Aspen here we come......

Hooray, all packed and ready to go! Cannot wait to get to the snow. With my ailing AT, I need to get out of town and focus on some fun. I am sidelined from running and riding so I swam for 1:30 this AM and could hardly get out of the pool.

Went to an industry lunch at Roy's in La Jolla- delicious lunch, certainly better than the yogurt and granola I would have drummed up at home. Some terrific hotels, nice company and good networking. Even put on some real clothes and shoes. Always good to do once in a while, just to remind myself I really do have a job. Depressing talk though when in a room with hoteliers and meeting planners. An industry that is down 30-40%. Everything on sale was the message from the hotels- Let's Make a Deal. Hotels that were in the $275-$300 range a year ago were saying they are booking groups at $199. Amazing. For companies that are in a position or are willing to take a risk and book a meeting, they will get rates that are unheard of. Spoke to a Ritz Carlton today and they are offering $179. Now is the time to get 5 Star Service for 3 Star prices.

Spent the rest of the afternoon getting some rehab on my Achilles and it is feeling good and getting ready to go. Kids are packed and so am I, now John just needs to get home. He is flying in tonight. JD made the lacrosse team so he is good to go with us tomorrow! Nice the coach let me him know so he can miss the last 2 days of tryouts and have some good family fun.

Weather forecast says a bit of snow tonight and tomorrow in Aspen! Good news, will hope for more snow.

Arrrrrrgh

Up early and ready to go! Feeling great. Walked the dogs, kids off to school and packed up the car, bike, and the gear and headed to El Cajon for the Great Western Loop. All is good with Jen and E. Off we go and within 15 minutes the Achilles starts to swell, I ignore and chatter away. We begin climbing and it is progressively getting worse.....conversations with myself began to happen. 1- suck it up and ride..but what if I tear or rupture the tendon, then I am out for weeks- no Oceanside 70.3 and how bummed would I be. 2- ride for a bit and then decide. okay be honest, it hurts and there is a problem. 3- consider, actually consider turning around and going back to the car. We stop at our usual pee spot, 30 minutes in and I say it, I actually said. I have to go back. The girls stare at me, open jawed...silence. Comment, "she must be in pain." Lots of support- yes, be smart, doing the right thing, blah, blah, blah.

But I do it and sadly ride back, although in about 10 minutes I see a girl ahead and chase her down. We ride for the next 20, at a mildly uncomfortable pace. She is a Cat 2 Roadie- very cool, would be fun to ride a with her. Michelle but did not get any more info...she rides out there a lot, will have to keep an eye out for her.

Drowned my sorrows at Starbucks and went to see KP for some ART. Very swollen and he starts in on me, as a good coach should. What was I thinking......injured, would it heal in one day, no. He did change my schedule and made today a day off or a swim, but I was convinced 2 days off of riding and acupuncture and I was good to go. He asked if he needed to call and chat with John....pretty much like when the principal in school calls your parents.

I leave, feeling better and mentally worse and head to the pool. Pounded out 4500 yards and did some hard 100's. Had to burn off the power breakfast I had eaten in anticipation of a 4 hour ride.

Home to work.....not very effectively though, frustrated and cranky. Read a lot about the Achilles Tendon and then decided to make sure skiing will not aggravate it- does not look like it. Feeling better, took Zen for a 20 minute run and it felt good and then not so good. Hello, will I learn......I am trying. Did a good core workout and then onto the kids.

John extended his trip so will not be home until tomorrow night, cutting it a bit close for our trip....but he says no work on Friday. Hopefully not, we are out of there Friday at noon. Booked the Pups as the CA Bed and Biscuit, camp for dogs.

Ordered some books.....going to travel need books. Outliers: The Story of Success, Gladwell and Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. Will see what they bring......

Read for bed and JD is still at lacrosse.....9:10- this is crazy! It is freezing outside as well- temperature dropped tonight. Speaking of weather.....hoping for a nice storm to hit Aspen on Saturday- if anyone has any pull, appreciate it and thanks!

Bikes, accupuncture, lacrosse, dogs, kids....

What a day.....After a nice run this morning with Zen and powered out some work and then headed to see Dean Sprague, PedPowerPerform Lab, about my bike issues. The fitting I was so pleased with has turned out be the cause of my Achilles Tendinitis. So.....Dean replied to my plea on the Tri Club website and offered to take a look, evaluate and see what he could do for FREE. Hard to beat that- he offered a modified fitting 2 hours and after 4 hours and many meticulous measurements and rechecking I was spinning pain free and feeling good. Heading out for 4 hour ride tomorrow so will see how it all shakes out. I am really hoping this will be a good fit and will not aggravate my knees or Achilles.

With the day nearly shot, starving, I stopped in Trader Joes- bad place to go hungry. After Starbucks of course......home I go munching on all the delicious snacks only TJ's sells. Thankfully they have some of the best Organic Fuji Apples- clean off with water in the car and add some fruit to the pita chips, rice crackers and oh yes the Molasses Chews- some of the best cookies ever.

Home in time to power through email, return calls, make some proactive calls, walk the pups and sneak in a quick bike ride. Still feels good!

Kids are working hard on homework and off I went to see Jennifer Janis for Acupuncture- what a treat. Conversation, massage, stimulating needles- it was glorious and then she asked if I had to be anywhere, Oh S*%t, reality check JD had Lacrosse at 8pm (yes ridiculously late). She had to wrap it up, albeit after 2 hours- fantastic and I was on the run. Raced home (pain free- thank you) and picked up JD and buddy and dropped them off just in time. Late dinner- brown rice, eggs and sun dried tomatoes. Turned out quite nice actually. Raced out with the dogs and back to pick up the boys. Tonight was a quick try out- 2 mile time trial. Last night they had tryout from 6:30-9pm- Don't these coaches realize that is my bed time. And we find out that tryouts go until Saturday......uh oh, we are going skiing on Friday. JD is going to speak with the coach tomorrow- if does not have a spot, he is going to miss skiing in Aspen to secure a spot on the HS Lacrosse Team. Crazy....no I totally understand and missed a lot in my HS years for swimming.

For those of you who have not tried Acupuncture.....I so recommend it ( assuming you find the right practitioner) It is so wonderful- no pain, relaxing and so amazing how a needle in one part of the body creates tingling in another. Learning how the body works and how to stimulate the body to heal on it's own is tremendous.

Riley is off to bed, dogs are down for the night and I am right behind them!

Tour of California

The big boys, (well skinny boys with big quads) rolled through San Diego yesterday for the Professional Cycling Race Tour of California. Stage 9 went through Rancho Bernardo and around the county up Mt Palomar and back. I could not get to Palomar as it entailed an entire day due to road closures etc. so I did the next best and went up Highland Valley Road to watch them come up. It was crazy....over 100 people on the hillside, on rocks, drawing with chalk in the street, some dressed up crazy and we waited. The police came, followed by 20 some odd "official" cars and finally the announcer comes by to say they are 5 minutes back and they are riding 35 on the flats and will be climbing soon. The lead Motorcycle came up and then there was Levi and a few others, the peleton was seconds back and they rode right by. So close, you could touch them hear them breathing and pedaling along. Lance was mid pack but I did spot him up close, missed the photo of course because I was a bit star struck. It was great- cowbells, whistles and screaming fans. My mom was with me but she was 1+miles up the hill as she could not get down to the steep grade where I was, but she strongly encouraged me to go, so I did. It was great and I am so excited for the Tour de France. We will have 4 days to be amongst the crazies and yell and cheer. It was fantastic so see so many San Diego fans out there, all along the course. Such fantastic support for a sport this has not been that popular in the US.

Could not get JD or Riley to come. JD said "why, can't I just see them in France?" Well he has a point and I did leave at 10:30 when he was just rolling out of bed. Riley had lacrosse practice, girl has her priorities.

I got up Sunday and did a quick swim and a short run, but had to bail out due to my Achilles. My new bike fit is giving me problems.... must be the saddle height. I am a bit frustrated but am going back tomorrow to have him re look, measure and see if we can figure out the trigger point. But an injury now is definitely not acceptable. My calves are also killing me.....must be from the Duathalon- fast running on my toes I suppose, but they are rock hard and sooo painful.

John is back in MA for work, back to fix the same problem he went for 2 weeks ago. He unfortunately missed the Tour excitement. He would have loved it. Going to be a short week as well head to Aspen Friday- woohooo! Want to get some good training in before I go and so some cross training in the snow.

Kids back at school today after a week off and they both had vacation hangovers....so early, so boring, such a long day. Oh to be a teenager again!

Got in a nice swim today and a short bike ride- bit of pain but think I may be on the mend.....will see. Had KP treat me with ART so that is always good. Delicious dinner of BBQ chicken and rice the most wonderful Japanese salad from Costco of all places- organic cucumbers, carrots, peppers in a ginger dressing. Delicious, low fat and fresh! New favorite.

Zen is whining....take me out, take me out......so off we go for our 3rd walk of the day. Gotta love dogs right :)

San Diego Tri Club

SD Tri Club has got to be one of the best clubs out there....Did the February Duathalon this morning and it rocked. Not too far from home.....Rode my bike there (10 miles) and then did the Duo 2.2 run/14bike/2.2 run. Hammered the race and beat most of the boys....3 came in ahead of me. Felt good to go hard out there. John did the race and it was fun to see him out on the course. I ran back and ran the last mile in with him. Post race enjoyed delicious fruit and bagels (compliments of the tri club) Once I was fueled, I rode the long way home to add another hour bike ride. Legs were tired indeed coming back home.

Started the weekend off right with some good friends over for dinner.... Great company, good food and lots of laughs. JD hung with the adults all night while the girls...well were tween girls. We played a massive game of Spoons. 10 people and it was harrowing. Lots of shouting, grabbing and a bit of cheating at the other end of the table I would guess. 9:30 I kicked everyone out....had to be up at 5:30 for the duathalon.

Terrific Saturday it has been.....kids both at lacrosse at various hours of the day. JD has tryouts for HS Lacrosse and he came home feeling confident- still 3 more days, but he seems to feel he will make JV. My mom took Riley and some friends Ice Skating....how cool is that. The final word is her future is probably not on the ice, sore knees...but nothing a good Ben & Jerry's did not rectify.

I have been struggling with Quickbooks....enough work for today. Making some dinner and going to have some movie time with the kids. John is off to Boston tomorrow for another business trip and then we all head to Aspen on Friday - WooHoo!!! Cannot wait. John and kids are back on Monday and I am staying until Wed to tear it up with my Bro.

Travel

Working hard and chilling in Chicago right now waiting to get home..... Flight is delayed over an hour and is very oversold. I have a seat and a boarding pass, thankfully. 2.5 hours is enough time in the airport. So why are there only 2 sets of plugs in this entire boarding area- 6 gates, 100's of people, most with laptops and cell phones and very few outlets? Maybe it is not that simple, but throw down a few power strips. Come on, no liquids, $4 for a bottle of water, $3.50 for a power bar, can they at least offer up a plug for my phone and computer?

It was freezing this morning..... a balmy 29 degrees and I attempted a run outside. There are some terrific trails outside the hotel in Reston VA. I figured how cold can it be, well it was cold. Oh right and did I mention I had shorts on. After the shock of the cold, I see 2 guys running in tights, jackets, hats and gloves....first clue that I was not going to last long. Oh well, scurried back to the gym only to find all the treadmills full. Spent a bit of time on the Elliptical and had to get ready for the day. Today was a scheduled day off so no real loss of training. The good news is I found a Starbucks- so Venti Latte and I am ready to go.

Had some great meetings and am traveling with a very cool client so that makes it less painful. Good company, great conversation... she too has a dog with separation anxiety, so we swapped neurotic dog stories for hours.

Have had a lot of time to read....am reading Losing My Virginity, Richard Branson's autobiography and it is very entertaining. JD picked up the book last week and brought it to me and sheepishly asked, is this what I think it is about? Without flinching I said, what do you mean? Poor kid, mortified and we all had a good laugh. I am sure he kept seeing it wondering what kind of erotic book I was reading, maybe even checked it out and saw no pictures so gave up.

So Facebook continues to amaze me. 4 more connections from High School and Swimming. Total blast from the past and it is great fun to reconnect. I even learned that there is an informal, eeks 25 year reunion, this summer. I may just fly up to SF as the few people I remember from HS are back in touch with me so it would be fun. Amazing how so many people use to say that emails and computers are so unsocial whereas such social networking sites reconnects so many people and is the total opposite. It is great to be on travel and still have an idea of what people are doing at home etc.

Off in search of food......as the next 3.5 hours will bring a measly drink only in these luxurious times for travel.

Washington DC

Up at 4:15 am, not to swim/bike or run but to get to the airport for a flight to DC for business. Cold and rainy and flight was 100% full. Forced to check my bag at the gate, overhead was full, spilled my Starbucks.....not the way to start a Monday morning. Quick change in Chicago and then arrived in DC in time for meetings and dinner...... Long day but I guess it is days like this that make up for all the times I play hooky and ride my bike in the middle of the week.

Another long day tomorrow but will be back home in SD tomorrow night. Maybe sneak in a run in the AM, but we are meeting at 7am (will be 4am PST) Maybe a day off???

Had a great Sunday though....planned a group work out with GOTRIbal and it rocked. 6 women showed up for a nice ride, 1 hour, ez pace and all levels. Followed by a 2o minute run and a lot of great chatter and good talking. Lots of questions, practice with clipping in/out etc. A few getting back on the bike after a while, it was good. I think everyone had a good time and felt good about the workout. It was a great active recovery after the Century Ride.

John and I did a nice afternoon run, chilly out and perfect running weather!

Had a terrific dinner with Mom and Billy. Made a ginger meatloaf- very different but was quite delicious. Roasted sweet potatoes (super food) and a delicious Spinach salad. Good hearty food and refueling after a lot of training on Saturday.

Kids are with their Dad and house is quiet. They are headed back Monday, but I will be in DC. I am sure they will drum up some good times with John. No school for a week - ah to be a kid again! Vacation, vacation, vacation. Kids wanted to go to Mammoth as we usually do, but we are headed to Aspen in 2 weeks. Can only do so much. I am sure they will do fine sleeping in and chilling with their friends.

Friiiiiday

Gotta love it!!! Friday 13.

Started with a great swim, short ride and even shorter run! Chilly but it's all good. Posted some great times swimming and that feels good.

Tough day emotionally....a lot going on and had to take a personal inventory after an upsetting turn of events. But have to say I am on the upswing and have learned a valuable lesson. Although it a trying and frustrating I have come out of it stronger, wiser and motivated. Good place to be in. Forward momentum.....maybe a bit cautious but that is okay. Appreciate so many people in my life and especially my best friend....John.

Kids are out of school for a week- it seems they are out more than they are in. 1st time in a long time we are not going skiing over this break. We are headed to Aspen at the end of the month and we have a big trip to Spain this summer. Simply cannot do it all. Kids are kind of psyched about a week of nothing- hanging with friends, sleeping in etc.

So proud of Riley, she pulled of 92 on her SS Test, after really struggling on her last 2. She put in the extra time and it paid off. Love it when that happens for the kids.

Going to hang with the kids for a bit before we head to Palm Springs......

Palm Springs Century Ride

Great ride......John and the dogs and I headed out Friday around 5pm.....in the rain and the traffic. 3 hours later though pouring rain we arrived at the Westin Mission Hills. My contact at the hotel hooked us up with a fantastic suite, stocked with the perfect pre- Century Ride food and drinks. Even some Red Bull for race morning. And of course the Heavenly Dog Beds and bowl set up. Rocky and Zen were in heaven. We settle in and hope for clear skies....

Up at 6 and it is crystal clear and blue skies. Hooray- off we go to meet KP and Tat. Late registration and we are rolling by 7:15 Huge winds, 45 degrees and the first 40 miles is a lot of uphill. I am thinking with will be a long, long day. After 10 the winds die a bit and I get in a good groove. The cool thing about cycling is the pace lines.....lots of drafting in this sport, not like Triahlon. I am cruising along, grooving to music, thinking I am riding alone and realize I have someone on my wheel, no biggie. He takes a pull for a bit, wow nice break from the wind and I take over and he hangs on the back. I look back to see if he is interested in pulling and am shocked to see there are 10 guys backed up and no one is looking like they want to pull and I am getting tired fighting the head wind. Finally another guy on a TT bike takes the lead with increasing speed and I am working hard.

At 50, I take a break at the the SAG to wait and regroup with Kevin and Tat. Love the catered rides- PB&J.s, M&M's and more. John and the pups are at there to greet us so I split a Cliff Bar for Rocky and Zen- they are loving life.

Off we go and begin to work hard the 2nd 1/2, not too long thereafter a guy pulls up and encourages me to jump on his wheel and off we go. It was all I could do to hang on. Great to be pushed like that and then he falls off for me to pull, ugh! I am doing my time and a guy rips past us and they guy behind me takes off and is waiving me to come - up out of the saddle I go and I am dying, but we catch the guy and the 3 of us work together though 75. Each taking 1 mile turns and working hard. They stop for food and I keep going- want to ride straight through and pull out the smashed, best tasting PB&J for fuel for the last 25. Rode off and on with a group and about 10 miles out, pulled up on 2 guys and pass them. All I hear is "no way we cannot let her go" and off they go and try to drop me. I am riding hard to stay on their wheel. Every light they sprint off and ahead and then I catch up and cruise by and they sprint past me. This cat and mouse went to the finish...it was great fun for me especially because on of the guys was really pissed. Last mile I took off and that was it! Girl Power :) Gotta love it .......I wish I had one of those jerseys I DROP BOYS....

Awesome ride, great day- terrific to have John and the dogs there.... Venti iced Mocha, gallon of water over my head in the parking lot, clean clothes and food and we are off. Nice Valentines getaway!

Back in SD and the rain did not come but it is cold.....out with the dogs and is 48. Brrrrr
Nothing like a 103 miles so I can indulge on Valentines Day Cookies!

Great Western Loop

Love it, love it, love it. E and I had an awesome ride, chilly at the start but warmed up and a crystal clear day. Cannot beat the scenery and very little traffic. I honestly think the ride is getting easier, we did not hammer it,but it was respectable pace and of course our non stop chatter makes the ride fly by. 2.5 hours of hilly enjoyment.

The new bike set up.....interesting. The saddle height was pretty easy to get use to but the aero bars, holy cow.... I was afraid I would shoot off the front, but slowly settled in. Going to take a bit of time, but most of the ride was not aero so I did not have as much time to adjust.

So yesterday was E's bday and she gives me a gift. But I love it, love it, a new cycling kit. Cannot wait to sport it in Palm Springs on Saturday, that is as long as the torrential rains do not keep me out of the Tour de Palms Springs.

Busy work day, very good in these times. New client- gotta love that!!! A lot of balls in the air and that is good. I have my new mobile office and seem to work at 3-4 Starbucks around town, quite efficient I am finding. Go for a bike ride and hang and work in Starbucks for a few hours, run a few errands, stop for a few calls, meeting with someone on the way home. Living out of my car basically but making it all happen.

Kit design is done for GOTRIbal and it is awesome!!!! Waiting on pricing and timing and we are going to order, they are going to ROCK. Cannot wait so see awesome women racing in the awesome gear or better to see a group of women cruising down HWY 1 all in matching kits!

Freezing....

38 degrees on the pool deck....something is just plain wrong when the swim coach has on ski pants, parka, hat and gloves and I am in a bathing suit. Thanks goodness for heated water. After about 200yards I was warmed up and ready to go. Put in another awesome swim- 5000 yards. Feeling good and making the intervals I was watching click by last month.

Nice run after the swim, sore calves, oh yeah. All those hills on Sunday created monster knots but they loosened up and the run was easy and nice. Still chilly though.

Famished I was astonished how quickly 2 large bagels disappeared on my way home. Sometimes I am alarmed at how hungry I can get these days and gee what a surprise an hour later all the carbs burned up and I needed protein. PB is good for that- I let the dogs lick the spoon when I am done and it is amazing the joy it brings them. They know it too, the slight noise of the lid coming off and they come racing in the kitchen, they can be REM sleep, twitching and dreaming and the jar makes 1/2 round and there they are, tongues falling our, tails wagging. Funny dogs.

Afternoon was NOT fun, 4+ hours at the courthouse to testify against our thieving housekeeper. How can there be a trial- he stole over $10K of goods from us, was caught, all of it was found in his house....what can his defense be?? Oh maybe this is the comeback of the twinkie defense?? No idea.....

Raced home to find.......nice Riley forgot to put Rocky in his kennel so he raided the cupboard, 4 cliff bars, entire bag of Snyders pretzels, tried to open the granola and got full and dug up 3 plants trying to bury the rice crackers. Grrrrrrrrr hope he has a horrible stomach ache!

Dogs.....what more can I say.

Groundswelll

Day off of training.....Whoo Hoooo

So I have to comment on this book...groundswell:winning in a world transformed by social techniques. I became so engrossed in the book, I purchased it in audio format as well because I simply do not have the time to read it. Groundswell is the first book on social media I've ever read. One review said " This book is great...if you're not from the Facebook generation." Well I am not and the book is riveting, it has woken up a new part of my brain. I am getting it now. It is a fantastic book on the subject, whether you own a business, are a part of a business or have an interest in business. I think about it all the time and it has given me great ideas..

I say a day off training, well nothing scheduled but. I did have a Bike Fitting at Moment Cycle Sport in Pt Loma. http://momentcyclesport.com/ My (new) favorite bike shop. Over 2.5 hours for the fitting, a lot of riding (so much for a day off) and the result is a new very aggressive position. I am excited and scared to ride Wednesday. New saddle, had to accommodate the new position, raised saddle 4 cent, lowered aero bars and shortened the distance in the cockpit. I hope I don't shoot off the front. JT had it even more aggressive but I want to give this a go and we can always adjust.

GOTRIbal is growing and T and I had a good meeting today and agreed to keep the growth as our major focus for now, it is organically growing and we want to keep the energy in the site and get the numbers up. Peple are digging it and we want to keep that going. Kristen is working on race kits and I FINALLY found a supplier or shirts ( I think) so we are about to go into product sales.

Ended the day with nice family dinner- love when we can all connect after the mayhem of the day. Riley skipped swim due to the 40 degrees, 40mph winds and sideways rain. No soccer for JD with all the rain, so we squeezed in few hands of Rummy before bed.

Rocked it Today

Wooohooo!!! Great day at the San Dieguito 1/2 Marathon. Went into the race with tired legs after 2 hard weeks of training, a of miles on the bike. Low expectations for the run and after a few miles warm up I started feeling good. Course is very hilly (2612 feet of elevation gain) and I ran by feel, did not pay much attention to the watch, after the turn around I picked it up and ran hard. I was able to hold on and come in at 1:39. I was really thinking it would be a 1:45 day, so I was happy....... Good place to be at this point in the season. Rain stopped for the race, but weather was crisp and chilly. The course is spectacular, running through Rancho Sante Fe, hard to beat the scenery. Thanks a bunch to Tanya for coming out to support all of us GOTRIbalnow chicks!!!

Dashed home, showered and off to RB High School to watch Riley play in her lacrosse tournament. The played in the stadium on the turf! Great fun to watch. Tough loss the first game but they won the 2nd game, playing a HS Junior Varsity Team. Her team is 6/7/8th graders. The cool part is Riley was voted MVP for the tournament by her coach and was given a new lacrosse stick. Good day for the Riles....

Got Dad and K off the to the airport and on their way to Australia....jealous, wish we were headed down under for a nice holiday. Ah but we will be in December.

Nice to have John home....terrific family dinner and anther riveting game of Spoons, which I lost again. Arrrgh!

Eary to bed......feeling a bit tired out and since I cannot stop eating, I may as well sleep. What is up with that.....enchilladas, salad, bread, 2x apples, rice.....animal crackers....stop, stop!

Frustrating.....

So I have the day all planned out....

Early AM bike ride, home in time to get Riley to the lacrosse tournament and while she is warming up I get my run in. So up at 6 and ready to go.....change in times and location for the tournament due to rain. No problem....will ride a bit later and as I head out, torrential rain, optimistically I keep riding, it won't last long. 10 minutes later, saturated I come home. No problem can run in the rain and off we go (Zen, Rocky and me) We have to avoid the trails due to the mud, but we can hang on the streets..... First we see a cat (whats up with that, cats hate water right?) and the dogs go nuts, barking and running like crazy animals. I finally get them under control and Rocky decides to limp, the old drop dead sprint at this old age and he pulls a muscle or something. We stroll home....now is after 9 and I have not done anything. Drop off Rocky and take Zen, he is running an hour whetere he likes it or not, and it is not....45 minutes into the run, our pace slows dramatically, he was not into a tempo run. We get home, kids are just waking up- how nice to be a teenager and I decided to ride again...and then not, the rain returns. Abandon the bike and head to the pool only to share it with the Water Aerobics class. It was a nice simulation for an Ironman mass swim start- very washing machine like.

The real exciting of my day comes next...prep for my tax appointment on Thursday. I waste a good 2 hours on everything from facebook, reading the paper, cleaning up, doing laundry....As soon as I really get started I realize it is time to now go to the new scheduled time for lacrosse. Mind you it is pouring and 53 degrees. I pile on winter clothes, gortex, hat and gloves as we may be there a long time.....Off we go, drop of Riley and park in the rain only to find out, we actually are not even playing today. I ask no questions and silently drive home. Riley is at the tournament where other teams are playing....JD has been there all day working the snack bar for community service hours. He says they are feeding him. With as much as he eats, I hope they make a profit.

I come home to 2 hysterical dogs, begging for a walk. I remind them that they had an opportunity for a nice long run and they both bailed out. They wag and wiggle and act like they have been locked in a cave for a week. And then the whining starts......look outside and it's not raining so we take off, you know it, 2 minutes in the walk the skies open up. I have now changed my clothes 4 times today due to torrential rain. You would think we live in Seattle.

Really the issue here is that I am not enjoying the opportunity the rain brings.....put on sweats, build a fire, make tea and read all day. Ah maybe next time. Because I still have 2 kids to pick up and neither wants to come home at the same time, but I am only going to pick up 1 time. Will see how that works out. One of them can get soaked for the 1st time today.

John in en route coming home and I am so happy.....seems he was gone for a month, was really a week. I miss my hubby,. Sometimes travel is a good reminder of how much we depend on each other. And the dogs are getting tired of me talking to them - they listen earnestly but only for key words....food,walk, treat, out and when they don't hear them, they fall asleep. John really does listen to me or at least fakes it.

So I have abandoned my tax duties and become engrossed in groundswell, the book. Riveting...more later when I have read more of it.

TTFN

Swimming in the Rain

Rain, rain.....finally in San Diego! We need it.

Wonderful swim at 7:30 this AM at UCSD, cold and rainy but nice in the pool. Awesome, awesome work out- 5500 yards. I have not swam that far since college. It was nice, I was feeling tired by the end but was great to get the yardage in.

Jen and I optimistically had our bikes in hopes of a ride, but it was pouring....so off to Swim West for the most phenomenal sale....everything 40% off. I am loaded up with goggles, suites....new swim bag. $200 of gear, $140 tab- cannot beat that. And it was a friggen reunion at the store....Darcy, Diana, Suzy and a few other familiar faces - hard to recognize since they did not have caps and goggles on.

Raced home for a few work calls....blah, blah, blah. Actually it all worked out. Major issue with Mandalay Bay worked out, thank you very much. Not easy but client is happy and we can move on. Traveling to DC with another client week after next...virtually impossible to get into DC for less than $1000 from SD! Who says no one is traveling, well if they offered a fare that is reasonable maybe, just maybe more people would. And nothing nonstop- hate the thought of going through Chicago in Feb, may end up sleeping there. And then when I pony up to pay and reserve seats....middle seats only. Arrrrggghhhh

GOTRIbal up to over 60 members!! Rock it and we had our first contact for sponsorship/advertising and she came to us! How cool is that- so now we have to get moving and get the website ready for the next level. Trying to find a reasonable vendor for custom shirts- sooo expensive for technical shirts with our awesome logo. Still looking as people are asking.

Squeaked in a bike ride this afternoon, between showers, nice local 90 minute ride. Legs are carrying fatigue from Wed ride and run yesterday so kept it enjoyable and no hammering.

Had great intentions of homemade enchiladas for dinner- Dad and Kathi coming over. Got busy working on a project for work and had to punt and make enchilada casserole. The recipe said DON'T use low fat or nonfat sour cream, so of course I did and well it breaks down and we had enchilada soup. Nice presentation (not), my sassy son asks for a spoon. Well the company was good and the yams were delicious and Rocky and Zen scored with the Enchiladas Soup left overs. Nice dinner with D/K, love having them in San Diego. It has been so enjoyable to see them on a regular basis and for the kids to spend more time with them as well.

What better way to end the day than a game of Spoons with my kids and friends. I am the master of this game and have never lost....until tonight when JD offered me an apostrophe so I would not lose. Gotta love that.

Dead tired and gotta get some sleep! TGIF

Dudley's Bakery

Some hear Dudley's and think bread, pie....I think of Dudley's as one of the best bike rides in San Diego. KP (coach), Jen and Toby (from Tulsa) and I met at Lake Miramar, ready to roll at 7:30. Crisp but already warming up fast and we are rolling up Scripps Poway Parkway toward Ramona. Kept a nice steady pace and pushed the pace on the hills. Finally got off the main road and onto the back roads in Ramona and it was beautiful. Steady climbing and a headwind. 2:30 ride time to Dudleys and they were closed......Thankfully the market was open to refuel- Starbucks Double Espresso a can, Jen and I were all over that. More calories and water and off we went. Screaming down the road, downhill with a tail wind- the hour climb into Dudley's was 30 minutes back down. At the bottom Toby says " Dad, can we do that again?" As we roll through Ramona he comments, "this is why we do this." Spectacular day and good company.

Back at the lake 12:30, 4:30 ride time, 75 miles and just over 5000 total elevation gain. Good ride and we pushed it hard enough to feel like we put in the miles.

Off to Panera for meeting with T about GOTRIbal. Moving along well. Bree Wee, another Pro is on board and Heather Golnick has shown interest as well. The support is exciting and now I am working on shirts, hats, gear for the women.

Cruised home for a quick walk with the pups, JD off to soccer and then settled in for some HPN hours. Tough times in the hotel business, hotels are dropping room rates, lower that the group negotiated rates....So I have a (rightfully so) very unhappy client. Managed that through the afternoon and had hoped to do some proactive work but did not happen. With the kids busy with homework, I was able to work through the evening and get 1/2 my list completed and the rest started on.

The house is a mess, laundry needs to be done, but well, other priorities right now!

John called and it was snowing in MD, hard to fathom as I had to apply sunscreen during the ride today. He is working hard and off to MA this morning and back home Saturday.

Back at it today

When the alarm went off today at 5:30 I was ready to get up and get going. Zen was thrilled and eager to go too. Quick run with the pups and off to the pool. Left a quite house, sleeping kids and satiated dogs.

Great workout with the early UCSD Masters. Times were good and I was able to comfortably hold 1:15's on a 1:25 interval. After the first few, I had to double check the clock, was my interval wrong or is my swimming coming together. I think the latter. Nice long set and 4100 yard work out.

Off to Torrey for a spectacular run along the coast and up Torrey Pines. Still very brisk at 8:00 but warming up quickly. The ocean looked sensational and I was enjoying my new play list for running. Favorite song of the morning....I Love This Bar, Toby Keith. Such a feel good song, good love, good fun.....okay I digress.

Onto a fantastic meeting about getting race kits for GOTRIbal. Kristen Mayer is awesome! http://www.bettydesigns.com/ She has great vision and already created a killer logo for us. I am excited to see what she comes up with for our kits. Exciting to be a part of this rapid movement. So much happening....we have a list of other pro's who want to come on board and that is my next project, get in touch and bring them into the TRIbe.

GOTRIbal is growing each day and we are building our community! Have to step back this afternoon, time to be a Mom.... kids to the ortho, practice etc. It's all good! As much as I dislike the car, it is great time to talk. Something about teenagers and the car.... they answer questions, offer information and sometimes ever act like they like you!! Kids are curious about our new venture....questions from teenagers " do we get to travel with you?" " How many companies are you going to form?" "Who is your boss?" Fun to talk about this with them, show them they can do anything they want!

Dinner tonight with a dear friend who is in town from VA. So excited to see her and catch up the way you can only catch up in person. Food, wine, friendship....Life is good.

Work, work, work.....

Alarm went off at 5:30 for Masters Swim and I am pretty sure I hit the off, not the snooze button, before the end of the 1st buzz....Clearly I am tired. Snoozed until 7 when I had to get up to at least say goodbye to JD. Rocky and Zen, well Zen in particular was beside himself....hello, 7am...too late for his walk. He likes to be up and out early. Rocky meanwhile, was snoozing as well- he pretty much lays in his bed until he hears me putting the collar on Zen, then he knows it is time to get out the door.

Great intention of swimming at 9am.....did not happen. Was totally focused on work and the launching of our (T and I ) new venture. GOTRIbalnow.com - check it out!!! So very excited as we have Chrissie Wellington's endorsement, welcome letter and she is emailing asking what more she can do to help get GO TRIbal launched!!! How exciting is that.

T and I had a work meeting and got so involved that I elected to take the day off. Emailed KP (coach) and had to say, just cannot do it today. Funny, he too is wiped out and did not make it out of his driveway when he went to swim. Good idea to listen to your body and your mind. Considering most days I am eager to go....

Hubby is gone for the week so I am on double time with the carpool...to soccer, to and from swim practice. Off to make a 2nd dinner for Riley...since Zen helped himself to her sloppy joe when we were picking her up. That thieving dog!

Superbowl Sunday....

Really not a huge day for us, many of you know we do not even own a TV, so tough to get caught up in the excitement of the big game. That along with the fact my husband asked if the game was on yesterday...right, Superbowl Saturday. So we have elected to get a massage during the game. Easy to book, lots of availability so we are good to go. JD and Riley are eager to cheer on the Cardinals so they have sought out friends to watch the shin dig.

I am recovering from a 2 hour run this AM and am feeling a long week of training! Ran in the PQ Preserve and I tell you it was like a freeway out there. Throngs of runners, walkers and mtn bikers. At one point about 6 bikers came screaming from behind and nearly left tread marks on my back. All in all it is great to see so many people out there enjoying the day!

Weekend was relaxing as there was no soccer, lacrosse, swimming....kids laid low, had some fun and I managed to train myself to death.

Fantastic Ride

WOW! What a day. 80 miles of riding through spectacular scenery and over 10,000 feet of climbing. We met in Pine Valley at 7:30 am ready to roll....and it was chilly! 40 degrees, but the sun was blazing with hopes of a spectacular day. ED, PD, TN, JB (hubby) and I were rolling by 7:40 and after a few miles the climbing began. The ride up Kitchen Creek to the top of Mt Laguna is stunning and a large portion of the ride is on a road closed to cars. We kept a reasonable pace and passed a few others on the way. At the top of Laguna, 6000 ft, with patches of snow in shaded areas, JB headed down Sunrise Hwy back to the car for some RnR while we continued to Julian.

Nice stop for pie and double Mocha's! Delicious, but tough to jump back on the bike after the food and sunshine. Onto uncharted territory and we worked our way up and over another pass and down to Lake Cuyamaca, but not without some excitement.

As we pedaled along HWY 79, 2 lane HWY, no bike lane, we kept to the side, single file. A cautious car was trailing afraid to pass with the blind curves ahead. Before long, the Park Police call on the speaker " Do not block for the cyclists" We think he is saying for us not to block, but we soon realize he is talking to the car. The car tentatively passes us and he turns on his siren and pulls her over. TN is hot, outraged that he is pulling over a cautious car, so he stops to give the driver his number in case she needs a witness in court for the ticket. E and I are headed down the hill and P stays behind to asses the situation. 8 miles later, at the bottom of the descent, we are waiting. No sign of the guys. Still waiting and we send a text, reply is "ask the police." We began the 8 mile climb and thankfully we see them within the 2nd mile. Seems the Park Police did not appreciate the interference and asked TN to leave, TN wanted to make his point and well....it escalated from there. Cop pushed TN, TN theatrically flys to the ground and before long is in handcuffs.....for what you ask? Not really sure. But thanks to the level headedness of P, TN is soon released and on their way. What is the lesson here.....not sure to be honest.

So the best part of the ride is that.....while we are hammering up and down a few passes, John is preparing a stellar breakfast for us. He has the camp stove, eggs, bacon, bagels and coffee ready to serve up as we ride into Pine Valley. Hard to beat home cooked breakie (as they say down under) after a long ride!

We finally dragged ourselves home by 4....and then it was a few hours of eating, showering, eating, did I say eating and then time to get ready for the ESA (Endurance Sports Awards) This is the Academy Awards in the world of Endurance Athletes.

Stellar event put on by the Competitor http://www.competitor.com/ at Seaworld. Dressy shin dig and it is quite fun to see all your running and riding mates decked out. Hard to recognize some in real clothes and without a helmet. The night starts with arcade games, nothing like Whack the Mole to wake up. That and Frog Launching (plastic of course) was how we entertained ourselves. Great to see the "stars" and see the emotional videos of 2008. Such fun and exhausting after the long day.