Celebrating Mardi Gras!!

This is a picuture of a my second cousin Paige (the short one in pink) celebrating Fat Tuesday at her baby sitter's!! Too cute for words!!

Paige, 2 years
February 27, 2006
Richland, WA

Parade

Sunday was the pet parade in Galveston. Crazy!! Beazer didn't go (still recovering) so I escorted one of my vet's ferrets - Lester. What a name for a ferret! I kept wanting to call him "Lester the Molester!" We were in the back of the parade with 2 cases of beads. As soon as we got to the area with all the spectators the crowd surged towards us wanting to pet the ferrets. The police eventually came and made the people step back, but by then we could not see the parade folks in front of us! One officer said the rest of the parade was waiting on us. So Nuts! But lots of fun! We went through 2 cases of beads, and could have gone through a couple more. Next year.

There were a couple things that concerned me in regards to the parade. First was all the dogs that showed EXTREME interest in the ferrets. They were probably thinking snack or chew toy! The next was the owners not paying close enough attention to their extremely interested dogs. And finally, there was this little girl riding in her motorized Barbie mobile who did not know how to drive!! She came close to running into me a few times and Lester came close to being road kill.

After the parade I wanted to go to a Sprint store and get a new phone. I forgot to protect my phone on Saturday's ride and it is no longer working correctly - I can hear people, but no one can hear me. Makes for an interesting conversation!! After dinner with friends I went to the closest store, but they had already closed. So yesterday I rode my bike around West U and Rice going to different stores. I did a total of 15 miles on my bike yesterday, that is the good thing. The other good thing is that I now have a new phone, just not a Sprint phone. I became so fed up with how much Sprint appreciates me as a customer I went to the closest Verizon Wireless store and signed up with them!! Sprint used to be affiliated with USAA and the service was so much better then. But that affiliation is no longer in existence, so the service went to hell.

After that fiasco, I needed to burn off some steam so I went swimming. I did 1300 meters (100 free, 100 pulls, 100 kicks, repeat, 500 free, 100 breast, 100 free). I would have done more, but it just wasn't a good night for me. I was tired and my hamstrings were sore. Not sure why. Maybe I hadn't completely recovered from Saturday's ride. But I would have thought so. I will try again in a couple days. Tonight I am going to the track with the TNT running group. I haven't been running in ages and I am feeling guilty! Maybe I will ride my bike and get in a brick. That would be a good idea.

p.s. for those of you who do not know what a brick is - it consists of riding your bike then getting off and going for a run. This is usually the hardest transition for me in a triathlon.

Fat Tuesday!!

It's Mardi Gras!!

Party, Eat and be Merry.

The Penitence Begins Tomorrow!

Rain, Rain Go Away

Well, Mother Nature got me again! It rained while I was riding yesterday!!

25 to 30 of us met up around 7:30 down in Pearland for 30 miles, with a choice of doing 50. We headed out a little after 8:00. No wind, no rain, temps in the high 50's, just fog. It was great! I was one of the last people to leave the parking lot and chatted with others as we made our way to Fruborg's Market (sp) at mile 15.

We had an unofficial stop at mile 7 where a lot of us shed clothes (I took off my running tights), and then it was back on the road. Quickly mile 15 appeared - it is wonderful being able to cruise with no wind!! I was feeling great, so I decided to join the group who was going out for 50.

10 of us took off, while the rest of the group turned around and went back to the starting point to finish off their 30. The riding was nice. Still no wind or rain. But it was coming! We felt a few drops at one point, but then it stopped. Sometime after mile 30 it started raining and we got a little wet. We pulled over at a gas station and went inside for some nourishment. Then the rain started to pour. We waited, it lessened, we continued on our way. One of the rider's lived in the area so she went home. Then we got lost (Patrick is not allowed to lead again!!). Then Dave got a flat. Flat taken care of, we found our way back to the road we were supposed to be on, things were looking up.

Then...Dave's tire popped and he said the heck with it. He called Coach Alan to pick him up. Tom stayed with him. The rest of us went on - we had 10 more miles to go.

Then the rain really decided to come down. The wind had made it's appearance prior to this and we were all tired, so the going was a little slow - anywhere from 12 to 15 mph. My shoes filled with water. I tried to avoid the spray coming off the wheels of the biker in front of me. And when we stopped, once, to make sure we hadn't missed the road to turn on, I found one dry spot on my shirt (under my arm) and wiped off my glasses. But we eventually made it!! We were all completely soaked, but talk about happy to see our cars!!

I put my bike away, grabbed dry clothes and headed into the restaurant where a couple of us joined up. I dripped my way to the restroom and tried very hard not to fall on my rear in my cycling shoes! I changed clothes, put everything in some plastic bags that an employee gave me, wiped up my puddles from the floor, then went to the table and had some lunch. All I can say - it was better than last week! Not nearly as cold or windy.

Hmmm....I wonder what next Saturday will be like?!

No training

I have not done any training since Sunday. So bad! Monday I cleaned house. Tuesday my step-dad came into town and we went out to dinner (I scared him with my driving!! - oops!). Wednesday I went to a fundraising clinic held by TNT. And tonight I am catching up on mentor duties and taking care of Beazer.

Beazer, my ferret, had surgery yesterday for adrenal tumors (common problem for ferrets) and I picked him up today. The poor little boy - he is just exhausted. He tuckers out so easily, but I think he is happy to be home. Right now he is in my closet curled up in one of my old shirts sleeping away. I will get him up in a bit and give him his medication and then lots of treats!!

On a sadder note, a very good friend of mine lost her baby this weekend. She was about 17 weeks along and went into pre-term labor and they couldn't do anything to stop it. She is just devastated! I can't even imagine what she is going through. This is the third time she has lost a baby. The last one was back in January, 2005.

I will try and get back on the ball training wise tomorrow. Maybe do some swimming and run a little. Saturday we have two mileage points we can choose from (30 or 50). I am thinking 50! We will see once Saturday morning rolls around. I am not doing 50 if the weather is anything like last weekend!!

TNT Cycle Group 2/18/2006

We look so happy!! Should have had an after picture!!

At it again

Yesterday it was Atascocita, today it was out to Chappell Hill. It was still cold (even colder than yesterday), but the wind and rain were not as bad. Thank goodness! I wasn't nearly as cold or wet after this bike ride.

I met up with Dan and Nicole (triathletes) around 9:30 this morning. Dan was thinking that we would probably only do 20 miles instead of the planned 40 because the weather was so bad. Well, we ended up only doing 12, but there were a lot of hills! Dan was encouraging me to stand up more in my hill climbs, and I tried, but could only do it for about half the hill - then I would sit back down. Time to start strength training!! I really need to get more prepared for hills with the MS150 only two months away.

He was also telling me that I need to start riding 10-15 miles everyday with two days off during the week. I should then increase my mileage by 5 miles a week until I am riding 30 miles a day. He said this will really help me when it comes time for Tahoe. I trust his judgement. He has completed several century rides (Tahoe included) and a half-ironman.

I wish the weather had been better for more miles, but I sure was happy to get back in my car with the heater turned up high.

After loading everthing back up we headed back to Houston, had lunch, then I went to a ferret information meeting at a Petco in Katy. I played with the ferrets and mingled with the peeps, then it was home where I could get into some comfy clothes and veg. And that is exactly what I did. I had contemplated going out for a short run, but I decided I was finished being cold for the day. Maybe tomorrow!

**edit**
Totally forgot the best part of the ride. Where we parked. Right in front of this house with all these ducks, chickens, geese, and guinea hens running around. It was so funny! They were all over the place - on the fence, in the street, in multiple pens etc. And they were street smart, too. There were two mallards (male and female) on the other side of the street wanting to cross. They waddled over to the curb, sat down and waited for all the cars to go by, then they got up and waddled on over to join in all the fun. The whole scenerio cracked me up! Next time I have to bring a camera!

Cold...Wind...Rain

Today SUCKED for biking. Left my place at 6:30 this morning after a fitful night of sleep. Do not know what the deal was, but I kept waking up every hour after 1 am. I arrived at the meetup point at 7:20 and since I had time, I had my oil changed at the Kwik lube across the street. After that it was back to the start and I prepared for 25 miles of cold biking.

And man was it cold. My temperature gauge never rose above 43 degrees, and actually started dropping towards the end of the ride.

And it was windy. At one point the head wind had me going 9.5 to 10.5 mph, but then at another point the tail wind helped me get up to a constant speed of 23 mph. Crazy!!

And then the rain came at mile 15! It felt like sleet at one point it was hitting my face so hard. I was drenched! We were all drenched!

At around mile 21 the rain lessened and we made our final rest stop at a gas station. Boy I wish I had remembered my cash! Would have loved some hot chocolate! I had been really good up to this point about remembering to clip out. And I remembered this time, too. Unclipped my left foot and leaned to the right!! Down I went! Got up and took a bow, but was told that I lost points due to my dismount!! Too funny! I will get this clipless pedal thing worked out eventually.

We finally finished and I discreetly changed into dry clothes in the parking lot of the church we started from. Hope the Lutherans didn't mind. Then it was off to lunch. Mexican food, yum! But from what I understand, every one of our Saturday lunches will consist of Mexican food. Glad I like it. And in the warmer months those margueritas are going to taste wonderful!

Then it was home for a nice long nap. Now I am washing clothes and preparing for another ride tomorrow. Hmmm...maybe I will change my mind. Tomorrow is not supposed to be any better than today.

State #3

I did it! I signed up for the Chicago Marathon on October 22, 2006. I am already excited!!

Moonless night

Went swimming again. The night sky was not that interesting tonight, though - it was completely overcast. Oh well, there will be others.

I did a total of 2,000 meters. I started with 2 reps of 100 free, 100 pulls, and 100 kicks, then I did 1,300 free with a couple breaks, and then I ended with 50 free and 50 breast. I would have liked to have done some other stuff in the gym, but I needed to get home and do mentor duties for TNT.

One thing I realized while swimming tonight - I need to go buy me some bananas! I had three foot cramps while doing my laps! Plus, my hydration was not that great today, so that probably aggravated the problem. And I have been very lax in taking my vitamins. Basically this all translates into the fact that I need to start taking better care of myself!! Okay, I will listen to my body!

One down, how many more to go?!

Last night I went out to Tuesday night speed training with the TNT group. Forgot the map, so of course I was late. Oh well, all I missed was the skipping and jumping!! But I was able to do a little running. The workout was 2 minutes fast pace, 2 minutes slower pace, repeat 5 times. I started out with Erin and did 20 minutes of running and walking with her (Erin is more of a walker and there is no way I could handle walking an entire marathon). But since I did not get there for all the warm up stuff I didn’t really get a proper workout - so after the 20 minutes I ran 5 laps.

It was then home to do some practicing on my bike. My apartment complex has this beautiful Live Oak tree in the middle of a large round-a-bout and I figured that would be a fairly safe place for me to practice. Not so! 10 minutes into my going round and round the circle, clipping and re-clipping into the pedals, a car comes down the drive from the main street and another car comes from the apartment complex going the wrong way in the round-a-bout (VERY common occurrence). Well, the car going the wrong way was paying attention to the other car entering and not to me (I had my flashing light on, so it is not like I was invisible). I was putting on my brakes but he was not slowing, I screamed and freaked out! He finally saw me, stopped and I stopped but.....I forgot to clip out and down I went! Skinned my knee a little and have a small bruise on my ankle but overall I am okay. I am just thankful he finally saw me and didn’t hit me, because I seriously thought that was going to happen!

I continued biking for a little bit after that, but headed back to my apartment after 15 more minutes. Next time I practice it will be somewhere safer! Just not sure where in Houston that will be!! Hey, Okolo says I have to fall at least once - let's just hope it is ONLY once!!

Clipped in

I finally did it, I went to the bike shop and had my clipless pedals put back on my bike. Now the fun begins!! I have never ridden with clipless pedals before. I bought my bike a little over a month after I broke my toe and a couple days after the purchase I went to the doctor. He told me I could not wear bike shoes because it would put too much pressure on the joint. So back to the bike shop to get the clipless pedals removed and platforms put on.

The doc said I could wear bike shoes a little over a month ago and I have been procrastinating! I am scared of falling and making a fool of myself. But I know Cassie would really enjoy it!! All will be okay, I can handle it! Because I have to!

I also went to the rec center today. I had all the intentions of joining, but I forgot my badge. Sometimes I wonder about myself! But the kind people behind the desk let me workout anyway. Yay! So I went swimming. Nothing too strenuous, just 1100 meters at a steady pace. I did 1 length of breast stroke, 3 of crawl, then I repeated until I finished. I did take a 30-60 second break after 500 meters. I could have done more laps, I could have pushed myself harder, but I haven't been in the pool for such a long time I wanted to take it easy. Next time I will bring my gear and do pulls and kicks.

I really like the rec center pool. It is outside and heated. It was so cool to look up at the full moon while doing the breast stroke!! It is so much nicer than swimming at Bally's or 24 Hour Fitness.

Well, Beazer is putting his cold, wet nose against my leg wanting to play. I better give him some attention!

Dedication

The other day someone left a comment on my blog saying they admired my dedication and to keep it up. "My dedication?" was my first thought, then of course the second was "who is this person?" So I clicked on the profile link and was introduced to Cagey. And what is the first thing I read about Cagey but…

"I'm currently deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I hope to return home in March 2006 and begin training for the summer triathlon season. I'm also considering a fall marathon."

This guy admires MY dedication? You have got to be kidding! On a daily basis he is facing life threatening events and then on the side he is training for a triathlon!! I ADMIRE YOUR DEDICATION, CAGEY!! YOU ROCK!!

The blog activeness.net says it all:

"We’re extremely fortunate to have courageous men and women like you serving our country. And we’re amazed that you’re continuing your training while in Iraq. So keep your head down and stay safe until you get back to a place where the biggest training hazard is that brutal North Carolina summer heat." (read the entire blog entry)

Be safe Cagey!!

Brrrrr!!!

Dang - it has been cold here! I wish I had brought my winter coat with me to the bake sale. The wind was blowing continuously, we were in the shade the entire time, and we froze our tails off! It was so cold this morning that the soft baked cookies were rock hard. Too funny!

I stayed up late last night. Didn't go to bed until 3 am, then it was up by 7:30, and I finally left around 9:15. I had over 300 bags of goodies for the bake sale. Crazy!

My drive up to the Wal-Mart was going okay until I hit FM 529, that is where I got into a little trouble. A cop clocked me going 57 in a 45. Bad girl!! He asked for my drivers license and proof of insurance. I gave him the license, then went searching for the insurance card. Guess what? Yeah, you're right - I didn't have it with me. But I told the nice police officer that I had insurance and I could give him the name of the company and my policy number. He asked me to tell him so I rattled off the information. And, being such a kind gentleman, he said he would give me the benefit of the doubt and believe me! Kind sweet man. Then he told me to hold tight and he would be right back. So I sat in my car trying to remember if I had taken defensive driving within the past 2 years. And the answer was no (sigh of relief). Then the VERY NICE police officer comes back to my car and gives me a warning!! Hallelujah!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

So I am off again, this time well within the speed limit. I finally get to Wal-Mart and Brenna and I set up shop. Then we start selling our goodies. It took several hours but we sold most of Brenna's stuff, and over half of mine (I had brought more stuff). We ended up making $430, and Wal-Mart will match that - so we will each end up with $430 for our fundraising. Not too bad, considering. We will be doing it again in March, and hopefully this time it will be warmer!

I went over to my friend Tam's house afterwards and she bought my left overs for $100. Her husband owns a grocery store and she will have him sell the goodies at his place. Thanks Tam!

One thing about today I will not do in the future. I will always acknowledge the people who are asking for donations (unless they are bums - I have lived in too many places where begging was a profession) and give them some change or a dollar - if I have the cash. And if I do not have the cash, I will apologize and tell them I do not. There is nothing worse than being totally ignored when you are talking to someone. And I may not be rich, but I can certainly spare a couple quarters or a dollar. And to all those individuals who donated to us today - Thank you! That was very kind and I appreciate your generosity!

Okay enough of that. It is time for bed. I have to get some rest, I need to get back to my training. Maybe I will go to the rec center tomorrow and rejoin. But then I do need to get my clipless pedals put back on my bike. I know - pedals then rec center!

Baking...Baking...Baking

This morning was the first day of training for TNT. We met at Memorial Park and did over 20 miles - but not all in one go. We would go out for 5 laps, have a meeting, go back out for another 5 laps, have another meeting, etc, until we finished 20 laps. Even though it was kind of low key I still got in a decent work out because I kept speeding up to catch up with my mentees or other riders, then I would chat for a bit, then speed up to find someone else. I met a lot of new people and had fun. But I sure do have a lot of work to do to get my speed up and be able to keep it up.

After cycling it was off the TNT office to pick up the tent and table (Brenna is so taking it back - I just do not have enough space for all this stuff in my car). Then it was off to Randall's for the final shopping spree for the bake sale.

And now I am baking. I have finished the last batch of rice Krispie treats, baked 4 dozen cup cakes (still need to frost), and am now baking cookies. None of this stuff is "homemade" (except the rk treats) but it is all "handbaked" - meaning everything is coming out of a package with me just adding water, oil, and eggs. Here lies one of the problems I had. While making the cookie dough, I was reading the instructions for the cake batter. Well, the cake batter called for 1-1/3 cup of water where as the cookie dough called for 1 TABLESPOON!! Oops! Now I could have just tossed the stuff out, but no - that would be wasteful. Mind you the package of cookie mix cost $1, and I was doubling the recipe, so that was only $2 I would be out. But I decided to see if I could salvage the stuff. I drained as much water off as possible, added three more packages of mix, left out the water, added half the oil and 4 eggs instead of 5. It is still a bit runny, but I am baking bars right now - and those will hopefully turn out. I will let you know. If not - I will be out $5. Thank goodness I have more packages in case my experiment fails! Ooh, the buzzer just went off, let me go check.....not done, have to wait a few more minutes......my experiment failed. They cookies are cake like. Oh well, I have more mix. Back to the kitchen I go.

Squeaky Clean

It is raining a little bit outside. And obviously it had rained a lot more while I was sitting at my desk because it was rather muddy on my ride home. I usually try to go easy and fairly slow when it is muddy out so I do not get too dirty, but not today. I just said the heck with it and dirtied myself up. I had mud in my hair, up my back and running down my legs. What is even better - I was wearing a skirt! I always wonder what the drivers think of me riding in the rain? Who cares! I am home and freshly showered while they are probably sitting in horrific traffic!

Sugar Rush

These past several days I have not had time for much because I have been preparing for a fundraising bake sale on Sunday, February 12. Hey – if anyone feels like coming out it will be at the Wal-Mart on FM 529 (15955 Fm 529 Road).

I have been calling and driving around to local stores asking for donations, buying all the stuff that I need, baking, packaging everything up, etc. Boy, I hope we get some decent donations from all this work.

I have made 5 batches of brownies and 3 batches of rice krispie treats so far. And I still need to make 2 large batches of fudge, Snicker surprise cookies, Reese’s PB cup cookies, peanut butter cookies and cup cakes. And then put together some Valentine themed bags of candy. Guess what I am doing tonight and tomorrow?!

In the morning it is the first training ride for TNT. Should be fun, cold but fun! I am getting excited about this season. The people I have met so far are great. After training I need to pick up a tent, table and signs from the TNT office for the bake sale. The last stop before home will be to a local Randall’s that has promised me some more goodies for the bake sale.

Next week it will be back to the training grind stone. I am not that big on daylight savings time, but right now I wish it was here. I so need the extra hours in the evening to go biking. I do not want to totally suck when the MS150 rolls around. And I do not like stationary bikes or treadmills. Such is life.

Totally random thought – if I had an MP3 player I think I would listen to Funiculi – Funicula by Russell Watson during my runs!

TNT Fundraising Page

I have created my NEW and IMPROVED fundraising page for Team in Training. Check it out: http://www.active.com/donate/tnttxgc/JBostonAMBBR_06

State #2

I have signed up for one of my next marathons - the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 19, 2006. There are two reasons why I want to do this marathon: 1) my mom lives in Tulsa so I have a place to stay and some family to cheer me on, and 2) this is an inaugural marathon. Who else want's to join me? Miss Chris - you should be able to train for this one!!

Random things

Today was the kick-off party for Team in Training. The cycle group is going to be fun, but I am going to miss my TNT running pals. Won't miss the tri people as much though - I will see them at some of the cycle events. I am also mentoring this season, and I think it will be a lot better experience than my first time.

A fellow TNTer and MS150er (no, not Cassie!) and I are having a bake sale next weekend in front of a Wal-Mart to help raise money for our fundraising adventures. I am starting to get nervous about it. I have to make a ton of goodies by then, and you can't make the stuff too early or it will go bad. So far I plan on making fudge, rice krispie treats, snicker surprises, reese's cookie cups, cup cakes, and chocolate chip cookies. I am putting together little bags of candies, too, and am thinking of making marshmallows, candied jalapenos, banana bread and valentine's day cards. What have I gotten myself into?

I belong to a ferret club (Houston Area Ferret Association), and this past Thursday we got together for our monthly dinner meeting. You know, ferret people are a little special (and I am including myself in this mix!!). One of the things discussed was a bunch of us participating in the 7th Annual Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Mardi Paws Parade down in Galveston on Feb 26th. It will be mine and Beazer's first time, but I have heard it is tons of fun. Should be interesting with all those different kinds of animals!

Good luck to all the HRBers out there running races this weekend!

GO HAWKS!!

GO HAWKS...GO HAWKS...GO HAWKS...GO!!!