my poor Sam

He is a big dog. 120pounds of golden retriever. And he tore his acl. Not completely through, but its going. So the most recommended fix was a surgery where they put a clean break in his fibula, then reset it at an angle so the femur and it meet at a more natural angel. Now he is on restricted movement for 8 weeks. After 1 day, he already wants to move. Eight weeks is going to be insane.

His new titanium hardware:

Junior checking out Sam, being a very good boy. At least he was inside giving the local wildlife a break.


Daisy is making a killing on Sam's misfortune. She already loves to walk and run, and now that Sam cannot play for 8 weeks, I am her playmate and she's averaged 3 walks a day, and today a Trun with me. She's going to wear me out!


Sam's poor naked leg. I'm sure he'd eat me alive if he knew I posted a picture of his nakedness. Its such a sad site to see a full quarter of his haunches bare, as his fur is absolutely beautiful. I mean, if my hair could look like Sam's, I'd never have to pay for hair color!


and he loves the collar (2 weeks of this so he doesn't chew the sticthes and cause an infection)

Like Pizza? Recycle the boxes?

Better make sure you get a dog to lick the box clean first!


check out this link...apparently pizza boxes that are tarnished with food, or any paper product that is stained with grease or food, are not recyclable - unless you remove the tainted portions.

Dog & Cat Diaries

I have two dogs and two cats, and I love them all dearly, and have tons of fun with them all (well, not the old cat anymore, she keeps to herself now, still sweet, but she was lots of fun when she was young, before we got our dogs - hmmm, maybe that has something to do with her keeping to herself now).

A friend sent me this, and it cracked me up:

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity..
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am.
Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...............

what to eat on a long bike ride?

of course, you start off with gatorade (or whatever your sports drink of choice is), water, your energy bars, gels, chewy gummy things...

But after a few hours, you stop at a little general store in some little town in the Indiana countryside, and your stomach starts to tell your brain it wants something different. Something that just tastes yummy, that will make your stomach smile.

Today we stopped at a little IGA store in Morgantown, IN. Hmmm, First think I saw was the hostess foods. Yes, I know most people over age 10 do not eat Hostess, but this over 10 year old does (on bike rides). There were no hohos! No cherry pie! ok, well, move on down the line. Next was some easter candy, I mulled that over, and chocolate just didn't seem like it was what I wanted. Then I spotted some freshly cooked glazed donuts! Yep, that is what my stomach wanted. 2 of them. Hit the spot (for a while).

It got me thinking what are my favorite non-nutritionally training-stupid foods that I like to eat during a long rides:

on a hot day, I LOVE a frozen coke, or an icee. I usually have an insulated bottle
on hot summer days, so I just fill it with a frozen treat!

ice cream sandwiches and popsicles are also another favorite on a hot day

hohos are my all time favorite for any time of year

hostess cherry pies are also near the top of the list.

fresh peaches and plums and grapes in summer at a roadside stand- YUM!!! (that's better' isn't it? see I don't just eat junk!)

now, I'm sitting here contemplating what kind of snack I get to eat tonight. I suppose I should come up with something healthy. Maybe I can split the difference between the healthy and unhealthy and make some banana bread.

and..................... Go BOILERS!!!!!! on to the sweet 16!

I hate wind

on a bike. on the road. by myself.

That's all I have to say.

compression tights

I'm now officially hooked on compression tights. I've had a pair for a few months, tried them for a few runs, didn't really think they did much, but have not really used them for recovery. After a long difficult ride on Saturday, my legs were so sore, quads, hamstrings, calves. I walked around the house for an hour or so, feeling sore and fatigured, and decided to put them on and see if they actually did help. And what do you know, they did! The soreness actually seemed to slowly dissipate. And next morning I was not sore. That's not to say I wasn't still tired, but I was not sore. SO I practically lived in them this weekend when I was not training. If you don't have a pari, and you train hard, you should get some!

Another interesting thing I saw Sunday evening, was a story on 60 Minutes about Alice Waters. She is a chef, who espouses 'slow food', organic, locallly grown food. And while that is all great, and I've heard it before, what I thought was her most interesting idea, was having a vegetable garden at local schools tended to by the students. Where the students learn to cultivate the ground, grow vegetables, and even prepare healthy meals and snacks with what they grow. I couldnt' help but imagine what an amazing thing it would be if every grade school in the US had the kids do this. Where they learn to grow healthy food, harvest, prepare and eat it. All part of starting them in a healthy lifestyle when they are young. COuld be a good start to ending childhood obesity.

A Hike with Daisy

Note the tongue hanging out in many photos, I think I should rename Daisy to Michael Jordan.



and the proper way to finish any hike should be this (too bad this was purchased last weekend and was gone in 2 days - it could have been gone in 2 minutes but I paced myself)

LMAO

A week ago when I saw the swim workout Jen gave me for last night, I was LMAO! It was a set of 100's free, descending intervals, alternating with a 200im. Now the last time I did this set, it was challenging, the last few 100's on 1:10, but the 200 IM's were easy/recovery, I don't even think they had an interval, so I just swam them and started the next 100 after I had 15 seconds of rest or so. Last night was same number of 100's, same intervals, but the 200IM's were on short rest, the first one leaving on the 2:45, then getting faster! Like I said, LMAO! The first one I came in on 2:45, oops, missed that. Left on 2:50. More 100's free, little faster than the last intervals, and another 200im. Missed it again. I could have cried if I wasn't so mad at the rec swimmer who hopped into my lane and made more waves than a floundering whale! And why do people jump into the water right as you are coming into the wall? SO, I'm already working my ass off, and I have some guy jump in and swamp me as I'm coming into the wall for the 50fly of the 200im. So, then he proceeds to swim, like a barge plowing through the water, his legs bent like he is riding a bicycle, kicking up all kinds of water every time I passed by him. Now I know I am a pool snob, and I get real annoyed at people who share my lane who aren't well versed in swim ettiquette and who don't swim quietly (you know, little splashing, staying on their side of the lane, not standing in the middle of the wall...), and I am especially easily bothered when I am doing a super hard set, heart rate at 200, just trying to suck in every ounce of oxygen in the air - not in the water! I don't breathe h2o! So, basically, the set kept going downhill. Literally and figurativelt. Every interval getting faster, my attitude getting worse. Eventually with a few to go, I was just touch and go, and I gave up and skipped the last 200im and the last 2 fast 100's free. I was pretty disappointed in myself. But I've had a hard last 10 days, getting ready for New Orleans, so maybe I can attribute some of the swim failure to overall fatigue. Its hard for me to not make sets and intervals in the pool, since that's what I grew up doing. I know what I'm capable of. And even though I was LMAO over the set when I saw it on my schedule, I arrived at the pool with a good attitude, and was ready to give it a go.

Time to move on. In other news, my new speedstar shoes are great! Yesterday I did an interval run with about 30 minutes total of z3 running, and my shoes were good, and still noniggles anywhere on the body. That, in itself, is miraculous. And with shoes I always feared would leave me injured, its even more surprising.

This weekend, We (a few of my roadie girl friends) have a beast of a ride planned for Saturday. Tribike stays parked, and little red comes out for a long hilly ride. Can't wait!

PS. I miss my mountain bike. Its been hanging in the garage for almost 2 months. I know she feels lonely. Between getting ready for NO 70.3, and the fact that Feb-April are usually difficult times to get on our trails (freeze/thaw makes the trails unridable much of that time, and the rare days when it is ridable, usually seem to be weekday mornings, when I'm at work!). After NO, I can't wait to get her out to the trails for some fun times! I hope she is still good to me.

new 'speedstar' shoes

I finally decided to try some lightweight shoes for racing (and training). Just ran my first run in these for my easy run this morning. Not only are they pretty, the model is called 'Speedstar'. And while I'm no speedstar on the run, maybe they will save me a few seconds here and there. I mean, really, do I need a cushioned shoe that will support a 250 pound person? I think not!

Not everyone gets tired of snow

this is my favorite youtube video

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but the first signs of spring are here


and I was outside throwing the football without gloves!

Completely Irrelevant, but Completely Gross

This post is completely irrelevant, but its amazing the oddball things you can stumble across when reading on the internet. I was checking out some story on popular science (or some similar site), and here's what I find. I hope I never do an open water swim where I encounter any of these , especially the rock snot.

rock snot (ok, its really some kind of nasty algae)

hagfish?!!! ick


blobfish is that really a fish!

another masters swim meet

Its March 1st. I am always thankful February is a short month because I always think March means spring and warm weather. WRONG! This morning I was driving south to Louisville at 7am for a swim meet. The temperature was 21, and the wind was blowing 20-30mph. That is CRAZY! At one point on the boring drive down I65, I could see off in the distance a large flock of geese flying from the southeast to the northwest. They seemed to be a couple miles away from me. And as I continued the drive, the stream of geese did not stop. When I got to where they were crossing the interstate, I looked off to the right, and as far as I could see there were flocks of geese flying in formation. Then I looked left, same thing! I drove under the geese migration super highway! That was so cool!

So, I got to the pool 30 minutes early (I must have driven a tad fast, because I gave myself the time googlemaps told me, and oops - it wasn't that long!). The doors at the pool were still locked so I hung out in the McDonalds across the street, killing time, eating a plain biscuit. Wishing I had brought a book, or magazine, or laptop, instead I sat there and read the back of the tray cover, which had the nutritional content of much of their menu. ICK! I'm glad I don't eat there but once or twice a year. If you haven't seen the movie Supersize me, that will surely make you give up fast food. Of course, I'm sure most people reading this never cross the threshold of fast food restaraunts.

Anyways, on to the meet. The Louisville pool is nice. Unusual for a 50 meter pool. The diving towers are actually in the 50 m pool, not separate. So the deep end of the swim lanes is super deep. I think it would be really weird to swim a 50m meet there and look so far down at the lane line on the bottom of the pool and try to judge the walls. In this case, we were still 25yards - the only respectable distance to swim in in a pool! Yes - more turns are better! Enough from you open water triathletes who are scoffing at me because you just want one mile long pool. ;-) Turns are fun! ANd they make you swim faster! That's not to say I don't love open water swimming, because I do. But if I'm in a pool, I only want to swim 25yards.

So, the meet goes on. I pick my 3 favorite races to swim. 100 back. 100 fly. 200im. The seed times for everyone else, showed me I would be swimming alone and I'd have to come up with my own motivation to swim fast. Last night I watched the womens BigTen conference meet on tv. I watched some super fast swimming. Swimming is my favorite sport to watch. And those girls kicked ass. Kate Zubkova, a Ukrainian student at IU, Olympian, top rankings in NCAA backstroke events, swam 100back, 200 back, 100fly. This girl knows how to swim. She has some awesome underwater swimming, and beautiful strokes. I aspire to those underwaters. But what was most amazing was her demeanor just before she hopped into the water to race. Smiles, giggles, waves to her friends, and to the camera. I thought, 'that is a girl with some big talent. And she has put in a lot of hard work. And she believes in her talent, her hard work, and what her coaches have planned for her to do'. And with that belief you have no worries. You just race, and it all just happens. That's how I wanted to feel. I know I don't have her talent, but I have some swim talent. ANd I know I haven't worked like she has, but I have put in a lot of work over the years, and I believe I can swim fast (for the 42 year old me). SO I chatted with people, smiled, and relaxed. Hopped in the pool for the 100back, told myself to swim relaxed the first 50, then bury myself. Its just one minute of racing, just suffer. ANd I had a great start, swam super straight (no small feat for me in backstroke in an unfamiliar pool), and hit every turn right on, had good underwaters, and broke the 1:04 I wanted to dip under. While not a post college PR, it is a PR for the 42 year old Cheryl. Next up was the 100fly. No women entered, so I got to swim with all men. And none of the young fast guys were entered, and I was actually the fastest seed by many seconds. Again, more self motivation required. I raced smarter than last meet, knocked off half a second, didn't feel like a piano was on my back the last 10 yards. I thought for sure I had the 1:03 in this one too, but nope, 1:04.5. ok, not bad. I'll take it. Last race was 200IM (the race where I lost the goggles last meet). I felt great the whole race, smooth, and strong, was way ahead again, and racing myself, yelling things in my brain as I raced (easy on the fly, don't screw up that wall, don't overkick the backstroke, but kick well off the wall, breaststroke quick narrow pull, finish kick , no, not like that, finish it all the way, come on you know how to do it, now do it! ok, I'm trying, the legs just don't always want to cooperate with the brain! ok, free now, get off the wall you slowpoke, kick those sprinter legs like you know how to kick, you are an evenrude motor, and don't you stop until you hit that wall'. And then 2:23 later it was over. Knocked a few seconds off last meet, which was a relief after that fiasco.

I'm a little sad that I don't really have any more meets that are on my schedule for the SCY season. (Maybe I'll be able to find one to squeeze in without messing up the rest of the training schedule.) We'll see. In the meantime, I've been thinking I need a couple more splish suits to give me more in the suit rotation to get me through the spring with the best looking set of suits in Bloomington. I can't let my fans down!

The biggest letdown of the day was when I stopped at OMalia's to buy a pint of Graeters chocolate chocolate chip ice cream, and their 3 shelves that held the new stock of Graeters were completely empty!