Weekend re-cap:
Chapter 1

Ok no the weekend isnt quite over but It is raining and 40 out so why not curl up and do a recap.

Friday I started feeling a bit punkish. I had acupuncture and that helped a tiny bit but finally there was an ah-ha moment and all became clear as to why i was feeling like i had a small earthquake going on in my belly. And no it wasnt Swine Flu. Saturday I didnt know what to expect as I had not felt too much like eating friday night and so was being cautious even saturday. I knew it wouldnt be the end of the world if i had to stop and walk as opposed to being doubled over in pain.

Saturday morning dawned and luckily there was no rain. Cool. But no rain. Sorry but i had about a 2 mile run to the start and with wearing my garbage bags and cap and carrying a few other things i had no place for a camera. I didnt want to risk leaving it and then losing it. So all I got for pics from race day were random ones.
Ok race report, sparing you the parts about my friend Dan being a total life support bc i hate, dont we all.. standing around being cold and trying to warm up just to know you have to go coral yourself with 8000 others for 15 minutes just to get a spot remotely near the front. So we did just that.
Arm Crank riders go off ( wheelchair athletes)
Elite's go off
Then it is the 10k AND the Half Mary runners all together. Ok. Off we go. Beep beep beep. I had decided to NOT be a slave to any sort of timing device just to run what felt like a good pace and to check my HR at each mile and then as the mile and 5k splits were read i would do some math ( Which surprisingly I did ) and try to keep with it.
Coach had suggested that since i had only run 1 FUN 5k in the last...umm...well...a long time, that i start out conservatively and not forget that the 5k wasnt the finish. Mile 1, 6:55. Oops. I didnt feel breathless and it felt easy. Yea I did have to dodge people and I had to find a line, but i wasnt dying. HR was in check. So i am thinking "just mellow out, but i dont want to slow down alot. just run." Mile 2, 7:05. Hmm...that still seems too fast. Lets just see how it is at the 5k and then go from there. I wanted to be into the 5k under 23. 22:05. Ok that seems reasonable and I am not dying yet. There were some hills/kinda hills not Mountain hills, but enough that your HR showed it. Still I seemed to be clipping along and my HR was just rising nicely. I know in my distant running past I used to kinda panic and space out miles 3-5. Saturday i kept thinking "you are doing great, really worst case scenario is that you keep this pace going. and that is just fine. But...can you go a tiny bit faster? YES." And with that and with some straight aways in those miles I was able to start picking off some runners that had been ahead of me for the first 5k. The pain zone started to creep in around mile 4 and that was the hardest mile for me. I was ready for it tho and i told myself when i saw mile 4, I did the math and said "ok, if you run a 7:30 this mile then you will cross 5 miles at xx:xx and that would be great. Just stay steady, just run." So when i crossed mile 5 at 30 seconds faster than that I was like "neat." and then proceeded to suffer the last 1.2 miles. Does anyone else agree that the last 200 m of a 10k is just plain torture?
So anyways I was quite pleased, finished 43:26 and was most in shock that I negative split the last 5k.
And yea Kari, my friend Dan and I both made the members only club for the 2nd time this week.
So we went quickly thru the grub line and got the most important treat of all, the PEARSON Salted Nut Roll.
For those of you that havent had a SNR or a Nut Goodie, I am going to send you each one. Seriously. Send me your address. You need to have one. See below. We got the treat size ones for the race but as you can tell the cost/size ratio doesnt even compare to the Payday. It is just as good as a payday but saltier!
Here I am after the race, all warmed up. And ready to get home for the next chapter of saturday. Yes I ran in the beanie cap. And yes i got all my hair cut off.


Chapter 2

So got home, and waited for Rich to call as we had thought we may go ride. As i said in the last post our weekend forecast has been ominous. MY thought was "Carpe Diem," IF IF my legs feel ok ( and they did) I wanted to ride 3+ hours in light of the fact that I thought the 100 mile option was not going to happen due to rain and my own personal motivation ( lack of) to get out there at 6:30 am ( a 45 min car drive) and have it rain and be cold.
So a quick meal and off we went. Rosemount and points south on the road bike. But first we had to make a stop since i was obviously well hydrated with Recoverite and also for this.

The longest train ever.I think my Powertap shut off 3x. And then I can see the Cabooze and there are two cars left and I can see rich on the other side meeting me and it STOPS. Another 3 minutes...dang. We had to be back by 4pm so we still had 3 hours or more ...great ride, nice temps, a good wind and lotsa hills. I even got in a good sprint sign win over Rich as he seems to daydream while i can see those things coming even when i dont know the course. Hee hee. May be why my quads are tad sore today. ( oh yea and the pavement pounding) It was a super day and I diverted a near bonk at the end and made it home intact. Then it was off to have dinner with Ruby, Rich, and my mom and dad. The only fun pic i have is that i was in all green and decided to share my new awesome shoes you all should get: Yes they are asparagus green and yes they go well with Pink RecoverySox.


Last but not least was the thought of 100 miles. Hmm...I will spare you all the radar checks that I have done in the last 24 hours but just know that Rich is out there. I am not. He and his TeamTT group are all hearty on this ride and they are apt to be doing the 100 miles as we speak. I said "you are going to get wet.." and he said "ok," but for me 40 and rain isnt my idea of fun. So my gift to him was not to be the "Whiner and ball and chain!" So:

Why not do a little educational trainer time? I learned some stuff in this and hope to shorten my tea parties in the T zone:)


So that in a long winded recap, is how i have spent my weekend. I leave you with one last fun pic that Rich and I took finishing our saturday ride: We have never had Chivas Regal. I dont even know what it is, but we liked the slogan:) We both thought that was a perfect end to our ride...thanks Honey for being you! I hope all the racers had successful racing this weekend both locally and in FLA and VA. And those that are training for a race or just for Life... more power to ya!

Race #1
Despite a less than stellar forecast for the weekend I am heading into my first running race in a long long time. My emotions are mixed and mostly I am excited to run in the rain ( 80% chance with mid 40 degree temps, oh joy) with 8000 other runners. As i swam today..when it is 80 outside and I was in the pool wishing we could move days and move workouts..I realized what better day to run 6.2 miles at a slightly faster pace than my body wants to and not have to do it on the TM! Bonus. I am lining up right at the start!
That isnt true actually but i suspect there will be some FAST racers out there with TEAM USA housed in our backyard. And Jen can ask me if i wore arm warmers. Likely YES.

What ruffles my feathers a bit more and makes me feel a bit more pouty, ( insert pouty lip HERE) is that sunday we are signed up for the Ironman 100 miler. Last year it snowed. I never do this ride. Now i know why. Too much anxiety about what could be a super 5 hour ride with all the salted nut rolls I can stuff in my pocket ( and my mouth). But it will be what it will be and if that means trainer, that means trainer..after Perkins of course. I dont really like Perkins but if it gives me some time to "de-pout" and coffee load before the trainer, then so be it.

Happy weekend to all racing wherever you may be, and just know that if you are out of the midwest you are likely in the right place.

Oh and Jen C asked if i was going to do 100 miles on the trainer. OH NO WAY. NO KATE O Ironman on my calender. Nah. just kinda want to put the trainer away.

Latissimus dorsi muscle: This is for my coach..read on.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Latissimus dorsi)

Latissimus dorsi
Latissimus dorsi
Muscles connecting the upper extremity to the vertebral column.
Latin	musculus latissimus dorsi
Gray's	subject #121 432
Origin	spinous processes of thoracicT7-T12, thoracolumbar fascia,iliac crest and inferior 3 or 4 ribs
Insertion	floor of intertubercular grooveof the humerus
Artery	subscapular artery, dorsal scapular artery
Nerve	thoracodorsal nerve (C6 - C8)
Actions	adducts, extends and internally rotates the arm
Antagonist	deltoid, trapezius

The latissimus dorsi (plural: latissimi dorsi) is the larger, flat, dorso-lateral muscle on the trunk, posterior to the arm, and partly covered by thetrapezius on its median dorsal region.

[edit]Actions

The latissimus dorsi is responsible for extension, adduction, transverse extension also known as horizontal abduction, flexion from an extended position, and internal rotation of the shoulder joint. It also has a synergistic role in extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine.

[edit]

While i love these stretches..I want to add one important piece of advice. NOTE that in the ACTIONS of the Lat....

ADDUCTS...so to stretch you do the opposite, you ADBUCT your arm by moving it palm up/thumb up into a jumping jack plane of motion.

EXTENDS...so to stretch you do the opposite, you flex your arm or bring it overhead..thumb up.

INTERNALLY ROTATES...so to stretch you have add to the above prayer stretch. Grab your Trigger point hip roller...or the calf roller is even enough.  A smaller water bottle will do.

As best you can hold your elbows together...and hold that trigger point roller or the water bottle horizontally. TRY TO KEEP YOUR ELBOWS TOGETHER. You are now externally rotating your shoulder. I often do this kneeling next to a Rx ball and have my elbows on the ball as close together as i can. Then I hold the TP roller and "gently" force my forearms out, therefore rolling the head of the humerus outward or externally. You dont feel that, you just feel like THIS IS REALLY TIGHT. So if you have foreward shoulders this could help a bit with that...Pec minor...another culprit..but another tougher one to stretch.

Good luck. I will try to post a pic if i get someone to take one of me when i do this. IT makes a huge difference to my shoulder health and my swimming!

Ruby, Rides and Trader Joes:
Not much time today but for non FB peeps Ruby is here. She is a doll, very shy, but so wonderful. She has been moved around alot so we think she is just taking it all in and despite fetching and retrieving like there is no tommorrow, she is still suspect of her sorroundings.
She lived a good part of her life ( she is 3yo) in a kennel. She was either outside in a kennel or inside kenneled. When she went to her foster home she had other foster dogs around to play with. And after 3 weeks she is with us. So it will take time for her to trust that she isnt going to be moved. AGAIN. In the meantime she wont eat much, but she does like hotdogs ( that is how she will take her antibiotic) and she ate chicken. Wonder how long till my parents are making her a plate:)?
I reminded my mom that Iona was a very hyper dog and Ruby isnt. Iona climbed up her kennel and onto the table and fell off and broke her leg. Then she ate her last place obedience school ribbon ( seriously I think she was like 10th out of 10 dogs) So think Marley,that was Iona! Not till she was about 12 yo did she mellow out. Ruby is going to be mellow!



On other news...I nearly was minivaned off the road today while riding. I wish i had a pair of socks that said "YOUR VAN SUCKS." Sad thing is it was intentional. A slowing mini van at your side and a very close pass with a VEEEEEER towards your front wheel. nice. He even gave me the bird out the window. Lovely. I was moving too. Not like i was taking up space..the west river road speed limit is 25mph and I was easily going 23 mph. ( tailwind. dont get thinking i can ride that fast for very long)

Trader Joes is new *sorta* to this area. With one more coming this summer within bike distance for me! Woot! As my SoCal blog friends know i mourn our lack of fro-yo options here. "why butterfat? Meet MN...you are the healthiest state so we will only sell premium ice cream to you." Dumb.
So this FRO-YO from TJ's is awesome. It is tart and tangy and not too sweet.
I just wish i could put it in a soft serve machine. Oh well.

Ruby Update:

Soon we hope she will be home in MN. Ruby was supposed to come up to MN this weekend but in the middle of last week she had a stomach virus and was throwing up and not eating. She had a temp of 104 and needed IV ( well they dont do an IV but they inject fluids under their skin).
So far she is doing better and my mom is in constant communication with Karen, Ruby's foster mom, shown in the pic. As of now Ruby is scheduled to come home to MN on Wednesday. The Vet in Iowa isnt sure if she has a UTI or if possibly since she is a rescue dog this is part psychological.
Last night I attempted to watch Marley and Me but was met with a sudden outburst of tears at a turning point in the movie so I think i am the one with psychological issues :) My sister got out of the room in time, but I didnt. oops. Went upstairs and did dishes and weeped for a bit and let the movie run out while Rich and his daughter shed a few tears.

Today is a new day, I rested ( I always sleep well after a good cry!), did a killer workout (Just when I think Jen has given me the worst it comes full circle and then some...)Ruby ate, ( I ate too, alot...) and so... we hope that we will soon meet our Easter Pup.

Happy Easter to you all.

Things that make me go YUM

I think it is interesting to see how different and how alike we all eat. Sometimes i get in food ruts, just bc I feel like i am eating alot/frequently. Here are some things that i turn to pretty regularly and dont seem to get sick of them. Usually!


Kefir. Does a tummy good.
I could post 25 pics of fruit and veggies so here are just some i happen to have around.
OOPS how did THIS get in here??? I have to say I have less and less interest in the Dirty Martini because the next day doing a hard wko on that is just not smart. ( Jen, told me to say that as a PSA)
Justins nut butters ROCK!

Ooops sideways cottage cheese.
I am not allergic to wheat but I still like this cereal. Goes down easy with 1/2 banana at 5 or 6am pre swim.
The Dr.Smoothie mix is new. It is a mix that you add to water and ice and it blends into a wonderful coffee mix that actually is relatively healthy. Sorta. We had it in AZ and wanted to bring that frosty goodness back to MN. Since we dont have enough frosty goodnes with our weather. HAHA.

I mixed in a few race type goods as well for your viewing pleasure. I love the Green Apple Gels and the Plain. And the powerbars, well..cant go wrong there with the caramel cookie or the vanilla crisp OR the Protein vanilla one or the recovery or the...kinda like candy I think so wonder if eating a snicker ( or M and M's? or a cupcake? or....) isnt just as good.

Hope this helps if you get in food ruts come spring. And i mean COME SPRING. We are supposed to get to 55 this weekend. HEAT WAVE. BRING. IT.

Tidbits


Not much going on really. My sister Elizabeth and I went to hear my brother Rob perform his voice recital at Mcphail school of music in downtown Mpls sunday. My nephews and my sister in law, her mom and her sister were also there. Rob did awesome. What a voice. I am seriously thinking if he could stretch out "If I only had a Brain" and add on "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and a few others he would be my pick for musical appearance at my wedding. Nephew Will burst out with "Doe a Deer" and Joe finished it off with tunes from the Chipmunks. Which i cant understand one word of, so that would be perfect for the reception dont ya think? Plus Will ( who is 4, btw) was all about the microphone and "How ya all doin today?"After sitting thru opera and a few others I was thinking those boys deserved a bit of Mr. Microphone time.

It was really fun and special...also bc Rob and I used to support each other at tennis matches all thru juniors and college. And so at first I was like "uh sure, I can come hear you sing..um..want to play tennis after?" In all honesty Rob has a phenomenal voice and so i knew he would do a great performance. He has the confidence and stage presence to pull it off, wheras I tend to get the mike and start the shakes or talk as if i have just had 5 cappucinos. toastmasters anyone?

So where am i going with this post? Lots of fun with my family upcoming this spring and summer.

Chippy will be up from TX ( another nephew!) and will expect my dad to be ready for the water balloon throwing..oh i mean TOSSING... contest at the cabin.

My mom saw me race last summer for the first time, and tho there will be less of this...I hope they come to see me do a Tri this summer, or a road race or a TT. But to be honest, even posting this crit picture makes me want to do them this summer. That is me in the inside corner. Super fun even if i am scared of someone taking me out again this summer.

On Good Friday my mom and dad will drive to Iowa to pick up their new rescue golden. I just wrote IONA, instead of IOWA. So although Iona is no longer with us in body she is with us in spirit and we hope that our love for Iona will carry over to love for Ruby. She is a rescue dog and has been with a foster family in Iowa. I tell ya, if you ever thought adopting a baby from China was full of hoops you should see what my parents have gone thru. I am so excited to meet her and I know my parents cant wait for another "BABY!" to love.

Iona, gone but not forgotten.


And i will finish this random post with some neat pics Jenny just sent ...LOVE IT. Sunday i did my long run in sleet and wind driven snow. I think you all have seen enough of my snow / ice winter pics so i have to tell you that I sure wish i had been running with Jenny and Mary. But sometime soon I hope to be running in sun and warm temps. No Cacti ( plural for cactus?) in MN but I will take the heat and humidity as soon as it is time.

And yes, note PINK socks. Happy Easter week to you all.

KFC



Funny how this works. I go to camp. I learn that my swim stroke is ok, but that i drop my elbow when i enter the water and I also enter the water with my thumb "down" or with my hand sideways or...to not dumb it down i am entering the water with my shoulder in Internal Rotation, SlightAbduction moving towards Adduction and full flexion to nearly 180 degrees..ie overhead. Anyone out there ever have shoulder impingement? Do you know how we test for that?
Flextion, IR, Adduction ( or lift your arm in front of you..elbow up, drop your forearm and now bring it across your body) Good thing I can treat others, but obviously not myself. This is why PT's have their own PT's.

So the point is Kari's recent entry about "make like a chicken" helped me click on a few fronts. The up and over the Barrel helped a bit too but for whatever reason TODAY it all came together. I cant say my shoulder never hurts but it sure doesnt hurt as much and today I really felt like i was grabbing the water.

I wont bore you with lotsa details but for todays swim I held 1.21, 1.20, and 1.19 on multiple 100's. I finally felt like i was grabbing the water, chicken winging thru my stroke and ALSO rotating thru my obliques and core. IT was awesome. We did some other stuff based on a 400 and my final 400 was 5.35, 15 seconds faster than the first one i did.
Sweet. I may have to pay a visit to the Colonel and get a big bucket of wings in thanks for the help with my stroke.
On second thought i think i will just thank Kari.

Dear Tucson.... I miss you.




23 at the start. 38 at the finish. 3+ hours. One gel. I dropped it. Ever try to get a gel out of a side pocket ( under a vest) with Lobster gloves on? Then get the gloves back on? Rich went back to get it ( good ) so we didnt pollute. So i finished it. Potholes and dirt and sand and gravel.
At least no ice. Drivers and roads not quite ready for the TT bike. But soon. I hope.

Why you need to pick up your feet:



Disclaimer: Something goofy is going on with my Font settings and i cant figure it out so I dont intend to have some paragraph fonts large and others not. Just go with it:)

Ok granted all you FB people have seen this, but If i had to give a rundown on my last 10 days in Tucson and Green Valley the only low point, was, literally, my yardsale on gravel the day BEFORE my first easy day in a week. Kind of like the warning you hear when skiing..."Lifts close at 4pm, so when you are thinking you want to get ONE more run in, know that is when most accidents occur!"
In my defense I was tired. Didnt think I was of course and since I am good on trails and was ONLY running on gravel beside the cart path ( yes the bike lanes are also GOLF cart paths in green valley) why would I worry. Forgetting that over the course of the last 6 days I had climbed Mt. Lemmon, done 4 rides of over 3.5 hours with hills and the day before the YARDSALE I did a 4.5 hour ride with a 30 min T run. Not boasting, just kinda soaking up the love of the outdoors and the fact that I knew i would come home to this ( meaning today it is 32 and rain/snowing...hello trainer!)
So off i went and at exactly 12 min into the nice 75 min run I caught my toe on a rather protruding LIP in the corner that i turned a bit too Hot. I really startled myself. I got up, thought that I would be smart and walked a minute or two.
Nothing was broken. ( I hoped:)!) and other than some lovely blood all over me I continued on my way. Passing some morning walkers I must have looked a bit, well..desheveled, but isnt it amazing what a visor and dark glasses can do for you? Kind of makes me think nobody sees me! I had a bit of an HTFU moment as well, thinking....if I did this at a race I wouldnt stop, so keep going. When i finished my run I went back to Rich's mom's house/casa and was hoping that Rich was there to give me some TLC! He was gone! Then I got tired and cried a bit just bc I wanted someone to pay attention to me. Funny. Then I had another HTFU moment and got too concerned with his mom and getting her towel's bloody:) I iced up, cleaned up and had some food. And then realized how tired i was.
Alas, too much to say about the drama of a run:) Rosemary ( Rich's mom) was pretty funny tho when she saw me. And fitting that since i spend most my work time helping Older adults ( She is nearly 80 yo) work on balance and falls prevention, that here she is, from then on telling me to lift my feet each time i ran after the fall. Yes I think the constnat reminders were payback!

So other than that one down day...here are some highlights:
Lemmon...need I say more. Grind is the only way to describe it. And Wishing that they didnt have mile markers..especially at miles 1-14. Ughh. It really helped when Rene said ( I think it was Rene, or ??) "Its like a marathon, look at the mile markers like you are in a marathon." that helped! The descent was beautiful and other than having a sore low back at the bottom it was well worth the climb. I think Rene and I were the only ones who went to the VERY TIP TOP bc we got confused and thought we had to get back up that last steep climb, oh well, we missed the pie and the coffee but Ally was there with our warm clothing and the motorcyle dudes wanted our picture so we were studettes up there!

Jen, Jerome, Spencer. Need I say more? Great fun, great leaders, and each in their own way gave us challenging yet manageable wko's and advice. Jen is prettier in person. Jerome is cuter in person and Spencer opens his mouth and I immediately laughed bc he always was ripping on himself or making a funny comment.



Cold Tub. Awesome. Loved it.

Roomate Kate-O. As much fun as I would have imagined, then some. We got along great, and snoring aside ( dude, you penetrated the airline supplied earplugs!) sign me up for 2010!

Celebrating Ben's birthday at the sushi place. Ha, sushi was great. Ben was so surprised.

Since.
It.
Wasnt really his birthday. Then he yells "its not my birthday!" And Mary and I are thinking "and you are paying for the dessert we just got, keep it down, shh!!!"



Other highlights include:
ALL THE CAMPERS. I know this is old story to most of you, but this was really a great few days for me! I met bloggers that i had ( healthy or not...you decide) had stalked and "Gotten to know" without knowing them. Read their posts and seen the dedication and approach not only to training but to life in general. Kari the running yankee..Marit the superstar motor minnesotan who has quite a reputation with the MN boat club as well....they want you back! Kate-O, Kelleye M, I mean anyone that has completed an IM while remaining happliy married and a mother...means you have some juggling skills! As Kari said in her blog post, it is amazing to see how each of us approached training and life and to be sorrounded by such positive and supportive people. Jenny J, who one time i heard say " hi, jenny from Iowa." and then i realized i had watched too much of the Bachelor bc I was waiting for the next person to say..." Kellye, from Georgia. ( insert nice southern accent.) Mary and Jenny were rockstars running with me on the trails, thanks gals!

So off to Green Valley I went with Rich after camp. I think he was a bit stunned at how much i had to say. But thanks honey bc I really thought I was going to have to stuff a sock in it but you really did want to know what i learned. Besides some techy stuff ( like how to not drop my elbow underwater) I think the thing I learned the most, that Rich and I both worked on the next week, was ride/run fueling. AMAZING what a gel an hour can do for you. Not rocket science is it. But when you arent used to doing it, why would you? We both also fell in love with the Infinit products. Thanks to Beth S for that one! Not so much with the chalk in Hammer Perpetuem. I made Rich drink that and i think he threw the bottle out bc it caked to the side :(

Here are some more highlight pics from Green Valley.
Overall we rode monday, tuesday, thursday, saturday all rides of 3-4.5 hours. winds were light until saturday when we motored back to Aravaca and then hightailed it home with a slight side/tailwind. My highlight that day was not only the Gadsen coffee house stop ( so worth the ride if you can do it...about 25 miles on Aravaca road) but flying thru the border patrol stop at well over 25 mph. Slowed a bit but something about seeing your MPH flash on the screen just got me going!

Yea I dont really like chocolate that much..but i do like white frosting!

Rich's brother and his son were in town...great to hang out with them for a few days as well!
Besides fighting for the remote between the NCAA's and watching the FED play tennis at Indian Wells...umm. no contest....we also rented the Big Lebowski since they hadnt seen it. I swear that movie gets funnier everytime.

Family dinner. Friday night Walleye! Minnesotans take over Kristofers for a good old fish fry!Rosemary is at the far right. What a gal. She turns 80 yo in July, just 3 days after my mom. Go girls!


Oops Rich is sideways. Gotta fix that later:) Ok babbling post, but had to spew it out sometime. Thanks for reading!

Teething: or Aunt Julia has a nice shoulder.

So this goes to show you that it aint all about muscle .. a nephew needs some good ol' bone to gnaw on everyonce and a while. And this shows that even though I dont have kids, I am always there for my nephews. No matter what they may need :)

Now most of us dont know the value of a good mud bath. Iona did. She shows us how to really cool off when it is hot outside at the cabin. And the leash. Ahh, the leash. After she had already run off more times than we can count, including running up highway 61 on July 4th in search of who know's what and ending up in the dog pound in Two Harbors...and swimming 1/2 way across Lake Superior ( yes THAT lake, no she didnt have her wetsuit on) in pursuit of a family of Loons....Ok you get the point. She was a wild one. Pure Passion.
My dad said he chose her bc he wanted the best hunter. He chose the puppy that was the most acitve that wasnt sleeping quietly or looking timid and demure. The first week we got her home she climbed up the side of her cage and got onto the counter, fell off, and broke her leg.
I think some of you have children ( boys?) like this! Iona was pure Tom-Boy-Dog!




I had a nice ride today outside. 2.5 hours of riding. I still cry a bit when I see a Golden taking it's master for a walk, but I know that Iona is fine. I am almost fine, but I miss my friend Iona.

IONA
Today, March 2 2009 Iona's life journey ended. My parents spent the night downstairs on the couch at her side. We think she had had a stroke. In addition to pure weakness in her legs and hips, a front right paw that looked like a softball ( arthritis) and a sunken head ( atrophy of the masseter muscle) she wasnt giving up. Saturday night she dragged herself up the stairs to my parents bedroom bumping into walls as she went. My mom and dad were patient and saintly setting up yoga mats thru the house so she could walk on the slippery wood floors.

I wasnt ready for this. And before anyone starts with the "it is a dog, it isnt a person" stuff just know that for whatever reason Iona's passing has hit me hard. I dont know for sure why. Maybe it is as Rich said the feeling of "Man, if this is that hard, I wonder how hard it is going to be when I lose a loved PERSON." I havent lost a loved one since my mom's mom "Mimi" passed away. It was a long time ago, I cant even tell you how long ago. At least 10 years.
But I think it is more than that. Iona got me thru some rough years of my life in my late 20's and 30's. I dont blog about it alot but just know that she was there for me and she always greeted me with a smile, the hi-ho-iona dance and more barks and jumps than i usually wanted. I Am not going to analyze it too much. I will say this, I did a bang up workout on the trainer from 9-10:15 am, I was focused I was working on nutrition ( I even gagged down a gel just to PRACTICE, ick) and i hit the watts right on. ( And before you get all nervous, trust me, my watts wont blow you away, have you seen my chicken legs?!) Ok I had to make a joke just needed it.
And when i finished to cool down I suddenly burst into tears. I started wanting hospice care for the dog. I didnt want her to have that white knuckle drive to the vet and that fear in her eyes.
I wanted to do something so she wasnt alone and wasnt scared. And from then on my sunny sunday was spent crying about every hour, even in her presence, which likely upset her more than me:)
Funny how you can press out feelings of stress or anxiety but after a really hard effort it is like the flood gates open. Wow. Rich and I had Guthrie Tickets to see Shakespeares's Two Gentelman from Verona. I knew it would be good for me to go. And wouldnt you know it there was a dog in the play and a song about "big brown eyes." Great. Just what i needed. Not.
So today, monday, my parents took her in. I had given her permission to let go and as my mom said " I wish lightening would strike or she would just die at home." But from what i heard ( yes I was the one driving around all day to my worksites with the dark hollywood glasses on to cover my puffy eyes) it was lovely. Our vet is a great man and we like him alot. I feel calm in his presence and i just pray that Iona's journey was peaceful and that she is now swimming in the lake, chasing squirrels and has a constant hand at her side to pet her.

Below are just some pictures that I like. Her favorite place was at our cabin so I think the plan is to put her ashes up there so she is always in the great outdoors. Encampment Forest. Her second home.



Listening to nephew Joe sing the chipmunk song with his webkin. Tolerant dog!
And Yes she knows how to use the foam roller.

Bye Baby!!! We love you.