Tri-Dogmom

A few weeks ago Michelle threw out the idea of ordering our famous bat caps. She had these made about 5 years ago, and they were handed out at her choosing to athletes that did something special, out of their comfort zone. This something didn't have to be a swim (and still doesn't), but I did earn mine in the pool. Michelle flew out to AZ to train with a few of her local athletes for the first ever BSC camp. She stayed with Shane and I a few days before heading to Tucson to attend Hillary's SmashCamp so Shane & I got some bonus time with her. On our second swim with her, she learned, in person that I could in fact swim, but I must not be pushing myself enough because my times weren't all that impressive.  I don't remember what the swim was, but I remember this picture being taken after because I couldn't even lift my anything. I earned my bat cap that day. Unfortunately it wasn't silicone and didn't last, but in my head I knew I earned it ;) ...

It's been far too long since I've updated so in an effort to start fresh and hopefully keep updating this a bit more regularly I'll start with where I left off: September: Post IMCDA it was far too much work and not enough play, but the big highlight was welcoming our new baby V to our family. After the loss of Juliette, Zeko was so lonely. Every time we walked around town he tried to meet and greet all the dogs to find friends. We were at a loss as what we should do, then one of those right time right place situations presented itself... In the months after Juliette's passing, I was "mentoring" one of my athletes who was about to get her very first Vizsla baby and well, somehow, as fate would have it there was a special little girl for us to bring home as well...             Juniper, AkA, June-Bug traveled on her first and only airplane from AZ back to CDA to join our family. She's gorgeous, feisty, sweet, snuggly and the most playful tom-bo...

Another Ironman CDA in the books!  As per usual, the course handed all of us some fun obstacles to overcome, making this years race once again challenging just like I love! Leading up to the race I definitely had more on my plate than usual. "Moving" into our new house for the first time, the first several weeks were spent putting it together and constant work.  Shane took on the brunt of the manual (yard) projects, but it seems like we still have so much more to do!  Guess that's the fun of owning a 100 year old house.  Our pretty garden and landscaping will have to wait until next summer. My (day) job has just become crazy relentless.  I'd be lying if I said I was happy with it, and while I am in no position to leave my job, I am certainly trying to find a position internally that will (hopefully) lower my stress and give me more time to and energy to focus on doing what I love - working with more athletes and having more focus on my own training. Oh yah...

  I was thinking about this post yesterday , not sure if I made up writing it or if it actually existed. Pretty happy for (most) things saved on the internet! We didn't talk much about Juliette being sick, because honestly, she wasn't as far as we knew. She had been sporty spice going on most of the puppy walks (in fa ct hopping out of bed way earlier than normal to make sure she didn't miss out). Chasing him around, running around with her new lab friends and just loving life.    Last week she was having some problems in her mouth , was drooling and the puppy kept obsessing over it so Shane took her in on Friday and we found out she needed to have 4 teeth extracted. She's had some dental problems, but we've watched them closely so I was really shocked at the quick turn for the worse. She was sent home with antibiotics and after 2 days she was full of energy and even got to go to my race on Sunday! It was so fun to see her out there running ...

I've missed writing my thoughts and daily adventures down in this blog.  I love going back months, even years to see where I was this time xx year and deciding if I've grown in a way that makes me happy and proud.  Unfortunately, my new job has turned out to be a whole lot more time consuming and stressful than years past at the same time (fortunately) my coaching business is in full bloom leaving a whole heck of a lot less time to write!  I used to sit down with my recovery time snuggling on the couch with the dogs relaxing in my recovery boots and typing, but now those times are less frequent and typically after 10-12hrs a day on a computer I'd rather veg out and stare at mindless TV :).  In an effort to recap the last 2.5 months I'm going to do do a little bullet point catch up so here we go! After 3 months of very little training, I used my WTC Insurance and received a full refund for my Oceanside entry.  Best $40 EVER spent.  My heart wasn't in it an...

It's been 8 weeks since IMAZ. 8 weeks since my heart fell apart over 140.6 miles.  It's taken 8 weeks to climb myself out of a big deep hole. After a year of heartache, stress and pushing myself up and over what seemed like mountains of obstacles, I am finally started to feel whole again. 2015 started out so full of promise, so full of excitement. My husband embarking on the work opportunity and challenge of a lifetime, my coaching business exactly where I wanted it to be and my favorite Ironman on the schedule. They say when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Well, I took those lemons and made lemonade over and over until there was just no juice left in the tank.  I trained on auto pilot, stressed out every single minute I was not at home.  I missed my husband, I longed for more time with my Baxter. We emptied our bank accounts over and over with truck repairs, new AC unit, pool repair and emergency vet surgery and bills. I got sick multiple times, my adre...

A few weeks after IMCDA when the fog of racing 11+hours in an inferno lifted, I realized that I had more fire in my belly. With the support of many friends I joined an amazing charity  and signed up for IMAZ.(seriously, if you are EVER thinking of racing for a cause, this foundation is top notch, and the next time I race IMAZ, it will be with them!). This wasn't a quick decision, but because my training for CDA had been less than perfect due to weddings and trips and then both of my dogs being diagnosed with cancer within a couple of weeks, I wanted another shot at Ironman, and pushing my limits to see if I could qualify for Kona. I did my research on the start list, and while there were definitely a few very top athletes in my AG, it wasn't as intimdating as it had been in the past with a dozen plus names in contention. IMCDA fatigue faded and Michelle and I got to work. I spent a LOT of time climbing hills. On the bike, on the run. I pushed max watts and was convinced my l...