In other news, if all the stars align (read: I stay injury free) I hope to run my next Half Marathon next month. I have decided that its just not financially possible to keep the other triathlons on my fall schedule, so it looks like my rookie triathlon season was a pretty short one with only two triathlons. Next year, I will be more prepared in knowing what it takes to train (as in HUGE time commitment) and know better how to plan for my season. Picking races that I really want to do instead of wanting to do them all!

Thanks for sticking with me, I’ll be around, reading and commenting on your blogs. Until then……..

I don’t really like to broadcast when my family goes on vacation, but I had planned to do a couple blogs while I was away. Buuuuttt…..we had a spotty and sloooooow Wi-Fi connection, and I tried and failed and mobile blogging via iPhone. So it was a forced hiatus for me.

I spent the first part of my vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN with some friends that I know through the Joubert Syndrome Foundation. A girls weekend without kids or spouses. We had a great time, its so nice to be surrounded by other moms going through the same struggles as you. No awkwardness about JS. I miss them dearly!

Directly after arriving home from TN, it was immediately back in the car with the family, following the caravan of cars to Oak Island, NC. We had a great time just relaxing with my brother, our neighbors (yep, the rooster killer!), their kid, and the wife’s sister.

I was soooo so very bad with my diet, but vacation calories don’t count….right???? I’m sure my net calories were wayyyyy upside down after vacation week, but who really cares…..it IS vacation after all!

But I WAS at least active during this trip unlike the last vacation! I ran twice (4 miles each), kayaked twice, and rode a bike once for 7 miles.

Running at the beach seems so much more fantastic in theory than it really is! I know from previous experience that running on the actual beach can be likened to the tedium of treadmill running. You run and run and run, but seem to get NOWHERE….plus its bad on your feet, achilles, and calves, or so I hear. So I stuck to the street….which turned out to be equally boring. Passing one beach house after another, all of them equally “charming” quickly turn into a blur after mile 1. And you would think that running with little to no elevation change would be nice, but its pretty brutal. It was HOT, HUMID, STICKY, SALTY, WINDY. But I got it done!

Kayaking was my preferred activity last week, something totally unique as I have not kayaked in over 8 years. Beautiful scenery, and a tad bit scary (I kept wondering what I would do if I flipped my kayak). I love a good thrill! Apparently my hubs is hillbilly even in a kayak!

Hubs and I did take our bikes with us, but for some reason they never made it out of the back of the truck. Our neighbors brought their 100+ lb Huffy bikes (slight exaggeration…maybe) with them as well so that we could ride on the beach. The sand at Oak Island, apparently, is not ideal for riding a bike. Our tires marred up in the sand immediately. So we decided to ride on the road. Let me just say that mashing the pedals of a HEAVY bike, one in which is supposed to have gears but the derailleur is rusted and un-shiftable, into strong headwinds, is HARD stuff!!!!! We only rode 7 miles at an average pace of about 11mph, but I guarantee you my heart rate was up at least a little!

We did get yelled at by a passing motorist because we were not riding in the “bike lane”. I couldn’t stop myself from yelling a dirty word back. Hurricane Irene had just passed thru the area a week earlier and the “bike lane” was rendered pretty much useless and, in my opinion, hazardous. With so much sand and debris, I felt safer on the actual road. Its not like it was a freakin’ busy road anyway! Geez lady, share the road!!!!!!!

I always suffer a small case of post-vacation blues, and it takes a while to snap back into the real world. But until next time……I will look back on this vacation with fond memories.

I lay in bed this morning, not wanting to run, but I was pre-regretting the fact that if I didn’t run, it would be yet another week of just 2 runs/week. I was only planning to do 3 measly little miles, why was I making it so tough?! So I applied the rule of “run 1 mile, and if you’re still not feeling it you have a pass to quit” Works every time! So glad I forced myself out the door!

And to give myself an added break, I ran nekkid….as is ran without my Garmin….see:

Ahhhh, I’m a sweaty beast! It was refreshing to run without the pressure of time….just running!

I love trying to figure out the meaning of my dreams. Do you?

I had a funny yet anxiety producing dream last night. It was a race dream. I haven’t had one of those in ages….since I last raced in June. I dreamed that I was in the water about to start a sprint triathlon and realized that I didn’t have goggles or a swim cap. Then it dawned on me that I hadn’t gotten my other gear out of the car and set up my transition area.

Instead of it looking like this…….

It looked like this……

Of course I was freaking out in the dream, my stuff was locked in my car and I didn’t have the key. I don’t know what the outcome of the dream was, it ended before I finished the swim.

So what does it mean? My life feels a little frantic and disorganized right now, maybe that’s it? Maybe I feel unprepared for the upcoming races on my schedule (YES! definitely unprepared for the oly which I still haven’t committed to). Who knows, but I love to look at all the angles of what my dreams mean. Maybe I will discuss this one with my therapist haha!

Have you had any strange dreams lately about running or racing? What do you think they mean to you?

An open face eggplant sandwich with pesto and feta cheese, quinoa, and a side salad. I just kind of made the sandwich up in my head, a rarity for me to be at all creative in the kitchen! I’m making progress!

I’m loving these little mini eggplant. They are a little bigger than the palm of my hand. No one else in the house likes it, so the big ones always go to waste. These are so cute, I just love them! I used to be so afraid of eggplant. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. But I am really growing to love them! I just hate they go bad so quickly!

I lightly coated the eggplant in olive oil, salt and peppered and roasted in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Toasted a piece of bread. Spread a little bit of pesto sauce on the bread. Topped with eggplant with feta cheese. Voila! Baby steps….maybe one day I will actually enjoy doing this.

In other news, I may be without WiFi for a week or so and the thoughts of that are pushing me to the verge of a panic attack. I still have my iPhone though! Has anyone ever blogged via mobile phone? I do have the WP app on my phone but have never used it. Hopefully I will survive without my laptop for a week!

Happy Wednesday! What food were you once afraid of but now enjoy?

So when I see a cat scampering across the floor….and FAST, I know there must be something really cool piquing his interest. Today, as I’m surfing the interwebs, Baxter scurries across the floor. I glance down and he’s chasing a salamander. I had to do a double take. A SALAMANDER IN MY HOUSE!!!!!  AHHHH!!!!

Two thoughts crossed my mind

1. I didn’t want the cat to kill the damn thing. Please no animal murders in the house!

2. I didn’t want a loose salamander in the house to later crawl across my face as I slept.

Somehow I managed to think and act quickly and trapped him!

But now what?!?! I sat staring at him for 5-10 minutes trying to figure out how to keep him contained but get him out of the house. Then I began to have a mini freak out because it was taking me so long to figure out this predicament, would he suffocate under the glass?!?!

I finally got a piece of cardboard, slid it under the glass. But his tail somehow got out from under the glass and got chopped off a little. Opps, sorry little guy….they grow back…right???!!! And side note….that tail twitched and flopped for an awfully long time after it was detached from his body…eww!

On the training front….I ran today, 4 miles without any residual knee pain. I was worried that I over did it with Friday’s trail run. I haven’t run trail in SO long, mix the instability offered by trails and a long(ish) run and it could lead to a possible runner’s knee flare up. It was a mentally tough run on the DREADmill, especially after such a lovely trail run last week. It won’t be long before I can resume midday runs outdoors once the temps drop. I can’t wait!!!!

I did an uber short swim today before my run. I really didn’t fell like working on distance, so I worked on speed just a tiny bit. I hardly ever do speed work in the pool, it hurts so badly and almost induces vomiting every time. I was pretty pleased though. My 100 yard time was about 15 seconds faster than the last time I timed it. YIPPERS! And best of all, the kids are back in school and the pool is quiet again. Now if I can just avoid tidal wave man!

Any unusual critters in your house lately? Have you ever chopped off a lizard’s tail (accidentally)?

My husband asked me to meet him after work Friday night for a trail run. I was hesitant, it would be HOT and I was worried about my knee. But I threw caution to the wind and I am SO glad I did. It sparked a little bit of enthusiasm for running that I have been missing lately.

My hub’s Garmin was dead, so I let him use mine (aw, so giving!) because I know one of the trails like the back of my hand, and really didn’t care about my time. Hubs quickly disappeared into the woods, and I was alone….just me and the trail. No watch, no GPS, no music. Serenity now!

6 (ish) glorious, HOT, dusty, miles and 1 blister later……I remembered why I love trail running so much! The constant mental stimulation, the thrill of instability, the shock of almost being tripped by a root, being in nature, being alone, I LOVE IT! I must get back on the trails more often!

Thankfully my knee felt pretty good after the run. I had hoped to run again Sunday to test it out, but I had to take an unplanned rest day….and another one today. I experimented a little too much with a new (to me) beer. I’ve quit drinking through the week to help cut calories, but after Saturday, I might quit drinking all together!

Two Hearted Ale was not so kind to me. I spent ALL DAY long on the couch fighting waves of nausea, and today still feel the effects of dehydration. ICK! Perhaps it was because I was drinking these quite POTENT beers as if they were Bud Lights. Opps!

Back on the workout train tomorrow! I also need to get back on the Project Pull Up train. I didn’t do very well with my exercises last week, but hubs did help me on my pull up “form” so that it doesn’t feel like my chest is being ripped apart! If you’re doing the Project Pull-Up, let me know how you’re doing and send some pics!

Happy Monday!

I have written a TON this week, but only managed to publish ONCE this week, UGH. I can’t seem to get OUT what I am trying to write. I have done the virtual wadding up the paper and throwing it in the garbage a million times this week.

FRUSTRATED!!!!!

And to pile even more frustration onto my already mountainous pile, I decided to weigh in this morning. My normal weigh in days are Monday, but I had a theory that Friday weighs ins may have a more pleasing result since I usually eat better and exercise more during the week. I was DEAD wrong. I’ve gained back what I lost in the last two weeks and I am back to square one. I’m throwing that damned scale away! Why do I care about the numbers anyway??!! Yes, the numbers quantify what is going on with my body, but its more than that.

I really do hate being negative nelly, seems like all I do is complain anymore. But I need to VENT today!!!! You forgive me…right???

I am question everything I do now. Since I quit eating meat, I have gained….not lost. I must be eating worse than I did when I was a carnivore. Nutrition bores and confuses me. I practically slept through Nutrition 101 in nursing school. I don’t count anything….carbs, calories, fat, protein….nothing. I eat by intuition, whatever I happen to be craving. I try to balance a meal with a protein, carb, veggie. But I’m almost certain my diet is very carb heavy….always has been. I <3 carbs!

I feel like I should seek professional help from someone who actually enjoys analyzing diets….um, like a nutritionist. In a perfect world I would, but I really can’t afford even just a quickie consult, le sigh! Guess I will actually have to put forth effort and at least log my food and let the computer analyze my diet.

I am also questioning my training. Am I over training my body and its in total shock all the time and holding on to fat and calories for dear life? Or am I under training and it’s a simple matter of calories in – calories out?

I’m such a mess right now! A bloated, frustrated, HOT mess! On the outside I may still look the same, everyone says “oh you look great!” But I don’t feel great. I want to FEEL GREAT again! This isn’t (completely) about body image issues, its more about how I feel, and I just don’t feel good.

Help me find a positive way to get through this, because right now, I just muster an ounce of positivity.

From the very first moment I awkwardly pedaled out of the parking lot onto the open road, something transformed inside of me. The freedom, the power, the unreal sensation that riding my bike gives me is nothing that I have ever felt before. It is difficult to describe. I feel strong and unstoppable when I am on my bike.

My first real ride….yah, I don’t ride in skirts anymore!

My bike has taken me places that I never thought I could go. I never thought I could overcome the fear of riding on the open road….and I do. I never thought I could complete a triathlon….and I did. I never thought I could be better at a sport than my husband….and I AM!

I certainly still have a lot to learn about cycling, and can make a bike faux pas and a total ass out of my self without knowing it in front of veteran cyclists. I have fallen off my bike more times that I care to count, and have multiple scars because of it. But despite all that, I feel almost like I am a natural. I finally found my niche, something I can one day maybe excel at?

One of many bike faux pas! Lesson learned, be prepared for all weather conditions!

I love my bike, and I am quite certain that I will never get rid of my very first real bike. Sure I may eventually upgrade, but I have bonded with my bike, and this one will always have a special place in my heart. 

Although I have spent many hours and miles with my bike and poured buckets of sweat over her, she still does not have a name. I do feel that my bike is a chick though, not sure why….just my bike owners intuition. 

I love my bike. I have learned a lot about myself over the last 1300+ miles, thanks to my bike. I hope to have many thousands more happy miles with my best aluminum friend!

2~ I have small feet for my height (6ft). 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 depending on the type/brand.

3~ I don’t like my toes to be squeezed together, maybe that’s why I LOVE vibrams!

4~ I have strange eating habits. I could do an entire series of posts about them.

5~ I have year round allergies, I live on children’s zyrtec and benedryl. It works better than all the prescription meds I have tried.

6~ I am still upset that my neighbor for killed his roosters

7~ But I am happy with karma, one of the rooster shit on him during the massacre

8~ He ended up eating the roosters. That somehow seems wrong to me, isn’t there some moral codes against eating pets?

9~  I refuse to watch I Am Legend ever again because of what happens to Sam. That movie came out right after Rhett was run over by my husband’s boss. I still suffer from PTSD from that incident!

10~ I procrastinate with almost everything in my life.

11~ It took me 6 years, 2 college transfers, and 4 major changes to get a 4 year degree. See above.

12~ I always run out of conditioner before shampoo.

13~ I am fairly certain my new multivitamins have meth or crack in them, I have been JACKED up ever since starting them!

14~ I will probably never go to my regular Dr again for minor stuff. Minute Clinic at CVS is a million times faster…and cheaper!

15~ I hate to shave, but I also hate body hair. Quite the daily dilemma.

16~ I eat way too fast. I am usually done before most people even get started.

17~ I’m not sure why I use “LOL” because I rarely do LOL when I’ve typed it.

18~ I collect wine bottle corks in a huge decorative cookie jar on my kitchen counter. I bet my guests think I’m an alcoholic because its almost full.

19~ I have to eat Oreo’s in pairs. I take them a part, eat the two plain cookies then mush the two with filling together. Why don’t I just buy double stuffed Oreo’s?

20~ I think I may be falling in love with the dreadmill (GASP!)

21~ If you’re a friend of mine on DailyMile you would know that I swam 1800 yards today with snot stringing out my nose.

22~ I’m loving how swimming is making my arms look!

Fast forward 20 some years….I still can not do a single (or even half of one for that matter!) CHIN UP or PULL UP! That is going to change!

This is all I’ve got

Weak!

I introduce LB’s Project Pull Up! This is for all those inner wimpy kids out there that never acquired the upper body strength to hoist their bodies skyward and RISE ABOVE THE BAR! I know I’m not the ONLY ONE…am I??? I challenge those of you who cannot complete a single pull up to join me. And those who can (I’m jealous!)..…you can join in too, or at least mentor us weaklings!

The challenge is to either be able to complete a FULL pull up or chin up (just one is all I’m asking for!) in one month’s time or improve on the number of pull ups you can consecutively do.

Who’s with me? The challenge is on going, you can join at anytime. If you decide to take the challenge, post about it, put up the button, whatever you feel like to spread the word to other wimpies like us.

Some great ways to help build the strength required to do pull ups include:

• Build grip strength by just hanging from the bar for 30 seconds reps
• Dumb bell rows
• Body weight rows
• Assisted pull ups with a chair or machine at the gym
• Negative pull ups
• Flex arm hang

Check out nerdfitness.com for demonstrations on some of these exercises

Send your pull up action shot pictures to jogforjoubertsyndrome@yahoo.com and I will link you in each week with my progress.

Week 1: probably 80% assist with a chair

Good luck, hope you join me!

BTW, I know in one picture I’m doing a chin up (palms facing me) and in the last picture I’m doing a pull up (palms away). Pull ups are supposedly harder, they are both equally challenging for me at this point. I will be starting with chin ups, then hopefully progressing to PULL UPS!