Tri-Dogmom

I've had so many things going through my head since my last blog post - but after this past weekend and my complete meltdown nearing hypothermia and taking this extremely dramatic self video to send to all my friends who didn't make it for the race - I figured it was worth posting this first. I've missed writing all of my thoughts down.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  I've had a couple of races, started a new job, had the anniversary of my mom's passing, her birthday and shortly after mothers day.  It's been a lot.  My training definitely has been taking a back burner, just enough to get by - but  I feel like I've finally recovered: physically and mentally.  My head is back in the game, and my hunger is there. So for now - let me leave you with a quick summary of my weekend in Utah.  We had a great weekend with our wonderful hosts the Nadalskis.  I finally got to meet their two lovely daughters.  It was entertaining to say the least. ...

My sister is much better with words than I am.  Shocking that I'm the one with the blog.  Hopefully she doesn't mind me sharing the poem she posted this morning...  Today we are spending the day doing the one thing my mom absolutely loved and ironically drove my sister and I batshitcrazy.  Shopping was her  therapy and today, I guess it will be ours. Good thing I am starting my new job on Monday! In a weak moment one year she convinced us (ok, really it was just me my sister was game) to have a girls shopping extravaganza on Black Friday.  I'm fairly confident that was a first and only Black Friday I spent at the mall.    We love, and miss you mom. " I can hardly believe you've been gone for a year already Mom.... I though of you today But that is nothing new. I though of you yesterday   And tomorrow, will too. I think of you in silence   And make no outward show For what it's meant to lose you Only those wh...

The first week of September I was caught in a weak moment.  I was on cloud 9 from Ironman Canada and went to dinner with some girlfriends.  Next thing I knew I was emailing coach telling her I was going to run a marathon at the beginning of March and try to BQ.  It would be a one shot thing, no multiple shots or multiple marathons. I am, after all, retired from marathons you know.  The last time I retired was in 2009 after the Tucson Marathon disaster. I'm not gonna lie.  While this marathon hurt less than any other marathon I've ever done, the training hurt 10 times more.  I ran harder, longer, faster, and with many more miles than I've ever done.  My body seemed to be handling everything really well until the Holidays.  While we were in Mexico for about 10 days, I put in a LOT of miles.  Long miles, short miles, fast miles, easy miles.  The only thing I can think of was these miles were all on the same route.  Our neighborhood...

What the heck?  It's already almost the end of the month?  I have no idea why I haven't sat down to write more.  I've had the time.  In fact - this is week 2.5 of no work.  Crazy, really.  As of next week this will be the longest time since I graduated college in 2000 with no work!  It's really not that long I suppose, but I would like to have some good leads here in the next week or so for my sanity (and bank account)! So what have I been doing?  Well, most of you probably think I'm living the life, training all day long, enjoying my free time, etc.  Some of that is correct - but not as much as I'd like to!  I've been sleeping.  A LOT.  I've been running A LOT and I've been networking and researching pretty much all the hours in between.  As much as I'd love to be living the life of leisure, traveling, visiting friends… that all costs money and without a job prospect confirmed, I just can't justify the fun part! Sleep...

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." - Einstein In a year filled with so many highs and lows, I find it hard to reflect on the amazing things, when such an overwhelming sense of loss is there with them. I spent the past week or so in my favorite place, with my family, but as much fun as we all had - I couldn't help but feel the empty hole in my heart.  There were times in this past week where I literally felt my mom here.  Albeit it her rolling her eyes as my dad poured me yet another  birthday shot, or when I got a last minute email from my uncle (her baby brother) telling me he was heading into town.  She even came to me in my dreams (unfortunately not the best of dreams).  Non the less, she was here.  I can only hope that while she may have been rolling her eyes at our imbibing, she was also smiling high above as we all sat giggling together enjoying dinner, all at the same table… And, at each beautiful sunset I thought of he...

Yesterday was my last official race of the 2012 Season.  It was my third time doing the Tucson Half Marathon, and by far the most seamless, and enjoyable (minus the dig deep effort) run race I've ever experienced. I actually didn't even plan on signing up for this race.  I've always had an urge to do a hometown half marathon, the Fiesta Bowl, but when the opportunity came up to join my buddy Andrew down in Tucson all inclusive with a pacer set to give us both huge PR's, I just couldn't resist.  So, I tagged along with them and before I knew it we were at the start line for the race. It was an unbelievably beautiful day.  Super chilly to start, but with a few layers on and the sun quickly rising it made for absolutely PERFECT race conditions.  Since I've done this race a few times, I didn't really have to do any planning.  I knew the course, I knew the logistics. It was all about putting in the miles, having a strategy and getting it done. I basically ...

“All things are possible until they are proven impossible.”   ―   Pearl S. Buck Over the past month I've done a lot of thinking.  With so many life changing things that have happened to me this year, I've spent many nights daydreaming myself to sleep with what ifs.  I think about where I was at the beginning of this year, and where I am now. I think back to where I was in March - I have a great job with all the flexibility one can ask for, and it still pays the bills.  I have a family.  We drive each other crazy, but they are here.  My mom, my dad, my sister, my niece my husband.  I have a husband who is a dreamer.  We love to sit over cocktails at night and talk about our plans, our goals, our future… When I think back to then, to March… to those thoughts, so many things have changed.  Instead of knowing what tomorrow will bring, I'm faced with uncertainty.  I no longer have my mom.  I no longer no what to expect at the ...