In Tribute to Our Elvis Loving Friends

While shopping at WalMart (AGAIN!) we found these little numbers and they immediately made me picture GeekGirl and S Baboo and their Vegas Marathon dressed as Elvis. So of course, we had to buy them. There are still some left so either they are weird or we are sick of eating sweets.









Behold the counter full of junk food it had to contend with last night - my stomach hurts just looking at it again......

Merry Christmas To Y'All!

Hope you all have a great day, get lots of good stuff, and eat til ya puke.

(Or enjoy that Chinese food and movies! )

We have lots of company this week so we will catch up with you all next week.

Tagged by Cindy

I have been tagged by Cindy, so here goes:
So here are 5 unusual or interesting things you may not know about me:
1) I hate getting flowers. It took me years to get Mike to stop sending them to me. They are expensive and they don't last long at all. I never remember to water them, never remember to throw them out til they stink. Now, that's not to say I don't enjoy cuttings from someones garden, that is a little different.
2) I am obsessed with shoes. I love to buy them and I love to covet them on other people. One of the first things I look at when I see people are their feet to see what shoes they have on. One of my favorite pairs EVER was a pair of neon blue calfskin ankle boots I bought on the Loop in Chicago in high school. They laced up and kind of looked like elf shoes. I have no idea what happened to them, but if they were still around I would wear them every day. I actually think the shoe fetish comes from being so heavy for so long - the shoe department is the one place where I could talk shopping with everyone, I didn't have to go to a special fat girl section of the store.
3) If you tell me I can't do something, I will do it simply to prove you wrong. I am just that stubborn. And I will do it all pissed off with a chip on my shoulder.
4) I am horribly messy, even though I try really hard to keep my things cleaned up. I keep everything because "I might need that later" and it piles up everywhere. My fear is that someday, I will be the little old lady whose house is just packed with collections of CRAP I can't part with, with only little narrow paths so I can get to my bed and the bathroom.........
5) I have a lot of fun reading blogs and following what people are doing with them. I think it is just a little weird and awkward to meet these people in person. It just seems totally creepy to go up to someone and say "Hello there internet friend, I'm J-Wim..." . It' feels a little like Peter Parker introducing himself as Spiderman, which would never happen - the superhero persona is supposed to be kept a secret..... Plus, I am often just at a loss for small talk, so these meetings are sometimes really really awkward.

Now for the forward tags: How about......... Michele, Tracy, Renae, Brigitte, Regina. Let's hear it ladies.

No Butt Pictures At All

Misty pointed out recently that there has been a theme to the pictures I have chosen for my posts and as I look back, there does seem to be a trend toward the cherubic bare bottom. So I am making a concerted effort to make some more clothed choices, at least for a little bit here. Just thank your lucky stars they weren't pictures of my ACTUAL butt........ bullet dodged. WHEW!

Tuesday as many of you know was Big Mike's 40th birthday. No exercise was performed that day. The original plan was to go to SWAT swim and bring treats. Due to a huge snow and ice storm though school were closed and since we swim at one of the middle school pools, swimming was also cancelled. Instead we took Mike to Red Robin for the best burgers in the world. We were careful to let the cat slip out of the bag to our server. Before we knew it the servers swarmed around him to sing . They asked him his name, he answered "Miguel" and they announced that it was Miguel's birthday. (He later decided that if he had been thinking more quickly, he should have said his name was McLovin, like the dorky kid from SuperBad - we thankful his brain was in slo-mo). The song they sing goes "happy, happy, happy birthday" but Mike usually sings along to it (when we have been there in the past to observe) and his version goes "happy, happy F'ing birthday" so we were glad he didn't choose to sing along. When they were done, Mike sucked the helium out of the balloons and talked in funny voices and we headed home. He may be 40 on the outside, but he is more like 12 on the inside. Don't let him fool you into believing he is a grown up - he is totally lying.

Wednesday night after work I was scheduled for a tempo run but it was so slippery out, I couldn't go. Instead I sat on the spinner and did some drills while I watched the movie Waitress. The movie was about a waitress in a pie diner who finds out she is pregnant and has a schmuck husband - the theme was how pie was a metaphor for life and the life cycle. Although I will never get the 1:45 of my life back I spent watching this stinker, I did get in a great spin workout, so I guess it evens out in the end.

Thursday was again swim night. We went to swim and I had the best intentions of trying the B workout instead of the C, which is a little lighter. About 1400 yds into the workout, I saw my BIL Jeff waving to me to get out the pool and come over by him and the lifeguard her was talking to. Apparently, he somehow got his finger caught in a hole in the top of the table he was sitting on. And it wouldn't come out. And he was getting kind of vaso-vagal so Jeff wanted his nursey friend there right quick. The guard says "I think I 'm gonna pass out" and I said in my best nursey voice "I think so too - even your lips are white.......put your head between your knees cause I don't want to have to catch you when you fall....." We tried some ice to try to shrink the finger. Didn't budge. We lubed it up with conditioner out of my swim bag. Didn't budge. There are always janitors around the building int he evening, so I set out to find one that could bring a tool or two. As I trotted off sown the hall in my swimsuit and swim cap, I realized that it was Christmas Choir Concert night and the halls outside the pool were FILLED with middle school students and parents. And I am walking through them in my wet swimsuit - Choice. I flagged down a teachery looking guy who happened to be the vice principal, told him to find one of his guys and bring the big tools. He decided that it would be better to call 911, which he did. So, before we know it there is a pile of firemen and paramedics there to rescue our lifeguard. Five minutes later he was free, but by that time, it was time to pick Lucas up from work so we were done. Turns out the guy is a swim coach and was covering for one of his swimmers who was supposed to guard. He gave the teachers there a pretty good laugh once he finally was set free.

This morning I got up early for the SWAT pancake run. I knew I would be running way behind the group so I tried to make it clear I didn't want anyone to wait for me or try to shepherd me in. It was absolutely gorgeous out. 22 degrees so it was was pretty cold, but it was snowing the whole time - great big huge fluffy flakes- which was just so cool. I was feeling really "on" today so after finishing up the 5 miler I drove home and ran another 3. It was awesome. We have had a ton of snow and ice lately and the sidewalks are pretty poorly shoveled for the most part, if at all and most of the corners are plowed in and no one shoveled them back out, so really it was more of a trail run today to keep from slip-sliding away or falling off snow mounds. Time was pretty slow, but really more as a result of me trying to be careful than having problems running. I got the Yaktrax I ordered in today's mail, so I will have try them out soon and see if it makes a difference.

Tomorrow I'll do another long spin to start off the training week and then we will get serious about scrubbing up the house for Christmas festivities.

Hey Y'all

Where did I leave off?

Friday I took a little run by myself before dark in the slush and cold. Not much to brag about but got it done. It is a real challenge to try to the specific workouts (tempos, keeping certain paces, etc) when trying to combat the uneven terrain of Midwestern snowy sidewalks. Some people shovel a little, a lot, or not at all - and forget about the corners - those suckers are so heavy that if you don't have a snowblower I pretty much have to jump a mountain and cross my fingers. It really is more of a trail run than a track workout, at least that's how I'm counting it.... Got in 4.3 miles.

Saturday and Sunday were really do-nothing days workout-wise. I had good intentions, they just fell apart somewhere along the way. We did the last of the Christmas shopping except for a few odds and ends. Found a superdeal from Costco on 305s (got 2) and also found a sweet deal on a Digital SLR camera and lens (I am sick of expecting professions shots from a pocket camera). Chalk that up to Christmas presents to myself.

Saturday night after going for cake and birthday fun for my niece Taylor, we went to the SWAT Christmas party at Kitty's place, which by the way was the fanciest house I have ever been inside. Really......like million dollar house nice.......like at least 8-10 bedrooms and bathrooms nice...... like I went to Africa and shot all the rugs you are standing on kind of unusual. Dave and his band played for us and we all got dressed up in our fancy clothes, Spandex and tennies were banned for the night. It was a blast. I think Mikey is posting pictures on the SWAT site.

Tonight after work, Mike and I went for another slush run. It's kind of challenging and I don't think Mike liked it much (cold and wet) but we did it and lived to tell the tale.

Tomorrow, be sure to go to Mike's blog and wish the old fart a happy birthday........... He's 40 now, by the way, officially in a new age group. Shouldn't be long now before all conversation leads to talk of early bird specials, senior discounts, constipation, and the state of his bowels.

Another Day of Snow and Surf

Tuesday and today were swim days. Tuesday we did the SWAT practice and followed the workouts Alison posted for us. I love it that she plans those out or I would probably end up swimming the same mindless plodding laps each time. I watched Tina doing laps of fly, which incidentally was my stroke once upon a time in the distant past, so I gave it a whirl myself. I did a 50 of fly and it was super fun. Mike was watching me as I came to the end of the length of the pool so I asked how it looked - he said "it looked like you were laughing"...... I guess I was, I had no idea I still had it in me anymore and I was enjoying it although it didn't feel nearly as fluid as when I was a kid. Anyhow, got in 1600 yds of 100 repeats on Tuesday, then did 1850 in a mixed 50s, 100s, and 25s tonight.

Both days were snowy and put our little clown cars to the test. They are a big change from the the 4WD SUVs for sure! I used the snow blower yesterday for the first time ever Wednesday after work - Man that was an adventure! I am not strong enough to manage that machine by myself but I bet I gave the neighbors a laugh. I hope no one heard the F bomb drop as I blew off the sidewalk that goes nowhere, right about the place where the blower dropped off the last flat and ended up spewing dirt all over.

My sister Tracy sent us the funniest thing today, thought I would share the video of the Keeney girls elfed up. I laughed so hard I think I peed a little.

Taking my life in my Hands

Today, I spent the day trying to figure out if it were possible to run outside. I scoped out the sidewalks and streets as I drove to work. I checked out the windows of the 5th Floor where I work. How icy is too icy? How well did my friends and neighbors shovel? Saturday we got dealt an icy mess. First there was snow. Followed by sleet, then freezing rain, then slush. Made for a yucky slippery mess, and people did their best to scrape the crap off their walks with varying degrees of success. (mini RANT: I can't stand it when people think it's OK to not shovel at all - no attempt- I know you were home, I saw your tire tracks!! Just plain lazy and dangerous!)

I am also working on a training plan to get ready for my first marathon in May and them 2 Half-Irons later in the summer. The training plan started um.... yesterday. What did I do yesterday? A whole lot of nothing. I went shopping and folded laundry, but I don't think that qualifies as cardio. So today I was itching to do something - I can't get off track ALREADY!

When I got home from work, I made the decision to run outside. I laced up the kicks, bundled up and took off, flashers on my arm bands and miners light in my back pocket. Much of the run I had to run in the street, although the parking lanes were mostly as icy as the walkways . I had to slow down lots not because I was tired, but because I didn't want to spin ass over teakettle down the sidewalk like a curling stone. My goal pace according to RWOL Smart Coach was 13:19/mi (I think that's wrong - don't think even I can run that slow), so my 12:04 avg pace was not too bad. Actually it wasn't too bad for me WITHOUT the ice lately......

When I got home, I got my butt cheeks thawed out, then hopped on the spinner to make up for a part of yesterday's planned bike that I blew off. Punished myself for another half hour or so with some drills : sprints, SLPs, standups, and so on.

Tomorrow: SWAT swim

Wed: Another after work run (Supposed to snow, so maybe will try spin class instead)

Thurs: SWAT swim

Fri: Spinner and yoga

Sat/Sun: Some other sort of self-punishment for extended periods of time - a long run and bike of some sort.

Holiday Greetings from the Wimmer Boys

Guess how thrilled the Wimmer boys are about having our family picture taken for our Christmas Card?

As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words.

Quote of the day: "Why do we have to wear these GAY matching shirts?"

"Hands at sides. If they are in front it looks like I'm trying to touch your butt."

Good times. yeah. Good times.....

The Miner's Return

I've had a good week so far.

Wednesday I got home too late from Leadership Meeting to do much outside so I spent a little over an hour on the spinner doing drills - single leg pedals, sprints, standing drills, etc.

Thursday was SWAT swim again. I went by myself since Mikey was still feeling snuffly and coughing. I'm sure it had NOTHING to do with the Packer game being on.......... but I digress. Since he leaked out on me, I went early, got there at 6 to get some extra laps in since I wouldn't be frustrating Mike by going long. There were several guys there for the first half hour, then all the guys piled out of the pool and there was just a handful of ladies in the pool. It was kind of funny to see it - Game Time 7:15, 6:30 every Y chromosome climbed out of the pool like lemmings....

Anyhoo..... since there was just Jeni Sauser, myself, and my favorite BIL Jeff left (I think Jeff stayed a little later than the other guys since he has DISH and didn't have to find a seat at the bar to watch the game), I just ran through one of the workouts we had done in the past 2 weeks.

200 Kick -200 Pull- 200 Swim

5 x 100 with 20 second rests

100 kick

4 x 100 with 20 sec rests

100 pull

3 x 100 with 20 sec rests

100 kick

2 x 100 with 20 sec rests

100 pull

1 x 100

500 easy

So I got in a good 3000 yds and it felt awesome.

Friday was interesting. I had just a half day at the hospital and the afternoon I went to Blackhawk Tech for a meeting of the ADN/CNA Advisory Board. Not the most exciting afternoon, but was able to get out of the office for awhile, which was nice. I was asked twice that day if I was interested in teaching a class at the tech school next semester. That is really tempting and I am torn. I have never taught a class before, but I would love to teach. The hitch would be that the classes would be evening classes. That would mean a huge chunk of my workout time would take a hit. I am sure the money isn't fabulous, but it really wouldn't be about money anyway. The other downside is that the classes would be the Youth Apprentice students from the high schools, so would be very young, inexperienced, potentially squeaky whiny 16 year old girls. (I am a firm believer that you only get what you can handle in life and there is a reason I was blessed with 2 boys.....). Something to think about.

When I got home, Mike was already there. I asked how he was feeling, if he was less sick. The response....."I'm NOT sick, I am just FIND!" (RANT: Um, Monica, if there is a "D" on the end of "Fine", you are not "Find" you are SICK!) He took off to Walgreen's for some more Aireborne (Uh, it's time to try maybe a decongestant and some guaifenesin honey), and I took off for a quickie run outside before it got dark. Since it was already a little after 4, I stuck my headlamp in my jacket pocket and some flashers with arm straps. It.was.cold. I'm not going to kid you. My nose ran and ran and ran, sometimes faster than my feet. But it felt good. I did a 10 minute first mile which is lightning for me, then settled into a comfortable pace and knocked off 4.2 miles. By the time I got home, it was dark and while I was trying to thaw out my nose, fingertips, toes, and butt cheeks (I have no idea why my butt gets so cold, it's weird really), my son was laughing at my headgear. "Mom, you look like a coal miner...." That's right buddy, I might look stupid, but I'm not a road pizza and I didn't break my neck running blind.

Today we were going to get our Invisible dog Fence redone since they FINALLY finished the sidewalk. (They put in sod next to the sidewalk this week - what are the chances that's gonna take? I have serious doubts....). The super (not) careful contractors from the city dug it up and cut it weeks ago while scraping the topsoil. So anyway, we were set up to have it fixed this morning. Unfortunately the ground is frozen rock solid, so we are SOL until spring. That totally sucks - I am sure the city will forget they told us they would pay for their mistake by the time spring rolls around and I will be out several more hundred dollars for their carelessness. We missed the Jingle Bell Run for this too. We will have to catch it next year I guess.

Snowing like CRAZY now - Guess We'll get some cardio in later shoveling. Yuck.

Feeeling Better

Wow. Whatever little nasty bug bit me, it sure bit hard. After feeling bad for almost 10 days I have been gradually trying to get back into the swing of things.
The first baby step was the Berbee Derby on Thanksgiving Day. That went pretty good, the 5K instead of the 10 but still a step in the right direction.
Friday I carried the admission referral pager and after going into work for a few hours, Mike and I headed out to do some shopping on Black Friday. We found a couple things -mostly for us- and realized that the Christmas shopping was going nowhere fast.
Saturday we went into Madison for a different bunch of stores. We actually got much of our shopping taken care of with just of couple of the nieces and cousins yet to find something for (TEENAGERS are SOOOO hard to shop for!!!). Not bad for a days work. Between shopping and laundry I didn't get much else done. Feeling guilty about it on Sunday, I climbed on the spinner while the football was going and I don't think anyone in the house even noticed I had left the room to watch chick flicks and Lifetime from the saddle for almost an hour.
Tonight we went to Marshall for the SWAT swim workout. I just plain love swimming. Did 2300 in an hour of drills and it felt awesome. I could have done another 2300 - it felt that good - but Mikey bailed out of the pool 400 before I did as it was and I am sure I'd have ended up walking the 10 miles home if I had even tried. But I thought about it......just for a second.
I have GOT to start running again outside. I have put it off and put it off and put it off. It's time to quit wussing out and get out there. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow I have Leadership, a monthly meeting that is always a marathon session, I'll be lucky to be home by 5 (ICK).

Save Second Base with a simple Click of the Mouse

Click here and go to the Breast Cancer Site and click on the icon to donate a mammogram, your vivst is tallied and is used to provide mammograms to women in need.
Everyone knows someone affected by this disease - a wife, a friend, a mother, a grandmother. heplp be part of the front line of prevention.
Do It. Do It. DO.IT.

The Fastest Thanksgiving Day Parade.... a/k/a The Berbee Derby

The past few days I have been feeling gunky, crappy, feverish, and generally like poo. I have snuck in a few rounds of yoga, but that's about all the strenuous activity I've felt like doing. So the past few days I have been wrestling with what to do about our Thanksgiving Day race. We had planned to do the 10K at the Berbee Derby, but after honestly assessing my current status, we opted for the 5K instead. On the positive side, I have a camparison to last year but I also really wanted to do 10's as much as possible from here on out.

Got up early and spent a half hour hacking and blowing the gunk out of my nose and lungs - (where does all that crap come from overnight???? I just don't get it!). It was a balmy 26 degrees outside, so we loaded up on the cold gear to get ready. It snowed a little yesterday, just a dusting really and overnight the slushies had frozen so there was a sheet of ice under the snow to boot.

My mom and dad pulled up to come along and spectate. My mom got out of the car and asked "are you sure you guys want to do this??" - funny. My sister pulled up a minute or so later, and off we went to Madison.

Here we are in the "staging area." I think we all have about 4 layers on and it was still nippy out.

This is our little group before the run started. R->L: my sisters friend Audrey, Mike, Michele, and me.

After a while we got started and it was a nice course, kind of hilly which I recalled from last year. I was moving along pretty good, but had to stop a couple times to walk a little, just the effects of the past week catching up with me.

I looked around at the finish line area for my mom and dad but really there were so many people I just couldn't see them. My dad was on picture duty along the finish. My mom got recruited to strip chips at the finish. Had I known, I would have found her to strip mine!

It was cool that they came to watch - it's always good to have a fan club. Next time we need to get them some bells! I realized standing at the end of the chute waiting for Michele and Audrey that my pants felt weird. I had on 2 pair of lycra pants - blue tights with some looser Adidas pants over the top. While I was running I thought I felt the pants slipping down so I kept yanking them up while I ran. While I was standing there, I looked down to notice I was blue tights from the knees down and I had yanked the overpants up to my knees, all bunched up at the crotch, thereby discovering why I was getting a few funny looks.

Final time by my Garmin: 35:36

Official Time: 35:42 (5K: 1376/1639 overall, age group-87/113 )

Not to shabby for Mrs. Cough-y.

Then we quickly drove home to finish the Turkey Day spread. Mike and I did all the prep Wed night so all we had to do was have the kids pop the buzzard in the oven while we were gone, then we had to stick the dishes in the oven or turn on the crock pots when we got home, quick shower up and voila - dinner was served! Went pretty slick to do all the prep ahead - I think I will do that again for sure.

Here is a pic of Mike and I, my mom and my nephew Jacob draining the drippings from the bird to make gravy. Mike poked a hole in the side of the aluminum roaster and made a stream into a sauce pan. Kinda messy but it worked.

It wouldn't be a Keeney meal without the obligatory picture of the food. The meal was really good and we were thankful to be able to share it with family.

This is my niece Izzy, who will be one in a couple weeks. She is so fun!

After dinner, we played some Scene It and other TV trivia games. Here are Lucas and Michele gloating over their win.. I think they cheated.

Ugh..... a sick day

We seriously need to have a discussion about what I meant when I said it is just polite to share. I really didn't mean to have head colds included in that sharing thing. Please file that one for future reference. Also exclude other fun stuff like cholera, TB, hepatitis........... I think you get the idea.

This is what I feel like today so I am going to load up on Zicam and Aireborne and head to bed.

I Hate Conference Day

Nick is good kid, very smart. He does well on his tests and doesn't turn in homework.

Lucas is a diligent student, does what is expected of him, and is a little too social at times.

I spent 2 1/2 hours hearing this today. I knew it before I got out of bed.

Back on the Road Again

Lately I will admit I have felt a little like a slacker. I look at my activity calendar for FitDay and see that there are several weeks where I only did 3 or 4 days of activity, far less than the 5-6 days/week I strive for. I still am striving for 1600-1800 calories a day, but finding the "extra treat" days are coming more frequently. My Google-15 weight average is creeping up a couple pounds too.
So, I made sure to get in a 6 day week for the second week in a row.
Today, I made up for yesterdays off day by hitting it hard. After work I did:
- 35 minutes of power yoga
-45 minutes on the spinner (alternating sprints, stand drills, SLPs)
-30 minutes of strength training at the Y using the Cybex machines
- 1+ hours of SWAT swim practice drill work

I need a focus for the upcoming months, especially the rest of November through Christmas/New Years since it is easy to get off track then with everything that goes on.
I ordered some more yoga and pilates videos from Amazon as well as a couple training books. Lucas is going to teach me some Ab work drills from football.
I will stay on the good eating wagon and get through the season. I will break through my plateau and lose that last 20 pounds. When I get there, I will reward myself with a Plastics consult to talk about trimming of all the hangy skin. (Someday I'll post a pic - it's gross...)

Football Abs reminded me: One day when I was feeling sore last week, Lucas was going to teach me some of the "stretches" they do for football. The first was "inchworm", which really was Cobra Pose. Then he showed me a relaxation stretch- I know it as Childs Pose. He showed me a stretch they call the teepee or something.......... also know in yoga circles as Downward Dog. Funny how they manned up those yoga poses with manly-man names and called them stretches. Struck me funny. It's still YOGA!

Much Ado about Nothing..... a/k/a the story of my life

Friday was a day off for me, mandated by the best boss lady ever after a stressful week.
As many of you know, I am the DON of a busy subacute rehab unit and we are subject to a lot of regulatory rigamarole, including among other things our annual state survey. This is usually a grueling 3 days of state surveyors crawling all over your patient records, policies, and procedures in conjunction with grilling and observations of the staff, and of me. In years past I have actually had surveyors waiting outside the bathroom to "talk to me for a few minutes" ........ very stressful and intense, something I DREAD every year. They come every year, unannounced due 3 months before our anniversary date through 6 months after - so basically anytime, all year. We started the week off with a surprise visit from 3 surveyors. Needless to say, it was a rough start to the week - I was high stress and high maintenance. The first day, I made it a point to find out where the leftover Halloween party candy stash was and weaseled a few Pixie Stix from it for myself.
It was interesting - only about a day and half and nothing but good things to say about how we perform. We even got a request to share some of our procedures for them to train others in Best Practices. So, we were clinically Citation-Free for the 3rd year in a row which is a pretty impressive accomplishment - Pretty Cool. My administrator Lee Ann basically told me I had better take Friday off to relax, which I gladly did. Besides a little "Me Time," it got me away from those Pixie Stix....... God I hope they are all gone by Monday.........
So, since I was home Friday all by myself while all the men in my life were at work or school, I slept in a little bit, made a little breakfast, and set off for Jenny's day of fun. I spent a little time

o the puter catching up, waiting for it to warm up enough hang out outside a while. After the kids were home on their lunch break, I bundled up and took my bike out for a spin.
It's funny that my kids now know exactly what I'm doing by how I'm dressed. I came downstairs in my Trek cold gear with my booties in my hands and Lucas says "I hope ya have a good ride." It was nippy, but I have some good cold weather gear so the chill was kept away for the most part. I tell ya, those neoprene shoe booties are the bomb. I have been neglecting old Angelina lately, so I did about 25 miles, about as much cold as I could take. Not only was it cold, it was windy. It's amazing how much of a wind break the cornfields are. Now that they are all knocked down and plowed under, there was absolutely NO protection and the wind was just a-whipping. I felt like I was putting out 20 mph effort most of the time and I would look down at the Garmin and it would read like 9. WTH?? I averaged about 15 I think, but RPE was at like a 9 or 10. It was really kind of fun. I am contemplating doing Frozen Fools this year if Janet is out of her back brace in time so I guess I better get used to it.
When I got home, I ate a little lunch, thawed out, and headed to the den for some Yoga videos. I really like to do that stuff (actually I like Pilates better than yoga though), but I sure feel like a klutz tying myself up in knots and falling over. Mike got home mid-video and laughed at me which didn't make it any easier to balance. next thing you know he is snapping off pictures of me in Downward Dog and Warrior Pose. I think perhaps they are headed for some underground site for people who like to laugh at people doing stupid things. Whatever dude - I know where you sleep and paybacks are a bitch!
I wanted to take a nice long run and make my day sort of my own multisport day, not really a triathlon. I was calling it The Trifecta in my head. My run was quickly vetoed by the boss man as "we have stuff to do." That translates into I have a lot of piddly crap to run around and do and it is essential yo come and watch. Whatever - I went along. I guess that makes it The Bifecta?? I don't know, it was a relaxing fun day anyhow. Lucas had a pile of friends over so we just hung around home and watched movies, just to be sure no one blew the roof off the house or anything.
Today I had every intention of going to the SWAT pancake run. They start from the library about 8am run for an hour or so then eat breakfast at a little restaurant next to the library. My big plan was to leave the house at 7, run the 4 miles from my house to the library, run with the group, eat a little breakfast, then run home, making it both an outing with the group and a nice long run on my LSD run day. Well the best laid plans............
I am not a morning person. Seriously not. The alarm went off at 0645. I slunk out of bed, let the dogs out for a minute, saw that there was frost all over the ground, and went back to bed "for another 5 minutes." I had every intention of going to the group run. I just could NOT get my crack out of the sack to do it. COULD.NOT.DO.IT. We finally crawled grudgingly out of bed at 0930 and took off shortly thereafter for a 6 miler or so. We were gonna run it together, but my hip was bothering me again so I got off to a fartleky start and waved Mike on ahead since I know that drives him crazy when I do that. ended up getting on about 6 1/4 miles in at a less than lightning fast pace, but they were forward movement so I'll take it.
Tomorrow is supposed to be up to like 60 again, so we will take a big ride on the bike either by ourselves or with the SWATs - it might be our last hurrah of nice weather so we better get out and enjoy!

Weekend Update

After a big swim night Thursday, I took a well needed night off Friday to rest my sore wings. Saturday Mike had to work in the morning, so I got up relatively early, read the paper, ate a good breakfast and waited for the frost on the grass to clear so I could take off on a nice long run before Mike got home. We had made plans to swim a few laps at the Y when he was done working. i took off from the house a little before 11, thinking I would get 6 or so miles in before going swimming. I headed out towards the country club and shortly after passing it I heard a clown car honking at me about 20 minutes into my run. Mike and Lucas pulled up in Black Lavender (Yarus), so I cut the run short and hopped in the back seat. He did a quick spin around towards home and we changed and went right to the Y pool. Got in 1040 yards and the shoulders were still sore, so Mikey wanted to call it a day. I am feeling pretty good about it. They were slower easy laps but I have taken to doing all my laps freestyle and no longer have to break the crawl up with breaststroke laps to be able to keep swimming, so that is forward progress.
Today, I went out an a nice long run by myself. It was pretty crisp out yet. The high for the day was 55, but this was long before we got the high for the day. I had some Sugoi running mittens I tried out today and they worked pretty well to keep the paws warm. Up until this point, my favorite long route (about 10 miles) stops in 2 city parks with drinking fountains, so I have had great places to stop and refill my water bottle. Today I discovered that this was the week they winterised the parks, which meant that among other things all the water fountains were shut down. Sooo......... I nursed my first bottle and for some reason (telepathy??) I had tucked a $5 bill in my waist pack, so I made a quick stop at a quickie mart for some Propel.
It wasn't a fast run today but I did get some miles in. Again, my right hip, knee, and first tarsal head were hurting me so I had to do a little walking or slower running when those twinges got too bad to run full speed. That's getting a little frustrating - not sure why it's happening, but seems like there is always something with me so I'll just ride it out and see.
Oh yeah - my microwave has been not working right the past few days. It has been causing a major crimp in our style as that appliance gets more play than any other in our house. Today Mike did some monkeying around with it (his electronics degree at work here) and rigged up a bypass within the panel so that it runs when you turn it on, but the plate spins when the door opens. It's kind of weird to grab your food off a spinning glass plate. We are probably irradiating our brains too somehow with this setup - I am convinced of it. I am the first person I know who has a hot-wired microwave....... too funny.
Went to the football awards program tonight for Lucas. He got an attendance medal and a certificate. He also got some good motivation or next year seeing the older boys who got all-conference honors and other recognitions. If he can keep that fire going, he has a lot of potential. It's nice to see the boys wind things up like that, but I sure do miss watching the games! Seems like they prepare forever and the season just flies by like nothing! I say we petition for year round football, anyone with me?

They Swim with the Fishes

Tonight we went to our first swim workout at Marshall Middle School pool. Mike and I got there about a half hour before the SWAT workout started and got in some easy warmup laps. Before long, my favorite brother in law Jeff joined us in the lane.

Once more of the group arrived, we got started with the true speed workouts Allison was nice enough to put together. We did 200x kick/pull/swim, 12 x 50 sprints on the 1:30s, 3 x 100 w/30 sec rest, then 100 x swim/pull/kick. We blew off the last 100 swim of the warm down and only did 50x the last pull/swim, otherwise we got it all done.

It felt good to get in and let her rip. I drove us home in Delilah and found I was having a little trouble moving my arms around. By the time we got home, the triceps were downright painful. I had to work really hard to get my arms out of my sweatshirt and honestly thought I might just end up sleeping in my swimsuit and sweatshirt because I couldn't move the arms to get them out. Finally, I managed it by leaning over so the arms hung forward.

I am in for a really sore night I think. I lathered them up in some freebie from a race called Sore No More, and know I have arms I can't lift above my waist that REEK of menthol and camphor - PHEW!

Tomorrow should be fun. Hope I don't need to do any CPR...........not sure I could make it happen.

It's a good sore though, the kind that comes from hard work and building muscles.

I. Am the happiest mom. On the face of the Earth... part Deux

So change of plans tonight. Got my hair cut and colored at Jenny's place downtown. Awesome job as usual.
When I got home, I decided to join Lucas and Mike for weights at the Y. They headed down to the free weight room, full of beefy, thick necked muscle heads. I looked around and didn't see many powder puff weights laying around, so I decided to scrap that testosterone-fest and headed upstairs to do circuit training instead on the Nautilus machines. I did some arms, did a few legs (my hamstrings are a lot weaker than I gave them credit for BTW). Before long, the boys were back upstairs to collect me for a quick mile around the indoor track.
Lucas did the mile with us. That was SO COOL! I have listened all year to excuse after excuse why he can't run with us, how he can't do a mile, how he hates to run, blah blah blah. Tonight he decides to give it a shot. YYYAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
He did a nice job. He stayed between Mike and I on the track and kept a pretty good pace. He got a little ahead of Mike once in a while trotting a little to quickly and had to walk a little, but he stayed ahead of me the whole time. He got to the last 3 laps of the 15 and sprinted them. It.was.awesome. I think my boy has a little sprinter in him.
My baby boy ran a mile. Well. And it didn't kill him. AND he said he would do that every time we go because it wasn't that bad........ We are going every Tuesday and Thursday.
my boy has the running bug - I love it!

Catching Up with J-Wim

Thursday: Since it was my birthday, I took the day off from exercising. Mike took us to Mac's Pizza Shack for the buffet, which is my alltime favorite pizza. Mike let me mow the lawn on the rider because I like it, even though I know it was secretly driving him crazy that I didn't do it "right" (translation: Mike's way).

Friday: It was back to the grindstone after work. Mike, Lucas, and his buddy Justin lifted weights at the Y. While they were busy puffing out their chests and squeezing each others biceps, I went to the pool and cranked out some laps for the first time in a while. I did 2000+ yards, then wound it up since i figured they were probably about done lifting. It felt great to get in the pool again and after getting warmed up I was going nice and steady without dying (always a plus!).

Saturday: Did not do much of anything - some errands, some grocery shopping, took a nap while Mike waxed his cars. Lazy, lazy, lazy day. Boring. I loaded up the iPod with some new tunes (thanks Michele! She gave me a Itunes card for my birthday). Some of the great running tunes I added:

Kanye West - Stronger (great for hills!)

Soulja Boy - Crank That (I can't sing along, but it makes me laugh- when it's on I picture the Pooh style video to the right --------------> )

Run DMC- It's Tricky (great beat!)

50 Cent - I Get Money

Timbaland- The Way I Are

Seether - Fake It

Maroon 5 - Wake Up call

Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Plain White T's - Delilah

The Game- Lets Ride

Unk - Walk It Out

TI - You Know What it is

Rubberband Man

Sunday: I had had it with sitting around! Mike was out playing with his moneypit in the garage, so I decided to take off on a nice long run. I took off past the high school, over to the country club golf course, down through Riverside Park, up the Kiwanis trail next to the Rock River, over to Court Street, then zigzagged through my neighborhood for some hill work before I headed back past the high school and to home. My right hip, knee, and first tarsal head were really hurting me off and on through the run so I did have to walk here and there, but I did get in 10.36 miles by the time I got back home, in just about 2 hours. I played my new playlist over and over - it was AWESOME!!!!

It was a great day out, sunny and cool, so After grabbing a quick lunch I decided to take the dogs for a walk to Blockbuster to return our movies. It was about 4 miles altogether. It was good for the dogs and gave me a chance to burn off a few more calories and get some more activity in. let me tell you - the Gentle Leader Walk Harness is about the best invention EVER. I can walk my spastic unruly Springers with one finger once we get going. With anything else I pretty much feel like my rotator cuffs are completely ripped out from all the pulling, jumping, and yanking.

Today: Mike went for a run, but my legs were a little sore yet from yesterday's big run so I went to the Y pool instead. I got 2460 yds in. I was shooting for 3000, but a there was only 1 lane open and a couple got into the lane with me (there were swim lessons taking place in the rest of th pool) and they were all over the place, swimming a few strokes then stopping to pant and walk, then swimming a couple strokes. They were driving me crazy and I was kinda tired anyhow, so I hung up my goggles and hit the shower. The thing with the pool at the YMCA is that it is onyl a 20 yd pool. They dug up the regulation size pool and are r emodeling it into a waterpark (uh....hello?.....when did fitness become not a priority at the Y??). With the small size of the pool, you are forever doing turns, its hard to get a rythm going, and it is super warm so it feels a little like. say. someone peed. Give me Olympic distance anyday - swimming at Rockport outdoor pool all summer spoiled me!

Tomorrow is the SWAT swim practice at Marshall Middle School Pool. Mike is going to lift with Lucas then go to swim practice. I have an appointment to get my hair cut, so I proablaby will just go along for the ride to swim practice and do some stroke heckling from shore, and do a little coaching for Mike.

38 Things about Me

OK Folks, look out. Old Broad in the house. Thursday is my 38th Birthday and I thought this might be a good day to share some random information about me so here are 38 tidbits, one for every year:

1) I am left-handed. That means that I have to adjust myself to virtually everything in life from the angle of the paper when someone hands me something to sign to the technique I have to use when starting an IV. I have to plan where I sit at the table so we don't rub elbows when we eat.

2) I LOVE dogs, but I am terrified of schnauzers. Once at work, a patient's son brought mom in her schnauzer for a visit and I was so freaked out I had to shut my office door because the dog kept looking at me. I blame Ollie, my childhood neighbor's snarly little dog.

3) I am fiercely loyal. Don't mess with my friends or my family. Yes, it IS possible for me to hate you forever if you cross them.

4) As a teenager, I was very shy. I had a really hard time talking to others or speaking in anything other than a very small group situation. I was in a class my freshman year in college (Business Law) where part of the grade was to stand up once in the lecture hall when called on and give your take on the case. I took an F for that portion because I never stood up when called on, despite being present and prepared all 4 times he called my name.

5) I planned to name both my boys Elizabeth Jane. That didn't really work out so well.

6) I also wanted to Lucas to be named Nathaniel Emerson. He is thankful that Mike stomped his foot down about that. I still like the name.

7) When I was a senior, I wanted to major in Finance and minor in French. The long term plan was to work in France at the Bank of Paris. That didn't pan out. I did get most of a Business BA and 16 French credits before I decided to get married and go to nursing school.

8) I have been in only 1 situation ever where I have put those French credits to use. That was while doing bodymarking at IMWI07.

9) I played the piano and the violin for years. I haven't played either in almost 20 years.

10) I love to shop, especially when I find a great deal. Old Navy, Sears, aeropostale, and Kohls are my favorite places to find a superdeal.

11) Being a supervisor is frustrating. It requires that I keep a little distance between myself and the people I work with. I hate it when I am out somewhere and run into someone from work - I introduce them to others as "my friend from work"...... they introduce me as "Jenny, my boss." I.AM.NOT.BOSSY!

12) I love pink. Even though I don't think it looks that good on me. If it is pink AND Happy Bunny, it's all golden.

13) I am addicted to gadgets and data. Garmin was basically made to satisfy almost my every need.

14) Even though I am half the size I once was, I still feel like a fat girl most of the time. I hate it when people comment about it. But I also love it.

15) I am super competitive- I must always win. Arguments, thumb wars, you name it I must win.

16) I am also a control freak.

17) When I grocery shop, things must go into the cart neatly and in the correct order. If you toss something in the cart, don't be surprised if I have to restack it on the correct place.

18) I also unload the cart onto the belt in the order I want it packed int he bags, which is also the way I think it is easiest to put them away when we get home. If the checker ignores my system, it irritates me.

19) I have not worn heels since the day I was married. I feel like I am going to twist my ankle and topple over at any moment.

20) I love big clunky shoes the most. Doc Martens especially.

21) I think my shoe fetish comes from my fat days. Shoe shopping is the only thing a fat girl can shop for with anyone.... no need to find the big girl section.

22) 3 years ago I counted the steps I took from my car into my office as exercise time. Now if I run less than 6 miles or bike less than 30, I feel lazy. That makes me laugh.

23) I am a total slob. But everything must be placed in a specific area of the dishwasher or I will repack it. I also insist that laundry be seperated and washed by very specific categories and I think only I can do it correctly.

24) I think I have a weird sense of humor. Lots of people don't get it and often find that I am just amusing myself and no one else.

25) I have always wanted red hair. When I have it colored red, it always looks orange.

26) I can not stand folding laundry. When I do it, all I can think of is how many hours in my lifetime I have spent folding laundry and how no one ever puts their laundry away, which I find insulting. I am usually pissed at everyone in the house by the time I am done folding.

27) I count my sisters as my best friends.

28) I also count my best friend since second grade. She hasn't talked to me in more than a year. I don't really understand why.

29) I don't miss going to watch and cheer for my kids ever. I want them to know that if they are doing something important to them, I am there to support them 110%.

30) I wish Nick did more things that I could support him doing.

31) I really enjoy making quilts. I try to make each one meaningful to that person and commemorate special days. The name of the quilt blocks I use must reflect something special about the person and event.

32) I want to teach nursing classes at the local community college.

33) I never will be able to because I would have to take more than a 50% pay cut.

34) When I shop, I either buy the same thing in multiple colors, or many different things in all the same color.

35) I never realize it until I have it all home and spread it out on the bed unpacking it.

36)I love grammar. I especially love sentence diagramming exercises.

37) Homemade molasses cookies are my kryptonite. I could eat them all day long.

38) I hate spending time on foofy stuff like hair and makeup. If it can't be accomplished in 10 minutes, it wasn't meant to be.

Beloit YMCA Fall Classic 10K Race Report

Saturday we did the Fall Classic at the Stateline YMCA in Beloit. It was a very small race, with only 43 people finishing the 10K. Michele came along for a ride in the clown car's back seat (teehee!) and she did the 5K with her friend Pam from work. Mike made a big deal of telling me he was going to run with me and let me cross the finish first. I was sure to tell him that to "let" me win was a hollow victory - No thanks, I would rather have my old wrinkled ass cross DFL.
It was pretty brisk in the morning so I was glad I wore long pants and a long tech shirt - it was just the right weight/warmth. We chatted a bit with Kitty from the SWAT Team. We were off before too long. The course was really well marked with big pink arrows painted on the course (I'm sure the neighbors were loving that - not sure it is legal...). We were pretty much shepherding in the back of the pack.
We ran together. Had to stop a couple times to answer the phone for work related business, but other than that, it was pretty uneventful. There was a cop that was circling around herding up the last runners, which was us. As we got to where we crossed back over the busy street back to the Y, we saw a cop waving traffic around the runners. We saw a few people ahead of us get crossed over by the cop in the road. Then they pulled away, leaving Mike and I to fend for ourselves crossing a busy street. In a race. WTH??? Thanks a bunch guys! Way to communicate with one another.....
After crossing the road successfully, We were about 1.5-2 miles from the finish. Mike was starting to drop back. Was he drafting? Was something wrong? Was he setting himself up to let me win? I asked what was wrong, he said "nothing." So I slowed down too. He slowed further when I slowed down. I was thinking he was trying to let me get ahead, so finally I took off ahead in a snit, grumbling the whole way. I don't like to lose, but I also don't want to win through pity or chivalry or whatever. As we got to the last .1 mi, I turned to go uphill towards the Y. A BIG. F'ING. HILL. to the finish. That was just masochistic. I chugged it up the hill. As I crested it, I ran straight into the kids race that was lined up and about to take off. I stopped and stood there, trying to figure out where I was supposed to go to cross the finish. They finally told the kiddos to open a path for me to go through. I saw Michele and I was griping about Mike letting me win. Mike crested the hill not long after and crossed, then doubled over like he was gonna puke. Total bonkage. We got him some food and drink, and he sat down and let it settle and was feeling ok not long after. We talked a few minutes with Kitty and took off for home in the clown car.
No official results posted as yet but Garmin says: 6.29 miles in 1:10. 42/43 overall. Mike was both 3rd in his age group and DFL. Interesting.....
Today we took another longer recovery run. I was feeling sluggish and was holding Mike back, so he took off on his own. I did a lot of lollygagging and slowed to a walk a few times. I decided to just listen to my hinges today. I haven't run much outside this week and was feeling a little sore (unusual for me) so I didn't want to totally punch it. Ended up with a 6.5 mile run - not bad.

Race Report: RACS Home Run 5K (Fitchburg, WI)

Well there are no pictures of the race yet, but here is my proof I was there - the T shirt. I don't fill it out nearly as well as Di, but here's my best shot at it.


It's a nice tech tee, long sleeved (SCORE!!)









My results:
bib number: 1641
overall place: 132 out of 140
division place: 28 out of 32
gender place: 67 out of 74
time: 36:31
pace: 11:46







So earlier in the week, my sister asked if we were still planning to do that race in Madison this weekend that she saw on our Google calendar. We had forgotten it was there, but now that you mention it, Hell ya we're in!
We picked up Michele bright and early and took off to McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg. Since we had neglected to pre-register, Mike and I rock-paper-scissored for which we were going to do (the 10 or the 5) since we couldn't make up our minds. The 5K won.
This was an odd race. They ran out of XL shirts for Mike due to the late entry, so they took his address to mail one to him (we shall see if THAT happens!). They start was supposed to be at 0830. While I was still in line for the potty at 0825, they announced that they were going to start the race at "like 845 or 850, or so..." Hmmmm- that was a new one ;-) It was chip-timed, but only at the finish, not the start. They had a ton of volunteers at all the corners, so that was cool and the course was really well-marked.
I ran with Michele, just because it is more fun to run with someone else than by yourself. She took off fast the first mile - I struggled to keep on her heel, but then we slowed down to a more comfortable pace for the rest. It was a nice course, pretty much flat except for a couple rollers in the middle, very pretty, nice new roads and paths, and some really cool houses to look at along the way. We walked a couple times, but not for long and then at the end I started us on a sprint to the finish and we ended up crossing with the same time. Just in front of the first 10K runner.

I have spent a lot of time on the spinner this past week as we have spent a few nights checking out clown cars at the Toyota dealer. Tuesday was our first SWAT meeting and Mike volunteered us to work on a club website, so that has sucked up some time this week, but it's kind of fun. So far we have a message board going and are working on building a web site and finding somewhere to host it. Anyone have a resource to something to set up for the group to send out group emails to each other (some kind of mass-emailer program/host/????)?

The Wonder Twins hit the Pool

J-Wim in her new pink wetsuit, feeling very superhero like. What should my superhero name be? No wait - forget I said that....... you never know WHAT Bigun's gonna come up with!

M-Dot in his new suit, looking equally HAWT, especially with the googly goggles and flip flops.

M-Dot practicing his floatation technique.

Wanna see Mike swim in his wetsuit? Come on I know you are dying to see it........... (drum roll please..............)

In other news, I found a new way to know when it is time to go home from work without even looking at a clock. I was doing some late day errands around the hospital, getting onto the elevator with one of the maintenance guys. he looked at me and I thought he asked me "Are you from my ass?" I looked at him a while, confused by such an odd question. Then he repeated himself.......... wait for it........... "Are you from IS?" No, fella, I am not from IS.

Yep. Time to go home for the day. The brain is tired of processing complex thought.

Homecoming

Saturday was the Homecoming Dance, my youngest son's first high school dance.

This first pic is of Lucas and his friend Justin before the girls arrived.

This is Lucas and his girlfriend Michaela. She's pretty cute and seems like a nice girl.

This is a pic of the whole group - Justin and his date Janessa, Justin's exchange student from Spain Anna, Lucas's date Michaela, and my boy Lucas.

This is a picture of my new baby we picked up in Taylorville Illinois today, in what proved to be the biggest all day fiasco of my life. We drove several hours to pick it up from a lady who is on vacation and had made arrangements to have her boyfriend meet us at her little gym/health club and pick it up. Despite making arrangements to be there at a certain time, no one was to be found when we arrived and no one answered their cell phones to meet us - for TWO HOURS! When she finally answered her phone she was a total witch, like we were inconveniencing her or something and the boyfriend says when he FINALLY pulls up "Hey I saw you here looking in the window when I drove by before on my way to my buddy's place......" WTF! That was when we first got there..... ON.TIME! So anyhow, here's a pic of my Ironman 112m Spinner Bike (spec sheet), my winter time friend, another very thrifty eBay purchase. She's pretty hot huh?

Lost and Found

Today I did the Sugar River Bike Tour with my sister, which wound back and forth over the Sugar River in the Brodhead (WI) area. I think we had a good time, although my sista may not think so after I twisted her arm to at least do the 30 mile route instead of the 15 she originally signed up to do. She was into it until about mile 20 or so, when she started hoping the SAG cycles had a tow rope. (Sorry Shel!)
It was the best supported rides I have done. Lots of goodies and rest stops (which were manned by Girl Scouts armed with cookies!) and tons of SAG vehicles on the course on motorcycles who pulled by frequently and ASKED if we were OK. Often.
Much of the course took place on some pretty busy roads without little or no shoulder though. Haven't these people ever seen a back road? Sheesh!

Now, about the title....
About September 8th or so, I purchased a lovely little helmet at the IMWI expo, which came equipped with a really cool zip up case with room for storage of all little bits and pieces of bike stuff (gloves, snacks, etc). It was S-WEET. I was leaving this case in the back of my SUV so that I had a place where I could keep my helmet and other miscellaneous bike stuff together when we transport to ride places.
This case is now missing. I. CAN'T. FIND. IT. ANYPLACE. I have turned the garage and the house upside down looking for it with no luck. It's disappearance coincides with a certain person deciding that my car needed to be cleaned because there was too much JUNK in it. Incidentally, this person also saved the cardboard box the helmet came in - THAT we safeguard....... I think that person had better figure out where they put it before I become homicidal....... I hate it when my stuff gets moved around!

Gear Slut for Rent

Sunday was our second running of the Zoo Run Run at Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison. We close the 10K this year and it took us the same route as the Nurses Day 10K we did in May. Nothing too exciting to report as the time was almost exactly the same as when I ran it in the spring. It felt really comfortable and felt like I was really quick but the numbers don't show it.
Overall, it was a fun morning. I love to go to the zoo and watch Mike talk to all the animals like he is Dr. Dolittle. It does also bear mentioning that the run was commemorating our 18th Wedding anniversary. Mike and I have done a lot of growing up together over these years and it really is cool to celebrate yet another year of marriage to my best friend. We met up with Anne Thatcher who I believe took first in her age group, and Captain Morgan who we went to breakfast with after the run. Stopped at Perkins for a little bite and stuffed myself with potato pancakes - yummy.
Made the rounds of our usual Madison area pit stops- first to Fleet Feet to pet their expensive running clothes (they had a Nike thermal jacket that I drooled over for a few minutes) and then on to Endurance House. We asked the salesgirl about wetsuits and I decided I wanted to try one on to see how they fit and get an idea.
What a funny scene it is to put on those wetsuits! It was like putting on a SUPER thick full body pair of pantyhose that were 2 sizes too small. They were hot and hard to get pulled up, the more you tried to tug on them the sweatier you got which made them stick to you even more........ I swear a videotape of the effort would be a hoot on youtube! As I wrestled with that rubber suit I was going through the pros and cons in my head :
+ they were on sale 20% off because it was end of season
+ the NINETEEN suit was really nice for the price (compared with the Zoots, 2XUs, etc for the same grade of suit)
- they were still expensive
- there is really nowhere to wear them until next spring/summer
+ we need them anyhow if we are going to be adding in longer races, so it must have equipment for our next tri season
+ I look like a superhero in my suit once I get it on
- $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
+ did I mention that I look like a Power Ranger? Oh yeah, maybe I already said that
+ they were the last 2 suits in our sizes in that brand
+ Uh, pink wetsuit..... like I could pass on that........ (this was the same wetsuit I drooled over earlier in the summer)

There was also the funny conversation between Mike and the salesgirl. It went like this:

Mike: (looking at the size chart hanging from the ladies wetsuit) What is the difference on the size chart between L and WL?
Salesgirl: (with a perfectly straight face) the WL have these breasts (pointing to them on the wetsuit).

So long story short, we are the proud owners of 2 spanking brand new s'wetsuits. I have some extra money coming in in the next few weeks, so we will just count that as our anniversary present to each other this year, and probably birthdays too.....

I really need some sort of endorsement deal to help defray the costs of our new hobby. How does a slow, fat triathlete go about getting a sponsorship deal anyhow? I'm thinking about sending out some sort of mass email to the major makers of triathlon related items. It might go something like this......

Dear (insert vendor name here),
I would like to offer you my services in marketing your (insert triathlon product name here). I am a tri-gear addict with no hope of recovery and I am easily influenced by the effect of new products or gear as the answer to my triathloning dreams. I am willing to use your (insert item name here) in my training and during triathlons and/or other races with the provision that you provide me your ridiculously high priced (insert item name here) for my own personal use as a sample. In exchange, I will use your item, tell everyone I know how wonderful it is and how they could not possibly live without one of their own, and I will feature your products regularly on my highly trafficked blog.
In addition to providing me with free state of the art equipment and nutrition, I would also expect contributions of large amounts cash to defray my cost of entering future events where I could speak to massive quantities of people about your product and how it is the answer to everything from taming split ends to curing cancer and everything in between.
You may note from reviewing my race results that my performance really couldn't get much farther back in the pack, so any and all future successes - real or imagined - could be shamelessly attributed solely to the use of your (insert product name here). I may not be the fastest racer out there, but I can definitely hold my own in the "let's talk about anything and everything" arena. Imagine the possibilities!

Sincerely,
Jennifer Wimmer
President and Charter member of the Gear Sluts Do the Midwest Club


Do ya think that would work?