Ownin It

I'm getting that totally cool feeling I get when I have to order a new Speedo. Because, ya know, I's an athlete and all. And I, like, wore the old one out.

Let's not dwell on the fact that this suit wore out more from being stretched through a pregnancy than heavy training. I still wore out a heavy duty suit from actual use, and that makes me feel all kinds of cool.

I have always gotten the same boring navy Speedo. Call it an outward expression of my not-so-secret inferiority complex. I had this ridiculous idea that I had a better chance of being taken seriously as an athlete if I wore a serious navy Speedo.

Well, it seems I've grown a pair and gotten over that ridiculous notion. Even though I'm currently in the worst condition I've been in for about 3 years and I'm still plagued with nagging injuries, I'm feeling more confident about my status as an athlete than ever before.

There's something inside of me that's finally starting to believe this wasn't a phase and that my life has changed forever in the best possible way. I no longer have this desperate need for the approval of every random stranger that crosses my path in the pool or on the bike trail, and I no longer feel the need to wear gear that screams "I Belong Here. Seriously. Please Believe Me."

I have no idea where this new confidence has come from, but I decided to own it. Starting with my new suit.

This is as close as I could get to hot pink. It's ok, though, 'cause now I've got a hot pink suit attitude to make up for it.

Steps and Steps

Guess who took his first steps tonight?!

Bear's First Bike

Baby Bear's grandma surprised us with this adorable trike. He's not quite tall enough to reach the pedals, but he loves to walk behind and push it around the yard.

I can't wait until he's big enough to go riding with me.

One More for the Collection

Becoming a triathlete has necessitated an addition to my storage shelves of a big honkin tote labeled Medical Braces. It's getting to the point where I rarely need to go shopping when one of my health care providers tells me to wrap, brace or otherwise support an angry body part. : )

As I was putting athletic tape on the shopping list, it occurred to me there might be an easier way to help the plantar fasciitis. While I generally follow the advice of my doctor/PT/orthopedist, I'm a barefoot country girl at heart and can't bring myself to wear running shoes with orthotics 24/7, which is what was recommended.

Even when I do wear them, as I learned Sunday at Ironman, just a few hours of light walking makes it flare up and I limp for a week.

So I did a quick Google search and found this...

It does exactly what the PT was doing to my foot with tape, without the hassle of tape. For 20 bucks I figured it was worth a shot. I started wearing it last night. Here's hoping it will do the job that a summer of rest couldn't.

Ironman Wisconsin Spectator Report (Photo Essay)

Today the weather was glorious, the dog finally stopped bleeding (long story, she'll be fine, just need$ a $simple $urgery to remove an angry infected growth) and the baby was in a good mood so we rolled the dice and took a little road trip to Madison so I could get me an Ironman fix.

The baby miraculously slept in the car the entire way and was as good as can be expected under the circumstances. (He alternated between being excited at all the cool stuff to see and terrified of the loud cheering.)

The timing of our drive with Baby Bear's nap got us there about 20 minutes before the pros starting coming in off the bike.

We caught a little of Mike Reilly killing time announcing at the bike dismount waiting for the first cyclists to come in.

I managed to catch a great shot of race winner Chris McDonald coming in first off the bike.

Then we happened to catch women's winner Hillary Biscay zooming through T2 as we finished shopping at the expo.

Baby Bear was done with being in the stroller, so we found a quiet spot so he could burn off a little steam.

Had killer pizza (avocado, feta, black bean and tomato! sublime!) at Ian's on State Street while the Bear got to ring his first cowbell. He's a natural. : )

Managed to catch a cool shot of winner Chris McDonald nearing the end of the first run loop.

Then we had to hightail it back to the van so we could feed, change and strap in a tired, cranky Bear for the ride home. But I couldn't resist stopping for a quick look at the Holy Grail finish line.

This is the IM loot Wonderful Husband treated me too...
I heart my pink pull buoy, and I can't wait until the Bear fits into his cute little IM shirt : D

Jonesin

I'm jonesin hard. I need a tri fix.

I miss the early morning gleam of carbon fiber bling. The mingled scents of sunscreen and sweat and body glide. The weary smiles of mutual respect between athletes and volunteers. The sight of pain and determination and sheer joy on back of the packers' faces as they push themselves to accomplish feats previously thought impossible. The sound of cowbells and Mike Reilly's amplified voice in the distance.

I needs me a triathlon. As luck would have it, there's this little thing called Ironman Wisconsin happening a hop, skip and a 2 hour drive from here on Sunday.

I'm currently on hour 12 of the worst migraine I've had in a while. That, obviously, is throwing a wrench into my carefully scheduled life. But I've been sandbagging my to-do list for a few weeks now, and I might still be able to pull it off.

If I can beat this migraine in under 17 hours - and Madison's weather forecast for Sunday isn't prohibitive for spending the day outdoors with an infant - I'll take it as a sign and be there with (cow)bells on.

Crawling Out of the Cave I've Been Hiding In

This week felt like I was finally getting back into things and I loved it.

Honestly, other than yoga, a couple of short stroller walks and one little bike ride, I haven't done crap all summer. Aside from struggling to get some client stuff done in the little time I've had, I figured since I was healing other injuries anyway, it seemed like the right thing to do to try to let this darn plantar fasciitis heal. Which it's not.

And doesn't look like it's going to any time soon. But it was worth a try.

I've rested it and used the good shoes with orthotics every time I walked farther than the mailbox. Now I'm resigned to taping it most of the time (which helps a lot) and trying to get back into some kind of routine where I, ya know, use my feet to get my heart rate up.

(BTW, I'm almost out of the tape the PT gave me and I'm done with her until my next injury, so if anyone can recommend a good athletic tape I'm all ears.)

This past week was really great in terms of getting back out there. I managed to make some paying clients happy, not lose an increasingly mobile baby, keep up the house reasonably well and still:

- go for a walk
- go for a wog
- swim in a lake (which was awwwwwwesoooommmme)
- play volleyball

Interesting new physical feature: the wrist I spend the last 6 months getting fixed is almost healed but has a new quirk... if I move it wrong or, say, bump a volleyball with it, the tendon pops out of place and my thumb freezes. I can massage it back into place, but it's a little ouchy and a lot creepy.

Anyway, the swimming in the lake was by far the most exciting for me. It was our second time in the water this month and we were totally looking forward to it. My dear friend Dagmar and I took the babies (they're only 3 months apart and each other's godsons) so we could only really swim when a daddy was willing to get his feet wet. But it was all good.

We made it out into the middle of the lake and I was tense but no panic attacks were had (Dagmar appears to have been born with gills, so is the perfect open water companion for me). I even managed to get my heart rate up a little swimming back in. It was heaven and we're only sad the summer is already over and the water will soon be cooling off.

Baby Bear looking very cool in vintage tee and board shorts.

Me and the Bear with our beautiful godson DJ. He's our little linebacker - at 3 months younger than Baby Bear, he's already the same height and weight.

My dear friend Dagmar with her son DJ. She plans to join me in a sprint and become a triathlete June 2009! Woo hoo!

The Bear is NEVER this chill. Another reason to love the lake.