20 WEEKS -- are you kidding?

Twenty weeks until IM Moo. That is Ironman Wisconsin for any one that has not been paying attention.

Like me.

Twenty WEEKS? TWENTY? How did that happen?

You'll note my training log on the side has been devoid of any mileage updates for quite a while. Oh, I've been working out. I've been training. I've been swimming, biking and running.

I haven't been blogging. (Or tracking calories, if the truth must be told...)

The good news is that I got through a couple of the races that Coach Dan put on my schedule for this year.

Human Race/ Earth Day 8K on March 28th. Ran it in 50:15, which was a very good time for me.

Trail Mix 25K on April 17th. Two loops through a really wonderful park, nature preserve and ski area. (In other words: HILLY). Finished it in 3:11, which was a 14 minute PR for me for the course. (The last time I ran Trail Mix was in 2004).

Last weekend, I was supposed to do two events: Get in Gear (GIG) 10K and 65 miles on the Ironman Bike Ride - Minnesota. Hubby's plan was to run the GIG 5K event and then play in his first Minnesota golf tournament for 2010.

Mother Nature had other plans.

Hubby and I woke to thunder and lightening on Saturday morning. We had planned to run if it was rainy, but did not want to run if it was pouring. So we went back to sleep.

We did end up running later in the day, so it was not a total wash out (pun intended).

Sunday was rainy too, but there was no lightening. Just rain. Oh, and wind.

Since I was riding this event with my friends Gary and Nat, I could not just go back to bed. So, I loaded up the bike, picked up Gary and went to the start line.


Nat's been under the weather and decided to not risk getting sick again, but Gary and I went out on the course.

We did decide to only ride the 30-mile route, which was a smart choice. My feet got soaked by rain and got very cold. I don't think they could have really handled 35 additional miles.

Despite the cold/rain, the event was really wonderful! Nice course with some challenging hills. Terrific rest stops manned by very helpful volunteers and yummy stuff like HOT oatmeal, HOT coffee, HOT chocolate, muffins, candy (?), Cracker Jack, Trail Mix and other deliciousness.

I was also happily surprised at the number of riders that braved the weather. Had the day been nice, I'm sure there would have been thousands of riders out on the road.

I definitely will do this ride again next year. I can not say enough good things about it.

Okay, back to reality:

Twenty weeks!

Really time to get serious about the mileage, the time and the training.

Cuz now it is nineteen weeks and six days....

Fast and furious....

Been a while since I've updated my blog or my training log.

I am a bad girl.


Quick update:


All is going well -- meaning, I'm getting workouts done and I'm not injured or too overwhelmed.

I am worried that I'm not doing enough, but this is every runner/triathletes issue. I just have to trust my coach.

I also worry that if I talk/write/obsess about this much more in public/out loud, that I'll jinx myself. And yet, here I am writing and obsessing once again.

Ces't la Ironman.

I went to Madison last weekend on a SOUL-o journey. (yes, soul). I needed to do some personal / emotional work on my own before going back for training weekends with friends.

I did have a chance to ride and run a bit on the IM WI course, which was great.

I also took walk after walk after walk down memory lane.

I'm glad I went.

I took a bunch of pics and will post more later.

I took a self portrait of me at the IM WI finish line (minus all the finish line stuff...)


Because there is no way in heck that I'm finishing in daylight, I went back to the Capital to take a more realistic shot of what it might look like for me fright before midnight on September 12th.

New York, New York. Hopes dashed again....

Year TWO of not making the NY Marathon cut.

DANG!

I ran NY in 2007 (I got in that year because I was a sponsored amateur athlete for Team Toyota). It is a really wonderful marathon. The course is exceptional, the crowd support non-stop and fantastic, and really is quite the experience.

Last year, I entered the lottery and so did my friends Mary and Nat. Nat got in, but deferred to this year. She opted out for this year because of Ironman.

I put my name in the lottery for this year. I put my name in the first day registration opened.

I was hoping that I'd be still in pretty decent shape after Ironman (how ever that ends up...) and that NY would be like a swan-song for 2010.

Nope.

No such luck.

I guess the gods are really just taking care of me, allowing me to train fully for IM WI so I can ROCK THE HOUSE there (or at least finish before they turn off the clock...)

Still and all, a little bummed about NY 2010...but there is always next year, right?

Readers, weepers and update

Readers: for Beth:

Yes, I actually own all these pairs of glasses.

My eye sight started to change when I was in my mid-40s.

All of a sudden, I could no longer read shampoo bottles or cereal boxes. (I know, I know "squeeze out a dime size squirt of shampoo; rub on to wet hair, rinse, repeat"...)

Now newspapers, magazines, basically any lettering smaller than font size "10" or up close is tough Hence, the collection of readers.

Fortunately, I only need magnification "100" and my distance eye sight is great.

Once my eyesight started to go, I figured that if I had to wear glasses, they were going to be fun.

I buy my glasses at the funky kiosks you can find in malls like The Mall of America. I've had to buy a couple of emergency pairs if I suddenly find myself with out a set at work. Macy's Optical Department has a few pairs that are cute and reasonably priced at about $10.00.

And yes, I am actually contemplating taping a pair to my bike when I do IM WI. If I have to change a flat, I'll be lost without glasses.

Unless, of course, I start training like the military and practice changing a tire while wearing a blindfold...

Weepers: for Nat and Steve (All others be forewarned. Skinned knee pic ahead.)

Nat, I think you'll appreciate this and Steve, you'll definitely appreciate this:

SECOND three hour ride of the season so far done today. Yippee!

Unlike the 3 1/2 "sit-fest" I did on the trainer, this time I rode outside! The weather was warm and comfortable. I started about an hour before rush hour, hoping to avoid rush-hour crazies on the road and the biking novices that swarm the bike paths when the weather warms up.

I was just past Minnehaha Creek on my way home, riding along the parkway when I approached a to a bike path crossing. There were signs warning cars, a stop sign and the road was marked.

This woman driving a SVU of some sort was approaching the cross way. She looked to her left (my way), looked me straight in the eye and started to slow down.

"Cool", I thought! "She must be a biker!"

Nope.

Once the light dawned on for her that, if she hit the gas, she wouldn't have to stop for the nano-second it would take me to get across the street, she put the pedal to the metal and ran the stop sign.

I braked, but didn't clip out in time and THUMP. There I was on the sidewalk.

A skinned knee, a little road rash and a good story.







UPDATE: I'm glad tomorrow is Friday.

3 1/2 hours on the bike. Tomorrow. REALLY?

Already?

WOW.

Yuck.

I mean, "oh goodie!".

Not sure if I'll be inside or out; watching movies or avoiding potholes.

Then, Sunday, an 8k race and my coach has actually asked me to "race" it. You know, for "speed" and "time".

I have not heard any thing so funny in months!

This should be interesting.

Last Week: pull back week. Ahhhhhh

I got a bit of a pull back week last week, going from 10+ hours of training down to about 7.25.

Nice!

Training did include a 2-hour brick: 1 hour biking, 1 hour running. The brick went surprisingly well. I biked on my own, but met Nat for the run portion.

It makes a huge difference to have someone else with you motivating you and keeping your minutes "honest".

I also went to Gear West and got "fit" on my bike. I'm riding a road bike for IM WI -- crazy, I know. I'm not clear that I'll do any other Iron races after Wisconsin, so investing in a tri bike does not make sense to me.

Coach is fine with me riding my road bike -- but wanted to make sure that it fits me and that I'm comfortable and swift.

I saw Kevin at GW. He is AWESOME. Friendly, informative, funny and great to work with. He got me all set up and I really am much more comfortable on my bike.

He clipped on the aerobars that I'll use and upgraded my seat for a squosh more comfort.

Dan and Kevin both talked to me about renting race wheels for IM WI. I was not so sure about it, thinking that I'd look like a total nerd riding my goofy road bike with spiffy race wheels.

But, they both shared enough stories about how race wheels really will help me with my bike time, it looks like renting is a good way to go.

This week, training feels "manageable". Next week: my first ride of over 3 hours. Three and a HALF to be precise.

Looks like volume is definitely increasing.

And just like that....

Spring seems to have started to sprung!

Thank heavens!

We've had the good fortune (aka "weather pattern") of 40+ degree days for over a week. Even the temps at night have not gone below freezing for several days. This means the melt is on in a big way.

I could not be happier.

Even the lakes are looking mushy and unsafe to walk on.

Yipppeeeeeee!

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Not really sure why.

Training keeps on keeping on. I had a pretty good week a couple weeks ago, but last week I found myself tired and in a "mood" about training.

The mood came from being busy at work and letting the day get away from me (and cutting in to scheduled workout time).

I also had what I'm sure was one of my first panic attacks about doing IronMan Wisconsin.

For some reason I got all bent out of shape about not making the bike-cut off.

If you don't know, IronMan races have cut-off times for each leg. You have 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the swim. You have to be done with the 112 miles on the bike by 5:30 pm. You have to complete the marathon and cross the finish line by midnight.

Surprise of surprise, I'm not all that worried about the swim right at this second. Even though I'm S L O W in the water, I think I can cover the 2.4 miles in less than 2 hours 20 minutes.

I have started to get a bit worried about the bike. Even though I'm spending a lot of time on the trainer and pedaling for hours, I am not known for blistering bike speeds during events.

IM WI has a tough bike course -- or so I've heard. I just got my head in a place where the Voice of Doubt raised a bunch of questions:
"What happens if it is really windy?"
"What happens if it is rainy?"
"What happens if it is cold?"
"What happens if you come in at 5:31 or 5:32 or 6:00 pm?"

Then came the worst question of them all:

"What happens if you just make it? You come in at 5:30 and you can get out on the marathon course. You'll only have 6 1/2 hours to complete the 26.2 miles!!!! That is only one hour longer than your DREAM P.R. time without the swim/bike thing before starting the run!!!"

Yikes!

So I fretted a lot and did what any normal person would do. I cut back on the training. Self-fulfilling prophesy and all.

I also sent a note to my coach admitting to my fear of missing the cut offs. Here is his reply:

Hey Amy
Plenty of time… remember its only March. The volume will be increasing soon enough. I do think one thing we can do for the race is to rent race wheels. That will give you a M.P.H speed right there. You can call gear west and reserve a pair. The Liberty Half will give us a good indication of what to work on and where we can shave time off. just keep moving forward and take it day by day.. the most important thing is to stay healthy.

Ps.. I added 30 mins to your bike Sunday :-)

Yes -- that is right. He added an additional 30 minutes to my already 2-hour session on the trainer. Bleah.

But, you know, his note bumped me back to reality. Back to the fact that it IS only March and the race is STILL a long way away. I've got plenty of time to train and adapt.

So I got back on the training horse, put in a great 1:40 minute run on Saturday and sat in that bike saddle for 2 1/2 hours on Sunday.

Every time I finish a planned training session, I'm working on silencing the Voice of Doubt.

Or, at least giving it a bit of laryngitis.

Sick, sick, sick of winter

February and winter drag on.

How is it that the shortest month of the year always feels like one of the longest?

Oh yeah. I live in Minnesota.

We, like a lot of the U.S., have had a snowy and cold winter. Too bad the 2010 Winter Olympics aren't being held here. There is plenty of cold and snow to make all those winter athletes happy.

March -- and spring-- are coming, I know. Days are starting to get longer. It is actually light outside at 5:30 pm...

I'm very anxious for better weather and to be able to train more outside.

I got in a lot of swimming this week. I like the water, like the workouts that my coach is having me do. I am discouraged that I am just not getting any faster. My coach says that my speed will improve -- and for Ironman, I really just need to be fast enough to not get yanked off the course due to a pesky time cut off...

I did run outside Tuesday night. It was a cold but pretty night. Thursday's run was a speed workout on the treadmill including 3 x 6 minutes pushing my pace in 2 minute increments.

Saturday's run was my favorite: running with Nat at the Plymouth Fieldhouse. We both had to run for about 1 1/2 hours. It was nice to do most of the workout together so we could catch up on life, training and stuff.

Biking: Thank heavens for Comcast on Demand. I got through one ride by catching up on "Damages"; another by watching the Olympics. I'm sure I'll find something interesting to watch during today's 2 hour ride.

---
Outside of training, I had a very nice Saturday. After running with Nat, I got together with 11 of my old running buddies for lunch. These are the women that I've trained over the years, but with the breakdown of our old running club, we've gone along different "paths".

I'd been feeling a little lonely for them and put out an email to see if any one was interested in having lunch.

They were and we did. It was great to catch up over a great meal. (I'll post pics soon).

After lunch, Hubby and I watched the Olympics, ran some errands and went out for a very nice dinner. He's been traveling a lot so it was nice to just sit, relax, share a meal, catch up and hold hands.

Catching up: Tri U Mah and Valentine's Day 5k

Tri U Mah, held on Sunday, February 7th, was the usual blast of fun that it is. There are usually a number of my friends that also do this event, and although this was true for 2010, we weren't all able to register for the same heat. Marcia, Nat and Cheryl got in a late morning heat and Gary and I got in to a 12:40 pm heat.

This actually worked out perfectly, because Gear West had their Gear West University the same day. This learning event was a w e s o m e.

For a $20.00 registration fee, participants could six lectures of their choosing. (There were 24 lectures in total, four each hour, so participants registered for the sessions they were interested in). They also threw in a group run, lunch and time to meet other multisports nuts.

Nat and I split the registration and the day. I went in the morning -- I attended a "How to Change your Tube" workshop, where I actually changed the tube on a bike. The BACK WHEEL even! This was awesome and the fear of a flat right out of me.

I also attended "Race Preparation", which covered info about things to do during training to get your to race day.

Nat went in the afternoon and got to attend a workshop on bike riding for women; real nutrition, and one other.

Great info; great speakers, great fun.

By the time Gary and I got to the University of Minnesota's Rec Center, our friends were wrapping up their run portion. They all looked very, very strong as they finished up their event.

Gary and I cheered them on a bit and then we went to get ready for our heat.

I covered .879 miles in my 30 minute swim. I was one length off from 2009. I blame the cold that I caught the Thursday before the event.

My bike was very strong, though. I covered 8.23 miles -- my 2009 total had been 6.63 miles. Maybe it was the fact that we got to watch video from Ironman Championships or maybe because I've been spending lots of time on my bike trainer. What ever it was, I cranked out better mileage. Hurrah

My run reached 2.90 for the 30 minutes. This was .20 better than 2009. I was hoping for slightly better, but... all in all, I was very happy.

I ended up covering 12.009 miles versus 10.224 (2009), which put me in 2nd place for my age group. So there are benefits to getting older.

My friends also had good results for the event. It was nice to chalk up the first event for 2010.

Unfortunately for me, I ended up with an infected big toe that reared up its ugly (pus) head on Monday. I had a toenail that split and I cut it off, thinking that I would save myself from snagging the split on my sock or some thing, which would be painful.

What I didn't count on was the nail piercing my skin, allowing bacteria to fester in to the wound, creating pus which was really, REALLY painful.

I went on antibiotics and didn't train much for the rest of this week. My toe is finally better, so I was able to finish out the week following my training plan.

The plan included running the Valentine's Day 5k. Hubby and I ran the 5K together. It was a very beautiful not-too-cold, no wind morning and we finished in fine form.

Hubby is really getting in to running and starting to enjoy it. This is a good thing, has he has registered for Chicago Marathon. (Yikes! -- he is going to ROCK!)

After the 5k, I still had another 50 minutes of running to get in and then today, I rode my bike for 2 hours while watching the Olympics.

You might say that I'm back in the training saddle.

"Squirrel"

I had to ride the trainer today for 2 hours and fifteen minutes. That is a long time to be in the saddle, pedaling and going nowhere.

I have discovered the secret to getting through these long, dull rides: watch a movie. Last Sunday, when I "only" had 90 minutes of riding to do, I watched an on-demand movie that was free: "Rockstar" with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. I've seen the movie a billion times before, but it was free, mindless and entertaining.

Today, I paid for an on demand movie: "Up". Yes, the cartoon.

I have to admit. I really have loved pretty much every cartoon movie I've ever seen: "Shrek", "Osmosis Jones", "Nemo", you name it, I've seen it and I've loved it.

"Up" was no exception. I thought the story was interesting, the writing entertaining and the animation top notch.

The only hard thing was trying to wipe the tears from my eyes during one very sentimental scene, where Mr. Fredrickson discovers the photos his wife posted of their "adventure" and her final wish to him. It was hard to wipe my eyes while trying to keep my heart rate up.

The movie was an hour and thirty-six minutes long, so after it was over, I flipped over to another favorite of mine: "Celebrity Rehab". There was plenty of drama on the episode to get me to the 2:15 mark.

So, I got through my "increased volume" week last week. All in all, it was not a bad week. I met Natalie on Saturday for our long run, which we ran at the Plymouth field house. MUCH better than the treadmill yet no snow, ice or freezing wind to contend with.

My coach pulled back my mileage a bit this week -- Tri U Mah is on Sunday and I'm getting excited for my first tri of 2010.

"volume increases a little, Amy..."

That is the note my coach jotted down on my training schedule for the upcoming week.

My week includes one swim session of over 3,000 yards (plus 3 others).

One run session of 1:45 (plus two others).

One bike session of 2:15, which he generously is allowing me to split in to two sections ..."if you need to..." (plus 3 others).

This isn't even official training yet!

Yikes!

Mantra for my life: take it one day (one workout) at a time.

Mantra for my training: "We make thousands of little decisions every day. Six months from now, those microdecisions will either make you or break you."

I'm going to do my best to make smart microdecisions one day at at time.

I'm a BRICK......house....

First things first: I saw the item above as I was looking up the weekend weather forecast on weather.com. If you can't read it, the text inside the circle says: "Tomorrow's golf index: Poor".

Duh.

More exciting news: I did an "official" brick workout last night. Well, as official as it can be for January in Minnesota.

My coach had me ride the bike for 40 minutes and then run for 25. I'm participating my first event for 2010 in just under three weeks -- the Tri-U-Mah indoor triathlon.

Tri-U-Mah is a really fun event sponsored by the University of Minnesota. Participants swim for 30 minutes, bike for 30 minutes and run for 30 minutes. The total distance covered determines the winner. I love this event. Pool swimming, the lane all to myself; lots of really great swag and food; very, very well organized. I'm always excited to start the year with this event.

My workout last night went surprisingly well. I still feel pretty "weak" on the bike (despite spending a lot of time on the trainer), but moving to the run it did not take long for my legs to loosen up and I ran pretty well. Hurrah.

I've got a long run scheduled for tomorrow and a long bike for Sunday. Dori is visiting from California and will run with our group tomorrow -- if the weather holds that is. We are in for some freezing rain. Should make the Winter Carnival events lots of "fun". Wish Steve Stenzel "GOOD LUCK" if you get a chance.

New stuff

New picture, new title, new attitude.

That's my story and I'm stickin' with it.

I took a heart rate zone/VO2/metabolic test earlier this week. This was recommended by Coach Dan.

I had taken one about three years and fifteen pounds ago after completing a 12-week fitness program.

The results this time around were not as pretty.

For this test, you get hooked up to a machine which reads your heart rate as you walk and then eventually run on a teadmill. The speed and incline of the treadmill gets raised about every minute. You run until you can't run any more, which should be at your HR max.

Oh, and your nose gets plugged off by a clip so you are forced to breathe through your mouth. You are also clenching your teeth on to a rubber tube which funnels the air to some apparatus which measures your oxygen output recording your VO2.

Fun stuff.

The wus in me says "HEY! The test wasn't fair! The guy giving the test kept telling me "...any time you want to stop, just hit the bar... ANY TIME.... just HIT THE BAR when you WANT TO STOP" as I was gasping for air. He SHOULD have said "atta girl, Amy! Keep it up! Keep it going! You ROCK!"

I 'hit' the bar early and about 7 beats lower than I had three years ago.
Actually, I really did about as well as I could do on the dang test. I'm older, heavier and just getting back in to it.

Surprisingly, my base VO2 max is really pretty good. My use of VO2 while exerting myself can be improved though.

I also had an underwater weigh-in. No surprise there, as I've been weighing myself on my 'fat' scale. By "fat", I don't mean like "OHHHH, you are toooo fat to get weighed" scale. I'm talking about one of those 'measure your weight, the number of fat pounds you have, the percentage this is of your whole weight, your bone mass index and your BMI' scales.

The good news is that I've been tracking my food on Livestrong.com and I've been dropping a bit of weight. My goal is to do this slowly until March, when real IM WI training begins.

I also had to do a 30-minute bike time trial on Saturday. My Coach had me do a 10-minute warm up and then do 30-mintues, after which I had to track my average heart rate. I followed that up by another 40-minute easy ride.

I think the tests are over for awhile.

This week is a "recovery" week. I actually had today off, which was very nice. I've got a couple swims; bikes and runs scheduled for the week and will do my first "brick" of the year on Friday (45 minute bike followed by a 25 minute run)

And so it goes...

New Week, New Tests

Time trials for swim and run went as well as can be expected last week.

The question always is "What can be expected?"

By that I mean, I'm a 51-year old woman who came to this whole running and triathlon thing late -- er, LATER -- in life.

I know what my times are, but what should they be? What could they be?

What should they be? Can I take pleasure/glee/pride in knowing that I'm doing stuff that most women in their 50s are NOT doing?

I see what they could be by looking at the results of other women in my age category. But, and here is the rub, there just happens to be a bunch of Uber-women that compete in my age category!

For a while, when I was in my late 40's, I thought "NOW is MY time to actually be in the middle of the pack!"

HA!

The Uber-Women leave me in the dust and at the bottom. So, when I really compare myself to them and look at their history (and more importantly body-type), COULD I really be running as fast as them?


If I enter events as an Athena, my stats are better. I solidly (no Athena-related pun intended) end up finishing as a mid-pack person then.

But, still, when I send my Coach my results of my time trials, I have no idea if they are "good" or "bad" or just "are".

My kind, speedy, young and athletically gifted Coach says "GOOD JOB!", so I'm just going to take it as he says it.

But really, my results are probably just "are" stats -- a baseline -- a benchmark--a start.

I'm okay today with my results, even if they are pokey. I've got many more weeks of base training left before the big IM WI training push and my numbers should improve. (Right???)

This week, I have a metabolic rate test on Wednesday and a bike time trial on Saturday.

I'll be glad when both tests (and winter) are over.

Time Trial Week Arrives

I have been a total holiday slug.

I've been eating all the foods that I normally do not eat (summer sausage; crab cakes; filo-dough deliciousness stuff; pigs-in-blanket and MORE). Plus, sugar, sugar, sugar.

Add to my nutritional mix general laziness blamed on freezing cold weather and my "busy" schedule.

Slug. Slug City. Skulky Slug City.

Skulky because I've been looking at my training plan every day and then pretty much every day deciding NOT to do the plan. I have been artfully skulking around any contact with my coach so he doesn't technically know that I've not been a very good girl.

I have had a couple exceptions: I ran the Polar Dash 5K on New Years Day. Fun event followed by a post race cookie and hot chocolate and THEN breakfast. I also got to the gym to do a run workout and have been on the trainer a couple times.

But as far as following my training plan? HA! Slug-CITY!

Well, the rubber is hitting the road this week.

I went on line today to see what my training plan looks like and it is TIME TRIAL week.

Yes, my coach has planned for me both swim and run time trials. He has also asked me send him my results, so there is no room to fudge. (mmmmmm fudge....... I digress......)

This will not be pretty.

But I have faced the music. I got on the scale. The new scale that calculates Body Fat in pounds (horrifying) and percentage. Also calculates bone mass, hydration and BMI.

I logged my food/nutrition. I am mapping out when / how I'll get my workouts in.

I'll do the trials and let the chips fall where they may (mmmmmm chips.... I digress)

Kirby 12.29.09

Kirby the Cat moved on to the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday morning, December 29th. It was about as sad a day as they come.

Kirby was originally Hubby's cat. Hubby and his kids adopted Kirby from a Humane Society when Kirby was just a baby kitten. The runt of the litter, in fact.

The adoption came during a tough time for Hubby. He was in the middle of a nasty custody fight which he was fighting tooth and nail. The kids were still little; Kirby helped fill Hubby's house with love and activity when the kids weren't there. Kirby would also provide a lot of comfort on the really bad days, when there was a court hearing, or some ridiculous demand from his ex would arrive in the form of a letter via US Mail. And, of course, Kirby would just be gentle, loving Kirby every other hour of every other day, bringing a lot of smiles, purrs and happiness in to Hubby's life.

We were just dating when Hubby adopted Kirby. I had my own cats and lived in a different house. When Hubby and I decided to move in together, we knew we were blending families: human and fur.

My cat Callie fell in love with Kirby pretty quickly. The two became fast friends. They would hang out together a lot and just sort of "be".

My other cat, Gorby, was definitely the alpha male in the house. He and Kirby did not get along so well for a long time. They finally got to a point where Gorby tolerated Kirby and then gradually got to appreciate each other.

In fact, it was Kirby that would keep Gorby company when Gorby was sick with the cancer that finally took him 16-months ago.

When Gorby died, my heart was fully broken. I didn't think I could ever reach that level of grief again.

I was wrong.

Kirby got sick very suddenly. He developed a strange hacking cough that got progressively worse over Christmas weekend. Finally, late on Sunday night, his breathing was very labored and we rushed him to the University of Minnesota Small Animal Hospital.

At first, the doctor thought it might be heart failure or cancer. They put Kirby in to an oxygen cage, which helped his breathing while the doctors ran tests through the night.

Monday morning, results were inconclusive, although both heart failure and cancer were ruled out.

Kirby was doing okay in the oxygen cage, but would begin gasping for air within about a minute when taken out.

More tests.

The only thing that came up as a possibility was something called "lipoid pneumonia". It is extremely rare. So rare that no one at the U had seen it in a live cat, only in one's passed away. Still, they were not positive that this was the problem.

We had a chance to visit Kirby on Monday night. We could put our hands in to the oxygen cage to pet him via a couple of port holes.

The doctor suggested trying a heavy dose of steroids to try to reduce the inflammation around his lungs. If the steroids were going to work, we'd see an improvement in about 24-hours. Hubby thought it was worth the effort, Kirby got the shot and we went home to wait.

The next morning, very early, we got a call from the doctor. The news came that the steroids had not helped and, in fact, Kirby was doing much worse. His carbon dioxide level had increased significantly. His lungs were just not strong enough to expel the air out, which created a build up.

The vet did not think that Kirby could keep up the effort of breathing for much longer.

With very heavy hearts, Hubby and I drove to the U and got to spend our last few minutes with Kirby. Then, Warren made one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make in his life.

As peaceful as Kirby's passing was, it does not erase the fact that our house and our souls are just a bit more empty this New Year's Eve. That horrible ache I felt when Gorby died is back and it feels just as bad now as it did then.

Callie seems to be missing her friend too. She is sleeping upstairs on the couch that the two of them frequently shared.

I'm just hoping that Kirby has found Gorby at the Rainbow Bridge and that the two of them are sharing a little snooze and maybe some catnip and a really good tin of canned cat food.

Rest in peace, Kirby. We love you and miss you a lot.

Merry Kwanzakah

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas

Feliz Navidad

Happy Hanukkah (late)

Happy Kwanza

Happy Winter Solstice

and all that jazz....

"what I learned last week on vacation..."

Hubby and I went on our first cruise last week.

It was a B L A S T.

Hubby's golf partner, Paul, and his wife, Deb, have done the cruise thing for years. They invited us to join them for some sun, golf and ocean breezes.

We booked on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), which is the "freestyling" cruise line. Do what you want pretty much when you want.

We left Miami, had two full days at sea Grand Cayman and Cozumel as our ports of call. We golfed at both locations.

Let me say again: We had a B L A S T.

However, the big lesson learned on the trip was

"Check your camera BEFORE leaving the house".

My digital was on the fritz. Grrrrrr.

I had to buy an overpriced disposable on the ship ("duty free"!) which really limited my clicking creativity!

I'll post more about our adventures shortly, but will leave you with this:

When I got home, I did a little Google search on "Nikon Coolpix S4 problems" and found this:

Problem for Nikon Coolpix S4 Digital Camera
Coolpix S4, display doesnt show any image

Resolution: My camera worked again when i knock it gently to a table surface (object side).

I smacked the camera a bit and voila! Image popped up like a charm.

Guess we'll just have to take another cruise....

Winter Arrives. Blech

After an unseasonably warm and dry November, winter officially arrived in Minnesota last week.

Nat and I did a quick run on Tuesday when the temps were still "balmy" -- 40s during the day and 30's at night.

On Wednesday, the wind shifted and the temps dropped. We had our first dusting of snow early on Thursday morning.

Now, the furnace kicks on about twice an hour; the lakes are starting to freeze and I broke out the Cuddle Duds.

Training this week went well. Coach Dan had me in the water three times; on the bike four times and running three times. I made it all but one of the runs, which was scheduled for Thursday night, the first really cold night so far. I just couldn't muster the gumption to get out and get it done.

Instead, Hubby and I hit Golfsmith, where they were having a 25% off of most everything sale. We stocked up on some golf balls, tees and got a couple of used clubs.

Why?

We are going on a little golf vacation soon with some friends of ours. The weather should be warm and sunny, which will be a very nice break.

I'll also be able to get some training in while I'm on vacation. It will be nice to run without wearing mittens and long underwear.

One last SHOUT OUT to Sabrina, Hubby's daughter. She's been getting in to fitness recently and ran her first 5K on Thanksgiving (see last post). She ran her SECOND 5K on Saturday -- the Reindeer Run.

She is really getting in to it, which is really fabulous. I'm very proud of her and her accomplishments!

Turkey Day and Torture Device

Long time, no post.

No particular reason; not feeling particularly inspired (or uninspired). Just not posting. You know how that goes.

Thanksgiving has come and gone in a BLINK. Hubby and I hosted this year. Served turkey and stuffing to 17 friends and family in total.

Warren's son spend the holiday with his mom, but we had the great honor of having his daughter, her fiancee and one of their friends join us for dinner. That really was very nice.

Our good golf friends, Paul and Deb, also joined us for dinner. They don't have other family here in Minneapolis, so we invited them to join the madness at our house. It was great to have them with us.

The other really cool part of the day is that Daughter and Fiancee both ran their very first 5K Thanksgiving morning! They joined Hubby, my great running pals Mary, Marcia, Gary and Marty and their families, me and 12,000 other runners at the TurkeyDay 5K held in downtown Minneapolis.

It was a blast and everyone did well. I'm very proud of them all for getting out there and getting hooked by the running bug.

Hubby and I had the rest of the weekend off. Slept late; ate leftovers; visited friends; slept some more. It was perfect.

Today, back to work and back to base training in earnest.

I took my base test with Coach Dan at SCS Multisport. I have some minor corrections to work on with my swim; a ton of work to do to increase power and endurance on the bike; and a few things to work on with my run, not the least of which is SPEED.

I decided to have him start sending me workouts now (which is just a polite way of saying I'll pay him to torture me). I've been enjoying my workouts waaaay too much lately, which just means I have not been working out with any amount of real effort.

He started me out today with 2050 yards in the pool, working on some drills and some builds; then I spent 40 minutes on my torture device, er I mean bike trainer.

YEEEECCCCCH.

Now I know that I'll have to become friends with my bike trainer, as I'll be sitting in the saddle a lot over the winter.

It is amazing how much tougher it is to ride the trainer than it is to ride outside.

But ride I will, whenever Coach Dan tells me to.

Looks like the long journey to Ironman Wisconsin has officially begun!