I notice that my tummy is feeling funky and you know what my left ankle REALLY hurts from where I wrenched it in the pothole the other day….Sigh, so I fell back asleep. So bummed out. I am meeting Sara to run after work. I have just decided that I need to do 30 miles this week, as long as I get in all 30 miles it doesn’t matter how or when, just for this week. So, I am just going to run tonight, tomorrow morning, tomorrow night, sat, sun and so on. And maybe just maybe it will warm up tomorrow and I will feel better and I can do like 15 - 18 miles straight. I will get the 30 miles in. One off long run is not going to kill my training, I still have 10 weeks of training and 3 20 milers. I’ll be fine, right??? Okay, pep talk over.

And guess what! I feel like SHIT again today. Yesterday I felt a little funky today I feel a lot funky. If I am not better by Monday then the dreaded antibiotics might be in order. Luckily my doctors office right up the street from work and you can always get an appt with someone b/c it’s one of those cleveland clinic buildings with 50 doctors.

It feels like Friday to me. I wish it was. I took a vacation day Monday so I could be home a little longer. So at least next week with me a 4 day week! And next Sat is my first of two 30Ks in March! I am very excited for it b/c I really think it will give me a better idea of how my marathon is going to go.

Okay, yes, I am going to sign up for a HIM, but now which one!!! Clevelanders I need your opinions do I go with the Greater Cleveland Tri onAugust 10th, its part of the Beast series which I was wanting to participate in or do I give myself a few more weeks to train and go with the Buckeye Challenge on the 24th? Are there any others in Sept/Oct in the area you would recommend? Also does the GTC or Buckeye fill up quickly, do I need to register right away to ensure a spot or do I have a month or so to think on it?

Last night Tracie and I hit the pool at the J. I had plans of swimming 2000 yds+ but only made it 1500. The pool was like 70 degrees and I literally was on the verge of throwing up at lap 30, so I called it quits. But I swam the first 20 minutes with no accessories to see how far I can go. The CTC indoor tri is on the 9th, so I am hoping to be able to do 800 - 1000 yards in the 20 mins they allot (20 min swim, 20 min bike, 20 min run). Last night I completed 14 laps in 20 mins, so 700 yards. But I wasn’t feeling my best, so hopefully I can improve on that in the next 2 weeks. I will say that my swimming has most definitely improved. I used to have to rest after every 25 yards, now I don’t rest until 50yds and can sometimes make it 100 yds. This is great. But I can’t flip turn, not that I’ve tried…but I wonder if I need to learn to so I can swim uninterrupted. Grabbing onto the wall every 30 seconds isn’t very realistic. I can’t wait to get into outdoor swimming, but since its Cleveland, that will be a few more months for sure. I am going to go buy a wetsuit soon though while they are still on sale. I saw one at Bike Authority that I think will work for me, the brand is 19 and it’s sleeveless and calf length. I guess that’s okay, I’ve read a lot of opinions on long sleeved versus short sleeved wet suits and think I will go with short sleeved so I can move my arms more freely.

Yesterday I was feeling much better, today I feel awful again. Grrrrrr. It’s just amazing to me that I can be sick all the time. I take my vitamins, get plenty of rest, but I just have the immune system of a sea sponge. If anyone around me is sick, 2 days later so am I. Anyone know of any really good immune systems supplements? I hate to take another daily pill; I already take 2 fish oil, 2 glucosamine, 1 chromium and 1 women’s daily vitamin. Maybe I need to add a B supplement? Maybe it’s just b/c I work in a larger office now so there are more germs? Before this job I always worked at small companies, so 40 people tops. So, with 300+ I guess the germ pool is larger.

NOTE TO SELF – when you are sick, running a 5k and then a 16 miler the next day, may not be the best way to get better. After feeling slightly better post run yesterday I woke up this morning to a splitting headache, stomach ache and sinus mess. Lovely. No bike class tonight, got to knock this bug and sitting in a crowded sweaty room of bikers for 2 hours is probably not the best way to do that, just like running for 3 hours in the rain wasn’t either. Runners, we’re weird people aren’t we!

So, I am at work, but quickly planning my escape. Skipping lunch and scooting out early today is in order. My boss isn’t here today and my 3 busiest clients are closed today. I really, really, really need to swim today, as I didn’t swim once last week, but you know how when you are sick and all stopped up in the head, swimming sounds like the last thing in the world I want to do right now.

Happy Birthday today to my lovely sister Melanie. She moved to South Carolina a few years ago and we really don't see each other enough! But it was nice to spend time with her when we were home for dad, even if it was under cruddy circumstances.

27:10:40 was my official time yesterday. Like I said, not the best race ever and not the worst race ever. Just a race. Let me remind you that yesterday was sunny and beautiful and I didn't run b/c I had the race and b/c I wanted to run with a friend I had made plans with for Sunday. So, I woke up this morning at 6:00 to eat breakfast and prep to meet her at 7:30. Of COURSE it was cold, rainy and slick out. Of course, I've only got 3 hours of running ahead of me, so it figures. And then my friend cancelled (don't worry I'm not made at you!). So, I had another friend meeting me at 8 So, I drove to the Shaker Nature center and went off for 3 miles by myself. It was raining, did I say that already and the roads were icy. It was basically stupid to be out there. But on the good side, it wasn't terribly cold and it wasn't windy at all. BUt I was miserable. My pants were really wet from all the puddles and just hanging off me and dragging on the ground, and b/c they were so wet, my legs felt numb. But worst of all my shoes and socks were soaking wet, which is just a blister waiting to happen, luckily I had lubed my feet alll up with vasoline. I did my 3 and circled back to pick up Sara and she did 4 with me. So, at that point, 7 down and 9 to go, I decided to roll home and change. I'm glad I did b/c after I went back out it was only sprinkling and the rest of the run was pretty pleasant. I felt good and strong for the majority of the run. After mile 12 I started to get a little weak, but when I was done, I didn't really feel like I needed to die and knock on wood, my knees, feet and legs feel fine right now.

Afterwards, I met my friend Amy for lunch. We went to Tazo, and then did a little shopping and then I went to her house to see her stinking adorable kids. Then Gary and I shoveled the ice off the driveway, then I watched a few episodes of the Sara Silverman show (I think I am in love with her). Pretty interesting day huh?

Still sick, ugh fug. I did leave work yesterday, but did some work from home, so I am not going to take more than 2 hours of sick if even that. I completely vegged out last night. I laid in bed and read and was asleep by 9. I have been taking alka seltzer flu stuff and it seems to help. But I just feel really weak, like you could push me over using one finger. Regardless, I headed to the chili bowl 5K this morning. Gary came with. He ran it in about 24 mins, I ran it in about 27. Not my best race, and not my worst. I felt pretty good starting off and handled the bridge with no problem, but about halfway, I just felt like I was going to die. So, it wasn't very enjoyable. I am always proud of myself when I push through something I don't really want to do. IT was quite cold, but wonderfully sunny today. It's been a long while since we've seen the sun in cleveland.

Afterwards G and I headed to the west side market and bought some fruit, hummus and bread. We rushed home and showered and then G got his hair cut and I went along and read b/c we were going to run errands afterwards. I am reading this book called "My Lombotomy" by Howard Dully and it is just fascinating and I cannot put it down. It's written by this guy whose step mom got him a lobotomy in the 50s when he was only 12 and the rest of his life was just ruined. It's just a sad, amazing story and I finished the book today, and just started it last night. But anyway, after his haircut we went and bought a new down comforter. We got a king size bed like 5 months ago, but have never bought a comforter to go with it! So, finally we have bedding to go with out bed! We got 2 new pillows too, not we just need a bedskirt :)

Later we were laying around watching Ironman and Gary decided he wanted a bike! Now, I have been trying to talk him into getting a road bike and doing some long rides with me for awhile, so I was so happy he said this. So, we headed over to the Bike Authority and he got an XL 2007 Cannondale Synapse 3 Sport. It's a nice entry level bike and I hope he enjoys it. He goes back on Wed to get fit. So, now I have a partner for my long training rides!

I came thiiisss close to signing up for the half ironman in Cleveland, but chickened out. Is it way too presumptious to think I can do a HIM this year? I mean I've never done a tri before. Of course I jumped pretty much to a marathon from a 5K......

Tomorrow is my 16 miler...ugh. I am really dreading it b/c I feel so shitty.

This is so not fair. I feel like I am sick every other week I swear. I get enough sleep, I mostly take my vitamins, I drink tons of water everyday, yet I am frigging.sick.again. Argh. When I woke up this morning b/c Taiko the butthead was whining b/c he had to take a poo at 1am, I was really sick to my stomach, so I was like ggreeaattt I ate something bad at dinner last night. As I let him out, I pounded some peptobismol and got back into bed and had the worst time falling back asleep. When I woke up at 7, I realized that my throat was super sore and inflamed and the back of my mouth/nose area just feel cruddy, as do I. My belly aches, my throat hurts and my nasaly area is all inflamed. FFFFFF!!!! You could say that I do too much, I need to slow down, but I’ve had 2 rest days this week! 2! And today will likely make 3, grrrr. So, I am contemplating leaving work and going home. Well, I contemplated calling off today and staying in bed, but the thing is I have a 10:00 meeting I really can’t miss. So, after that meeting should I go home? I hate to take a day when I am already here, know what I mean. But on the other hand, our house is incredibly dirty and I was going to have to clean it Sat (while G works on some things on the basement) and I have been dreading it. I could go home and take a nap and then clean a room at a time and then veg in between and go into the weekend with a spick and span house, which makes me all giddy just thinking about it. I HATE cleaning, but LOVE a clean/tidy house and right now it’s as dirty as Lindsey Lohan. Decisions, decisions. But I really should be saving my days off b/c I am going to have to go to KY more than I have in the past this year and we're going to OR/CA for a week in Oct.

But anyway, we went to Melange last night at La Place in Beachwood b/c we had one of those radio gift certificates, where you pay $25, but you get a $50 gift cert, good deal. The place is really cute and they have a very good menu. I had a beet salad that was very nice, it was a little pyramid of beets all stacked together and in the middle there was grapefruit and goat cheese, it was tasty. So, was the bread they give you and it came with olive oil, olive dip and citrus butter, all good. Now, my meal was a ribeye with some blue cheese crumbles and a little sauce with a few pieces of carrot and asparagus and some sweet potatoe puree. The steak just wasn’t good. It was nothing more than I would have made at home b/c I suck at marinades and seasonings. It was just bland, so was Gary’s porkchop. They don’t do meat any justice there. The sweet potato puree was delish, but only b/c it was nothing but brown sugar and butter. So, all in all, subpar food. Not worth the $70 total bill. The glass of wine I had – Menage a tois – was a really good white though and I will have to look for a bottle. They had a good beer selection too. We wanted dessert, but since we weren’t pleased with our food, we decided to go hit up Mitchell’s Fish Market and get our favorite dessert ever, their banana caramel bread pudding. Yum to the izum, it did not disappoint. Totally worth the trip.

I was home in time to see Lost and boy was it a good episode last night!

Woke up and dragged my sleepy ass out into the frozen morning and ran 6 miles with Brock. It was a good run, decent pace and it felt good. My foot didn’t hurt. I have retired my Nike Vs and was running in some old Mizunos. And miraculously I am in a better mood today! Must be that skipping my morning exercise makes me crabby. Interesting! When I got home, it was only 7, so I had a little time to spare, so I burrowed back under the covers with Mushi and Tai and then contemplating calling in sick to work for like 10 mins before I realized I now carpool on Tues/Thurs and didn’t want to have to call my co-worker and yadda, yadda. So, to work I went.

On lunch I went to Fleet Feet. I just love that place and the couple that own it are just the cutest and I just am so jealous that they own a store together and are younger than me! But so happy for them of course! And always happy when their dog Mickey is there, which he was today, so I got to rough him up and play tug of war. They are always very helpful and they provide frequent buyer points so I had $25 in savings waiting for me. The guy even remembered the shoes he had sold me last time, what a good memory. I had my gait analyised not that long ago at the Cleveland Clinic and they told me that I have a very neutral stride, but that I sort of stomp, so if anything I should get a cushiony shoe. So, that’s how I ended up in these Nike Vomeros. But my foot has been bothering me so I deduced that maybe I needed more support, he agreed. So, I walked out with some new Saucony Triumphs. I have never worn Saucony’s before, so wish me luck. The only shoe I have ever put on my foot that just felt good and right is the Mizuno Elixer, but that is a very light weight shoe and I am lucky to get 150 miles out of it before aches and pains set in, so I am on a search for a pair of shoes to love. Bloggy friends what do you wear and what kind of shoe/foot do you need/have?

Tonight G and I are going to Melange for dinner. I got him a painting for V-day that I found on Etsy. It is just adorable and looked just like Mushi. I’ll have to tell you the artist name when I get home, she had the cutest painting. They are really funky and kind of art deco. Nice vibrant colors. The one I gave him has an orange background with a purple shar pei. He got me a starbucks cards and some running socks. PERFECT monica gift. What more could I ask for? I hope dinner is good tonight since we already had one bad dining experience.

So, Happy Valentines Day everyone! Do you ever read Post Secret? It's in my links, it's the best, here are some posts from there for this week. The first one made my heart hurt.


I'd really like to call. I probably would have called after work and you would have answered and I would have asked how the weather was and you would have said it's been cold and I would have told you how it snowed here this week and how we actually got to leave work early on Tuesday. I would have asked what you were doing and you would have said that you were in the massage chair watching some western show. You would have said that you'd been busy working up with Christian and I would have asked how his son was doing? You would have asked me how the dogs were and I would have said bad as usual and that Mushi has taken to eating the snow. I would have asked how Samson's hip was healing up and if he was better about going out for mom now. I would have asked what you got mom and told you what G got me. Then I would have said okay, is mom around and you would have gotten her. I would have said I loved you and that you should come visit sometime. I would have meant it.

9:00 – I have to admit, I haven’t really stuck to the plan I laid out the other day L This bad weather has just gotten to me! Booooo to Cleveland winters. But Monday just sucked my butt. I had one of those irritable, horrible days where I just wanted to choke everyone. It got stinky cold and the weather was supposed to be bad, so I skipped bike class. When I got home G suggested he takes me out to dinner to cheer me up. We had a gift card to PF Changs, and won ton soup sounded good, so I was in. Long story short, we had the nastiest food ever. PF Changs used to be one of my favs, but they changed their menu and they must have changed the ingredients they use b/c everything we had from the spring rolls to the wonton soup to the double noodles with shrimp to the chocolate cake were just funky. Not worth a bite, a dollar or a calorie. So, PF Changs is now officially off our dining list, but at least it was “free” since we had a gift card. So, that was Monday, it became a rest day, but I had worked out 5 days in a row and for 5 hours over the weekend, so I was fine with that. Yesterday I did good exercise wise – I ran 4 miles, lifted for an hour and rode my trainer for an hour! But I was still in a bad mood and still am today L I am ready for spring. I am ready for a change, I am ready for a lot of things. Still dealing with some stuff from my dad’s death that is for sure. Maybe I should cut all my hair off or get a new tattoo!

It’s snowy here in Cleveland to the point that my excel in cycling plans may be thwarted. I can’t go on Wed b/c we have an appt with a financial planner, time to be adults. If the roads clear I will go, but we’re supposed to get snow tonight and I don’t want to be 45 mins from home. Oh well I am not going to stress about it or drive in bad weather just to get a workout in when I can just ride my trainer solo while watching Celebrity rehab reruns!
I went to a spin class at my gym yesterday for the first time in forever! Happily I learned that half the spin bikes now have computers on them. They only go up to 120rpm, but I cycled 18.5 miles in an hour spin class, that’s good to know.

I don’t have much to say today, not in a very good mood. Monday blahs.

So I actually got to sleep in today! Well, actually Tai got up at 2 and 5 am to go potty! Which is not normal, usually they sleep through until 5:30, but hey when you got a hot turd in the chamber you gotta go! But I did sleep until 8:30 which was nice.

After some coffee and yummy oatmeal with PB in it, I met Beth and Abbie for a 14 miler. The weather was actually pretty good, it was a mild 40 degrees and only rained a teeny bit at one point. However, I was very worried for this run. Gary and I went out for a 5 miler last night and I did 3 and my right foot started killing me, so I hobbled home. Our run started out okay, we ran from John Carrol up Fairmount to Ursuline where we took a water stop. Both Beth and I could feel blisters forming so we had to search for bandaids. We eventually got some bandage tape from the Ursuline lifeguard who was like 12 and had jeans on and was lifeguarding a pool full of kids....interesting. FRom there we ran up to Lander. At about mile 8 my foot started bothering me again. By 9 is was majorly bothering me, I was getting major sharp pains in the arch of my foot. It's a really odd sensation, it feels like my foot is pulled to tight and it can't bend right, very wierd and very painful. I have been lucky in my running career (all of 2.5 years) to never have a real injury, I hope one isn't brewing. I think my new cushy shoes may be the culprut. So I told A&B to go ahead and I was going to have to run/walk the rest and that's exactly what I did. It was a struggle, but when I did run I kept it around 9:00 min miles and just tried to truck along. Every bad run is fixed by a little Justin Timberlake on the Shuffle, so I found his songs and just drifted off into my imagination of the 200 dirty things that I would like to do to him that are not proper for this blog. I got back to our starting spot at 13.18 right when A&B were finishing up their 14. So, I wasn't too awful behind them. We had a little breakfast and then I headed home. When I walked the dogs, I got in the rest of the 14 miles for the day.

I headed to the pool with little break and pulled off my longest swim yet! 40 laps, 2000 yards. Yeah me. I felt really good. Beth had mentioned that she breathes every other stroke, as opposed to every third so I gave it a try and it worked like magic! Everything just kind of came together. I used the kickboard for 3 laps and the fins for 10 and the pull bouy for 8. BUt it was a pretty good swim and I am pleased to have swam over a mile after running 14. I got home and crashed! Now I'm eating some dinner and it's about time to get ready for the CTC party. It's alwasy so fun to see your workout friends in clothes besides running clothes, should be fun.

FINALLY FRIDAY. I know I've been saying it all week, but I cannot get my mind into work this week. Hopefully after one more weekend I'll be ready to buckle down next week.

Yesterday was a busy busy day! 6am 5 mile run, work, 5:30 eyebrow wax, 6:15 haircut (which turned out super cute, new stylst!), and then I actually went to the pool. It's a huge triumph for me to go to the pool at 7:15 at night. I am not an evening worker outer and despise it. All I wanted to do was go home, but I went! My new flippers hurt a little, whcih stinks, but maybe they just need to be broken in. I didn't get the 2000 yards I wanted, but did do 1000, I'll make up the other 1000 this weekend. No biggie. Just worried about totals, not what days I get the mile, yards done on.

I had every intention of getting up this morning but didn't! So, after work I have to run and do yoga which is fine. I am making some super yummy chicken that my sister made while I was home and it takes an hour to cook, so I'll come home and put the chicken on and then go for my run and come home and eat with the hubby, walk the dogs, and then do the yoga DVD late. Or maybe even do my own yoga while we watch Planet Earth, as long as I get 30 mins in I'll be happy.

This weekends weather is looking to be super cruddy. So, I am dreading my 14 miler tomorrow. Hopefully we can get it done before it rains and if worse comes to worse we can always do part on the treadmill. Booo. Sat night is the CTC party, which should be fun I hope. I won't really know anyone and that's always a little wierd, but G and Tracie are going with me so I'm sure it will be fine. Luckily I am not a very shy person, so crowds of strangers don't bother me. There will only be 1 beer for me! I have to get up early on Sunday to do my first brick ever! Swim, then spin class. I always feel really wierd after I swim, so I want to start working on bricks now. I think transitions are going to be hard for me. After swimming I always feel like I want to throw up. I started thinking last night about how gross it's going to be to get lake water in my mouth, yuck. I will say that the pool at 7:15 at night is absolutely empty and wonderful, so much better than 10 on Sunday with 3 to a lane.

Have a great weekend Bloggy Friends.


Chicken recipe bitchs:

1 lb bone in chicken breast, deskinned
1/4 cup teriyaki
1 tsp fresh ginger (I just sprinkle dried/ground ginger lightly)
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
lemon slices on top (I just drizzle lemon juice lightly)
350 for one hour until chicken is done and juices are clear.

Okay, back in the groove Bloggy Friends. After work yesterday I braved some seriously stupid traffic and got to Akron for my biking class. For those of you who live in Cleveland. I take 271 from Solon to Route 8, and then Route 8 to the exit I need for Howe Ave. Well, I got off onto Route 8 and 5:23 and didn't get past I-80 until 5:50! Yeah, it took me that long to go oh what...5-6 miles. Just ridiculous and it's like that everytime, what the F is up with Route 8. I feel bad for anyone who lives near it and has to use it often. I am going to look into driving from Solon to Hudson and getting onto Route 8 after the turnpike. Anyway I got to class and it was HARD! I hadn't been in 2 weeks (1 week off b/c of the HM and the other b/c of being in KY). But I really pushed myself. I unfortunately am just not a very fast spinner, I can barely getmy cadence past 130 and can't maintain it above 130 worth a shit. I can keep myself at 120 for quite a few minutes, but I am seriously trucking around 110-115, short legs and all. When I got done with class I got home and I was tired and cranky and it was 9:30 and we had to walk the dogs and I just had a total melt down on the walk and basically stood bawling in our driveway while my bewildered husband tried to comfort me and Mushi ran around in circles b/c dogs hate when their owners are distressed. But my meltdown was shortlived and then I basically zonked out after a much deserved hot shower.

This morning I met Brock and we ran 5 miles. It should have been a speed workout, but it really wasn't. I pushed myself as fast as I could, but this morning that was only somewhere between 9:15-9:30 and near the end it was mostly definately 10 min miles. But I got it done. Tonight is going to be tough, I have a 5:30 eyebrow wax, 6:15 hair appt and then I will go swim! I will. I got my fins, so I am excited to get in the pool. But it will be hard to go when at 7, all I'll want to do is go home and snuggle.

Ooh Lost is on tonight!!!!!

I’m feeling very agitated and frustrated on many levels. I think in order to get myself back into a proper mindset, I need to create some real structure in my life for the next few weeks before I go back home. The source of a lot of my unhappiness for sometime is my weights. Now yes logically I know that I am not super fat and yes, I know that weight should not equal happiness. But you know what in some ways for me it does and I am okay with that. I am up 10 lbs from where I should be and the reason is painfully obvious yet I can’t seem to curb it. I am eating like a crazed wilderbeast. There are no other excuses, I have got to get control and this was going on way before my dad died. I had to buy a new pair of jeans up a size so that I had something to wear that doesn’t feel like sausage casings! In order to get myself in check I need to get better about my workouts. If I am hitting my workouts, I am better at hitting my food, plus if I am hitting my workouts, that piece of pizza I just ate after already having my soup for lunch, won’t be so detrimental! I am going back home on the 23rd. I need to really focus on getting myself under control before I go there b/c no doubt being there will bring back on these intense emotions and if I am already sloppy, I’ll continue being sloppy. So, it helps me to write things out, here are the workouts I want to do between now and home. Plus, I made up my race schedule and am itching to start my really long runs. Here is what I am thinking.

Today – Excel in Cycling
Thurs 7 – AM 5 mile run, PM 2000 yard swim
Fri 8 – AM 5 mile run & weights, PM yoga DVD
Sat 9 – 14 mile run, 800 yd swim
Sun 10 – spin class, 1500yd swim

Mon 11– Excel in Cycling class
Tues 12- AM 4 mile run, 1500 yd swim
Wed 13– AM spin class & weights (PM meeting with financial planner)
Thurs 14 – AM 6 mile run (PM Vday dinner)
Fri 15– REST
Sat 16– 16 mile run, 800 yd swim
Sun 17 - spin class, 2000yd swim, 3 mile run

Mon 18 – Excel in Cycling
Tues 19 – 3 recovery mile, 1500 yd swim
Wed 20 – 2500 yard swim
Thurs 21- 18 mile long run (split 5-6 before work, 13-14 after, get out of the way before I go home)
Fri 22 – REST drive home
Sat 23 – (Home) 7 mile speed workout
Sun 24 – (Home) 2 mile run

If this doesn’t yield a few lbs lost, I’m in trouble!

I ran outside in the rain last night and it was very nice. I had not ran outside since the HM on the 26th. I had used the treadmill while at home. So, it felt great to be outside! It was just a 4 mile run. Today is bike class. I slept through my swim this morning. Boo to that, but I am just having a really hard time sleeping and getting up right now and I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I have a goal of 9-10 hours of workouts a week and it doesn't matter when they occur as long as they occur.

I am itching to get back to it. I feel deflated, bloated, fat and gross. Unfortunately when I get sad/stressed I am not the type that looses my appetite, nope, I am the time that jumps head first into chocolate cake. The few lbs I had lost are back, plus a few. I got in about 15 miles this week, decided just to make it my recovery week, which was due this upcoming week. So, I am on deck for a 14 miler this coming weekend.

My body is aching to do something, run, swim, bike, lift. Tomorrow I am going to hit it hard with weights before work and Excel class after work and I am very much looking forward to it. What I am not looking forward to is the 323 emails in my in box and everyone asking me how I am doing. I hope I don't have to talk about my dad passing over and over again. But I know people just mean well, but I am ready to get back to normalcy.

Today G and I went hiking to Brandywine falls, we got some pretty pictures that I'll post soon. We made an AWESOME dinner of salmon, grilled veggies and just perfectly cooked sweet potatoes. Perfect super bowl dinner. Now I am catching up on my magazines that came this week. But am ready for bed, I have been so stinking tired and I most definately have a sore throat. I tend to get sick when I am under stress. I can't afford to take anymore days off, so I hope this passes quick.

My father, Skip , passed away Monday morning at his residence. He had not been sick and I am thankful for that, there is no way my dad could have dealt with a long illness. He died in his sleep and when my mom found him his dogs were all wrapped around him. That is the way he would have wanted it.

My dad was a lot of things to a lot of people. He seemed to have many different personalities and depending on who you talked to you would hear about a different Skip - a golf buddy, a co worker, a former employee, a friend from the The Red Rooster or H&A where he ate breakfast every morning. If he was anything he was a hard worker, he started out as an electrician in his teenage years and built his own successful electrical contracting business and ran it with my mom for over 20 years. When there were storms my dad would be out working for days at a time, only coming home to change into some dry clothes and grab a sandwich before heading back out. He was an intense man and a man of few words, yet sometimes he could be really funny and he liked to laugh. I remember as a child watching In Living Color and Married With Children with him, when my other friends weren't even allowed to watch that "trash". But for the most part, when I think about my dad he is mostly in the background. He was present when he was supposed to be, but we never had a tight relationship. But I don't remember that ever bothering me. I had a happy childhood and didn't expect anymore from my dad than what I got. And when he did pay attention to me, I remember always having a lot of fun with him. I am his youngest daughter and by the time I came around my parents were done struggling and I had a pretty cushy existance. As I stood at the funeral and all these faces spiraled past me telling me these wonderful stories and memories about my dad I went through some very mixed emotions. I couldn't think of any distinct stories to get up and tell. As the Chaplain was calling for people to speak, I kept thinking I wanted to get up there, but was afraid as soon as I did I would have broken down. Also I just couldn't think of a story to tell. I wanted something witty, an ancedote to describe my dad, but couldn't come up with anything. Of course afterwards I regretted not getting up there and just speaking from my heart. So, I will write what I should have said here:



All night long people have been coming up to me and telling me they knew I was Skip's daughter b/c I look just like my mom Becky. And I certainly do, you could call us clones, but you would be very wrong. I may look like my mom, but I am my father's daughter, for better or worse, I act just like Skip . I am a hard worker, animal lover and like to laugh, but I am also hard headed and short tempered and most of all impatient. Just like my dad I find myself in my car waiting for everyone else to hurry up and come on. Always in hurry, never enough time to slow down and appreciate what is around you, ALWAYS walking 5 steps ahead of whoever I am with. That was my dad and that is me. I am my fathers daughter. 2 peas in a pod. When he wouldn't listen to anyone else he always seemed to listen to me. In the past few years we became a lot closer and talked a lot more and I am very happy for that. He left behind 5 daughters and 6 wonderful grandchildren. There have been many missed opportunities for togetherness in our family over the years. With my dad's sudden passing I have learned a hard lesson, there is never enough time. I am going to take the time to get to know my family better. Like we should of when Dad was here. I love my father very much, I never wanted for anything and he did the best he could for us. But as we lay him to rest, I hope I can learn from his mistakes. To everyone sitting here today. Make sure to tell the people that you care about, how you feel. Take the time to visit with that old friend that you never call. That sister, that you are a little bit mad at, for god knows what - forget about it. Because tomorrow could be the day you are called home.