All the colors of the rainbow

Today's good news.  I have about 90-95% of my shoulder range of motion back...and mostly pain free.  Going a bit stir crazy in the house and wanting to not eat too much b/c I'm not exercising.  Little errands take a lot out of me and I have to nap for hours.  Headache is not too bad either.  So all around...a good day.!

Some days are meant to put life in perspective

And this past saturday was one of them!  thankful and grateful for every sequence of events that occurred on Saturday that helped me to overcome the bike wreck...from remember to wear gloves (which I never do), to copying my driver's license and insurance card right before the ride, to trying new nutrition that was working!!! To angels on the road who stopped, to my friends that stopped and made sure I wasn't alone until the ambulance got there, to those who stayed with me in the hospital until I could go home!!!

There are angels all around us...for this I am sure.

Thank you to all those who made this day so LESS traumatic for me.  I don't remember much of the accident.  I remember slipping (I thought I had hit a pothole - apparently I hit wood in the road)..I thought I had just made a right on to the major road, and as it turns out, I was almost a mile down the road from that turn....I though the people who saw me fall were right behind me and it turns out that those sweet ladies were in a car and had to turn around and come back....my friends stopped for me, but I do not remember who was there..except for Mairead..I remember Mairead..and maybe Matt...but other than that..I don't remember.

I do, however, remember checking for teeth the first second that my eyes opened...and being grateful that my mouth did not take the brunt of the fall.  I remember saying over and over, "I still have my teeth" and yet I couldn't remember any of my friends names...until I remembered Leanne.  I tried to tell the lady how to make a call on my phone..so I must have remembered the code...but I don't really know who found out what and how.

I am grateful that I did not fracture my cheek, that I did not break any bones and that my road rash will heal.  I think I may have a concussion...after hearing the sequence of events retold, I am sure now that i lost consciousness....so then..why do EMT's and ER physicians ask the patient that?  I had no idea..as far as I was concerned...people were right there the second I fell....

anyway...thank you to everyone and anyone who helped me that day.  Team Z has given me so much support and some of the best friends of my life.

Wear your helmet people!!! Wear your helmet!!! AND your ROAD ID...even though the EMTs didn't know anything about RoadID's...they do now.

In the ambulance

The helmet that saved my noggin

Day 2

Ripping off the bandaid! Monticelloman 2015

Remembering that this is fun!

I was dreading this weekend and looking forward to it all at the same time.  I wanted to see just where I was in the scheme of being ready for this season.  In that respect, about a month ago, I decided to back down from the 70.3 distance to the Olympic distance.  Good call.  Not because physically I could not have done it, but mentally, I was not there yet. 

It was a beautiful venue and could not have been a nicer day. Great people, fun team, nice atmosphere, cold water and a warm breeze.  All this equaled up to a great race for me...a 20 minute personal best over last years flat race. This race was wetsuit legal (water temps 62-64 degrees!  brr!) and I was trying out my new wetsuit for the first time in open water.  I LOVE my wetsuit. Not restrictive in the chest, not restrictive in the shoulders....held me up...felt strong.  

Swim 32:46:6  (8/21) (a 7 minute PR over last years swim).  Felt that I held my line (though there were not very many buoys out there)...my Garmin had something else to say about that...instead of ~1500 yards, it said I swam 1775yds...so....perhaps I would have been faster if I had held a straighter line, but I'll take it...I did not panic - even when I was swum over in the beginning - not sure why we were all so close to the front of the start!!! Got into a rhythm and just swam.

Bike 1:24:19 (7/21)  (3 minute PR and an average speed of 17.1mph over very hilly terrain).  What a beautiful and fun ride.  I felt strong, cadence high, body position low, actually passing people on the way UP!!!! and when I realized that we didn't have to come back up the steep incline that we went down on the way out...I was ecstatic!! Only issue was a little bit of IT band pain on the right side which totally disappears once I am off the bike.

Run: 1:18 (15/21) ..ugh...though I should be happy about my run...and I am pleased with my progress...what the hell is up with the cramping...same thing..every year...once I get past the sprint level, my quads cramp!  This run, though, as is every run this season, is a lesson in mental strength.  I did what I could...I never said, "who care's" or "I can't."  I said...do what you can, "see if you can run through the cramping"....and somehow managed a 9 minute PR over last years flat run...even with the cramping. The second half of the run was better than than the first, though I doubt it was faster.

Overall, completely pleased with my progress.  Then, why oh why, did I have a complete meltdown yesterday at KB?

Its times like these (and many other times) that I am supremely grateful for my trainer Adam and the girls in my class and yesterday in particular, for Patty..... I had no warning of the crash, no idea that I was upset...I just started sobbing...and realized that I was TIRED...so very TIRED...and hungry....and frustrated with the cramping...and frustrated that I was tired...and and and and...........

So, I went home...ate a huge meal, slept 10 hours and today is another day.  With the next 2 days off from KB and training....I am relaxing!!  and strategizing....and planning for the next race.  

And to keep things in perspective...I remember why I swim and bike and run......

I feel recovered, well rested, and RESTING!  and preparing for work tomorrow!  

IMMD is 150 days away...and I'll be ready....physically and mentally.....