Swim Meet and Spring Dreamin!

Sunday was the annual swim meet at the U of MN. It is so fun to swim at the U, and since i have been swimming a bit more in a colder pool, the 78 deg pool didnt seem quite as frigid to me. I mean it was cold, but it actually felt really really good, and i could warm up and cool down from events without fear of hypothermia! Still i managed to stay on track with my operation "STAY WARM" plan. Coach told me to stay warm, even if that meant a warm shower btwn events.

I wish i had more pics but when it came down to it i was busy with wardrobe changes and trying to figure out what goggles to wear.

What goggles? Wear the ones you always wear? Well not so easy. I usually wear the BLUE SEVENTY SIREN, AWESOME specs, with a bit wider lens and a bit more plastic in general. They are for Open water Swims. Not diving off the blocks. When i practiced dive starts last week i was like "hmm, these are staying on but they are not leak free by ANY means."

I tried to overanalyze as much as i could, and succeeded in that but just decided i would bring my old goggles and wear those. Who cares that i havent swum in them for a year! So the Speedo Vanquisher's re-appeared, sucked the life out of my eye sockets, stayed on brilliiantly and i had NO/ZERO/ NOT A DROP of water on any dive start, SCORE.

Today tho i feel like i got punched in the bridge of my nose bilaterally. Ouch. Everytime i took them off after an event it was like unpeeling the glue from my nose. I had them on WAY TOO TIGHT, but they felt good while swimming, i guess just taking them off was the killer. Anyhoot, that was really the only aftermath, other than VERY SORE lats and a general desire to go back to bed today!

Onto the race report:

5 events, 5 suits. Yes you read that right. I wish i had a pic of the SuperWoman suit, i wore that for the 1000, the last event, and i needed every ounce of power to get thru that. Seriously by the time i got out after cooling down i think there were 10 people left on deck:) NOthing like opening up the joint at 9 am and closing it down at 2:30pm!

Here i am modeling my Splish made Gear West suit. Not an approved suit by anymeans bc there is a cupcake on the hip and butt, but i still love it. The racing flames and a cupcake, Yes, i know the cupcake thing is not needed but it sure is fun!
Our 200 free relay!
Relay minus me, and Swim buddy Steve ( not in a speedo) who counted for me on the 500.

So here was the plan:

50 back ( just to get in, it was the 5th event and had i not done it i would have had to warm up at 9 then wait till the 9th event to swim! too long!) I think i went 41. That was fine. I started like a rockstar, flipped like a rockstar and tried not to gas myself at 110% just stuck to 100%!

100 free ( this one was one i realize i needed to warm up for.) I had a good start, good turns but i just felt OFF. I felt like i was really struggling and did not feel strong, i just felt well...like i had an almond butter and honey sandwich in my belly. I had been eating and all the sudden saw my heat was next. woops. I went 1:13 and was thrilled with that since i felt like it was about a 1:18.

500 free. Ok here comes the one that i really cared about. I wanted to go sub 7. I didnt want to take it out in a 1:20. I had a counter and i made sure that he was to tell me if i was making my 50's on pace. I pretty much nailed it. Other than he forgot to give me the orange card, he gave me #19 which was fine but at that point i was confused bc I thought maybe i needed to go back again to get the orange! He couldnt find it! Funny, and not a biggie bc i knew i was done when everyone else was stopped at the wall. I went 6:58, same as last year but it felt much easier. I think i paced better. I would love to do that one more time this winter...see if i cant go sub 6:50.I think I could!

200 free relay! YAY! I led and did a 34, not sure what everyone else did, but we had a blast, and if there was one time that i botched a turn it was here. I flipped too early, didnt get a good push off, but oh well. I know i wasnt concentrating i was just flapping my arms too fast and got anxoious to turn.

LAST but not least...the 1000! Last year this event led off the meet. I kinda liked that bc it was a warm up swim, but in reality people shouldnt have to wait for this since as you can guess its not the most popular event!

I had another counter, and she did find the orange card thankfully in the end:)

I was sorta tired and sorta ready to be done, but i did the wardrobe change, wore the superwoman suit and knew that i was seeded in a heat with all faster people, men and women so i was gonna close down the meet! Yay me. Just dont make people wait too long was my plan!

My counter was to wave the cards slowly side to side if i got too fast and to shake them up and down if i needed to speed up. I only saw her wave them up and down once, and that was in the final 100. And that was bc she said "I figured why not, you were on pace, why not kick it in!" I love that!!! That is what i wanted, thank you!!

I paced about 42/43 sec per 50 and decided at each 250 I would reevaluate what my pace was, how i felt, breathing etc..my first 250 was great, i was bilateral breathing. I felt good, i felt strong, i was turning close and getting a good push off, etc...2nd 250 same thing. At about 600 I got a bit tired but the cards were still so i was on but i was starting to have to tell myself to breathe left. I go RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT every stroke when i am getting tired. That was ok. When i saw the card turn to 29 I knew this was it. It was GO time. I gradually picked it up. My stomach was getting hungry but i didnt feel weak at all. By the time i saw card 37 i was full on all out. And at the Orange card i hauled it in. I did the last 50 in 41 seconds. Maybe i had too much left, maybe not. It's really hard to tell, but in my book i guess the risk of going out too fast in a longer event is a greater faux pas than ending with a tiny bit of gas left. I ended with 14:28, and that is just fine. I didnt really have a time goal, just to hold under 1:30's.

So that is my non educated swimming race report. I did feel like i ate and drank super well, gotta eat, and so i noshed on and off with EFS, a gel, my honey and almond butter sandwich and a few banana laffy taffy's.

Now that we are getting MORE snow, i think we have at least 6 more inches I am dreaming...dreaming of this:

And would like to burn my Yaktrax, but i think I may need them again, soon.

Have a good week, thanks for reading.

There is still snow on the ground....

Hi Y'all....sorry i have been busy!

Well we had a great vacation to Mexico. I cant lie and say I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexico, I dont. But i also cant lie and say I would rather be here. Call me a spoiled brat, and I will say "no, but i would prefer to go to Az" if you will, but either way I am lucky that i have the chance to get away in January, and leave it at that.

Highlights were:

Sunshine

Mid 70's, not super hot, but warmer than what they were getting back here.

Outdoor swims and runs

Towel Art..one year we had an iguana in the bath tub and it scared the daylights out of us...

Don Julio

Shrimp

Shrimp

Fish...no pictures i ate it all.

Sculptures in Dwntn PV, so cool!!

Sales people wanting to sell my aging parents things they didnt need, and people always looking for a tip...oh wait, i got into the section of the blog i said i wouldnt post, what I DONT like about Mexico. here is my dad showing his muscles so he can beat off the timeshare sales people. Rich is admiring the gun show. ( ha ha, now you see where i get my puny guns)

It does freak me out a bit to see "Kids" in fatigues at the airport, carrying M-16's. And it does freak me out a bit to know that as an American ( yes we think we are all THAT) but we have no rights in Mexico and really i dont think i want to test that one, ever. So as much as i would like to wander off the resort property and run and linger, i just play tourista and try to be a good little girl when there.

Two funny stories, though..When we entered the country ( Mexico) they ask you if you have any fruit. I always have brought some oranges or apples with me, bc you never can get fresh fruit too easily, And since its organic and from the US I figure ( arrogantly) that its not going to bring any parasite or anything that can cause a massive crop breakdown to their ecosystem. Granted I know i am not right, but heck they are organic satsuma Oranges, not something i got in an alley of a 3rd world country. Plus i just didnt really figure anyone would care. Whoops. I was wrong. When we went thru Customs /Immigration if We ( my mom too ) didnt set off all the bells and whistles. We had the full on luggage search for every last orange ( i had them in my carry on actually) and at one point the lady was yelling at my mom " APPLE!!!" and my mom was yelling back " PEAR!!! " "Apple...PEAR!!!!" it was too funny. It was a pear, by the way. Then the woman was yelling " CEREAL, CEREAL..." We were like "huh?"

My Dad and Rich, stood by thinking they were going to have a fun week while mom and i sat in a mexican jail, but to their disappointment we got out and we pouted for a day when we had no fruit to eat. And on the way home into the states, yes we had no bananas, we had no bananas, today.

I also dont get why they are so against people running. You ask where to run? they say " Brio, treadmill." Um no. So i hit the golf course path ( there are 18 holes and more being built) but when i get to people ( usually American or Canadian) I stop, I wait, I know proper ettiquette and i also know to ask them " Do you mind if i run while you are golfing?" Heck I get more high fives and " GO GIRL" and off I go. The last day I was running and someone who looked like a construction person not even a golf pro, stopped me, saying " ALTO" I said " Pour Quoi?" in my best French ( seriously, I dont know spanish other than phonetics) and when he didnt answer i said " Au revoir" and off i went. There was NO BODY ON THE COURSE. NOBody. It's like "What is your deal?" Do you think me running on the path or on the side of the grass at times is any worse for your course than driving those big old carts all over the place? I know its just that they dont want to encourage people to walk? Seriously? Yes I think those resorts are really just hoping you sit by the pool and drink and eat so your belt is even tighter than when you came.

Last, funny story. The Red flag at the beach is always up. ALWAYS. We were on the Pacific side of Mexico, but still, this is an ocean front resort, chairs on the beach, etc...so Rich goes to ask why.

"Well, you know....could be....Jelly Fish......could be.....these long snakes with these sucky things that dont have eyes, they wrap around you and pull you down to the bottom and.....( seriously?)"

Rich said "what about E- coli? do you test that?"

Answer "oh yes that too, could be that."

It's like seriously? Lame.

Of course the thought of a snake ( morey eel) pulling me down kept me in the pool, so the scare tactic worked great. Still its good to be home. ( Even tho we came home in the dark to a garage door that the plow ( we call him Mario) had rammed in while we were gone.

And finally a big thank you and shout out to my wonderful parents who every year ask us to be their chaperone's to Mexico. I think i have the fittest, most fun 80+ yo parents out there.

Love you guys, and cant wait till next year.

PS we are finding a hiding place for the oranges.

Time for a break....

So what's new? I need a break!

No i dont mean this kinda break:

But i love me some Mickey D's ice cream cones and they DO stay open all winter. And seriously I am not that obsessed with ice cream even tho i tend to write about DQ and now McD:) But here's a secret, I do like Ice cream or Fro-yo MORE THAN CUPCAKES! Shh... I dont want my sister in law to hear that.

I mean this kinda break:

Get me a little beach time, Ok? Safely, not much sun tanning goes on with this body bc of the Melanoma stuff but still will be good to get out of here. This winter is grating on me. I have never felt like driving around the metro has taken so much out of me, but when you are getting snow and cold every day it makes driving tough not to mention running or walking outside. And that is that. I promised to not whine all post about snow and cold, bc I am sick of it, likely more than you are sick of reading about it.

So some fun stuff in the bullet point fashion:

*Still seeing Dr Josh for some hammering of my lateral hamstring and ITB.

It is sore for about 48 hours and makes me feel like i am going backwards but i know I am not. I even ran on the Alter G treadmill the other day. That is pretty darn cool. Hope to use it again soon. If you live anywhere near MSP, you gotta check out Dr. Josh and his amazing staff. You also can rent the Alter-G Tm at a very reasonable rate.

*Work is good. I love my seniors i teach, I just wish more of them would come to my classes. Its hard to teach people who have never exercised in their lives to want to all the sudden start. I cant say this is true of everyone but the people that keep coming back, despite knee pain or some pain are the one's that eventually tell me ( usually more than 3x in one class, hahaha!) That they "used to play golf and walk all 18 holes.." or " used to be a postal carrier and walked the entire route in winter weather just like today.."

To some extent i have no issue with people in their 80-90s who dont want to move. But to some extent i wish they would try, have faith or trust that they MAY feel better after 4-6 weeks of consistently moving a little bit. I Wont go into the entire behavior change model... not for this blog. But I still love those that are willing to give it a try, and those that arent, they just call me " the exercise lady." ha!

*Got some strength things up my sleeve. Not sure how that will play out but stay tuned. I am excited. I wish i had started sooner but... better late than never, I hope. Lotsa hoopla from a few bloggers that are turning 40 this year ( yesterday!) but i plan to be all stealth and turn 45 and pass you at the finish line ( or before). No really I am trying to look at the strength piece as good for me. Forget Tri ( seriously, just for a sentence or two, you can do it) and realize these years 40-50 yo, are pretty critical for strength maintenance.

Losing it? Yes we are. So GET ON IT and keep some strength.

Thanks to Carrie for that one.

*Family is good. I am so lucky to be married to the best husband i could ask for. Everyday his generosity and his love for me and my craziness, blows me away. That's all I can say on that, but trust me i have LOTS to say about him, I just cant put it on the blog.

* And last but not least I am a new aunt again. Cant beat that feeling. Here is my sister in law and my brother in law with their new son.

ACE....

And since we wanted Ruby to be the baby wrapped in a blanket, we let her try too:

I am not sure why she isnt sleeping like Ace?

You Might Live in Minnesota....

Ok i sent this to Angela since she is coming up to visit this month, and usually Mid January is the coldest weather we have all year. Sadly alot of this is true, and sadly its likely true for Iowa AND Wisconsin as well. So if you dont get this post dont worry. Just go enjoy your above freezing temps and get an outdoor ride in, for me.

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by,

> You might live in Minnesota ...seriously people have these mobile heated fish houses, they live in there all weekend!

If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights each year because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation,

> You might live in Minnesota ...sadly, yes.

If you have ever refused to buy something because it's "too spendy",

> You might live in Minnesota ...depends on what it is:)

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March,

> You might live in Minnesota ..Now for Cheryl, the art of DQ in the winter is that you need hot tea with it. At least it doesnt melt when you drive home with it.

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup, a bit of MN NICE.

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead,

> You mightlive in Minnesota At least its not a plumber's crack tan line, yet sadly we see those in sub zero temps, too.

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time,

> You might live in Minnesota ...And Uggs if you live in Edina.

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches,

> You might live in Minnesota Maybe across the street from each other.

If you know how to say...Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Cloquet, Edina , Pequot Lakes....and Shakopee, ...I wont go here, just know they dont sound like they are spelled.

> You might live in Minnesota

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy,

> You might live in Minnesota this is a bummer actually if you like it spicy.

If vacation means going "up north" for the weekend,

> You might live in Minnesota Cabin? Yes.

If you measure distance in hours,

> You might live in Minnesota ..3.5 hours to the cabin depending on traffic during holidays.

If you know several people, who have hit deer more than once,

> You might live in Minnesota not good, your car is done.

If you often switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again,

> You might live in Minnesota This one i dont agree with but then again i am an open the window's person. AC not so much. heated seats, A MUST. ( Did you hear that Angela?)

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching,

> You might live in Minnesota Um no. 30 mph maybe.

If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,

> You might live in Minnesota Nope.

If you install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup. This bites you the first spring weekend when your bikes and lawnmower are stolen. When its below 10 deg if someone wants my shovels, they can have em.

If you think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and Venison,

> You might live in Minnesota not so much. Walleye maybe.

If you carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows how to use them,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup.

If there are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time,

> You might live in Minnesota Never been to Mills, I have been to MENARDS and Home DEPOT ALOT!

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,

> You might live in Minnesota or just a huge amount of layering.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,

> You might live in Minnesota Sadly this one is true, come spring its a huge wet drag even more so on a bike.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and of course, road construction,

> You might live in Minnesota Summer and fall are lovely. But yes there is construction.

If you can identify a southern or eastern accent,

> You might live in Minnesota YOU BET-CHA!

If your idea of creative landscaping is a plastic deer next to your blue spruce,

> You might live in Minnesota haha

If "Down South" to you means Iowa,

> You might live in Minnesota I guess i think of down South as where Kari lives:)

If you know "a brat" is something you eat,

> You might live in Minnesota Yup Johnsonville pretty much owns the BRAT rights up here.

If you find -10 degrees "a little chilly",

> You might live in Minnesota That is about right. You get used to it, but it doesnt mean it gets any warmer.

If you actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Minnesota friends,

> You might live in Minnesota And if you devote an entire blog to it, you do it bc?? Winter is long and I need to laugh at it.

Continued...2011 intentions

As i said I wanted to continue "my lobster tail lands in Ruby's mouth happy new year" post and write a bit about my intentions for 2011. I sorta felt like I should organize this post so i didnt just fumble and spew, as i often do. But since the only way I continue to blog is to fly by the seat of my pants( hats off to you all that write down all your hard earned mileages, but that isnt me) I think i need to keep that trend going. I hope this doesnt sound like resolutions, and if it does, well then i am all full of it and like the rest of the world. Come february i will be all "why did i say i needed to cut back on caffeine?"

Family/Personal:

I intend to try to not be a royal pain the backside to my husband as I head into a very exciting but scarey summer training for my first Ironman. He is super busy in the summer with work and we barely have enough time to do anything outside our outdoor seeking bike rides ( add on run and swim) or we are tired and dont want to. He is so good at suggesting we go here ( cabin) or go east to visit relatives and i am so often saying " racing that weekend..." or " Gotta ride my bike x hours that weekend, can we go later?" The catch is that our lovely cabin is 4 hours away. We cant just zip up there for a day. Well we can. and Rich will, but that is not worth it to me.

So intention is to Plan ahead for some cabin time and try to not say NO to plans before i even hear what they are! And to Plan for downtime. That doesnt involve a lake a bike or my run shoes or my new Garmin that i havent even figured out how to use.

At the same time...I plan to say NO to somethings I may not want to say NO to.

Social things. Work things. Family things.

**note we do have a family reunion at Luther College in August 2011, and will be missing our favorite FIREHOUSE 50 TT:( I had my undies in a bundle about it. Rich was like "no biggie..." He is a better Man than I am. ( hahaha, of course he is!)

In addition my nephews are so fun to be with and are playing lots of tennis. I want to see them play more now that they can see over the net, and its really fun to see especially Joe, the oldest, so in love with a sport similar to how much i loved it. Yep, Slept with my racket folks.

Friends/Teammates:

I intend to train with people ( not just Rich) 1x week at least. Its hard. I have great roads to get on right from home, and i really dont want to drive to train. But alas my new team and Gear West isnt near my house. So i want to try to get out there for the ladies ride or at least make an effort to meet up with these great ladies ( and others that arent on the team!) to ride run or swim. Or at least have coffee....

Coffee..speaking of coffee...

Nutrition:

and speaking of all things nutritional. Someone in the pool today said to me..."Yep its january. time to lose 10lbs." I knew he didnt mean me. ( I hoped) Then he said as we were kicking " you. not me." Point is i dont think i have a huge GOAL around weight or nutrition, other than to be consistent, be smart, and eat for fuel 90% of the time, pleasure 10% of the time.

Maybe pleasure isnt the right word, but what i mean is that I do intend to eat and drink in a healthy way. But that can get out of hand if you analyze every thing that goes into your mouth.

Rich has requested that i make banana bread and other homemade items WITH GLUTEN:)

I was experimenting with GF things, and tho its fun to have some of that I am lucky i dont think i eat alot of white flour processed stuff anyways so I dont need to obsess on GF. Some of you may disagree.

Booze/Wine/Beer: Well, I have never heard anyone say " I am really worried about Julia. She isnt drinking now." Wheras I have heard ( in my head) " I seem to be having a few more g of wine than i thinki need to, and with increased training you may need to lower that or omit it." Point is I dont think it does me any good. I enjoy it. I am lying if i didnt say I like a glass of Cab Sauvingnon in the winter with a good steak. And i like a cold beer in the summer after a hot day. But It's not a food group... Again I am not judging anyone who does drink daily. I just cant do it and dont want to do it.

And back to Coffee. I am still going strong on half decaf capps. But i am thinking my higher than high morning heart rates may be eased if i just went to decaf. Again. Winter. In the summer i dont crave that hot foam. Yuk, actually. Green tea is marvelous but there is nothing creamy about it. So again, no rules, just caffeine isnt always my friend ( cold hands, sore boobs, sorry TMI) Oh and there is a term for that. Fibrocystic Breasts, and yes, google it. Caffeine is no good for that.

The rest of the diet is great. Lots of kale, beets, turkey, fish, steel cut oats, nut butters,greek yogurts, some meats, salads, and fruit. We are in the dead of fruit season. Blah. I am buying organic frozen berries and living on pinneapple ( which is remarkably good right now, thanks Hawaii) and oranges and grapefruit. The blueberries and strawberries we had lately have been so bad and mushy and conventional that they tasted like nothing.

Oh and who knows this : other than tasting sorta good why is Coconut milk and coconut milk kefir etc...the rage now? It doesnt have as much protein as cow milk or yogurt and i know it has good fat but is it just a good alternative if you are lactose intolerant?

Training/Racing:

Sorta covered this but my intention is to complete "IN ONE PIECE" my first IM on 9/11/11.

I have to say I have had my doubts about this. November was rough on me. I did start back to training ( runs and harder bikes) in December. But i feel behind.

Now If i step back and say "Julia, why do you feel behind? Your goal race is in sept. That is 9 mos away!!!" silly. I would say:" Yes that is true. But the reason i feel behind is that LAST year at this time i was running x pace, x distance and doing hills and speed and..."

Despite being nearly 45 yo, last season was really the only season i raced a full season like i did. And I have nothing to compare it to. Winter 2008 was likely alot like winter 2010...nothing magnificent about it. Just getting the miles in, and staying up right in the snow and cold. So when i DONT COMPARE to where i was last year, all is well with the world. And the good thing is that the trend is I am getting stronger. I am consistent and I am putting in the work. It's hard to trust that being consistent is really that important. I mean, being consistent in your training is ...well. Boring. Sorta like doing the dishes, brushing your teeth, making dinners for the week, its not exciting day in and day out. But then, when you look at the Training Peaks and see all those colored boxes and you see you did all that, well then maybe it starts to make some sense.

So my intention is to not get caught up in the day to day " Oh i swam 10k today." bc really, in January i dont need to be anything more than boring.

As for "What is your goal for Madison?" I have to say "FINISH"

Yesterday a guy i really respect in tri said "oh you will be buying a ticket to Kona." And that made me feel good. He believed in me. But at the same time I cant really think like that. It's my first. It's one day. Break it up and see what happens at the finish line.

I have a few 70.3's on there, and maybe a few local du's in May. But no Texas 70.3 this year which is too bad, but its earlier and its a week after Tucson, too close and too much since I am not where I was last year ( hahaha, slam slamslam, kidding, really) As long as my body allows I am headed in the right direction. Still seeing some people for bodywork on that stubborn Lateral Hamstring. I know I called it my butt, but it was my lateral hammy. And it still is wanting to overwork, so we are just trying to get it to chill. I get to run on the Alter-G treadmill this week, I will post about that. Pretty cool machine, I am quite lucky!

Has anyone done Door County half? or what about Muncie? Muncie is NOT easy for me to get to, but i am thinking about it. Sounds like the Pigman of Indiana, from what i hear. Not much going down there, other than heat and corn eh?

Ok I think i have rambled enough with my intentions. But biggest of all I intend to keep believing in myself. The other day I had a friend tell me to have faith in myself. He said " We have faith in you, you work harder than anyone i know." That hit home. If other people believe in me, why should i not believe in myself?

Good stuff.

New Year's Eve and 2010 recap

Well 2010 went out with a bang and so far, other some bike time, pancakes for brunch and windchills that made me happy to be inside for now, 2011 has been wonderful!

Last night we went to my parents house for dinner. This has become a nice tradition where we have lobster and have an early dinner and then go home to watch a movie and fall asleep in the middle of the movie. Last night didnt disappoint in the excitement for a few reasons...

1)The weather was iffy. They had forecast freezing rain but really never happened and other than scaring all the people who watch the news 24-7. The driving was fine, temps dropped and it got cold! When we woke up today windchills were -10 and temp was 2. hmm..

2)Luckily the weather held so my parents had4 live lobsters that they didnt have to try to eat alone..we cooked them up and sat down to dinner. My dad did a lovely job of draining them and cutting the claws and the tail so all we had to do was use our crackers and dig out the meat.

Somehow I was struggling to get the tail out of it's shell and when it did pop out it popped right off my plate and into a waiting mouth next to the table:

Yes Miss Ruby was planted next to the table and when that tail went airborne she did not miss a beat, and before i could even say "NO!" it was gone.

Happy 5th Birthday to Ruby! I didnt starve, and it wasnt her fault. We had a laugh, we shared the rest of the lobsters and Ruby was quite thrilled with her birthday feast. Even tho i dont think she even chewed it. And no butter:) To be honest Rich reminded me that I had let her smell the lobster and he thinks that she was ready to pounce and figured it was for her anyways:) Maybe she was right.

Then as if that was not enough i broke a glass, then while carrying it out ( the clean up) I managed to drop it again and more glass went flying. Yup. Butter fingers all night long.

To top it off I hugged my dad good night and said "Happy 2007!" WAIT?

two thousand seven sounds like.....

two thousand eleven???

And really, I had 1 drink before dinner and 1 glass of champagne...um....hello lightweight. I think i was just giddy and excited. I love ruby I love my parents I love my husband and we had a blast! ( and I do love Lobster!!!)

I have a longer post to do on 2011 and my intentions for the year. I dont do resolutions and have learned that when I "give something up," it makes want it that much more. Rules dont work for me. Goals and a path as to what I want to have happen in 2011 are far more valuable to me, and i like the idea that there can be a trend to how i live my life.

It isnt "At the end of this day, Did i fail or did i succeed?" It's more about the big picture and my overall happiness and health. It just works for me even tho, YES. I have to be reminded just like anyone else of the big picture. Like anyone I do get caught up in the little victories or the little defeats. But really that is all those are, in my opinon, my ego needing to be stroked for short term gratification. I know some people need to go cold turkey on stuff, but that never sticks for me. Seems like the right thing at the time but come 3 days i go "So why did i say i would do/not do that?"

As for 2010: Lots to be thankful for. It was a busy year. I wont be racing as much in 2011 which is ok....I trust the plan and the coach:)

Good friends and fun travels:

Pink Sox rock!

Tennis with the best and fittest dad out there:

A new team to play with, hang out with, and a great store that supports the local and national triathlon scene in so many ways. I cant wait to wear the GW colors in training and racing.

Ok that got a bit into 2011!

To Be Continued!

Happy New Year!