Ashiatsu Massage

Ashiatsu-    Since my last blog i have been to Lubbock and now I am in San Antonio for 4 days of massage training in Ashiatsu.  I am learning how to walk on people in my massages.  i am sure that most people think i am too big for this but i really never put my full weight on anyone.  The class is going great but i have been going hard for 2 days and stilll have two more left.  i am staying with my brother and have not gotten hardly any sleep.   My brother is deaf and very social so the house seems be crowded with people in it all the time. i never knew deaf people could be so noisy.

I have not trained very much in the past month and i am starting to feel like a fluffy slug.  I am afraid to run from the house thinking i might get lost like i did in Germany…..hahahaha…that is my excuse anyway.  Tonight i have been drawing with one of the little kids that is hanging out here at my br0thers.  I am picking up some of my sign language again and getting along pretty good.  My brother and I have not seen much of each other except holidays in the past 20 years.

Four Dogs-  yikes!  inow have 4 doggies.   I got two puppies when i came home last Monday from Lubbock.  Now that i have a new home and dont plan to travel much I decided to add to my family.   I have pictures but cant post them till I get home.   I think I have them named but I wil post that with the picture.   They are cute stupid names.    They are really cute baby puppies that are teacup poms.   My doggies are old and I dont know how i would handle loosing one of them so I am preparing myself.   So yes i am an animal lover.   I am obsessed with my little doggies and cant really help it. Now i will have two doggies on each side of me in my bed (after potty training).  What can i say….they make me smile all the time and no matter what my doggies always love me.  This is going to be my last weekend away from them for a while.

Ultraman-  Now i have to get my butt in gear for ultraman.   Am I ready now?  not really. i have been a slug this year compared to years in the past….i have been enjoying it too but I suppose it is time to get back on the bike and start preparing myself.  Sometimes i wonder how i can do this race every year.  i hvea thought about just taking a year off from this race but for some reason i cant do it.  i have fear that if i dont have this goal out there that i might just sit on the couch all the time.  Goals are good to have an Ultraman has kept me motivated every year.   When I get back home it will be time to start training.  The past few days i have not been motivated to even run a mile but that will change.   I really admire those that work full time jobs, have familys, and train for long racess allat the same time.   This class is kicking my butt and when I get out at 6-7pm  i cant get up to do the training.

I am still alive!!

Goatneck- this weekend i did a t-shirt ride.   this is one of those rides that you pay for but it is worth the money for me.   I push myself at these rides and sort get some good intervals in.   i wish i could say that i stay with the lead pack most the day but I usually get blown off the back at an hour or so.  i dont really like riding so close to other people i dont know.  

I went with Johnny and Author my buddies.  Author is my parially blind buddy i paced a while back for a half marathon.  He is going to be blind someday but right now he gets along pretty good.   He cant see right beside him or when it is dark.    Author got a brand new bike after getting hit by a car.   He got the top of the line kuota bike.  He cleaned it all up and waxed it before this ride.   He brought it over the night before and put it in my garage.   i was sanding my front door at the time.    He was so proud of his bike.

Johhny and Author got over here at 5:50 am so you know i was not a happy camper.  i hate early mornings.  We loaded the bikes and got to the start about 15 minutes before.  author pulled out his bike and asked if i had spilled a gallon of hammer stuff on it or something…..OOPS!  It was covered in saw dust from my door.  So much for cleaning it up right?

I got right in front of everyone.  i did not think i was better then everyone but i did not want to be in the back of the mob.  i would rather only have to worry about 40 people then 200 people in front of me.  For some dumb reason my shoe would not clip into the pedal.  i told johnny that i had forgotten how to do it or something.   We all got started and off we went.  Johnny was out in front as usual and i got passed by a ton of people trying to get my foot clipped in.  It never really got clipped in until about 30 minutes into the ride.  My bike was not shifting right but i was hanging on  to the pack just fine.   The people in the lead would slam on their breaks just before a hill to start a chain reaction to slow the back up while they took off up a hill.  this is a racing stategy but not something i think needs to be practiced at a tour…..for safety sake.  i was getting a little irritated and did not know this was a race strategy until after the ride when i was griping about it.   The pack tends to pick it up on uphills and turns….this time i was ready for it.  We got to a slight fast downhilll and some guys were trying to coast as the pack was taking off.   I tried to grab some bigger gears and my bike did not shift.   I pretty much was off  the side of the pack but was trying to get back in.  One guy would not let me in and my momentum stopped. one other girl tried to let me in but she said something like ” ill let you in but you better not loose them…..”  I had lost to much momentum to get back in.   It was not 5 minutes later and there was a crash that broke the rest the pack up.  I ended up sort of being in a second pack the dwindled away.  i did stop 2x to get some fluids and ice.  The heat index was supposed to get up to 110 but not sure if it did.   i need to focus on these rides and training and not kill myself.   i always run long on sundays and it is nice to feel good when i do them.

It ended up being a great ride that i felt ok about.  i rode in with some guy in a t-shirt. He was riding strong and i was glad to find out that he had just forgotten his race clothes.  I thought iwas getting my butt kicked by a weekend warrior but he did race bikes.   I ran 2.5 miles after it and felt ok.  Mike another friend did it with me.  Author came in safe and sound but cussing that he had a crack in his new carbon frame.  Turned out to be a gue that he spilled all over himself and on the bike.   it had baked onto the bike and looked like a crack.  It was chocolate so that is how we knew it was on his white shirt.   The three mousketeers had a really nice ride.

Babes-   we finished the day up at Babes this great chicken fried steak resturant in Burleson.   Author cant see in the dark and this place so he hung on to me.  i was supposed to help him out.   Johny had to keep Authors food on his plate since Author could not really see what he was cutting.   I left author inside after paying out and he almsot ran into some black people on the way out.  Johnny sent me back in to save the day.   We always have a great time when we are together.  I love my buddies!

The House-  this is almost done.   I took the door off to stip the paint off and stain it.  One of my buddies Mike told me that it would be a peice off cake and made suggestions on how to do it.  I got some kind of goop that seemed to only make the door worse.   It got some of the paint but then left this film behind.   I was told to use 150 grit sandpaper and after 3 days of sanding I decided that I was going to get some real sandpaper.   Mike stopped by to see how the door project was going and I had decided to paint it at this time after 4 days.  He tacked the project with his 150 grit sandpaper and after about 30 minutes had more suggestions that were like the ones I had come up with.   Hmmm using 60 grit paper, a wire brush and spray on goop did the trick.  Today a  coat of stain went on it and tomorrow the door will be done.  I would have quit sooner had i known this was going to be such a project. After 3 days you dont want to give up and especially after 5 days.  I spent more time putting the sandpaper on the tools then really sanding.

Landscaping has been fun to but it is almost done as well.  i actually had a blast running all the power tools.   I got to use a chain saw and rototiller (not spelled right)  on the yard.   I have been covered in dift and rubbed blisters on my hands with the shovel but it is almost done.   I have really enjoyed making this house look totally new.  i will post a real after picture when i figure out how to get my computer to recognize my new hardware.   Me and computers dont mix ….it went throught the twilight zone again and now it does not download off the phone or camara.   This is my reason for not posting race reports and picttures.  i will figure it out….next year probably.

SAD NEWS-  so my little doggies are sick.  They look like puppies but they are really about nine years old and both have congestive heart failure.   This is why I spend so much time with them.  They are also my kids.  I had to rush one to the ER Sunday night.  He was sort of choking and coughing non stop.    I got there and after x-rays found out he has a collapsed trachea.   The doc told me both doggies would only make it 6montsh to a year with congestive heart failure.   HMMM they have had it for at least 2 years maybe 3.  i am hopeful that she is wrong.  In the meantime I am up constantly with booboos coughing spells.  They used to be outside dogs in the day but that has changed as well.   Heat is not good for them.  i have lots of picture of me spoiling them.  They get breakfast in bed,  only so i can smuggle their pills to them.

After

So the hard work is done! At least i think so.  I am stripping my front door of paint to refinish it.   This is not an easy projext especially if you rub your nose in teh process and end up burning your face off.   I have a rototiller that i borrowed from a neighbor to did up all the weeds as well but i am in no rush to do that.

running- so this morning i got a nice run in.  I now  run through the neighborhoods to get landscaping ideas and listen to techno.  Yes perhaps i have lost it and gotten to excited about gardening and my house but this distraction has been good for my runs.  i now look around to see what i like and dont like while running and next thing i knwo the run is over.  i get hill repeats done if i run close to my house each time i run up the block it is a big long hill I will come down the next block checking out all the landscaping.  I had a great run today and really did not have any aches and pains.

cycling-  bike intervals are not always my favorite thing to do. i have throubel doing them on the trails by my house since the trail winds so much and people tend to me on it. i have this great hill close to my house that i went to intead.  6 little hill repeats but each time i climbed it was 3 minutes so it was a little interval workout.  This was in a rich neighborhood to i took advantage of checking out all the landscaping in front of the big houses as well.   I think some of the rich people might be in over their heads with house payments and cant afford to take care of their yard right. i saw some sad looking landscaping.   This weekend i get back into the cycling by doing a ride called Goatneck with my buddies johnny and author.   it will be fun!  after that i am sure i am digging up the flower bed to get ride of all the weeds.

Race report is done but on another computer that wont go online.  Tommorrow i will post some of it after i but a memory stick.   I hate computers sometimes!

Before and After

So this is my house before my weekend.

I painted it green…haha.  i had others make suggestions of other colors but i decided that i would paint my house the way I wanted.  i  consider my personality to be colorful to i painted my house to match it.  i also tore up most of the landscaping and cleaned up teh cactus.  ok so i did not do all of the digging. i had some help.  After working on shoveling rocks for 2 hours and hardly making a dent i hired some mexicans to do the rest of the work for cheap.  i had two friends that wanted a massage on sunday so that covered the expense.  i would have rather given two massages then worked two more days in the yard. i will post finishing shots tomorrow.

As far as my health–i am much better and getting treatments on my back 2x a week.   i have started back training and so far no problems.   Last week i did have some aches and pains but this week i am  much better.  cant wait to get back into training!

Domesticated

Boys and Girls club Upward Bound Banquet-      i think this went great.   i relly had a good time as well.  the truth is that in the past couple of years i ahve not been as involved as in teh past.  Gramps getting sick and moving were reasons why.   I was a keynote speaker at this event and was pretty nervous about it.   I know i have given speeches but none of them are the same and this was was really important.  These are kids will be going to college someday and i got to give them a message about doing it right the first time.   I worked on my message to them more then my homework but it paid off.  i did make up some goofy note cards but found out i did not need them.   They sort of screwed me up if i tried to look down to make sure i got everything done right.   I suppose this year has been a nesting year for me and i have been making a new home for myself.  I am only doing two races this year and i have always done so much more.   It is nice to have my foot in the door here so no telling what i come up with next year to raise funds for the Boys and Girls club.   Sometimes just racing to get to the finish line is not enough for me…it has to be about more then that for me to get excited.

Vineman-speaking of getting excited..  i am not doing vineman.   I am going to get well and right now i have this hip that is bothering me along with my low back.   i think it might be a bursa or something but not sure.   I got a shot in my hip while over in Switzerland so perhaps the happy juice is wearing off.  i have got to get going on training for ultraman so i am sure i will start back next week.  i will get with the program. 

Domesticated- so i might becoming domesticated.   I have turned into a gardner, my dogs only eat fresh cooked chicken and rice, and i am painting my house while i am recovering.   You should see the front of my house now.   I have about 10 sample colors painted in strips…i took a picture but for some reason i cant get them downloaded.  Tomorrow i ride with some of the RX cyclists gang and then i come back home to start painting my house.  I finished my backyard but the front needed some work.   I am painting it olive green and will be trying not to make it look like something in an army camp.  i took votes today on paint but still cant decide.  i have not seen many houses the color that i plan to paint it but I am a little different.    I get to work with a pressure sprayer tomorrow and some other paint tools.  i bet i end up hating it but in the end all this fixing up on my house has been so rewarding.   I am doing it now because i know next weekend i will be back in full training.  i bet there will not be any blogs until i get done.  Yes i do have a race report almost ready to post.

RX Cyclists

So the ride and breakfast went great!!!!  I ahd a nice time but not getting up at 515 am.   Since i have  been home i have been rather busy with work and really had not slept late.  This weekend was supposed to be a recover weekend but the RX cyclist ride was not really what i would call a recover ride. 

We met a little out of town and road up I20 to a breakfast place 32 miles away.   It was rather hilly and into a small head wind.  it was also HOT.   For some darn reasont the heat has been getting to me here in fort Worth.   I have always loved the heat but not lately.   I had a camel back and two water bottles of heed packed with my endutolytes for the ride.   i figured that would get me enough energy for the ride.

We rode the 32 out and i could tell i was not recovered on the hills.  the hills of mineral wells were like huge mountains to me and the reality that i had not recovered from my trip was obvious.     i never ask “how far”  but I did ask my buddy Eric this question.  i was really rather toasted and ready to get off the bike.  

We then entered the nice air conditioned breakfast place and I placed my order for a cinnimon roll, pancake, and one egg.    I then gave motivational speech.  i am sure it sounded like some AA testomony  but it wasn’t.  Sometimes you feel funny talking about yourself but that was what I did.  Next we were supposed to talk about nutrition but everyone was ready to get home.   I ate my food in a hurry and really did not ahve much.   My bike had been sitting outside in the sun so my bottles were boiling hot.  I did have a camel back that i had not used so I figered it would be enough to make it back home.  i did not bother to really take care of my bottles since i was yacking to the club….huge mistake. 

We had our nutrition talk in the parking lot before we got started then we were off again.   I was riding with this doc and some of the faster guys but as soon as we got on one of the mountains (small TExas hill)  I let them go.   I did not feel like hammering home.   I did not eat all of the cinnimon roll so really all I had was one pancake for fuel.   I sipped one of my bottles of stuff and it was nasty hot.  i drank it anyway in hope of getting somre super burst of energy.   i then thought about taking a gel but my camel back was empty and i could not stomach just having something sweet and gooey lingering in my mouth.  i rode wiht another person that was ready to be off the bike when I was.   We had 5 miles left and it was all these hills (mountains to me).  At eh end of the ride there was knew pavement so it was like riding on a frying pan to the finish.  i was so darn thirsty and glad to be back at the car.  Hmmm.    I was in the mountains of Switzerland this week and do not recall feeling like I did on this ride.    It was still a great ride for the club and we had a nice visit afterwards.

Ouch…… the road rash was on fire from the salt and my low back was still a prob.   I have one spot on my butt that wont heel.   i think a rock got embedded in it!

So much for recovery……….

Today I  made up for it and slept 13 hours.  no working out.  i just woke up before my afternoon massages to give.  i feel better now.

Vineman (ironman distance)-  so at he end of the month i am supposed to do vineman.   At least I am entered in the race.   This is one of those races I am up for but dont have to do.    The flights were not cheap a month ago but now they are too pricy.   my bestfriend is going that i raced lots of ironmans with in the past.   WE have not raced together in a long time.  She got married but got away to do this race…..actualy her hubby will be doing his first ironman.  i wish i could say that doing an ironman slow is a training day but there is still recovery in doing thsi race.   I also am tired of traveling with a bike.

The decision to do this race will really be up to my coach since i cant make up my mind.     i love to do this to him!  He has done pretty good in coaching me so I will just let him be boss.   that is why we have coaches isn’t it.    I will have a decision this week sometime.   Either way I will be happy here or with my girlfriend.

RX Cyclists

So tonight I was putting together a speach for RX Cyclists  here in Fort Worth  my doggies was helping as well.  At fist they wanted to know if I could teach a bike handling class but I had to talk them out of that.   I think that teaching a bunch of people how to turn tight on a bike would be a distaster for me considering I unclip most the time and dont take the chance of crashing.

We are still doing sort of a bike handling clinic but it will be more of the rules about how to ride in a pack or stay on someones wheel.  no sure but I think most of these riders are training for a ride called Hotter then Hell. When so many people show up at a ride you can bet most of them dont know the rules of the road.   I did not learn then until the past couple of years.  i still have tons to learn but i do know the basics so that is teh info I plan to pass along.  

I thought is was all beginners and we would only do about 30 miles but I found out just last night that we woudl be riding 30 and then eating at a breakfast and then riding back another 30 miles.   Ouch was all I could think.   I am still nursing some road rash and only ran a tiny bit this morning.  So much for an easy 30 miles now we are talking about 4 or more hours….yikes.   What kind of ultra athlete am I?  

I am speaking to these guys as well so I have been preparing the motivational speech followed by the nutrition speech.   This will be after they have probably put in some sausage and eggs at breakfast.  I usually eat what is right but I love pancakes and have not been in a breakfast place in ages.   the nasty syrup and buttery pancakes might be to hard to pass up.   And then I am going to suggest that this not be done?

Needless to say I am looking forward to it but the thing i am not looking forward to is getting up at 5am.   It is 45 minutes away from me and WE start at 7.  I hate to get up early….when you get my race report you will see that I was late on day two from being a sleepy head.  So 5 probably means more like 530 or something with me.  I guess i am getting back into the game now.  Why wait?

Next week I speak at a banquet for the Boys and Girl club on a totally different subject.  i just have to many things going on but probably could not stand it any other way.

Blog Correction-  i laughed today when someone that read my blog informed me of a typo i had yesterday.   we all know i have a million of those but I really dont reread anything and if I mess up typing I dont go back.   these blogs are pretty much what is on my mind and just thrown on the peice of paper.   But for those who did not figure out what I was talking about in yesterdays blog then I am correcting it.   I got a shot ( injection of medicine)  in Switzerland…not a shit.      I try not to cuss on my blog.

Home Sweet Home

Chilling with the doggies-  I am home and enjoying my time with my doggies.   The truth is that i am working my butt off and adding to my back pains.   I did get up early wednesday morning and start my rehab for my back at the docs.   I got a shit in my bakc while in Switzerland for free.   This is one reason why i am so glad this happened in Swittzerland.  For me to get treatment here it would have cost a pretty penny.   It would have been a doc visit, MRI, and who knows what else.   My health insurance would not have covered any of it.  I can always look at the good side of things.

Race Report-  it is going to be a good one and I am almost ready to post it.   It is hard to write when you are pooped out and I have had other things keeping me busy since I landed.  I only look back on my race with smiles and I am really ok with my results considing only half of the women failed.   I hav always said the 7 day gig will be what i think is the toughest race in the world.   At one time RAAM only had a 65  percent chance of finishing it.   It was considered the toughest race in the world by Outside Magazine…not sure what the facts are now.   The 7 day gig only had 30 people finish out of 160 solos so I am thinking it might be tougher.  This is why I want to do it I suppose…..the challenge.  By 2013 I will be ready to see how it goes.  

Last year I finished a 3 day gig but this year was just as good.   I thnk the race was tougher then last year or I got more clumsy.  Either way I had a blast being in such a great country with some of the greatest athletes around.   Cant wait to tell more about it.

Gigathlon Update

Well since i am blogging right now it would be best to assume that i did not finish the 2 days.   i am in good spirits and do not have any regrets of coming.   I crashed a total of 7 times while i was racing.  5x yesterday and 2x today.   2 were on the mountain bike and the rest were on the skates…of course.  I do wish i made the two days but i am still proud of myself.   I have had a wonderful time and been a part of one of the greatest races ever.  the more I come to this race the more it grows on me.  

Day one was terrific even with my crashes.   I will have a good race report for sure this time full of adventure and laughs.  I had ône last crash to many on the skates today and had to hitch a ride in.   I have a road rash from 3 crashes on my hip with a hematoma.  the other hip has just a dark bruise forming on it.  These things are not the reason for pulling out.   My low back is totally trashed and I cant bend at the waist.   It was an interesting ride home trying to sit with on butt cheek so the other cheek and leg with woulds would not stick to anything.   a knot is forming on my forehead that i dont remember getting.   All i can really say is that all my pains were worth it.

I dont have to be at the front of the pack all the time to have fun.  i actually think i was pretty much dead last most of the two days.   The ones behind me were only DNF’s.   i cant wait to write a race report about what all went on during the race and in my head.   i feel truly blessed to be able to come and do this race.

I am save now and back with the family i have been staying with.  They are on holidaz but the neighbors put on a big garden party that i jioned tonight after ‘packing.   They all fel sorry for me cause i am not moving around to well.   My neck is also starting to tighten up.  i just hope i dont wake up not being able to turn my head.   i might not be in such a good mood in the morning.  For now I am in a good mood and like i said……i feel very grateful.  Crazy huh?  after crashing and not finishing a race?  My racing is not about winning….it is fun to finish what i set out to do but sometimes that is not always meant to be.   the people i meet and the places i go is worth risking failure.   In my opinion I never really loose a race so long as i learn from it and have fun.   

time to fold laundry and go to bed.  i am not sure how I am going to sleep.  perhaps naked on top of the sheets until my wounds sleep?  i am in Europe so I dont think that is to weird over here….dont know for sure.

REady to go

Todaay we leave for Thun to make a tent and get organized.   I have to admit the past few days i ahve not been picking out what i am going to wear and how to organize making sure my crew had what they need in each 5 trasistions.  Donna is usually the one to handle those logistics and Dirk is the one to handle making sure they make each transistion.   This year i ahve two boys so i might need to use some of my brain cells and organize things so all they have to do is grab a bag.  i am only taking half of my things since the weather is going to be nice.  No jackets for snow or anything ….thank goodness.

results are posted on the website.  if you google gigathlon it will have a way to translate the page so you can read it.