1. since i last wrote i have swum in the ocean something like 4 or 5 times. each one has been phenomenal. ocean swimming has always been a challenge for me so getting out there this often and having a blast with it each time really makes my year!
2. i picked the wrong time of year to read "swimming to antarctica". on the one hand it inspired the heck out of me, on the other ... it plants thoughts of sharks i never had before! that being said, if you get a chance to pick it up, do it ... lynne cox is amazing!
3. i was so excited to hear, in an interview with frank mccourt (owner of the dodgers and now owner of the l.a. marathon) that they are working on making the l.a. marathon a point-to-point race starting at dodger stadium and ending at the beach. i've always thought that the l.a. marathon ought to be a point-to-point passing through all the iconic los angeles sights. i don't really have a strong desire to run l.a. again, but that certainly would increase the chances.
4. over the past 25 days i've become well skilled at administering sub-cutaneous fluid treatments to a cat. this is not a skill i ever knew existed and really wish i didn't need to learn. fraidycat was diagnosed with kidney disease just before we went up to napa and it's been a heartbreaking few weeks getting used to what that means and how to manage it. the upshot is, there is no cure. we can do things (like the fluid treatment) to prolong his life and to help him feel better and that's a blessing. he's taking it like a champ and i've got to say, it's clear that it's very, very helpful. send him a kitty prayer.
here we are watching the giro d'italia5. i was tagged with the blogger "8 things" that was going around. i thought that would be an easy way to bang out a blog post, but i found myself not wanting to do it. bottom line was that i judged myself for some of my answers and didn't want to post it for fear of judgement by others. interesting blogging phenomenon.
6. ivan basso has gotten LOTS of nice face-time during the giro this year. color me a happy shade of pink. : )
7. a few times recently i've used my run workout as transportation. i LOVE doing that. there is something, for me, that feels really cool about it. it feels like i am running somewhere other than home. i see my city in a new and different way and i experience a freedom in going from point to point that i usually don't get on a regular route from home.
8. i spent 5 hours of yesterday hitting the refresh button on my computer so i could keep up on how michelle was doing at the hawaii 70.3. despite the fact that ironmanlive.com is anything but live (hello, could you please use those inflated race entry fees to improve your technology!!??) i sat here with fraidy being her biggest virtual spectathlete. she won the swim and the bike for her age group and was up in the top six women mixing it up with the pro women. this woman had a baby 7 short months ago and despite a tough run plagued with leg cramps she tore it up. she's one of my heroes, not just because she's smokin' fast but because she's a beautiful, strong, dedicated woman who is finding her way as a new mother and an athlete and she shares her journey honestly.
9. yesterday my brother and his girlfriend ran the brooklyn half marathon. unfortunately my brother had to pull out at mile 3 due to his back going into full spasm. i feel for him and wish i could have been there to support him like he did me during both ironman lake placid and the new york marathon. his girlfriend finished and said that she felt "super good the whole way". after napa i have to say that all time goals aside, really, isn't that the best and the most we can ask for!?!
10. i love roasted artichokes.
11. i've been having intermittent tingling/numbness in my feet and hands. it freaks me out. i've suspected for a while that i've had some nerve impingement issues. i've been to umpteen dr's., chiropractors, massage therapists, woo-woo voo-doo healers, but me thinks it's time to suck it up and get myself into one of them there claustrophobic MRI machines.
12. yesterday i had something like 5 or 6 friends (that i know of) climbing up mt. palomar in san diego. i have yet to do this epic ride, but it is definitely on my list of things to do soon!!
13. why does the whole foods i shop at seem to always be out of the items i use most? seriously, whose buying up all the low fat vanilla almond milk, clover honey, buckwheat cereal and chicken andouille sausages??!! and why won't the whole foods buyer increase their inventory??
14. i watched danilo di luca and denis menchov's entire time trials on the last stage of the giro through parted fingers over my face. palms sweating, stomach tight. you'd think i was watching "texas chainsaw massacre".
15. i need to get back into the habit of using my foam roller everyday, it makes such a huge difference.
16. i cannot wait for july 4th this year.
a) it's one of my most favorite holidays and just makes me want to eat strawberry shortcake
b) it's the day of one of my most favorite 10k's
c) it's the first day of the tour this year
can. not. wait.
17. my friends amy and angel are getting married at the end of june. i am so excited for them!
18. have you tried cinnamon roll larabars? ohmyyummygoodness!! it's a gluten free treat not to be believed!
19. the state of california is so completely eff'ed! same sex couple's cannot marry in our state and our finances are a complete shambles. yesterday i read this article and it just killed me. i know there is nowhere "good" to cut from, but my god ...
20. we went to see the movie "earth". i loved it, because i love all that national geographic, animal planet stuff BUT turns out it's footage from "planet earth" which, as the lover of all things animal, i had already seen. i didn't mind seeing it, but i felt kinda ripped off that they repackaged it and did say so ahead of time. it's like they just swapped out sigourney weaver's voice for james earl jones'.
21. it seems like a whole 'nother wave of friends are suddenly having babies. i'm so excited for all of them.
22. not to go all cycling heavy on my list of 25 random things, BUT it broke my heart hearing people (giro spoiler stop reading if you haven't watched it yet) boo denis menchov. i understand patriotism and all, but come on ... the man was rock solid. he earned that pink jersey and deserves the utmost respect.
23. i collect pig tchotchkes. i luv 'em and if they have angel wings on them i love them even more! over the years a lot of people have given me winged pigs and as i look around my apartment it warms my heart to see them and to think of the people who thought of me when they found them.
24. i'm excited to start mixing and matching workouts in order to train for s.o.s. it's a funky format bike/run/swim/run/swim/run/swim/run. all told it will be 30 miles of biking, almost 19 miles of trail running and 2 miles of swimming. shoes go with you on the swim, goggles and swim cap on the run. i generally fuel my races on all liquid calories, but that's not really an option for this race. i won't be carrying nutrition with me, so that's going to make for some interesting summertime experiments.
25. i thought writing in list format would make writing a blog post faster and more efficient. i was wrong, but it was fun.
^..^
7 comments:
You're the best, Cat! Seriously, you are too kind. Thank you for cheering for me this weekend. I totally felt your energy!
I'm sorry about fraidy. But glad he seems to be feeling better. And hope you get that tingling figured out and it's no big deal.
SOS race format sounds really cool. I've always thought that the swim should be last, though it might be more dangerous for folks who aren't strong swimmers, espscially if you have to swim with your shoes on.
And lastly, super impressed that you can spell tchotchkes. I had to copy and paste that onto this comment page because I couldn't even remember how to spell it even after reading it.
I thought I would comments on few paragraphs but they are too many. So just simply great post - I love the list type posts. So much fun.
Yay - Cat is back to blogging! Glad to get all caught up with you...although sorry to hear about your kitty. Hope he is feeling better and has added years with the treatments that you can give him! He sure looks happy in your pictures!!
Can't wait to hear all about the SOS training - wow is it heavy on the running! And swimming with the running shoes? This all should be very interesting!! :)
I'm stealing your format:
1- So so sorry to hear about Fraidy.
2- Good thing we don't shop at the same Whole Foods. Then they'd really be out.
3- It took me three tries to actually face the TV when Menchov crashed.
4- The booing bugged me too.
5- Are you sure we're not twins?
6- The word I have to type in is ballsta. Is that sorta like a sista with a lotta balls?
I'm so sorry you're having to do sub-Qs now. Poor Fraidy cat, hope he is feeling alright though.
I was right there with you refreshing the race all day. So exciting to see how awesome she did!
I'm always amazed how much selection varies from one WF to another. I get so pissy when I can't find my "regular" stuff!
I too need to befriend the foam roller more frequently. I just can't figure out if I'm really making a difference though.
#19. Word.
So excited to watch your SOS training progress!!!
Palomar is great! You should definitely do it when your schedule permits. My other favorite thing you listed is SOS. I'm jealous that you guys are doing it this year. The race is fun, and so is the training for it.
Ohhhhh pretty kitty cat feel better!!
Running for transportation = FUN!
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