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.