Spin Class

 I was so excited to get return from AU so I could exercise....okay that sounds horrible- wonderful family vacation or smelly spin class?   That came out poorly....I am going nuts not being able to train- swimming just does not do it for me, especially when I nearly freeze to death.  And in the charming town of Avalon, AU there is NO gym with cardio equipment- one coming in March (does me a lot of good)  So....since our vacation had to end, kids had to return to school, I had to return to my pretend job....I have access to exercise (that is approved for my broken leg)

 So Monday AM....I am off to the gym to try the Elliptical!  At the gym there are 3 different brands and I had to try them all to find out which one was most stable with my boot!  Found one- yeah 30 minute sweat fest and it felt sooo good!  Note to self - need to wear some sort of absorbent sock as the inside of the boot was soaked....yeah it is already quite nasty- sand, powder, dirt, grass...

Off the Elliptical and onto Spin Class.   I have new shoes with SPD cleats for the spin bikes.  Getting the shoes on posed a challenge as I had to wiggle my leg (ouch) to get the foot in.  But off I went with my 2 bottles and 3 towels ( I hear you sweat a lot)  The room was nearly full and I went to the back.  Loud, really loud music (I feel old)  And off we go.....I am dying within 10 minutes- out of breath and sweating buckets.  I look at the clock, really 10 minutes?   On we go....I did it all- there was a lot of up and down, standing climbs etc which I cannot do - but managed to get a killer workout.  I felt uncoordinated, out of shape and frankly the class was miserable...but I am riding a bike!  Really some chick blasting music and yelling at me the whole time....ok- slight exaggeration but that is how I felt, really.    I have 2 good friends that teach spin and I am sure they do a great job....I may have to scout out their classes.

From there I went to Masters....almost feel like a real athlete again.

I loved it so much I went back for round 2 today....different teacher, better music, still did  not enjoy the class. But I got a workout in....better than last few weeks. 

On the swimming front- how is it that some guys put on a pull buoy
 and go faster? Me, I am so slow with a buoy (and my compromised flip turns)....really amazes me.  And its harder....I am shocked how sore I am -  even though I really don't kick, I do kick.... And when the set is on base interval I have to put the paddles on- simply not feasible to go on 1:20 with a buoy.

Tonight I am setting up the trainer - see I don't own one, borrowed one, (thank you C)...never really ridden on one-  I just LOVE to ride outside so this is all new....but I'm not sure I can go to a spin class every day without killing someone, so I will give this a go,  I have some really fast friends who do most rides on the trainer...so time to suck it up and give it a go!  

I know....everything is so negative.  I'm working on it!

Banana Sprite Challenge.....

3 huge bananas + 2 sprites downed by Riley and no puking....so much for the "challenge" Sure there was a lot of winging and threatening to puke but she kept it all in. She did it out on the jetty, just in case...but she did it. Felt really sick, had to take a nap...but the mastered it all!

For more on this fun....Banana and Sprite Challenge

Big Adventure Swim

So today was projected to be warm and clear! Kids plan was to head to Sydney for the day after a bit of water skiing and breakfast at The Boat House in Palm Beach. My plan was a big swim, 4000+ meters from the house to the Boat House for breakfast and a ride back in the boat.  

The sun was out as planned.... the water felt chilly, much cooler than 2 days ago. But off I went and John and Nancy were to follow soon thereafter in Kayaks. Within 10 minutes I was chilled, but was not too worried. I figured I would keep a solid pace and be cold when I finished but it would be so gratifying to swim up on the beach get warm and have a huge breakfast.

By 30 minutes I was cramping, and I never cramp....not a good sign. I could no longer hold the pull buoy so I tossed it to John. Actually moving my foot a bit felt good- my ankle has gotten so stiff in the boot and I have started doing flexibility exercises. At first it was quite painful but loosened up and was feeling fine. I soon lost interest and realized I was shivering and swimming. 

I glanced at my watch and was at 45 minutes... I still had to round another point and was not sure I would make it in 15 minutes. And this is when it all gets sketchy....I started cramping from feet to hands and was shivering and my teeth were chattering while swimming. I picked up the pace to try and get really warm but it simply did not work.  

Suddenly I was having trouble breathing and cramping badly....I grabbed onto John's kayak and was scared. Luckily we were close to shore and we got to shore and I huddled in a ball shivering and teeth chattering. Scott and kids soon came and I swam to the boat and begin the thawing out process. It was bizarre....I was so cold and really the water cannot be that cold. No clue what happened.....but it I felt like I was in the artic sea.

Jelly Bellie challenge...FAILED!

So much for the 4lbs of Jellie Bellies.....by Noon Riley was whining in the kitchen as we were making delicious avocado and lime sandwiches...she was distressed and hungry.  Tired of Jelly Bellies and refused to eat any more.  Uncle Scott threatened to call her a quitter and she held off...finally decided she did not care and sliced some freshly baked bread and as she put the twist of lime on the avocado he says I'll give you $20 if you stick with the Jelly Bellies...she moans....Nooo Uncle Scott that's not fair.  She ponders, whines, complains....and we all sit and enjoy our savory sandwiches, she is smelling hers and nearly crying.  As she is about to take a bit he says $30.  She nearly cries.... we discuss that she has 12 hours to go, can she make it.   Hours seemed impossible to her...so we debated and discussed.  After negotiations the decision was that she would abandon the Jelly Belly challenge but agree to the banana and Sprite challenge, which is eat 2 bananas followed by drinking 2 sprites- according to the Internet no one has successfully completed this without vomiting.....she was so desperate to eat the sandwich she went for the challenge....stay tuned for the outcome and pictures.

Meanwhile the torrential storm cleared and we headed out for some water skiing.... kids skied and I was the usual lame duck...felt like the old person just happy to be along for the ride.

Let the Jelly Bean Challenge Begin...

Riley has been obsessed with the ginormous bottle of Jelly Bellies from Costco....begging me to buy it for months. I refused with regular vigor. When Uncle Scott was visiting last month she shared this him and he posed a challenge ....eat the Jelly Bellies for an entire day - the caveat is that is all she can eat. Nothing else.... She has accepted the challenge.

She hauled the 4lb container of Jelly Bellies from home.... today, Tuesday Feb 21 is the day! She cracked open the bin around 7:45am.... with eager anticipation. And she is off.... eating the Jelly Bellies- Taz and Jax arrived soon thereafter and were granted 5 each to start the day.

G'Day....from Down Under



View from the guest house deck

We planned this trip over a year ago.  8 days with my brother and family in Avalon, AU just North of Sydney.  Plan was family time, run camp- ie- Julie up early and running every day, gain running fitness, while having fun in AU..Plan  B...... broken leg and come and have fun anyway.

Rough start with 3:30 drive to LAX in Friday rush hour traffic...followed by delayed flight then 14 hours of fun - but that is all in the past and long forgotten... we are now in paradise

 Shortly after we arrived, literally within an hour we were on the boat heading out to waterski.  Sensational day. Sun was shining and we wanted to ensure we did not waste it, as rain is predicted many of the days we are here. 

Back Yard.... really it is tough here

JD was eager to ski and he opted for the single ski and popped up the first try.  He skied for a long time, finally wiped out and went for it again... and again

JD and Jax

Next up Riley and she went for 2 and the 2nd time she was up and skiing.  So awesome....we pulled into the dock, dropped of Jax and picked up Tasman + lunch and out for more fun.  This time it was the biscuit....Taz's 1st time with cousin JD.  And then the teenagers...how fast can Uncle Scott go- the kids are screaming and laughing the entire time- so fun to see them having so much good, clean fun.  

Early dinner and we all crashed.....major rain storm and up to another day of sunny skies

Bathing Beauty on the boat

She's up!!

Taz's 1st biscuit ride



Teenagers having "clean" fun!

So much easier to be lame in paradise....good fun, family and a nice wine cellar :)  We got up today and decided to head to the Greedy Goat   Riley decided to run...sniff, sniff- I cannot.   Scott, JD and JB opted to kayak....so I decided to swim.  Yeah....swam from the back door to the beach  -  JB carried clothes, my cast and off we went.... a bit murkey but 35 minutes later I arrived.  A bit odd swimming in the baywith a pull buoy but it worked!!  Sensational eggs, mushrooms and latte and I swam back!   Gotta say.....Aqua Sphere Kayenne goggles -rocked again!

The Party's Over...

Okay so you were not invited you say....that's right-it was a pity party for 1.  Yes, I spent Fri-Sunday having a gigantic party for myself.  I was in a lot of pain both physically and mentally -  orders were to stay off my leg and keep it elevated..that pretty much means laying in bed.  UGH...

So I hobbled out in the AM with the dogs and thankfully timed it well with other dogs and since Mako will chase a ball for a good hour, I was able to wear him out.  The kids were great with afternoon dog duty....

I went through all the emotions and finally woke up today realizing in the big scheme of things it is not that big of a deal...my family is healthy, both my parents are living and in good health, I have so many great friends and my life is pretty sweet!  this is a hurdle and like others in the past....I will get over it and move on!!

So onward and upward!  As long as the Orthopedic Surgeon agrees that no surgery is needed....we are on the up and up!  Appt is tomorrow AM- wish me luck!

Update.....change in plans

So amazing how Wednesday afternoon I was tired from a decent ride, run and swim and prepping for a mega training weekend...carefully eating the right recovery food, making sure I had enough protein, fluids etc..... planning my fueling for a big weekend of training.   And now....I am eating carrots and honey mustard and drinking chardonnay.   Now that is a meal of champions..... or a meal of an injured, frustrated, depressed athlete.....

So yes I am having a pity party..... I took a solid 6 weeks off in Oct/Nov and got out of shape and fat
(okay it's relative but gained 8 lbs) and then worked my way back.... patiently gaining fitness, battled some illness but was feeling awesome!  And with 8 weeks to go to Oceanside I was patient, able to have real recovery weeks and then lay out a 20hour week.  No injuries or niggling issues....I was so ready do well come March 31!  And then in a blink of an eye or a slip of a few stairs...it is all gone!

I have searing pain and boot that is really uncomfortable....cannot swim.bike.run or do anything right now as the fracture is unstable.   And it hurts....throbbing most of the day- unless it is elevated and I am sitting still, which I am not good at.  I have my moments of calm and then my moments of rage....

I see an Ortho Surgeon on Tuesday who will decide if surgery is a good idea.... at this point I am open to anything that will heal me faster, not that that is the answer.   So now I have time..... lots of it!   Hanging with my kids, as long as they are home- which they are not, trying to be productive but not all that successful right now.   The good news is that in one week we are headed to Australia for 8 days....while my plan in AU was to water ski and run every day, at least I  will be out of this environment.   Hanging with my brother and family will be a great distraction. 

In the meantime I am researching trainers as I do not own one.  Riding on the road will not be for a while....but a trainer will allow me to get back on the bike sooner than later.  6-8 weeks is an eternity....

So I will take this one day at a time..... try and be positive! 

Why I was a swimmer....

Sometimes people ask why swimming? How did you end up a swimmer? Part fish? .....no not really, I think it was by default and really because I am so uncoordinated and accident prone.  For those who know me, I have the most random accidents that end in some kind of peril.  Swimming was safe....well for the most part -other than the time I fractured my heel doing a flip turn- yes really in the middle of the 1650 I got too close and slammed my feet on the gutter.  Being a distance swimmer I never kicked much, but ouch, that really hurt.... I finished the race, don't recall my time, dragged myself out and had  a hard time walking to the warm down pool...  Next morning my foot was blue and well I ended up in cast.   Other than that....the water is pretty cushy.

Well I no longer am a fish nor relish spending my life in the water.   So I do a lot on land and subsequently have issues...... there was dropped weight and broken toes in October. the random plate breaking and 7 stitches in 2010, the broken fingers playing ball with Zen...and the list goes on.

Usually I have been fortunate enough to do such random acts in the off season....that is until yesterday.  I was exhausted and took a quick nap.  On the way downstairs , with an arm full of sheets, the dogs rushed me and pushed ahead, who knew we were racing to the bottom, caught the sheets and when I stepped down and slid down the last 4 stairs...rolled my ankle, heard that special pop, and was crumpled on the landing.   Heart racing I got up and was panicked....but it felt okay, I tentatively stepped on it and I was optimistic.  It started to swell almost immediately...but I was still feeling optimistic.   I iced and elevated and went to the park with the dogs.  The longer I stood the more it throbbed....

By the time I went to bed it was painful and had a really rough night- anytime I moved it hurt - tried to elevate it but hard to sleep..... The panic really set in around 2am...when I could not really walk the the bathroom- there goes the Palm Springs Century on  Saturday, the 1/2 Marathon on Sunday and the fun weekend with the Nytro girls....the longer I stayed awake the more I worried.... finally got up and was googling sprains...4-6 weeks- then the tears came- there goes Oceanside.... Crap! 

Too soon to panic you say....ha not really.   Nothing like getting a call from the Dr at 5:00 telling me I have a oblique fracture of the fibula....I was speechless- seriously- come one.....so the rolled ankle seemed okay and now I am waiting on the orthopedic for the next step....boot for sure, review of the xray and hopefully the fracture is set. 

Looks like a big swim block (with a pull buoy) is in my future....

More to life tthan Ironman

JD and I hit the road on Wednesday and headed to Denver.... well Colorado Springs but we flew to Denver, rented out ridiculously large Ford F-150 (due to the pending storm) and made our way to Cheyenne Mountain Resort- I was mixing college tours with some work tours so we scouted out a few hotels. Arriving into a new city in the dark is always strange, as you have no idea of your surroundings.  I was up early and out for a sensational run in foothills- it was chilly but nice. Altitude did not bother me until I started going up so I avoided going up!  We were right next to the entrance to NORAD, a bit of a cold war entity, I think...but a highlight of Cheyenne Mountain nevertheless.

Run done, tour of the hotel done, work done and off to UCCS.  JD liked the school....the town of CO Springs is nothing to write home about- urban sprawl without a real downtown area and the school is just up the road and has no curb appeal- 1969 architecture is just plain ugly....but the kids were great, the business school was very informative, caring and gave him a lot of good information. He left thinking it was a definite possibility, especially the year at the Frankfurt School of Finance!

We did a quick tour of The Garden of the Gods

Amazing natural beauty....amazing geologic features.  Wild to see the red rock amidst the mountains and the trees....it looks so desert like but then you have Pikes Peak in the backdrop...really an amazing sight.

From there we checked into the Broadmoor....CO Springs 5 Diamond Historical Hotel..opened in 1918 and I always picture it lush and green...not so much in January- try frozen lake and brown- but the hotel is stunning, in an old world way.   I have booked a few groups there so it was great to see it finally.  The service was exceptional and the hotel is well old....Personally I like new and crisp- the florals and poster beds are bit over the top for me and JD agreed.  Nevertheless we had a sensational meal and watched a terrible movie for $17- oh well...

My Friday run was a bit different...snowing outside and I am wearing long sleeve shirt, gloves, silly hat and shorts.  The cool thing about CO is that despite the 26 degrees and snow there were a lot of runners...although I was the only one in shorts.  After 4 miles I gave up and finished on the treadmill.  Serious Southern CA wimp.

Workout done, site inspection done and we are on the road to Greeley.  I have zero hope or expectations for Univ of Northern Co. When mentioning it to most Colorado peeps I got the snicker, cow town etc....but we wanted to see for ourselves.  While the drive into Greeley was miserable and the town was not much to shout about the campus is great.....Built in 1899 the architecture is wonderful, lots of open spaces and the kids were great.  Monfort Business School really has their act together and despite JD getting stuck in an elevator in a dorm for 1 hour he loved the school....

So 2 for 2! Lots of questions to be answered but I am 99% sure he will end up in Co.  

Onto Boulder and then Breckenridge with my sis and family..... we got up to Breck late...had a nice family night and were up early to ski.  I woke up with that feeling of dread - sinus pain, headache, stuffy head....really, really?  I was hoping it was lack of sleep or whatever....after a few hours of freezing cold skiing- icy wind and crappy snow I called it a day and went to urgent care.  Only to find my sinus infection had resettled.... another Z Pack- afternoon of sleep and bailed on skiing Sunday.  I was in bed by 8 and determined to get well-

I have lost nearly 2 weeks of good training and I was not coming home to take more time off....Good news is I am feeling better each day and am on day 3 of a big week! 

My new masters program is seriously kicking my arse every Mon/Wed/Fri. I share a lane with 2 swimmer types who can just kill it...their easy is so easy it drives me nuts but when the main set hits - they are a solid 8-10 seconds faster per 100.  I finish each workout trashed...

Workouts are 5:30, 6:30 or 10am and I am loving the 10am - I can get my run done early with Mako and get a few hours of work done and then head to the pool- the pool is only 6 lanes, no gutters but the workouts are all freestyle and all a minimum of 4000  yards! 

On we go.... big week, long ride this weekend and then another monster week culminating in Palm Springs with the PS Century on Saturday the PS 1/2 Mary on Sunday!! yee haw