I've got no game

Oh boy. Rain is in the forecast for as long as the forecasters can predict. I have a pretty decent cold and this week is week one of a 12 week 1/2 marathon training program which I screwed up scheduling and now have to squeeze into 10 weeks. HA HA HA I think I'm having fun now.

Our calendar is starting to fill like it does every year starting at this time. Event after event after event. If I'm not participating then I'm selling tribabe.com products. Neither one is easy and both require that I get up early on the weekend and get my game face on. I have no game right now. All I care about is being home with my semi difficult but wonderful boyfriend, watching my lazy cat snooze and my hyperactive new dog chew on things.

I have been sticking with the core exercises throughout the neck strain and other drama but I have to say that I'm not in very good shape right now. I just spent the past month in a downward spiral and I don't downward spiral well. I think I need to just build slowly which really is a big challenge for me. Slow down. That's what I tell Marshall when I walk him. Slow.

Somebody should put me on a leash.

Still in one piece

Marshall's first view of the Columbia River. I think he liked the goose poop better than the view. We had a bit of a tough weekend. I started getting sick last week and can barely talk now which Bill might be enjoying at this point, but I don't feel so great about it.

There were many firsts this weekend: our first car trip with cat and dog, Marshall's first time playing in the snow, the first time I've been really drunk in front of Bill and the first time we danced together. I'm suprised I'm still in one piece after all of that.

I'm just really glad to be home now! We made the road trip to attend a wedding in northern Idaho. We planned to x ski and relax in our free time but none of that happened. We barely made it to the wedding in time and ended up drinking WAY TOO MUCH due in part to the open bar and some of the company we were keeping that night.

I don't want to talk about it, maybe later. The good news was that the dog traveled well and the cat was more than tolerant of him, they even shared my lap at one point and rested their heads together. I got Marshall a snow cape which was probably the highlight of the trip except for dancing with Bill which was fun and slightly ridiculous (on my part) but fun still. I've never been so glad to see Monday.

All's well and oh well

Sweet! I finally got back into updating my web site and I like where I'm headed with the new design:

http://www.tribabe.com

I also finally got up the nerve to put up a profile of myself on the site, I'm sure people wonder why the hell I call myself "TRIBABE" and it's not because I think I'm some super hottie. I think of it more as a term of sisterhood but I'm sure there are many people who take it differently. Oh well!

There is a small problem with some male customers wondering if they can order on a chick's web site and all I can say about that is EVOLVE and then get back to me.

I got a little cheeky with this image but I want to grab people and let them know that this isn't a site for some nerdy chick who sews. It's supposed to be a play on words that come from a holiday song. I will be changing it again shortly to showcase new summer products so for now: it's fun!

Swim class today was pretty good (except for being out of shape). There was no jello to be seen and I left 1/2 way through the class so hopefully no muscle strains. Only time will tell how I recover from it but today I feel well and that is good.

Swimming through jello

I have a recurring nightmare that I'm lap swimming in a pool and suddenly the surface of the water turns semi-solid and I have to punch my hand through to swim. I also have a dream about swimming through air. I can swim right by people who are walking and I'm going along quite fast.

I had the jello dream last night, probably because I'm dropping in on swim class today after taking the past 8 days off from training to try to get over a neck strain. The Dr. prescribed anti-inflammatories for me, which I had yet to take since the car accident which caused these problems over 10 years ago. I'm getting close to considering surgery for the bulging disc. Pain has been a part of my daily life for the past two years and I need to decide if I want that to continue or not.

If I do get surgery, it won't be until the fall so I can do a few triathlons this summer and feel a little like my old self again. Other than that: the weather is getting good again and I'm running out of excuses not to bike so I guess I better get back on it.

Also planning a lot of travel over the next 30 days and wondering how I'll leave my puppy Marshall behind. Crap, I want to cry just thinking about it. Not good.

Obsessions

The dog imprinted on me the day we brought him home and has to be near me whenever I am in the house. He has recently started to obsess about the cat and watches every move she makes. Ms Kitty realized that it is fun to put on a show for the dog and jumps from one piece of furniture to the next like a gymnast, just out of reach of the dog.

Last night we took the dog for an evening walk and the cat decided she would follow along. We live in an area that is still undeveloped so we let her come along since there is no car traffic and few people. We thought it was quite cute to have kitty along and helped her by carrying her the during the last part of the walk.

Fast forward to this morning: I'm taking Marshall for a quick morning walk and get about a block away when I hear MEEEOOOOW!!! MEEEEOOOOWWW! It was the cat and she is half hysterical trying to catch up to us. Oh jeez. Of course the dog is no longer walking and is pulling me to see what is up with the cat and she is relentless about following us. I need to get back to the house so I can sew some hats before work and we are going nowhere fast.

How did this get out of control this fast? I'm taking the dog for a short run tonight and the cat is staying home which I'm sure she'll prefer since it's supposed to rain. Crazy people live in my house.

Bogie ahead

We took Marshall to the local forest for some trail running this weekend and confirmed that he is a bogie hound. If he sees someone ahead, he pushes hard to catch up. Just like me, just like B. This is no good. He especially wants to hunt down runners, maybe it's the Aussie Hound in him but he wants to herd everyone on the trail. We're trying to build up his stamina slowly but he puts his leash in his mouth and starts running so it hasn't been easy to slow him down.

We had friends over Saturday night and little Samara wore Marshall out in under an hour. Marshall is just her size and they are easy friends, she even wanted to read him a book.

The Temperpedic bed finally arrived Saturday and we are in King size heaven. Even the cat slept on the bed last night, about 1.5 feet away from Marshall. I bet they'll be snuggle buddies soon, I could be wrong though. Poor Bill thought he was getting a bed for himself to stretch out in. I decorated the room purple and now the cat and dog are all over the bed. Not exactly what he had in mind!

Sunday morning we walked Marshall downtown near the waterfront. He sure enjoys meeting people and we are enjoying walking him. We're outside a lot more than we used to be. Afterward, I shopped for about 4 hours with Melissa which seemed to disturb Bill for some reason. Like I wanted to watch college basketball and Nascar with him!?! I had to find something to wear for a wedding we are attending next weekend. The ceremony is partly outside at a resort in northern Idaho where it is very cold and icy. So no dress, no heels, no little tops... Meliss thought I should wear Ugg boots but I actually found a nice black sweater to wear. I think a fancy scarf would be good too, I better go shopping again!

I ordered some bulk beach towels and look forward to their arrival this week. The plan is to custom embroider them as gifts for triathletes or as a transition towel. I want to get some summer stuff going in my web store and this is the first step toward that.

Foot dragging boyfriend

This is what happens when your boyfriend drags his feet, switches careers, and gets two master's degrees. You end up being that crazy lady posing on a train in the park with her little dog.

Bill says his knuckles drag too. I love him so what can I do? We obviously deserve each other.

Marshall is a lucky puppy regardless.

Going shopping tomorrow with Miss Meliss and playing dominos in the evening. Glad it's so dang cold, no reason to be out in it!

1000 kisses

Photos from today's morning walk by the Willamette River. There was a nice layer of frost on the ground this morning and steam was coming up off the river so we enjoyed a dramatic sunrise. Our schedules have changed since we adopted Marshall last Saturday. I'm not working in the morning because we have to jump out of bed and get Marshall outside so he doesn't have an accident in the house. We sleep with layers of clothes on the side of the bed and transition likes pros now.

One wimper from Marshall and BAM we're at the door. Mostly Bill is at the door but that's what he gets for letting me get a puppy ;) I've also gotten out of pooper scooper duty so far. Don't tell Bill!

Last night we walked Marshall over to Lonnie and Cindy's house and he had a blast playing with their big Lab named Sequoia. Once Samara got out of the bath tub (she's just over two years old) Marshall jumped on her and started giving her kisses. The more Samara laughed, the more Marshall kissed her so this went on for quite a while with neither one willing to stop. I don't think there is anything cuter than a little girl getting smothered with kisses from a puppy.

I tried to walk Marshall on my lunch break yesterday but he kept wanting to run which was great except I was wearing cordourouy pants and a turtleneck sweater. I think we'll do it again today so I stay away from the gym and get to see my love Marshall in the middle of the day.

Kitty update: last night Marshall was sleeping at my feet while I worked at the dining room table and the kitty came around and tried to provoke Marshall into playing with her.

Looking forward to the weekend!

Snoooozzzzzzzzze

The good Dr. gave me a lecture about overdoing it and allowing myself to recover properly. Apparently, face planting while skiing doesn't go well with a bulging disc and I need to back off until I'm further along with recovery. I've been here before and I've worked through it before so I know I can get better, I just need to be patient. I've got three more weeks until I start officially training for the Vancouver 1/2 so I've got plenty of time to get smart. I can be pretty stupid though so we'll see!

My Dr. is a triathlete so he's very understanding about an active lifestyle, but he doesn't hesitate to tell me to back off. He also dropped the "surgery" bomb again but I'm not open to that yet. The tingling in my hand is gone, it's just muscle strain bothering me. WAH. Get over it.

Marshall likes to help me recover on the couch, he's an A+ cuddler. I think we'll go for a walk at noon today so I stay away from the pool and running. IT SNOWED HERE YESTERDAY just one day after the warmest day we've had in months. We had doors and windows open on Sunday, then snow sprinkling down on Monday. Marshall might get to see snow sooner than we thought! Here's a pic of Ms. Kitty laughing at Marshall getting a bath.

Dang good doggy

I am going to rename this blog to...
Marshall's blog! Yesterday Marshall took his first bath and went for a walk in the park where he met lots of dogs and people. My favorite moment happened when I sat on a bench and Marshall climbed in my lap and looked into my eyes before resting his head on my shoulder. He's working me over and I like it!

The weather here has been so nice, we had the doors and windows open most of the day. Other Marshall firsts: he jumped onto the couch by himself AND walked down the stairs by himself which is all new to him!

The relationship with the cat has not improved but it hasn't gotten any worse either. We took both of them on a walk this morning and made it about 5 blocks before turning around. The cat is also a genius so I'm thinking either one will win a Nobel Peace Prize in the next ten years.

P.S. I went to swim class today and the coach was very good as he had us doing 50s and 100s at a reasonable send off. The class I missed on Friday included: 600IM, 400IM, 300IM, 200IM, and 100IM. Bill asked the coach, "What happened to 500IM?" and everyone yelled at Bill.

P.S.S. I slept poorly last night and my neck strain took a turn for the worse so I'm headed back to the Dr. tomorrow and to the Phys Therapist (but swimming felt great, not in my neck but in my soul).

Marshall Marshall Marshall!

Last night was Marshall's first night at his new house and he spent it not in his dog kennel but on the bed with his momma. He thinks he is a lap dog which might last through the month but I think he is going to out grow my lap pretty fast. He has been excellent about piddling outside and he only woke me up once during the night to go out. I think he's brilliant!

It's 8:30 am on Sunday and he's already been for a walk down by the Willamette river and he's now on the couch with Dad watching the Olympics. Marshall is already showing signs of being a good runner, he had me trotting this morning to keep up with his walk. He was looking back at us and Bill said, "We better get used to that look."

The cat is not happy but she let him sniff her sufficiently this morning without swatting at him so it just might work out. Kitty has been known to rub up on a dog or two in her time so Marshall has a chance with her.

I'm counting down the minutes to take him to Petco so we can get him some chew toys and some shampoo because he still smells like the kennel. I need to work today but I'm not sure how that is going to happen unless Marshall wants to watch me. PUPPY LOVE. BLISS.! First photos of Marshall:

Lavs and Les came by last night to eat pizza and play cards but Marshall had other plans for them. Les wants a dog but Lavs (of course) is holding out so Bill and I love to joke about how we're going to drop animals on their property and leave them there. They have 10 acres in the country and Lavs looks like he needs a buddy so...


Marshall is a relentless cuddler and is already a pillow hog.

I cried all afternoon

These were the two we left behind. We spent the afternoon visiting animal shelters and I had my heart broken over and over again.

Bill was suprised to see my crying in the car after we left the Humane Society. I am a sappy sucker. A cheerful optimist who can't stand to see someone having a bad day. To see dogs laying in a kennel with their spirits broken and watch their tails start to wag as you walk by...

Bill was not ready to be looking for a dog. Bill hasn't been ready since I met him so I don't let it deter me too much.

Marshall is downstairs now, sleeping in his little dog kennel. He's about two months old and is a Australian Shepard/Black Lab mix. He chased me around the back yard for about a 1/2 hour today and let the cat swat at him. He also pooped and peed in the back of Bill's Subaru on the way home but Bill had a plastic liner back there so it wasn't the end of the world, it just smelled bad.

Marshall is my new best friend and I'm looking forward to spending the next several years with him. I need to learn how to take his picture, he moves around fast.

People with talent

I hoofed it to a nearby art gallery on my lunch break to see my friend Lesley's art on display. She made a bunch of miniature paintings and sculptures and hung them in a miniature gallery. It was the most fabulous thing in the gallery, very creative and fun! I hope they didn't mind me taking a pic in there... oops! Too late!

She is one of those smart scientific types who also understands art. Kind of scary actually, I think her brain is running on all cylinders. Too bad she has that mean old boyfriend as a "life partner." Whatever LAVS!

Another talented artsy type from up in New York sent me a photo for my hat map today which I love! Check out his blog. How am I so lucky to meet cool people? Even if it's online, it's fun. I love chatting away with people I've never met in person, it's wonderful!

I have no plans this weekend which means I will probably be very productive and happy.

Scared of swim class

Three weeks off from swim class to get over a neck strain and I'm too scared to go today. I might put it off for next week, I'm seeing the chiro after work... is that a good enough excuse? I have meetings all afternoon today so that should give me a good enough reason not to go. I should go for a walk in this beautiful weather and chill out. I wish we didn't eat out last night, we totally pigged out on fries and I'm certain I negated all the workouts I did this week.

I know, I'll change the subject: the Olympics start today! I'll be sure to roll my eyes when they show coverage of Bode Miller. That'll hurt him.

Bald Hill Trail Run

It's sunny and 60 today in the Willamette Valley and I'm beginning to think summer is just around the corner. Yesterday I brought my tri bike in to work and hit the Beaver Freezer sprint triathlon course for a quick 12 miler on my lunch break. Today Bill picked me up at noon and we drove 2 miles to Bald Hill for a quick trail run in the sun!

I love running through Bald Hill Farm to get to the trails since they have the cutest (and organically fed) animals in their pastures. The black cow was scratching his neck on that tree (see below), it was real cute.

The bike ride yesterday was pretty sweet but it left my legs feeling heavy so swimming after work was a bit of a chore. Fortunately the Grammy awards were on TV last night so I was highly entertained while I did a core routine. We slept like logs last night and I had to drag myself out of bed this morning but once I was in my new sewing room with a cup of coffee, all was well.

The only thing that would have made my day better would have been the company of a dog, but we're still waiting on Bill to come around for that. Sniff sniff I want some pound puppy love.

I might need to go get a Coke because I'm feeling very sleepy right now. This nice weather is wearing me out. If you want a free hat deal today, send me an email and I will give you a $12 coupon for a hat. tribabe@gmail.com


Which one is for lunch?

Lunchtime PR

I love the 12 o'clock run. Once a week I run four miles on my lunch break and I run the same route so I can measure my fitness and fatigue level. Bill is sick of this route (it's even an out and back) but I love it because it's on a closed road and goes through a few pastures where llamas, sheep, and miniature horses are kept. It even has a restored covered bridge over a little stream, what's not to love, I could run here daily!

Yesterday the sun was shining, the temps were in the upper 40s and I had my sunglasses and running shoes so I was ready to roll. I'm in the prep phase for the Vancouver 1/2 marathon in May and have only been running a few times a week in addition to aqua jogging so I was thrilled to see my splits: 8:39, 7:56, 7:15, 8:19 which might sound like a big swing but I do the run as: 1 mile warm up, 1 mile tempo, 1 mile race pace, and 1 mile recovery. I didn't feel like I put out a huge effort so to see a 7:15 happen this early and that easy was very encouraging!

I'm settling into a routine in the new house and got to see the sun rise from my sewing room this morning. I like to work at home in the morning, go to my 8-5 job and then work more in the evening. It's not easy with the 1 hour core routine to do this schedule but I'm pretty dedicated to everything I'm doing right now so that makes it easier to get it done. I also work on weekends which I like as it keeps me from spending too much time doing one thing. Keeps the obsessive tendencies in check.

I thought I would be reducing my hours at the 8-5 job but Bill and I decided he needed an MBA so I'm still on bread winner patrol. Part of our attraction is our mutual entrepreneurial goals and we've helped each other since we started dating almost three years ago. It's very nice to have athletic and career goals that are mutual. We are equally supportive and accountable to each other so it's not an easy relationship but we have a lot of fun despite the challenges. We also share an obnoxious sense of humor so that keeps us bonded even when we are exhausted and acting stupid.

Rambling off: here's a deal for blog readers... two free Blue Powerdry skull caps to the first takers, use coupon code: bluegrid on checkout. Free shipping included.

SUNSHINE!

The skies are finally clear and the forecast says partly cloudy and 50s until Friday. Time to dust off the bike! My strained neck is just about back to normal so I've started up with the core training again and will try to lift weights this week. I know I lost two pounds last month and since I had decreased training significantly due to injury and buying a house, I think I should assume that was muscle weight (pout). Going to shake it off and get back into business of training, I have to get in shape for Tri Babe weekend in March.

Today's special: two free Silkweight Orange Powerdry skull caps to whoever gets there first. Free shipping, enter coupon code: orange on checkout. email me tribabe@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Take advantage of this offer! Powerdry fabric can be your best friend on a long run or ride these next few months!

FREE safety yellow Powerdry hat

To start the five days of free hats for tribabe blog readers...

This BRIGHT YELLOW hat is made from Polartec Powerdry wicking fabric and is perfect for biking, running, hiking etc. on cool days. This light weight layer will keep you warm without overheating and keeps your sweat away from your skin. I LOVE this fabric and think the bright yellow is great for being seen on a dreary winter day.

This hat is free ($12 coupon) and the shipping is free today in my web store when you use this coupon, so if you want to order more, do it today! The coupon is only valid for this hat, and if you want embroidery, it will cost an $3 per side. To order, add the hat to your cart and enter coupon code: safety when you check out for a $12 credit. This coupon will be active for the first three customers who use it, only one use per customer. email me at: tribabe@gmail.com if you have questions.

Let's not overdo it

Bill told me this last night when I said, "Let's go trail running on Saturday and we should go for a ride too." Poor guy is exhausted from the move and had to do a lactate threshold test this week and he hasn't been working out a whole heck of a lot since Kona back in October. Ouch.

I love it when he's tired, I take a strange amount of pride in wearing down such an athletic guy.

Yesterday Bill and Lavs stripped my very large sewing table and recovered it with a laminate. I made the mistake of telling them ahead of time that I thought it would be easy. Oops. I've got a big order of hats to make this weekend for a customer in Germany so it's good they got that table done. It couldn't have been that hard. ;)

Next week... free Powerdry hats for Blog readers so check my blog regularly next week!
Now for something random, here is a pic of my sister's cat (her name is Boo Boo--my sister not her cat):

My picnic got peed on

On the one day of the week when the skies are clear and the wind is calm...
the roads are dry and the temperature is reasonable (40s)...
I have a meeting and have to work through lunch.

So I missed my noon workout. I was trapped in my office and could see clouds parting and blue skies flashing out my window all day long. Oh the pain!

I did manage to get off work a little early and started my run right from my office. Thank goodness for my winter workout gear stashed in my desk. So I'm out running for about 20 minutes, a big smile on my face and a feeling of calm is starting to set in when the skies cloud over and suddenly the rain starts and within a few minutes I'm soaked.

Of course it stopped as soon as it started so it only rained long enough to get me wet. Luckily I was able to go home and take a hot shower and eat some cookies with milk while sitting next to the fireplace and watching Oprah on the DVR.

How did I get this good life?

Pink is for kicks ass!

My running shoes didn't make it into my bag for the trip to the gym yesterday so I decided to use the shoes I had on and hit the exercise machine room.

Fortunately I had my "PINK IS FOR KICKS ASS" shirt on so I was really motivated to give the elliptical trainer a top notch working over.

I hit the HILL INTERVAL program and gave it to the Cybex machine like I was a desperate housewife without plastic surgery funding.

When I wasn't high stepping it in hill mode I took to sprinting the flats so 20 minutes into it my face was red, sweat was flowing and the tanorexics next to me trying to read their magazines while "working out" were probably feeling the time to spring break getting shorter by the minute. (That was mean)

Not sure what I'm going to do today for a workout, I have a meeting right after lunch but rain isn't in the forecast. Might have to take an early lunch and get outside for a run. Who schedules meetings for 1pm? grrrrrr.