Moving stones

This weekend our coach forwarded a message that one of my teammates mothers wrote. It is beautiful. I am always curious about what a mother's take is on living with a disease that they know may or may not make their life shorter here on earth. I never got to have these conversations with my own mother, and I do not know how she felt about her disease, she simply lived with it and lived life day to day. I am grateful to have found the Leukemia Society when I did, for it still allows me to live and run and swim amongst others who have lived the nghtmare. As my mothers five year anniversary of her death approaches on Monday I take the time to honor her battle, her life, and her death. She was a gift that many had the opportunity to share, and I am sure she is still giving to others in her fun, vivacious and caring way.

Here is the letter from another strong mom.

To the triathlon participants:

I can't say thanks in enough languages to what you have challenged your bodies to do for the cause you've chosen. I wish that I would have had special aim or cause when I walked the 14 marathons in my past.

Now, here I am in Kidney Dialysis (side effect of Chemo) and cataracts (side effect of prednisone). Being diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome in 2004 has changed my life. As a public school food service director, I used to have 25 employees to check on daily. Now confined to a wheelchair and learning to walk against the counter in my kitchen makes my journey so different.

My bone marrow transplant in March of 2005 has given me a new look on life. I can't make 15 loaves of bread daily in my off time or be on the school board or teach employees how to perfect the bread or cookies we sold. There is nothing more humbling than to give up a style of life that didn't need other people's help. Wow, what a change! I was used to delegating jobs to smoothly make breakfast and lunch for 2000 kids a day. Now I'm asking people to help me out of a chair, do my wash, my grocery shopping and some of my meals too! These are stones!

There are so many people who are moving the stones in my path. I now believe that God places people where and when you need them. My husband is my Guardian Angel on Earth. My 4 children have learned and matured in a way no mother wants to see. My faith, trust, and belief tells me I am wrong. This is a path that is challenging for our family.

Now that I've done my bragging and complaining about my life, what about you? Each of you has taken the time, energy and responsibility to do a triathlon for a disease you don't have. What a mission! Who is taking care of your path? Does your family move the stones for you? Friends? People at work? My heart goes out to everyone of you. I wish I could be there kicking stones out of your paths. Stone moving is only for heroes. And all of you are heroes. But remember, when someone offers to move a stone in your path, let them because it is a rush for them as they do it and you both become heroes to each other.

As Katie (my daughter) reads/writes this note, please remember how much your personal mission of raising all this research money has moved a huge boulder off my path. If any of you are ever traveling through Wisconsin, please stop in Kaukauna where my new path has drawn me to opening a Cafe and Art Shop. We serve my passionate bread, coffee, sandwiches, soup, salads. And we sell art. Art and Food to nourish the Body and Soul. Our intention is to listen to each other's stories and help move stones.

As you ride, swim, and run tell yourself that stones make you not only stronger, but wiser in the journey of life. You can count on that. I am living proof of that. Thank you for health! And thank God for every stone and stone mover in my life.

-Beep, aka The Mother.

Pictures from the big day

Me and the girls from TNT Heather and I trying to look poised

Ever so gracefully exiting the swim,

COMPLETELY disoriented.

Off for the bike course! Below, thanking the lord that the ride is OVER!

Coming in from the run.

DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heather and I at the finish with our medals.


SMOOCH!!!!!!!

Done and Done!!!!!

Well I guess I am officially a triathlete. I finished the triathlon in just over four hours, which is what I expected, and I felt relatively good, had a fantastic time, and made some friends along the route and was surrounded by the most important people in my life.
The weekend started yesterday by testing out the not so 60 degree lake water. It was not as bad as I thought however my knee was not cooperating in the wet suit so I decided to cut the knee out even more. Thankfully that helped. After our practice we got to the hotels and got ready for our pasta party. It is that oh so fabulous time of carbo loading and doing it guilt free. Being Italian I have NEVER understood why anyone would cut this out of their diets, but I still like to indulge every now and then. Especially since I no longer get Nana's pasta on Sunday. Anyhoo the pasta party was inspirational as always, we got to meet our NH and RI teammates and coaches, and one of the members from RI spoke about how his two children were both diagnosed with Leukemia. He was expressing how important it is to continue our work, since the likelihood of his children having children who become infected with this is probable. When the dinner was almost done, our coordinator got back up to the podium and gave me a personal shout out. It was very touching and just made my weekend. I was thanked by the society for raising close to $50,000 in just four years. It was really nice to be recognized, and definately made me choke up a bit. Little do they know that my personal goal is $100,000. That would just make my life, and when I get there, I promise I will stop.
We had to leave the guys in the bar watching the Sox game and head to bed since we had to be up at 4:30. It is a good thing that I am an early riser.
We made it to Wellington Park at 6am, and it was already full so we had to trek about a mile with all our stuff to get to the start. There we were marked with permanent marker, and had to set up our transition area. You basically have to fit all your stuff on half of a small towel. There my dad and Apple met me and just after I wiggled into my suit, Brian showed up.
The start was very exciting, there were about 100 or more girls and we were jamming to Cyndi Lauper (why not Debbie Gibson????!?!) and soon we were swimming like little fishies. I ended up getting scolded by a kayaker on the far right of the course, despite starting way way left. So I was way off course so that took a bit of energy to get back on track, but it was my fault because I forgot to look up to see where I was. Any hoo that was fine and dandy til the damn cougars who started behind us started throwing elbows to get by me. I was getting pretty aggravated and decided to go back over to the side to let the super fast people go by. I finished the swim in 39 minutes, not too bad considering. Then it was out of the water and onto the stripping board where I was stripped of my wet suit by a high school kid. Pretty funny. There I threw on my bike stuff and took off running to the bike course and OH MY GOD!!!
People were not exaggerating when they were explaining the hilly course. It was almost comical. Despite that, I only had to dismount once because the hill was so steep that I started to go backwards, no joke. Then I dismounted another 4 times to pee, no shocker there. Had to go on the road once, and then asked the nice residents of NH if I could use their bathroom. Hey at least I offered up my place in Medford if they were ever in the area. Anyhoo I made it up some killer hills that I swore must have gone all the way up to Canada. I was pretty proud of myself when I finished that because I was super nervous about it. Off the bike I went and had to go running. Yes, HAD to go running. I really could have done without the run on account of my quads being so done with me and giving me a constant charlie horse, and then there was the pesky throwing up in my mouth about 10 or more times. I had to consume so many GU packs that it tore up my stomach, as well as the gatorade they were serving up. So I ran as much as I could but then when I ran into some nice girls we decided to walk and chat it up instead. I was fine with that. But eventually I just wanted to be done. Apple walked backwards on the route to find me so I saw her and then decided to step it up and run the rest of the way. I was not last. That is all I can say. Heather and Kim were there to cheer me on to the finish and I got my annual picture kissing my medal. It was a great day and I can't wait to do another one. For now though, I am going to help out the San Francisco and Dublin Marathon teams, for I know about 5 people doing it with the TEAM. I may or may not run the half out there with them in San Francisco, but I will not be fundraising, I would just do it for fun.
That is all for now. Once I get some rest tonight I will post my pictures from the race. Brian was a little photog with my digital so he got some good pics.
Time to eat the food!!!!
I cannot end this post without thanking all of my supporters. Each year I am dumbfounded by the generosity of others. It means so much for me to do this and honor my mothers life. It keeps me close to her and close to this cause. That is especially helpful, even more so during this time of year. So thank you for all your past support and for your future support. We'll see what my next journey will be!!!!!!!
Love to all,
Jody

Yowzers

Okay so I am just here watching my dog eat the only rug I bought for the house, and I don't even care. My stomach is in knots, and I cannot even think straight for packing my bags. Heather and I are taking off in a bit to drive up to NH. We are practicing in the lake when we get there, so that our bodies can get used to feeling semi hypothermic....seriously. Then its time for our pasta party with the team tonight. Looking forward to this being over. That is for sure. I am sure its mostly in my head, but my shoulder is on fire, my knee which has not really bothered me is hurting while I walk, my throat hurts and I think I might have TB from that guy that I have never come in contact with. Well maybe not but the more excuses I can use for coming in at the back of the pack tomorrow the better.
I am planning on coming back tomorrow after the victory party, and I will try to post as soon as possible to let you know how it went.
Above all I have raised $5000 dollars with all of your help! That is amazing that after four years I am still able to raise almost double the amount I am supposed to.
Wish me luck!

ONE WEEK TO GO

Two words come to mind, the first is Holy and the next i'd rather not say in case small children are reading this. It begins with sh and it ends with it. It was quite a week. My shoulder seemed to really act up and I was in spasms for about 3 days. That meant I had to take muscle relaxers which makes me a puddle until the next day around 2.

However this week I was also able to watch some of my kids at school participate in the Special Olympics. It was quite inspirational and very exciting for us and the kids. As I was taking pictures of the kids participating and then holding their medals with such pride, it put things into perspective for me. And no its not that I should be participating in the special olympics like I have heard some of you joke. Its that I am just a girl, trying to make a difference. It does not matter whether I have to walk up a hill, it does not matter if I have to walk a little in a race. What matters is that I am putting myself out there. Each year I do something that is difficult for me, and unnatural for my body. This is always the time where my body starts acting up and reminding me that I am really not supposed to do this. I do this so I can hopefully inspire just maybe one other person to take this on. Or to help someone going through what we went through to realize that your life does not end when your loved one does. You carry on, you grow, and you take the risk of doing things that you never would have because life is just too short.

Yesterday our team wiggled into our wet suits. I slit a hole in my knee so that it was more bearable. We went to Walden Pond, a place where I have gone many many times. And none of those times did I even contemplace swimming across it. We practiced getting kicked and people swimming over us. I definately peed in my wetsuit at least 8 times, so that was quite a thrill for me. Hey it keeps you warm. Once the team was done with our drills they went out for a bike ride. A few of us wanted to swim across and get over the feeling of "holy crap I cannot see the bottom" feeling. So, 5 of us took off, had that feeling, overcame the feeling and just kept swimming. It was quite fun and I am taking off on a nice bike ride today. Tomorrow a group of us are meeting back at the pond to do a swim and bike together.

As Memorial Day approaches we cannot help but think about all the loved ones who have left. Memorial Day was the last day I was able to talk to my mom. I was away and had to put the petal to the metal and drive home because I knew something was up. It is a decision I am so glad I made, because once I got to the hospital, I was told to say what I needed to say. I will never forget those words my mother spoke to us that day before her ventilator was placed. It was simple, and it was short. "I love you all, and please don't cry." I knew that would be the last time, and somehow it was easier to say what we needed to say and we did so for weeks. I never have to wonder if I said what I needed to say. I know it was said, and it was felt. And plus, it was the first time that my mother did not get the last word!!!!!

Happy Memorial Day to all. Summer is here!!!!!

Devil Hill...WHAT??!?!?

Okay so this week has been a bit crazy. Lots of things going on. Nana has to go into a nursing home and it has been suggested that she go to a dementia unit. We have family parties up the wazoo and Brian's friends coming next weekend with their three kids so we are going to attempt to make the place more user friendly this week. Anyhoo I was supposed to go up to NH with Heather and Kim this weekend and do the bike ride that we are doing in two weeks. Since the weather has sucked, I felt like crap, and felt way too stressed with the weekends festivities so I backed out. Anyhoo I heard from Heather, and she said she was moved to tears twice, Kim fell off her bike, and they had to clip out a few times because the hills were so steep. Sweet. I am officially worried.
I made it to practice this morning and oh wait a minute I must back track. We got our wet suits last weekend so I tried it on the other night. Well I had it on backwards, and felt like the guy in space balls when his ass was in his front. It was very awkward, but I must say that even when I put it on the correct way, it still felt awkward. I lathered on some body glide today before putting on the suit. Managed to pull it on, was told that "cameltoe" was a necessity, and that if you didn't have it you were not wearing it correctly. So I was definately wearing it correctly. Made it into the water, felt like I peed myself with the warm water rushing through the suit. Attempted to swim in it and could not even make it a lap. Since I have floating kneecaps, and long legs, where the bottom of the suit should be at your ankles, its just below my knees. So its super tight around the knees and forcing them in directions that is not natural. I felt alot of pain and could not swim with my legs. Obviously a problem that I need to fix in the next few weeks. I was told that I may need to cut holes in the knees or just cut it above the knee. Not sure what is going to happen since the water is still 50 degrees. Can you tell i'm stressing about all of this?!?! We have a open swim next Saturday at Walden Pond so that should be fun. I know this will all pan out, and that in the grand scheme of things it is not about the swim or the bike or the run, but about the feeling when I cross the finish, knowing that I have made a difference in something that has taken away so much from me. I will continue this battle as so many patients do each day. This battle with the suit is nothing. I will treck my sorry ass up "devil hill" and if I have to clip out of my pedals, so be it. I will finish, and I will be that much closer to my future goal of raising 100K for this cause.
I am looking forward to hearing if a few friends have signed up for the San Francisco marathon in October. They will be training with the TEAM, and if so, I am going to sign on to mentor and help out this summer. I think Belle would make a super cute water girl.
Much love to all and Happy Birthday to Heather and Dad!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Well to all the moms out there Happy Mother's Day. I had to add a picture of my baby Belle! Can't figure out how to make it upright but you can still see how cute she is! It is a day to celebrate the wonderful women in our lives that we call Mom. I honored my mother by turning on some Michael Bolton as I drove home from Mohegan Sun. It is hard to experience this day without thinking about my last Mother's day with my mom. I remember it well because my brother and father were away for a race and I was home with my Mom caring for her. It was the first time that I got her to try Thai food, and she quite liked it. It was also the day that a young mom from Waltham died suddenly leaving four young children. I remember seeing my moms face when I told her, and how sad she felt "for those kids." Little did I know that a month from that day, I would lose my mother. This was also the Mother's day that my wonderful friends created a book for her in which they shared stories with her and just told her how special she was to all of them. It is still a book that I read often, and it meant so much to her and to me. This is a difficult time of year because you cannot help but think about difficult times that came for my mother that month. If I knew what we were in store for, I probably would have stayed home that night hanging out with my mom, but she knew that I was still just a 23 year old and she made sure that I was able to go out with my friends and have some fun. I cannot believe that it will soon be five years without having my mother here with us. It does not feel real, and in a way I hope that it never does. I do have a mother, she is wonderful, and funny and at times a real pain in the you know what, but she is my mother and will always be. So Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

I was able to spend last night at a craps table with some girlfriends for Tiff's bachelorette party. We were lucky enough to start up at a table at the right time and a wonderful man which we will call "shooter" shot the dice for over an hour winning us rambunctous ladies quite a bit of money. We had a ball and I wish I could post more pictures, but there are only a few that Tiff would approve of. Have a great start of the week and I hope everyone was able to catch the Sox comeback against the Orioles today. Felt alot like 2004!!

5-6-07

Well first off I would like to wish my friend Nicole a happy wedding day. While some of our friends were able to make the trek to Atlanta for the wedding I was unable to. So since I stayed back I had the honor of watching Molly for the weekend. So we have been having a good ole time and I am officially caught up on all the kid shows.

Yesterday was our mock tri. It went really well. We set up our transition areas in Sudbury. It was a little bizarre standing around in tighter than tight spandex shorts and tops, but hey we have to look the part right?! We jumped into the pool, which was rather crowded, I really only felt like I was in race mode twice but that is probably what it will be like race day anyways so I better get used to it. After our 24 laps we ran out of the pool in our bare feet and soaking wet tri suits and got into our bike shoes and ready for the bike ride. We did a loop and we were supposed to do it five times, I ended up cutting mine down to 4 loops because I felt my lower back and knee acting up(and my lady regions were numb, as well as my feet). After hopping off the bike, my legs felt like bricks and we were off for a five mile run. My knee was locking up pretty badly so a mentor told me to only do half of the run. I thought I was going to but then I felt like I could go slow and steady and finish it, so I did. The swim took ab out 20 minutes, the bike a little over an hour and the run was 50 minutes. All in all a pretty productive Saturday.

It was a good feeling to get that under our belts. I feel a little more prepared for the race. In a few weeks we are going up to NH and practicing on the bike route, and then after that we can finally try out our wetsuits in the open water. I heard from someone at the gym that the lake we are swimming in was still partyly frozen only two weeks ago so lets pray for a heat wave!

Hoping to get some gardening done today, and to go see Nana at the rehab. Life is going to continue to be majorly busy until this triathlon is over, but the end is near. Oh and the bike made a HUGE difference yesterday.

I found a great bike route around my house the other day. It is majorly hilly and goes through a bunch of towns and is about 10 miles. I am going to start doing the loop two and three times to get used to being on the bike for so long. Despite padded shorts by butt still hurts pretty bad today!

Have a great upcoming week!

Charge it!

Okay so since I have not really put any major purchases on the plastic since last year's Mexico trip, I ended up getting a little carried away when I went back to the bike store for the fifth time in two weeks. Sooo long story short I tried out some unreal bikes and ended up with one that was just a tad bit out of my price range. Eh whatever, I am already doing two triathlons this summer and may sign up for one in September that is on the Cape. Gotta get my moneys worth!

Other than getting the bike, not much is new. I swam a straight mile the other day, although I am starting to think it is more than a mile, and it took about 40 minutes. I have actually not done much else this week. We are supposed to be taking it easy because of our mock tri this weekend. I am going to test the bike out tonight and hopefully do a "quick" 20 miles. I am really hoping that this bike helps out a bit. I am going to do my best to maintain a good attitude this weekend at the tri. I think I was probably really low on sugar the other day for me to get so cranky, and yes I even cried on the phone to my dad later that day. But that is what you do with parents right?

Oh I almost forgot about my crazy story. While I was waiting for my bike to be finished yesterday, I decided that I should get my tri suit. Now I heard from my coach that they ran small so when I picked up shorts that said 8 on them, I thought, okay this could work. Well they were actually XS and had an 8 inch inseam. I was nearly dying in the dressing room of lack of blood to my lower extremeties. Then I tried a top on, and yes I got stuck in it when I tried to take it off. I managed to wrangle myself out of it, and came out sweating and with red marks all over my face. It was not embarassing at all when I walked out and there were two people waiting to get in. Anyhoo I decided a tight top and bottoms was just not realistic for me so I went with the shorts and bid farewell.

Just want to remind everyone that Heather and I are having a fundraiser at The Chateau in Waltham on Tuesday night, May 8th. You can come anytime between 5 and 8. You will needto bring the coupon with you so that 25% of your total bill will be donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are hoping to see lots of faces, and to get our colleagues and students there as well. Should be a good night! Toasted Ravs all around! Let me know if you are interested in attending and I can send you the coupon on the computer.

Good Lord

Okay so yesterday was a major confidence buster. I had a group ride and was one of the only hybrid bikes in my group that was riding 15 miles. We started at Walden Pond and rode through Concord and Carlisle. As I was huffing and puffing and spinning the hell out of my wheels everyone else seemed to be cruising. I was extremely frustrated and cursing the fact that I had not sucked it up and put money into a road bike. Luckily a mentor, Chip stayed behind with me, since I was the last person in the group. He taught me some helpful hints and even took some of the load off of my bike. Apparently because of my bike and what not, I had to work and exert way more energy than needed. Just thinking of having to exert that much energy on race day was daunting. Chip kept trying to cheer me up, but it just wasn't happening. The ride ended and we then took off running. My legs felt like bricks and I am currently wondering how the heck I will make it on June 2nd. I know that the bike is not the whole thing, but why make it harder on myself. I know I am not the most athletic person, or coordinated. I have been mediocre at almost all ventures I take on, and I am okay with that. I know that this is a small part of what I am doing, but it was frustrating. Needless to say I went to a few bike stores today and will suck it up and go into some more debt to buy a suitable bike. I am most likely going to trade in my bike that my parents bought me when I graduated college. After making it through the day of hell, I joined some coworkers for a cancer walk. It was a great turn out and I made it just in time to do a memorial lap for John Kim, our coworker who died recently from pancreatic cancer. It is always difficult to do, but what is even better is seeing all the purple shirt survivors there with a smile (Karen and Lisa especially!). Here is a picture of a possible bike. Great week to all! Wish me luck this week, I will be preparing for a mock triathlon. I really need a confidence booster right about now.

Danskin Danskin Danskin, she's a danskin machine

This week was all about getting back into things. At work it was like we were never gone, and I had to get back into things there. I am pretty lucky that I was sick last week during vacation and did not have to take off any days, or suffer through working sick. I also got some good workouts in as well. Heather and I had a swim off at the pool and she pretends to suck at swimming, but I was doing by best so that she would not lap me. I have been focusing more running and did a bike run a few mornings. I am feeling like the bike part may be the hardest. I stressed myself out this week thinking about getting a road bike. I just cannot swing it right now. When I went to the store and told them that my budget was between 6 and 800 dollars, they laughed at me. I am thinking I will suck it up for this triathlon and if I really end up doing the half ironman then I will invest in a bike and have to sell my hybrid. Although the hybrid is perfect for riding around the beach and making quick jaunts to Kelly's. The TEAM is meeting tomorrow morning for an outside bike ride. I am looking forward to this, as well as my friend Kim's dedication to her Grampy who passed away last week. Hoping to then make it to the Relay for Life in Bedford. A friend from work runs it and there are lots of coworkers as well as students and their families attending. There will be a lap in honor or our friend and colleague John Kim at 3. I may miss that because I am off to cater at 4 but will certainly be thinking of him then. Hope everyone has a nice weekend and GO SOX!

Right after I posted this I signed up for the Danskin women's triathlon in July. I did not think I was going to make it because of the 9 weddings I have this summer, but luckily the wedding that weekend is on a Friday and the tri is on a Sunday. Looking forward to this. I think a fair amount of people from my team will be partaking as well so that will be fun. Oh and its a short one!

The Party's Over!

For all of the students and teachers out there, my deepest condolences that vacation is over. It will be a long few months until we have our next vacation, especially us LABBB workers who go through July!! It was a beautiful weekend here and I started it off once again in the pool at Simmons College with my teammates. We did alot of the same drills as last week, and I was dragging a bit this week due to a nasty virus that I cannot seem to shake, but I powered through. At the end we had to do a quick 1200 yard swim, and I was struggling at first to get into it, but by the end I was feeling like I needed to move up a lane where people were swimming at a faster pace (but I didn't..hehe).

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed that in about 6 weeks I will have to do this triathlon. I am feeling underprepared, and feel like I have been focusing on the swimming a bit too much. So my goal this week is to work on getting my miles up on the bike and run. Our mock triathlon has been set for Cinco De Mayo. As I think back to my days at PC, I remember the raging parties that would happen as the end of the school year was winding down and the weather was getting nice out. We would pretend that we knew what Cinco De Mayo was and drink all day out in the sun. Man I feel old now, that I will now instead be pulling on a wet suit, hopping in a cold pool, onto a bike and then running. Heck maybe i'll wear a sombrero for good old times sake!

This weekend Nana made it into the same rehab that she attended over the summer and seems to be doing a little better. Hopefully the next few weeks will be uneventful, because this month has been difficult to say the least. Lets hope that the sunshine is going to bring more light to us all.

I want to add a picture of my friends daughter Lily. If any of you remember, Lily was diagnosed last year at the age of 7 months with Leukemia. Lily is doing fantastic and had a nice visit from the Framingham Fire Dept. this weekend with a beautiful rocking chair and tons of books for her make a wish. Yay Lily! This is what its all about!

Spring has Sprung

Well FINALLY it feels like Spring!!! Love must be in the air because Belle just got mounted outside by a chiuauau (sp???) Spike. I had to nip that one in the bud. Belle is helping me to type so if there are typos you can blame her.
Some updates:
Nana is finally past her delusional state. She was talking so much jargon, pretending to make sandwiches for people, talking to the walls. It was quite comical until the Dr. said she might not "come out of it". Luckily she has and will hopefully be entering a rehab soon. Her arm looks like the incredible hulkand she has about 45 staples in her but she is a trooper.
Traning is going okay, despite teh ulcer I got in my mouth this week due to stress, s oI am dealing with that. Made it to the gym today to swim a mile and I felt pretty good. My shoulder injury seemed to work itself out which is fantastic.
I was planning on taking a trip to NH with Heather to ride the bike route that we will do on triathlon day. However our TV is being delivered tomorrow and I have to take Belle face to teh vet. I think she has an STD. Kidding but ya never know. Happy weekend to all, I hope you are all going to enjoy the beautiful weather.

111th Boston Marathon

I want to congratulate all those who completed yesterdays Boston Marathon. IT was pretty miserable weather, but despite the rain, the wind, and the cold temperatures there were many who accomplished a great feat all in a days work. I went out to the top of heartbreak hill with the rest of the Team in Training, and got to see some old friends and coaches. There we cheered on the many purples shirts passing by. There were not many that seemed to be loving life, but they all finished and I am very proud of them. It was especially nice to see a few of my old teammates, Steve and Amanda running with my mothers name on the back of their shirts. I have to admit I did miss it just a little bit. Who knows, there is always next year. I do not however miss not being able to go down stairs, or to sit down on the toilet without yelling out a little bit. After cheering along with Uta Pippig all day (she was across the street from us all day) I was pretty tired. Heather and I decided to suck it up and go to a spin class last night. I have to say the girl kicked our little butts. As she was telling us to turn up resistance, I was looking at her like she had 9 heads. I could barely pedal it was so tough but she kept telling us to push it, so I did. Then when it was time to match her cadence, I nearly fell off the bike trying. When she then told us that it was time to sprint, I looked at Heather and said "What were we just doing?!?!" All in all a good workout. I am hoping to make this week of school vacation a productive one at the gym. Since it is still raining here for about the 5th day straight I am feeling the Spring time blues. Belle and I are both sick, so today will be filled with rest and some chic flix i'm sure.
A special prayer to all the families and friends of those affected by the killings at Virginia Tech. Hopefully there are some bright sunny skies ahead.
Congrats to my friends who kicked butt yesterday on the 111th Boston marathon:
Steve, Amanda, Brendan, Melissa, Katherine, Jill(qualified), Jason (qualified), Sara(qualified), Kevin, Sean, Rubsy and Doyle.

When it rains it pours!

As I realize that my last post was pretty negative, I will do my best to make this one a little more positive. Ally's service on Thursday was beautiful, and very difficult. Father Kilroy made a wonderful sermon in which he spoke about how bittersweet the day was, which is what I felt exactly. After coming home, I got a call from my colleague Heather, that our counselor at school and friend, Mr. Kim had passed away earlier that day. Mr. Kim was a gentle, comical husband and father. He was only 33 and just had two beautiful twins with his wife Stacy in July. He will be missed by many, and the LABBB community will certainly miss his presence. After that phone call my grandfather called to tell me that my grandmother was being rushed to the hospital. So I b-lined it to Mt. Auburn and hung with her for about 6 hours. She shattered her shoulder, and was in alot of pain. I did some reiki on her in the ER and that seemed to help calm her a bit. She was operated on yesterday while I was catering, but the surgery went well and hopefully she will get off to a rehab soon to get back to normalcy.

At yesterdays practice Heather had the idea to dedicate the practice to Mr. Kim. So I spoke for a few minutes about Ally a nd Mr. Kim and then we got into the pool. Practice was fun, we all started in the little pool and practiced what it would be like at the start. We were told to crowd eachother and just to block our heads. All in all a nice practice. I am going to take Belle to the beach today since I am a single parent this weekend. While Bri is off in New Orleans on the bachelor party I am home taming Belle.

I want to wish all the Boston Marathon runners good luck as they take on the toughest 26.2 miles around. Not to mention the course, it will also be raining sideways. My dad and I are still planning on getting out to as many spots as possible and I look forward to it.

Think Happy Thoughts

Today is going to be a tough day, as Ally is being laid to rest today. I look forward to Father Kilroy's sermon, for I know he will help to bring us some of the peace that Ally seemed to have when I saw her last night. As I made it through the line yesterday, Ally's mom and dad said to me "we know she is there with Betty Lou" and my reply was "good for them, they are happy and we are left down here to deal with all of this." I think they may have appreciated my honesty, but truly it is so tough for those of us who are left behind. It does not get easier, people who say that lie. You just have to be thankful for the passing breeze that may give you a feeling or goosebumps, or a passing by in a dream, or when someone says your name and it sounds like your loved one, and for that split second you forget what its like to be living without the one that you love, because for that minute you felt they were there. Those are the moments that help us get to the next day. So since I know this day is truly going to suck, I am going to post a happy picture of two of my favorite things.

Split pump pump

Last nights fundraiser was a success, we raised lots of money and had a good time while at it. I managed to get in my 60 minute bike and 30 minute run yesterday, and felt really good. I managed to make my moms cream puffs for Easter (after 2 tries), and got it all together for the fundraiser.

I would like to set the stage for one of the funniest parts of the evening. Now if you have not been to The Greatest Bar, know that it is a sports bar, but at night turns into a strip club. Well not really but pretty much. Okay so well into the night, I saw it fit to change into my infamous purple suit, circa 1980. It is so amazingly fabulous. Well I grabbed Lissy and we headed into the bathroom on the floor of our party. Apparently that is the same bathroom that all the girls change in before they go downstairs to dance on the bar. Well I walk in, ask the girls if they "love shoulder pads like I do" and got dressed amongs the true life strippers. As they were rubbing themselves down with glistening gels and shimmer lotions, I was throwing my hair up into a side ponytail, stepping into my one piece suit, and watching Lissy do a "split pump pump" underneath the sink. Not sure they knew what to do with us. I even resisted going downstairs to become part of their act.

Good times, pictures will be posted later.

Need to take Belle out to find the Easter Bunny, hippity hoppity!

Spring Please Cometh

In case any of you are not lucky enough to be from the New England area, know this.....ITS COLD!!! I did not think I would be dog training in this weather but so be it!

I am enjoying the day off today, and hanging with Belle face. Despite all the emotional rollercoasters that this week brought, I was able to get all my work outs in. Even thought I thought that there was no way to injure myself with swimming, I managed to sneak in a little nagging injury. Mondays swim was pretty uncomfortable for me, and my shoulder felt like it was on fire. I made it through the workout. The next day I woke up and made it to the 6:15 spin class with Heather. I was unable to put pressure on my shoulder so that was interesting trying to balance on the bike. I went back to my chiropractor two weeks ago, so luckily he gave me a little tune up. It feels a little better, and I managed to run 5 miles yesterday pain free.
Going to get in another work out today, and doing my first brick tomorrow. Yes there are lots of triathlon terms that I do not understand, such as when we run we are supposed to do "fartlets", i'm pretty sure I should not giggle every time but if someone knows what that is please enlighten. So a brick is doing two sports in one workout. So I am supposed to bike 90 minutes then run a half hour. Fun stuff! There is no practice this weekend because of Easter, so I will be doing this alone at the gym tomorrow.

Going to head out today to get all my goods for the fundraiser tomorrow night. Looking forward to it, and hope to see alot of faces there.

Happy Easter!

Ally Brennan- April 2, 2007

I did not think that I would be posting this today, but on my way to work I was informed that our dear friend Ally passed away last night after a year long fight with MLD. I met Ally through the O'Donnell's, my second family. Year after year, and summer after summer our families would celebrate Labor Day together up in Plum Island. All the kids would be anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first days of school, and of course Gret would give all us girls a double french braid for our hair and we would take a picture all lined up. I will not forget turning off of Washington Street onto Comm Ave. each year during the marathon and Ally and the family would be there with cowbells and bright signs to greet me and send me off to conquer the hills. Ally was always a hoot, and to say that she was full of life would be an understatement. Karen was there for me when I competed in my first marathon. She flew out with Gail to San Diego to support me and watch me struggle and finish and was there for me at the end. I can now sufficiently thank her because I know that this time my mother was the one supporting Ally durign her long struggle, and was there for her at the end to celebrate together.

She will be missed, but we all have to take a deep breath to know that she is now with all our loved ones, wherever you may believe them to be. They are together, and they best be waiting for all of us. I pray that her family will continue to find ways to be near to her, and to allow her to be near to them. She simply left her body that was battling her this past year, now she is free to be Ally. I wanted to add a note that her Uncle wrote on her website that has been updating us all this year:

"Ally, I'm not a man who writes well, but here it goes. I'm not a God-fearing man, but I do believe in Him. I've seen many things that make me question His wisdom, yet others that make me believe in it. I believe that God came to Ally 9 months ago and said He had a special project for her. If I know Ally, she said, 'Bring it on!' There are special angels in heaven who God brings there for those of us on here on earth. Today Ally passed her test with flying colors. Ally has become one of God's special angels; she is now a guardian angel. Her special project is to be the guardian angel for twins here on earth. We may never know what purpose God has for each of us as He challenges us, but I do know that Ally is a special angel who earned her wings today. P. S. Ally, if those twins are anything like their aunt and mother, you are going to have your hands full.Love, Uncle Chuck"

Since I have met my fundraising minimum, I am going to donate my portion of the money raised this weekend at the fundraiser to the MLD foundation. This is a terrible disease that completely debilitates individuals of ALL ages, and there is NO CURE, and little treatment. Ally had to undergo the only treatment which is a bone marrow transplant, and that is a battle in itself. I remember my mother when she was propositioned after her cancer relapsed only months after her transplant. The doctors said she could have another one, and knowing that was her only shot at life, she said there was no way she would do it again. Of course you have to try, but if this is the only treatment for these diseases something has to give.

Please think of Ally Brennan, and her family. Especially her older sister Jen who is about to give birth to baby boy twins any day now. As Karen, Ally's mom put it, she says "Ally and Betty are partying it up right now" and I have a strange feeling that its true.

Panic

The weekend came and went, and was pretty much a blur with Belle. She is doing fantastic and is now sleeping through the night without whining. We are actually home right now waiting for a doggy day care to come and meet us and hopefully take her. That way she will be with other dogs and playing for about 5 hours a day, they pick her up and drop her off and its the same price as a half hour dog walk. Wish her luck!!!

So yesterday morning I made it over to the pool before work. As I was swimming and practicing some drills like the switch kick (it helps us to use our legs less since we have to then use our legs to bike and then run) its a little weird, but I am getting used to it. So I had the whole lane to myself for a bit, which is unusual. Then the dreaded man that I cannot stand, (he hogs the lane and is rude) came and just had to join my lane. Great. So as I am trying to get out of his way, I swam into the lane divider and my hand hit it so hard that my mothers ring that she gave me before she died, broke off. Originally I just felt my hand hurt so I stopped in my tracks, then I look at my hand and notice that the ring was gone. I legitimately had a short panic attack, then realized it couldn't be far. I stuck my head into the water and dove down the 20 feet to the bottom of the pool and there it was. PHEW!!! So I now have it taped on because I dont trust anyone, or my luck. So I am going to hopefully leave it on until I make it to the jewelers to get it fixed. Crisis Diverted!!!!!!

Okay I am going to get going, and hopefully Belle gets picked to go wtih the group today!!

Very excited about the upcoming fundraiser. I know lots of people are away visiting family for various Holidays, but if you are around feel free to come by. Erin was able to donate 4 right field roof table tickets. We are going to raffle two of them a piece so that two people can be big winners, for the April 14th, a Friday night game.

A big group of us is once again making it to Opening Day at Fenway this year. We will not be sitting on top of the bull pen like last year, so I don't think that Timlin and I will have words, but you just never know. And this year I do not have to behave (aka have no beers) because I do not have the marathon a week later! yay!!!

First nights sleep

Okay so in a haze yesterday I managed to get out to the Arlington Bike Path with my friend and colleague Tracy. It was a good ride, and Tracy fell off the bike so of course we had a good laugh along the way. I had to cater last night, so I did not make it to Heather's fundraiser but hopefully they raised lots of money for the Leukemia Society!

I had my first good nights sleep last night. Belle was such a good girl and did not wake up until 6. I am trying to keep her on the same schedule that she will be on during the week so I got up and stayed up with her. She already learned to sit!!

We are meeting so many of our neighbors, one of whom are lending us their dog walker. But for tomorrow our generous neighbor, Muzzey is going to help us out until we get that all under control. Its going to be very difficult leaving her alone tomorrow!!!! My April vacation is only a few weeks away so that will be welcomed.

Belle is playing with Oreo right now (Emily's dog) and learning how to play appropriately. I did not let her get into it with the Doberman that came by this morning. Maybe next time.

Tired

Quite a week its been. We welcomed the arrival of miss Belle. I understand why they say this is good practice for kids, because I was up with her at 3:30, then up 5:30 for the day. She is finally getting it that peeps and poops is for outside. Not sure what my neighbors thought of me yelling "Yay Belle Poopie Time" at 5:30 but whatever! Will post pictures later.

As for training, it went really well this week. Of course I have been side tracked today and yesterday, but I have a team run tomorrow and a team ride on Sunday. I ventured out on the road for the first time with my clip shoes. After my accident in the kitchen, I was a bit nervous. I started out at the cemetary where my mom is. I figured I couldn't hurt anyone there (they are dead) and any of the blue hairs that were there would be driving slow enough. I practiced for a little bit. Clipping in and out of my shoes and I felt secure enough to head to the Arlington bike trail. Pretty good stuff.

Hoping everyone had a good week. TGIF!!!! If anyone is around, Heather is hosting a fundraiser Saturday night at Kitty O Shea's!
My fundraiser is next week and I am looking forward to getting everyone together and raising a whole bunch of money!!!

Jody And Belle

Just a guppy in a school of fish

I want to start this post with a favor. A good friend of the family Ally, is in need of some peace as she continues to fight her battle with MLD. MLD is a rare genetic disease that she was just diagnosed with last year. Only a few years younger than me, she has been through so much this passed year, as well as her family. Please think and pray for them as Ally continues this battle.

As for this weekend, I feel as though it was much longer than an average weekend. It began early Saturday morning as I made it over to Simmons College to meet my team for a swim. Little did I know that at the end we were going to simulate what it would be like when hundreds of people start the race together on the small beach at the lake. So that meant that we put about 15 people into a lane, the coach said go, and we went. You did not wait til the person in front of you had some distance. You did not care about who you were kicking. But you did make sure that your head was shielded at all times. Oh and you most certainly swallowed about a gallon of water. At least I did!! So all in all a pretty fun practice. After practice I went to a wedding shower and became quite nostalgic as I drove past all the charity runners doing their 20-miler. I laid on the horn for about 10 minutes showing my support to complete strangers. I came home from that and the birthday festivities began and did not end til the wee hours of the morning. The purple suit did make an appearance. After waking up early to begin todays duties we experienced another homeowners nightmare. Our sink pretty much fell out of the wall. The garbage disposal fell out with the pipes. Lets just say that we were covered in what looked like throw up. Due to my lack of sleep and immaturity, I just laughed hysterically as Brian tried to take care of it. Its not 2:40 and it seems to be under control and we are just drying out everything. Gotta go pick up Nana and Papa to head over to my dads for a 3:00 dinner. I think I am going to be late!!!

Have a great start of the week everyone!

Cause she's got HIGH HOPES

Okay first things first, I only need $115 dollars to meet my fundraising minimum!!! Come on people, who is going to be the one to put me over the minimum????

This week has gone really well with training. I swam twice so far and went over a mile both times. Managed to suck it up on the treadmill yesterday and ran a whopping 3 miles. But the good news is that I felt no pain in my knees. I am going to keep it slow and steady with the running so that I do not end up needing cortizone shots like last year.

So now that I am 3 days away from my 28th year I started to think about things. Now I was never one with a master plan, or an idea of what I thought I would be when I was this age. Who needs stress like that. I typically take each year for what it is, and try to learn as many lessons as possible to be a better person. I am thinking that by the time I turn 90 I will have gotten it. Anyways long story short, I have decided (afterall if we "think" we are going to do something it won't happen) that I am going to do a half ironman the year I turn 30. So yes, I have two years before that happens, but if I keep up my training after this triathlon then it should not be any harder than a marathon. I will look into it and see which events the TEAM participates in. There is a half ironman the same weekend as my triathlon in New Hampshire so maybe it will be that one. I just think that Hawaii sounds much better. As long as this does not interfere with the vacation that my girlfriends are planning for our 30 birthdays then I should be golden.

55 degrees and falling

Had a productive morning at the BSC in Lexington this morning. I am swimming a mile faster and faster each time. I am having an issue with my right knee in the water. My coach thinks it is the way that they taught us to kick. I never really used my legs too much swimming til now so I am going to have to keep an eye on that. It was nice to relax in the jacuzzi today after my swim. Its kind of like the calm before the storm. It is always weird though when older men, okay men of any age join you with only a thin layer of cloth on, which they call a speedo, I call a banana hammock.
You may be wondering about the title of this post. I came home today to the house being a chilly 55 degrees and falling. My fingers are actually cramping from being so cold. No idea but the heat will not work. There are some men working on the top floor here, and despite me asking 3 different times, in many ways, they do not seem to think that it was anything they did. We shall see about this one.
Going to retreat to a friends house, especially since I cannot watch Dancing With The Stars, because I broke Brian's plasma ( I didnt really but I am sure I am being blamed for it on some leve....). Good luck to Ian Ziering tonight, aka Steve from 90210!!!
BREAKING NEWS: Brian just got home and the heat is back on. Apparently our oil burner was turned to off.....interesting.
Happy Monday!

It Ain't easy Being Green

Well due to practice being cancelled for Saturday, and having worked out every day last week I decided to make the executive call and get some stuff done around the house, in preparation of Belle coming soon!!

Yesterday was Patty's wedding, which was out of control fun. Halfway through the wedding a group of Irish step dancers showed up and clogged their way around the dance floor. While I behaved myself, most around me did not, so I was mighty entertained. These are some things that I witnessed:

Two Greek men trying to bartend for about 300 people.

A friend whose name rhymes with Ken lip syncing and doing the choreographed dance to N-Sync's BYE BYE BYE, then asking the boys if they would go see JT with him.

A piece of the ceiling falling on someones head.

Someone convincing me that Patty and Matt hired midgets to be leprechauns at the reception(way too gullible).

Well I have to go make a dent in that dirt cake. Going for a nice long swim tomorrow morning to start the week off.

I just practiced making a dirt cake for the first time. My mom used to make me one for my birthday each year. I was inspired to try it since my bday is coming up.

Its a Nor-Eastah!!!

On this eve of St. Paddy's Day, I look out the window to the falling snow and think "THANK GOD I DON'T HAVE TO RUN TOMORROW!" My team was supposed to get together for a run in the morning, and I was getting ready to go out and pretend that I was ready for the 5-6 miles that we were supposed to run. I have not exactly been too good about running because my knees are still mad at me about the last 4 marathons. Now I can just go to the gym and get back on the treadmill.

This week was a success health and physical wise. Monday was a lifting day, Tuesday I swam a mile in the morning before work. Wednesday I "ran" and I use that term loosely. I ventured out to "the fells" as the medford folk call it. It is a large wooded area that is in Medfore and Winchester. It is pretty impressive with tons of trains, and lots of people mountain biking. It will be nice on the knees because it is all dirt paths. However the other day it was pretty muddy so I just kept sinking. Thursday I went to the gym to do some spinning, and ended up in a small room with 3 seventy year olds that were playing chess and ping pong. It was rather weird and I kept fearing a fall off of the bike, because the men were playing Forrest Gump style and kept randomly screaming out. Anyways it was back to the pool this morning for a mile swim. It took be about 38 minutes to do a mile. I have no idea if that is good or not, but I just started working on my speed. It took me a while this morning to get into the groove, but that could have been due to the guy thrashing beside me in my lane. I think he was attempting the butterfly stroke, pretty strange. I try not to judge, but those who wear speedos for fun scare me.

Well I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Enjoy your St. Paddy's Day, and be safe! I'll be at Patty's wedding, hopefully to enjoy some cocktails and maybe pretend that I am an Irish step dancer.

Can't help but smile

I just could not resist!

Okay so I am sort of obsessed, but soon enough it will be pups

and neices to battle it out for cuteness.

The BELLE of the ball

Well I know this site was meant for updating my triathlon progress, and I will do that, however we have some exciting news. We would like to introduce the new four legged member of the family, Belle. Bri and I went to Quincy today to a breeder and although I had no idea which one to get, Bri instantly fell for the black cocker spaniel with "brown socks" as he put it. She is a sweetie, and was relatively chill compared to her 7 brothers and sisters who were all attacking one another. We will be taking her home in about three weeks or so. I am trying to be a good dog owner and reading up on as much puppy info as possible.

Okay back to training. I had a great practice Saturday morning. We had to jump into a freezing pool at 8:30, and we were videotaped on our first lap underwater. We swam for about two hours and I am really getting a hang of all the drills. After practice my coach pulled each one of us aside to go over the tape (luckily they could not find a TV for the whole team to watch). All in all I am doing very well with keeping my head down and where my arms should be and stuff, so hopefully this might be my strongest leg of the event. Lord knows I have not been running much! That will come with time i'm sure.

Okay thats all for this post, a little bird told me baby Elizabeth is on her way. She must miss her auntie because I was with her all day yesterday. By the way, major props to all the moms and dads out there, I was EXHAUSTED after a day with her, and she barely moves.

Love to all!

Back on Track

Well I luckily made it to the Dr this week before my cold turned into a sinus infection. It was definately a rough week, but luckily I feel almost back to normal, well as close to normal as I can get. I am heading out for a lovely Buonomo Family Gathering. Should be some fun, with some relatives I have not seen in quite some time, and of course BABY ELIZABETH!!!
Not going to go too crazy because I have swimming tomorrow morning, and hopefully the start of a healthy and exercise filled week!
Oh and we are checking out puppies on Sunday!
I will have lots of pictures to share this weekend!

Just For Today

Just for today,
I will give thanks for my many blessings.
Just for today,
I will not worry.
Just for today,
I will not be angry.
Just for today,
I will do my work honestly.
Just for today,
I will be kind to my neighbor
and every living thing.
So I wanted to share my experience yesterday during my Reiki training. The above are the reiki principles. They sure did come in handy today when I was getting swung at by a kid, and later flipped off by someone who thought I was cutting them off ( like how I spun that one?).
I managed to take my sick self to the training with my old supervisor, PearlAn. It was an amazing experience, and the people that I shared the class with had some pretty amazing stories and experiences to share. Makes me really believe that this can help people. I practiced on Brian last night, for now he can be my guinea pig. I had some pretty wild dreams last night, but that was probably due to the dayquil that I took.
Anyways after hardly any sleep, I managed to get up at 5 and start my day off at spinning class. I was a sight with my red nose, tissue box, and plenty of sneezes. Hopefully I can do some energy healing on myself and get rid of this nasty cold, cause I really need to get some swimming in.
I'm kind of glad that I got kicked out of acupuncture because now I do not feel bad about treating myself to my favorite candy ever that is only around during Easter!

Runny

Well it was a pretty productive week for me all in all, but perhaps too productive because I woke up with quite a cold (I guess I can thank the kids for this one!). Needless to say I did not think that heading to the pool to infect my teammates was a good idea, so instead I plopped down in front of out new plasma and watched a few hours of 90210. I healed pretty well from my biking accident last week, and managed to work out every day last week. I have been trying to make it to the gym in the mornings before work. This allows me to keep up with my second and third jobs, as well as acupuncture. Speaking of acupuncture, I was kicked out. Yes, it is possible. I was put on a treatment plan of twice a week for 6 months. At $70 a pop, this is just not possible. As I sat there and explained that while I understood why it would be good for me, that I just could not pick up anymore extra jobs to be able to pay for it. It was rather uncomfortable, and while I thought I would still be able to go once every few weeks, they did not feel that was a good idea. So I am on the market for a new acupuncturist. My body seemed to react to it so I will try it out. On to my next venture...Reiki. I am taking a Reiki class tomorrow. My old supervisor is a Reiki Master and owns her own holistic center (www.theselfcenter.com). Reiki is all about energy healing. My old neighbor from Waltham Trish, learned Reiki when her son was sick. When my mother was sick, she would come over and help her to relax by doing Reiki every once in a while. I am learning and will hopefully be effective at helping people to be more balanced. I am not sure how long it will take me to be comfortable enough to do this on others, but I already have lots of volunteers! Well that is it for me, I am going to milk this cold and sit in front of the television all day. Hoping that I can make it to the pool tomorrow to get my swim in. Have a great weekend everyone!

My first biking accident

Well my back is doing great, and my hair is now a nice mahogany color, (it only took about 8 hours at the hairdresser's to fix it), and I have gotten over a major milestone, Falling off my bike, and I did not even have to leave the privacy of my own home to do so. I picked up my updated bike at Wheelworks. I got a tune up, new handlebars, slick tires, and pedals that fit my new clip on shoes. I thought that I was getting ahead of myself by reading up on how to attempt to clip in for the first time. They are shoes that snap into your pedals like bindings. So I read people's websites and laughed at their expense about their horror stories, and how they attempted their first ride. Some did it in the middle of a doorway, some on a soft surface, me, not so much. I attempted it in my kitchen next to the kitchen table. So I snapped in one foot, pushed my foot down so hard to get it in the pedal, that the other pedal went flying into my other leg. This startled me, and the bike quickly swept under me. I went flying onto the bar (a major ouch even for a girl) and tried to break my fall with the kitchen table. All the while I was still clipped into my bike. Luckily Bri was there to help break my fall. All I could do was laugh, but really I wanted to cry. I have spent all week at the acupuncturist and finally my back is doing better. I now have a bruised hand, wrist, knee, back, and parts that I cannot disclose on the world wide web. So I am going to attempt to use the shoes on a stationary bike at the gym, and get on the bike when I feel like I am not going to break my neck. On a brighter note, I had a great swim on Saturday morning with my team. We are continuing to learn drills that follow the total immersion model. You can read up on how to be a better swimmer and see some helpful videos at www.totalimmersion.com . It is quite helpful I have to say. Hoping that the back continues to hold out. I am doing well on my acupuncture diet, although watching friends eat pizza, or anything with cheese is difficult but I am feeling pretty good. I will do anything to stay healthy all over. Well enjoy the Oscars tonight, and for all us teachers, its back to the real world tomorrow!

Big Red

Just wanted to update on my status. I have gone to acupuncture twice this week and still have another appointment on Friday. They put me on a special diet that is supposed to make me more balanced, which in turn will translate to less pain. HOWEVER this diet means no cheese, sweets, sugar, or red wine. Going to give it a shot if it helps with the pain. After my last appointment in which they told me not to submerse myself in water or do anything strenuous, I went swimming. Felt good while I was there, then I was in more pain that night. So I am going to take it easy until I get ahead of this. So since I am just sitting around right now, I got a bit bored and went to the hairdresser. I now have flaming red hair. Do not know exactly how this happened, but i'm sure it will cost me some money to get it looking semi normal again. When the hairdresser washed it out and said "I hope you are ready for St. Paddy's Day!" I knew I was in trouble. He compared it to Debra Messing and Marcia Cross. I am going to go with it for a little bit, so if you do not happen to see me before then, here is a picture!

Pokey

Well after my last post, we had our very first homeowner crisis. I was cleaning and kept hearing a surge of water, and thought "wow our dishwasher is really loud." Eventually I decided to shut the dishwasher off and go down into the basement. I quickly realized that water was shooting out of a pipe. Sweet. So I played the old damsel in distress and ran over to a neighbor that was shoveling and asked him to help me find the water shut off. Well alls well that ends well. The plumbers came out, had a good chuckle and our pipes are now insulated. Maybe it was all that stress, but I managed to throw my back out again. Saturday I woke up and was in agony. Brian was on the phone all morning trying to locate an acupuncturist in the area. Finally the lovely people at Plum Blossom told us to come right in. I have to say I am a total believer now. They stuck me in the hand, and put balls in my ears, and I instantly felt a release of pressure. I have been holding my own today but still playing it safe. I have set up 6 more times, so that I can hopefully have some pain free days and not have to worry about being sidelined like I was in August. Hopefully I will be back to training soon enough. I am going to take it easy and keep up with the swimming and biking, but it may take me a while to feel comfortable running. Good thing it is school vacation week!!! I was planning on turning the heat way up and having some dirty monkeys and pretend like I was back in Mexico like last year's vacation. But then we were told that we are heating the unit above us, so that is out. Oh and the acupuncturist told me no alcohol or caffeine, so that plan is out.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Happy Valentines Day to all. As I sit here on my comfy couch on this fantastic snow day, I figured I would be somewhat productive and update my friends about my triathlon training. First of all, I am already halfway to my fundraising mark and am looking forward to once again, surpassing that number. I had my first training last Saturday at Simmons College. It was rather nerve wracking, about 100 people, with our pasty white skin, trying to squeeze into our bathing suits and caps. We basically jumped in and had a swimming test. Had to swim one length of the pool while the mentors and coach watched us and told us which lane to swim in. I was told lane 4 and quickly realized that it was the super duper "competitive" lane. Not having ever been a "competitive" swimmer, I felt a bit out of place, but I totally faked it. We learned some interesting drills to help us move more freely through the water. Since we had to fit about 7 people in a lane, I was trying to be careful not to injure any of my teammates by kicking my gangly legs. All in all it was a productive first training session. Hopefully I will learn some more drills so that I can amp up the swimming since I know I am not so much "competitive" when it comes to running.
My team is quite an ecclectic group of people, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better and to add people to my TNT family.