His & Hers

I haven't exactly been one of those bride-to-bes counting down the days until we tie the knot.  But yesterday a friend sent an email saying, "3 mos away....are you getting excited?"  The first thought was, "Of course!"  The second thought was "oh my goodness, it's 3 months away!"  Although there is a big "to do" list of the major things that is slowly being worked, it's about time to start paying better attention to the calendar and working on the details.  


I have a couple of random "his and her" type shots taken over the past year.  In honor of getting into the double digits countdown....


Helmets -- I'm Luke Skywalker.  He's Darth Vader

Bike trainers set aside after a workout

Yoga mats

Bike shoes

Wetsuits after a swim 

We both needed new endurance suits

Hydrating.  His is the pink one.  Ok, not really.

IMCDA Spectator Report

This is my second post in the past 2 weeks of watching a race and not actually doing the race!!!  I am definitely a better cheerleader than competitor.  It's a long entry.  It was a long day!


Sunday was Ironman Couer d'Alene.  Several former teammates were competing this year and we wanted to show them all the support they gave us at Ironman Arizona.  So we headed up to Spokane and drove to Couer d'Alene, Idaho.


About 14 of us rented a pretty big house about 5 miles from the city center.  On Saturday, Nick and I met Sedonia at the lake.  Most of the athletes were doing their practice swim.  Coach Dave put a swim on the calendar for us, considering the large body of water readily available.  It was a double-cap and earplugs required kind of swim with a 56 degree water temp.  

Being dorks and taking pictures with cap and goggles!

My hands always feel the shock of the cold (more so than my face), but after about 5 minutes, I surprisingly got used to it.  After the swim we went to the Volunteer Meeting and then walked around downtown CDA for a bit.

There are 5 mooses downtown!

A friend from college lives there so he took us to a really great restaurant about 25 minutes outside of town on the water.  

Amazing views on the other side of the lake

Coolest gas station we've ever seen!

Our favorite discovery of the day was Moose Drool beer.  We coined it the Coca Cola of beers because it just had that zingy feeling to it!  

My second favorite discovery was a huckleberry lemon drop.  CDA has huckleberry everything.  And, huckleberry is DELICIOUS!!!

We were up super early on Sunday.  We all volunteered for morning shifts so we could spend the day cheerleading.  Phil had bodymarking.  Dana was sunscreen.  Nick was a bike handler.  And, I was in the Women's Change Tent.  

The Swim
Since I was a volunteer, I had access to Transition and got to see friends before they headed to the water.

Rachel, Jim, Kristy, Luis, and Sam

It was cold.  It was drizzling.  And it was windy.  For those that were in the water, they all said the first loop was ok, but the rain and wind came during the second loop, which also made the water choppy and even colder.

The Change Tent
Meredith Kessler was the first woman out of the water and into the tent.  Typically the pros do not want to be helped as they have their own system.  But every single one of them asked for help.  They were all freezing and couldn't feel their fingers and needed help buckling helmets, getting on arm warmers, etc.  I learned Meredith wears socks AND shockingly she had her shoes in her bag.  I just assumed the pros leave their shoes attached to their bike.  She was so gracious and appreciative of our help.  I mentioned that I watched her win IMC two years ago and I couldn't wait to watch her win today.  She gave a big thank you and ran out.


I was waiting patiently by the door at 7:55 because I knew Sedonia would be coming up any minute.  Like clockwork, she came rounding that corner a minute later!  She had a red mark on her left eye where she got kicked.  She went black and blurry for a little bit, but pushed through it and was the 3rd female out of the water.  I stuffed her pockets, opened her water, fed her electrolytes, and she was out of T1 in 3:22!  All, I could think about was how very cold she was going to be!


Twenty minutes later was when the mayhem began.  By this point mostly everyone was doing full changes and they were all freezing.  Many of them were shaking so badly, it looked like they were having a seizure, which made it very difficult to dress them. I literally saw blue lips...multiple times.  One girl told me she was going to be sick.  The only thing I had for her to throw up in was her T1 bag.  So I held a bag while she vomited.  The smell almost made me throw up myself.  I asked for a new bag and another volunteer told me there weren't any and I had to stick her things back in it.  ARE YOU JOKING?!  I went outside, dumped her vomit and then had to put her wetsuit and wet clothes in the vomit bag.  I refused to put her non-swim stuff in the yucky bag and hid her belongings until I could find a another bag later.  


Overall, I really enjoyed the change tent.  Ideally, it would be nice if Ironman only let people that have participated in the sport volunteer for that station.  I saw several volunteers trying to put arm warmers on upside down or not understanding the products that were coming out of the bags, which just slows the athlete down.


The Bike
I found Dana after the T1 cutoff was over and she said there was a rumor that someone drowned during the swim.  Her captain then went to ask the medics and they confirmed it.  I was disturbed and I was angry (I was already annoyed with Ironman on other things going wrong that day, which I will have to write a separate post on later).  There are spotters.  There are kayaks.  There are rescue boats.  He's in wetsuit.  How can someone drown???  We went to get food in the volunteer tent and were sitting with some people on the rescue team and were fishing for information, but it was obvious they didn't know anything.  They did say they brought in about 100 people from the water.  Later the press reported a man had a heart attack and was pronounced dead at the scene.  And, then later the press recalled that statement and said he was recovering at the hospital. Thank goodness!!!  I just could not get the icky feeling out of my stomach for those first few hours and just had way too many scenarios running through my head about the entire situation.  

We watched a few pros start their 2nd loop (mind you, it's only 10am!).

And, then drove out to the bike course.  On the way, we saw Sedonia approaching Mile 50.  Unfortunately, she couldn't hear us screaming at her or the cowbell because Dana forgot to roll down the window.  And after that cowbell, we couldn't hear anything either!  ;)  We pulled over around Mile 75 and I put on my sparkle skirt, cartoon hands, and got out the signs.  

People don't want to cheer for you, if you don't smile.  But we loved all those that did.  We got to see a bunch of friends out there and we even got to see Sedonia on her way back up the hill.  This time she heard us and yelled, "You guys are crazy!"


The Run
After lunch we head back to the corner and all the super athletes are running by looking like they are on fresh legs despite having just ridden 112 miles.  I get that they are fast and in their "zone."  But if these people appreciate the support, they show no acknowledgement whatsoever.  And, I wasn't going to waste anymore energy on them.  I gave up and went for a walk.  I knew that in another hour or two, the people that actually would want the support would be ready for us.  First and second place male finished just as I was approaching Sherman Ave.  I figured Meredith Kessler would be in less than an hour so I hung around there until she came through.  

I headed back to our spot and got out the signs.  By this time in the day people smiled and laughed and gave high fives (actually high fours to me) and actually acknowledged that there were spectators on the course.  It was time to refuel with a 5pm snack and some huckleberry ice cream.  Eventually, we headed over to the grandstands to wait for Sedonia.  

We saw her three times on the run and we knew she had a tough day.  The bike course changed this year and most people commented that it was harder than expected.  They never got a break.  They'd climb and get to a flat with headwind.  And then they had to climb some more.  Sedonia came running through and we went to meet her on the other side.  She was not feeling well at all.  

Making a bed for herself on the sidewalk

I got to help TWO people vomit in a bag that day! :)  I told her how pretty her hair was after 140.6 miles.  That's what she remembers.  ha ha.  Nick convinced her to get to the med tent.


Back to the grandstands to watch Jim and George come in. We refueled again with some soup at 10pm (seriously, we have learned our lessons being out there for 18 hours in the past as spectators) and headed to toward the last aid station.  By this time of night the sun has finally gone to bed (the beauty of CDA race is the sun is up at 5am and doesn't go down until after 9pm) and the hobbling and shuffling is rampant.  

9pm and still light out!

I talked and walked with a whole lot of people.  And, saw the fireman.  I think this is his 9th Ironman.  He walks the entire marathon in his full uniform to raise money for two Firefighter related charities.  It is an extra 30lbs and the suit gets upwards of 130 degrees. 

Hanging out at the last aid station, we saw Lori, Elise, Emily, Sam, and Kristy pass through.  We then ran (yes, I ran in cartoon hands while carrying 2 signs) all the way back to the grandstands to see the finish.  

The Finish
There was a huge group running just before the end.  Mike Reilly was trying to bring them in.  He yelled when there was 30 seconds, but we knew she wasn't going to make it in time.  She ran down the finish chute with a sign that said, "Dear Asthma, I Win" and crossed at 17:00:23  He told her that she wasn't an official Ironman, but that she was in our hearts and got the entire crowd to yell to her, 'You are an Ironman!'  And, then one of the other finishers gave her his medal.  She took a victory lap up and down the grandstands with her sign.  Everywhere I looked, people were in tears.  


Here's a video of the last few minutes and what happened after midnight.

DeterMination

Two years ago at IM Canada, I was inspired by the Ironman "DeterMination" shirt.  When we went to IMAZ 2010, I saw the shirt again and pretty much commanded to Nick, "If I cross that finish line next year, you're buying me that shirt."  However, when I saw the shirt at IMAZ 2011, I was disappointed at the color/design and decided not to get it.  Fortunately, the 2012 season brings a redesigned shirt, and Nick bought it for me.  This shirt means more to me than my medal.  And, I hope to keep it forever!

  

QBP

Last week I started a new client engagement at Quality Bicycle Product in Minnesota.  A couple months back when my company first started talking to them, I had never heard of QBP.  I looked at the website and saw they are the largest bike distributor in the United States AND they distribute for practically every brand that I use.  They also have their own brand of bikes -- Salsa, Foundry, Civia, Surly and a few others.  Coach Dave told me that Sports Basement sources all their bike gear from QBP.  And, a few weeks ago when I walked into a local bike shop, there were 5 boxes from QBP being dropped off by UPS.  Law of attraction....


For those that were familiar with QBP, they all mentioned that how much people LOVE working for QBP.  They asked me to go there and see what the Koolaid is all about and report back.  Plus, I have been on a mission to prove to Kerry that there are some companies (that aren't small) and "get it."


My first impression is that there is crap everywhere.  But it's a good kind of crap!


Such as wheels lining the stairwells

Or displays like every Pearl Izumi bike and run shoe or these Lazer helmets

Random bikes all over the place.  I haven't figured out if these have any objective yet

And, bikes you can check out similar to a library system

I did take out a bike last night and rode for about 45 minutes.  It wasn't much of a workout as I was being shepherded by someone who was giving me the lay of the land.  But next week I will know where to go.  And, one of these days I will check out that Pugsley -- it's got a motor!


Some of the really great things about this place:

• Couches and lounges
• Beer.  Enough said.
• Casual dress (like super casual dress)
• Kind of weird to be talking to the CIO who is walking around in shorts, a tech tee, and flip flops
• #1 most environmentally friendly company in Minnesota -- sustainable flooring, no exterior paint, no cups, compost bins, etc.
• Anniversary celebration every month to recognize employees' annual anniversaries with QBP
• "Fire Alarm Mondays"
• Since Monday is their busiest day, other employees, including the CEO, are called in to the warehouse for 2 hour shifts to help pick orders!  Anyone working on the SAP implementation is currently exempt from having to participate, which I am supremely disappointed about. 
• An air-conditioned warehouse with windows and skylights!  
• This job has put me in plenty of warehouses over the years and most of them are hot as heck and smell like stinky armpit.  I was quite impressed with this endeavor of making it a pleasant environment
• The value of "Make it Special for Everyone"
• You want to put a mini art gallery in the place?  OK.
• You want hopscotch outside the front door?  Sure, why not.
• A four square court?  We can put one over there.
• Basically, any idea you have within reason, is generally accounted for
• Locker room with showers, towels, shampoo, soap, etc.  (Note: since not many women work there, every girl has her own dedicated locker).
• The slogan -- Every Butt On a Bike
• All the blueprints, specs, test plans, and training documents I am writing get to say "butt" on every page!
• Furniture made of bike parts
• Many of the tables and chairs are made of rims, cassettes, chains, and chain wheels, to create an artistic piece of furniture
• Free lunch on Mondays if you bike to work

• Lastly, the state of the art warehouse management system.  A computer is operating over 3 miles worth of conveyor belts popping things in and out of the right lanes and queues.  If you're a supply chain dork like me, this two minute video of their warehouse operations is pretty impressive.  
• http://vimeo.com/32586384

Synopsis:  I'm not even an employee and I've already drunk the Koolaid.  

We Tried and it was Fun

Saturday was the kickoff of the 25th Annual Tri for Fun series.  I know I wrote about Tri For Fun last year.  It's a 4 month series every summer and a great introduction race.  People wear whatever they want and ride whatever they want in whatever kind of shoes they want.  Ages range from 6 to 86 and everything in between.  The race director joked that if anyone got lost on the run, to just "run around for 40 minutes and come back and we'll call it good."

I signed up for this event because two friends from high school said they wanted to do it.  They have been following my journey over the past year and it was going to be their first triathlon.  Unfortunately, Mike said he was dying in the pool after 4 laps and decided not to sign up.  However, BJ has been training for several months, so he came down from Folsom.  

And, Sedonia, who is tapering for IMCDA, was looking for a short workout.  She already needed to be in the area that day, and signed up.

We saw DJ Strawberry from 99.7.  It was also his first triathlon.  

Although we have no timing chips at Tri For Fun, I told myself I was actually going to race it this time.  To get uncomfortable.  My attitude toward training and events is focused toward accomplishment rather than breaking records.  Of course, I want to get faster.  And, with the exception of Lavaman, I do make an effort to work toward that goal, even if it doesn't happen.  

So, I raced.  Despite consciously going faster, I think my swim time was pretty similar (Sidenote: I swear, you race in the pool and your lungs pop out of your chest and you gain all of 3 seconds.  Totally not worth it in my mind!).  I saw BJ in T1 and he had a flat tire! :(  He was worried about it before the start because it didn't act normal when he was pumping them up.  By the time the swim was over, it was not holding any air.  I wanted to help and give him an extra tube, but mine are not compatible with his tire, so there was nothing I could do.  

I started the bike and pushed myself.  The wind was consistent and noticeable, but not bad.  My bike sensor got out of alignment so I was blind on cadence and speed.  Sedonia had suggested awhile back that maybe I should ride without it because sometimes it makes me negative.  Very true.  Not having a choice, I rode blind and rode for feel.  Something worked because I finished the bike faster than I ever have.  Although it's just a sprint distance and there's only one teeny tiny molehill, I averaged 18.9mph.  I typically ride at 14mph.  I was over the moon.  I also got my first "you kicked ass on that swim girl" shout out, which is really just code for, "hey I'm passing you on the bike."  But that's ok.  I'll take any encouragement I can get, even if it's passive aggressive.

And, the run, well you know how that goes.  I ran.  It was hot.  I was slow.  Mostly I just enjoyed the people watching that you can do while running.  Like listening to people complain about the "hills."  I wished I could have told them to go try trail running and then come back and tell me if this park really has any hills!  Coincidentally, when I crossed the finish line, the announcer said, "you weren't the only "hill" on that course today."  

Naturally, I told Nick I really shouldn't change my last name otherwise the announcer can't make that joke anymore.      

The 10K Swim

Nope, not me.  I did not swim a 10K.  I can't even claim to have run 6.2 miles recently.  But Nick and Sedonia swam 6.2 miles last weekend!  The fact that they swam that far deserves some major kudos!

This year was the inaugural 10K swim at Lake Del Valle.  You had to be US Master's member to participate so it really was a swimming event.  I doubt there were many triathletes there.  This was evidenced by the lack of athletic fashion.  Swimmers wear t-shirts and sweats.  Triathletes like gadgets.  Therefore, their clothes are high tech and match head to toe.

I did not participate because a) I'm not a member of USMS; and b)  I would not make the cutoff time, which was 3.5 hours.  Nick even said it would be challenging for him to finish in 3.5 hours.  

Nick's mom and I headed to the lake after the race started.  I went for a very pretty run along lake and then waited at the finish line to watch the early swimmers come in.  The swim was four 2.5km loops.  There was a "feeding station" in the water.  It was really just a boat and they had these long poles with cupholders on them.  One cup was water and the other was Gu Brew.  They also ripped open packets of Gu and threw them at the swimmers.  Sedonia was worried about lake water getting in her Gu, but the volunteer reminded her that she was swallowing plenty of lake water as it was.  There was another pole similar to the net that cleans up the leaves in the pool.  That's where you put your garbage.  Sedonia observed that swimmers have no idea how to "eat and run" so her advantage of doing triathlons was she refueled and went on her merry way while others just doggy-paddled there and chit chatted.  

I was pretty sure I spotted Sedonia at the turn (I can tell her stroke and her sighting). 

She crossed the line at 2:45 (exactly as she predicted).

She told me she thought Nick would be around 3:15.  We saw some people in pretty bad shape come in.  One older gentleman kept trying to get up and was super wobbly.  He fell in the water face down.  I handed my phone to Nick's mom and was heading toward the water fully clothed, but he raised himself up in time.  Another guy could barely walk, seemed hypothermic, and the paramedics had to tend to him.  You just wouldn't associate that kind of exhaustion with a swim, but it happens. Plus, since this was really a "swimmer's" event, very few people had wetsuits and being in cold water for 3 hours is definitely a strain on the system.

After 3 hours, we still did not see Nick.  Nick "looks so pretty in the water" that he's easy to spot.  But, when you're antsy, you start to wonder if everyone approaching is him.  For half an hour it went something like this:

"Is that him?"

"No, he doesn't swim that wide."

"I think that's him in the 4th position."

"No, the left arm is too low."

"Maybe that's him by the buoy"
"No, Nick's not that buff.  He hasn't been doing *that* much TRX!"

"Do you think that's him?"

"No, that's a girl."

At 3:26, we saw the last swimmer coming in (all the others had been pulled out after 7.5km).  At 3:28, he was still at the buoy.  It was so stressful standing there watching the clock count down and knowing he was right there, but not there yet.  Then Sedonia said, "Now you know how we felt during your Ironman!"  Fair enough!  Sedonia swam back out to him and he finished in 3:29!

Stick a fork in him!

They both finished.  And, Sedonia got 2nd in her AG!

IM Lake Tahoe

Today's big news was the announcement of Ironman Lake Tahoe -- September 23, 2013.  I would guess a lot of people will be coming out of retirement for this one.  The news is exciting -- a full distance Ironman in California!  There was discussion that it would be in Santa Cruz. San Luis Obispo was also on the table.  Apparently, Lake Tahoe won.  I admit I looked at the course and the profile maps and there was this tiny little "Hmm...." going on in my head.  It's hilly, but not like St. George.  However, the elevation/altitude sickness is definitely going to be a factor in this race.  

Registration opens on Monday.  They are predicting it will sell out quickly.  I believe Tahoe, during the summer, might just might be one of the most beautiful places in the country (where else can you sit on a beach, look at the water, and be surrounded by snow-capped mountains?).  But I won't be registering.  There was a tiny little pull there... until I remembered how much I enjoy my weekends.  

Dancing With Myself

Oh how I love spin workouts.  They are efficient.  They are effective.  They are convenient.  Granted, long rides outside are necessary for bike handling skills, mental toughness, etc.  But the other reason I love spin workouts is I get to listen to music.  No music when swimming.  No music when riding.  And, I'm 50/50 on music when running (simply because no earphones are allowed in races).  


I'll be the first to admit that I dance when I'm by myself.  I used to scare Mr. Phoebe with my dancing.  Now Braveheart has to deal with it.  Nick and I usually spin together, but tonight I was on my own.  Naturally, I was dancing with myself during rest intervals and the cool down.  I finally looked at my heart rate and laughed because it was in Zone 4.  Apparently, my awesome dance moves on the bike get me just as worked up as Dr. Tabata.


Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself has been one of my "pre-race" songs for the past year.  Now you know why.

On a completely unrelated note, my little brother's dance crew won the finals at a battle competition in San Francisco yesterday.  I really have no idea how he moves like that.  It's a 28 minute video, but he kills it around 19:40 and 24:30.  I tried to just insert the last 10 minutes, but YouTube is not cooperating today.  Sorry!

D-Day

I guess this post could be about counting down to 70.3.  I don't even know how far away it is -- I think we're under 6 weeks.  Oh boy!  I actually had to look up the cut-off times the other day to make sure I will make them. *sigh of relief*   But, since today is the anniversary of the real D-Day, the Universe has WWII on my mind.  A friend who is a US military and Allied Forces history buff is posting all sorts of D-Day trivia and photos on Facebook today (thanks, Chris).  Yesterday, one of my former teammates, Jen, posted this video about an honor flight on US Airways.  I cried my eyes out.  I wish I could hear the actual audio and not the song, but the impact is still there.

And, two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Tolerance.  I had to work in Los Angeles over the weekend for a system conversion/ implementation.  The project ran fairly smoothly and we ended up having a free day on Sunday.  Nick was also in LA and we visited the museum with our friend, Mike.  Little did we know, we would get the opportunity to listen to a Holocaust survivor, Dr. Henry Oster, speak of his experience.  


I could talk/write for hours about what I learned from him in those two hours.  I felt grateful that my job took me to Germany a few years ago where I met up with some college friends in Dusseldorf.  They took me to Cologne (he is the last survivor from that town).  The next year, my job took me to Poland.  I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau (both camps he was in).  He spoke of the gas, the crematorium, the barracks. He talked about what they ate and what happened to their bodies.  He managed to survive by working in the agriculture fields, finding hiding places, and he spoke German.  


A few pics from my trip to Auschwitz...

Top of the gate at Auschwitz

Lots of flowers placed in various places like this at Auschwitz

Sunday Funday -- He made friends with the guy that did the executions here.  And, sometimes got bread from him. 

The crematorium

Birkenau -- barely any buildings here, since it was a death camp.

When the liberation happened, he was placed in an orphanage in France.  Newspapers all over the world listed the names of children in all the orphanages, in case any family members that escaped may know the children.  An uncle, who lived in Los Angeles, saw his nephew's name and brought him to LA.  He was illiterate, having been working in the ghetto, and then the concentration camp, and then the death camp since he was 7 years old.  He learned to read and write English, graduated from high school, and went on to UCLA.  He wanted to be a dentist (because his teeth were not in good shape due to malnutrition and starvation and his dentist managed to save them) and during his interview, he saw the interviewer write "Germ Jew" at the top of his application.  He didn't get in.  He said he wouldn't give us the name of university, but the initials were USC (sorry...just had to make that jab).  So he became an optometrist.  Having worked under the Nazi regime for 17 hours a day, it was all he knew how to do -- work.  He's 83 years old.  He tried to retire awhile ago and went back to work.  


Lastly, he told us about how either his son or son-in-law came across the "stumbling blocks" that Cologne placed all over the city.  As a monument to what happened, a local artist placed a gold block in the sidewalk in front of every home where a family was taken.  His son noticed there wasn't a stumbling block in front of Dr. Oster's original home and contacted the city.  Much to the city of Cologne's surprise, it had no idea there was even a survivor from Cologne.  Parliament invited him to Germany to come speak.  After much encouragement from his family, he went.  And, he said he finally got something off his chest.  He told them that Germany is the richest country in the EU.  And yet the German border today is the same size it was before the war.  Yet over 60 million people died in the process.  


So, today, instead of writing about headwind or sore muscles or how I really think I'm allergic to water or any other triathlon-related first-world problem, I'm thinking about how grateful I am.  I had a choice to toot around a city for 17 hours for ONE day with food in my pockets.  This man was forced to work every day for 17 hours a day for 6 or 7 years with one bowl of cabbage, and if he was lucky, a stolen raw potato hidden in his pocket.

Healing the Heel

After several months of searching and waiting, I have finally started getting my foot, heel spurs, and plantar fascia treated.  A western doctor will say surgery is required.  However, most will agree there are many other alternatives to consider before surgery.  I heard about microcurrent.  It took awhile to find someone with the right machine, but I finally did.  I've had 3 treatments so far and I can honestly say that a lot of the pain that was plaguing me before, is very reduced and some days non-existent!  

Microcurrent is a faint electric current.  The frequency is so low that you do not feel a thing.  Unlike a TENS unit or ionthoperosis where you actually have a muscle spasm and feel the electricity running through your body, microcurrent is extremely relaxing and pleasant.  Microcurrent allows the electricity to penetrate the cells, whereas high frequency treatments have to go around the cells.  The treatment stimulates mitochondria to increase the production of ATP, which is your own chemical energy, protein synthesis, and waste product removal.  The ultimate goal is to break up the crap in there causing the pain.

The therapist puts on silver ion plated gloves that conduct electricity, uses a jelly very similar to an ultrasound machine, and very lightly massages the area needing attention.

Thirty minutes of microcurrent is equivalent to 4 hours of massage.  My legs are usually trashed a few hours after the treatment and into the next day.  But being able to run and not feel the pain in my foot is a great feeling.  Of course, my running is completely shot since I was in pain for so long and I was never able to build a proper base over the past 18 months.  But now that things are starting to feel better, I hope it will inspire me to finally build that base and any pain I feel will be in the muscles and heart and lungs getting stronger, as opposed to the pain from an inflamed tendon in my foot that renders me unable to bend my toes the way most people can.  

Back in the 80's microcurrent was first used to treat Bell's Palsy and stroke victims with lifting features of the face.  Then it turned into sports therapy and pain relief. Lance Armstrong and his entire team were treated with microcurrent therapy every night of the 7th Tour de France win.  Accident victims get treated with microcurrent to break down scar tissue.  And, now it's being used as a beauty treatment and being marketed as a non-surgical facelift.  Whatever its purpose, it works.  It is effective and it is permanent 60-80% of the time.  And, while not inexpensive, the cost is reasonable.  

Maintaining

This morning, Nick and I did a lactic threshold test on the Computrainer at Coach Dave's house.  As I was warming up, I told him that in 20 years when he is coaching full time, he is always going to remember "that one girl" who didn't train and whose LT worsened under his coaching.  I didn't remember all my stats from last year, but I was pretty sure I topped out at the same wattage.  Dave went to his computer and came back and said my threshold is either exactly the same or one heartbeat higher than last August when we did the test.  I was ecstatic.  That means I have hopefully maintained my level of fitness since before IMAZ  despite my severe lack of training.  This also means Coach Dave knows how to give a busy girl efficient workouts!!!


I've been debating about whether or not I am capable of Vineman 70.3 and considering pulling out.  The work schedule, traveling, moving, merging and purging of households, rental property, wedding planning, etc. has just taken a toll on my ability to get the time in I need.  But knowing that I haven't specifically lost any fitness makes me hopeful that maybe I actually can do it....