Looking Back, Looking Forward

It's been an amazing roller coaster of a ride this year for me. This includes both my personal life and my tri life. On the personal side of things, despite some challenges, my family and friends are in good health, we have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food on the table. Fortunately, we are both still working; this alone is a blessing. So I won't complain about anything. Beside, we've saged our home, so I am confident the new year will bring better fortune, or at least no unwanted surprises.

On the tri front, no complaints at all. Yeah, I worked like hell for my NYC Tri (which was my big race of my first ever season in this sport) only to have my back go out the day before, but that is water under the bridge and there is a whole new season awaiting me with limitless possibilities. One of which is my first Half Iron. I am in excellent hands with Coach Michelle and have already seen improvements, especially in my swim. I have knocked 20 seconds off my 100M! in only a month's time! Mind you, I was slow to start, but that is huge. In fact, the other day someone told me I was too fast for the slow lane and I should move up (woot!). The drills she has me doing are great and I have all of these 'ah ha!' moments; very exciting. On the running front she is waaaaay harder than my running class coach. I see this as a good thing as I will be very prepared. I've been stuck inside spinning as we have had rain and cold just about every Saturday (when my long bike ride is scheduled) since I started training right after Thanksgiving, so no outside bike for me yet. However, the spin workouts have been challenging to say the least. Add my weekly weight routine and core work and we have the makings of a 70.3 finisher here (and hopefully more!).

I've lined up some races for 2010 and I'm compiling my race reports for 2009 here as well. So without further ado here is my 2010 race list:

Absolutely for sure races 2010:

Tune-Ups:

Jack Rabbit Indoor Triathlon Series-Jan 31 (Damn! No thong bathing suits!)

NYRR Al Gordon Snowflake 4M-Feb 28

March Madness Biathlon-March 28

Bronx Biathlon-April 25

5 Boro Bike Tour-May 2

Great Hudson River Swim-May 29

My "A" Races:

Ironman 70.3 Mooseman-June 6

NYC Triathlon (Oly)-July 18 (I'll be doing this with Team In Training again)

Not sure yet for 2010:

Central Park Triathlon-Aug 8

Danskin Triathlon-Sept 11/12

Escape New York (Cycling) 50,65 or 100M- Sept 25

There are some road races that haven't been posted yet either by my run club, so beyond July, it's anyone's guess. I'm hoping to get a Half Mary in there somewhere, I think I'd like to challenge myself on that front at some point.

Race Reports for 2009:

5 Boro Bike Tour May 3
Rock & Run On the River June7
Pantella's Pancake June 27
Nautica NYC Triathlon July 26
Danskin SheROX Sprint Triathlon Sept. 13
Central Park Biathlon Oct. 4
Tour de Bronx Oct. 18-Cancelled
NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K Dec. 6

Foto Friday: A Day Early, Cuz Santa's Got Things To Do...

Merry Christmas!!!!!Flashback to 1971 (some of you weren't even a remote thought, let alone born!)

Arbitrariness (Cuz I'm Tired of the Word 'Random')

Me and Baby Toots

We got snow. The entire eastern seaboard got snow from Virginia on up. I love snow. I do not love snow to run in after it has all settled on the ground. Which is to say, running in snow as it is falling is much, much better and way more fun. Running, or more succinctly, trying to run in the snow once it has already blanketed the ground and then been plowed and trampled upon and turned into a slushy mess, not so fun. However, more interesting than the dreadmill. I might cower from a bike ride in freezing temps, but I will run in just about anything so long as I am not on the 'mill, but I was beaten like a dog on Sunday by the elements, or at least what they left behind.

Speaking of fun, nothing is more fun than sledding in the park after a king-sized snowfall. I ran to Payless in the AM to get the last pair of snowboots in my son's size, my husband ran to the hardware store for a sled and we met up at one of the sledding hills.

Sledding!

Baby Toots was beside himself, "I want to go down 11 times!" Such a random number, but we were happy to oblige. I miss being a kid, and having a kid allows me to act like one and do kid stuff (need I remind you of Halloween?). What a great time! Next up, pancakes! Ok, not for me, although close; multi-grain waffles with plain yogurt, blueberries, strawberries and walnuts (of which I am not a huge fan) and NO SYRUP and yet, somehow, very tasty.

Next up are some random things that I think are funny, like bacon gift wrap

This nice review I saw on Swimoutlet.com

And finally, my all time favorite holiday song, I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas as done by The Drifters, cartoon by Joshua Held

I Coulda Been A Contender

Well, not really. I'm just reaching for a title to this post. However, it isn't without it's contender reference. I am about to introduce you to the most motivational song I have in my iTunes arsenal. It's the theme song to The Contender by Hans Zimmer, maybe you've heard of him? Hint: Gladiator, etc. It ran on NBC for one season back in 2005. ESPN picked it up for season 2, but it wasn't the same. Season 1 was kick ass; I don't understand how it didn't take. Oh well, here is the theme with the opening credits for season 1.

This is what motivated me towards the end of my training today. Coach Michelle (don't you just love the way that sounds? I know I do!). Gave me two workouts for today depending on the weather. Considering they were predicting a huge snow storm, it was 26˚F and they expected gusts of up to 40MPH, the outdoor bike option was out. I went to the gym and did spin, run, spin, run as laid out for me in my weekly training schedule. The song got me through the last 10 minutes of the run (yes, I did listen to it 10x in a row) and cranked up the MPH on the dreadmill to 10 for the final minute. Done!

On tap for tomorrow is a 1:15 easy run. So far the snow predicted has been a dusting, but it ain't over 'til it's over. Off to watch the Kona World Championships on NBC. That is if I can get my son to give up Noggin (Nick Jr.) and find the Kleenex.

Foto Friday: Brrrrrrrrrrr

Holiday Haphazard

Another stressful holiday season is upon us (me). Getting it all together while training and working, not so much fun. But here is what I've got done so far.

Advent Calender, well underway.

Christmas cards done, awaiting stamps.

Charlie Brown Christmas watched, check!

Cookie Paraphernalia collected, to be baked this weekend (yes, a mix, I can't be wasting time!)

Front door decorated.

Gifts wrapped and hidden.

Window gel reindeer in place.

Stocking up (Have no idea where my husband's and mine are in storage, buried I suspect)

Gingerbread train done by Baby Toots and I (hmmm..there are some candies suspiciously missing).

What gingerbread train is supposed to look like.

Santa visited.

Tree up and decorated, phew!

With regards to training, it is funny (read: sad) what triathlon has forced me to discover about myself. I don't mean all the happy, rah-rah rah stuff, as in 'I never thought I could do this, I'm stronger than I imagined!' line of thinking. I mean the 'Holy crap! My body is just falling apart at the seams, and there is nothing I can do to stop it!' kind of thinking. Aside from the 'good' stuff since I've started this journey, I found out I have two labral tears, one for each hip; we don't want to play favorites, a herniated disk at L5 S1, I have EID (exercise induced asthma), and if that wasn't enough, I recently discovered I have a chlorine intolerance. Almost like an allergy, but not really an allergy; I don't have the full body rash. After a swim not only does my nose get runny, it also gets stuffy and itchy (like I want to claw it off of my face kind of itchy) and I sneeze continuously, as in ALL DAY. I tried Vaseline inside my nose, yummy, no? Nada. Finally I took a Zyrtec afterwards one day and it all went away! The next day I took it before I went to the pool, no symptoms. Guess what's on my Christmas list (buy your Pfizer stock now!). I'm thinking of investing (cuz you know how pricey they are) in a nose clip. I'm on the fence though, the Zyrtec works great, but it is pricey and I don't want to take drugs if I don't have to (well, I guess it depends on what the drug is...kidding). The idea of a nose clip is also not very appealing as I've gotten used to breathing out of my nose underwater. No biggie, I'll figure it out.

I had my last run class last night. For inspiration, they took us to do our .25 mile intervals to the NYC Marathon finish line. The coach spoke about goals (check!) and taking chances and seeing what you can do (check!). I was quite happy with my results on the intervals:

7:06(finished 1st)

7:16(she made me start in the back since I finished first in the last one;I got trapped, but still finished 1st)

7:03(finish 1st)
7:09(finish first)

They were done on an uphill, a little more torture never hurt anyone, right?

Now where are those cookie cutters I bought at Walmart....?

The Squeakiest Wheel Gets Oil

Back in October I mentioned in a post that I was thinking about doing a HIM (Half Ironman) and as most of you know I am signed up to do Mooseman 70.3 in June. At the time of that October post I had been considering the viability of training for this length of race without a coach. It would only be my second season on the tri scene and there was/is a lot of shit I have no clue about. I received some great comments with good advice, but one in particular stood out. It was from Michelle aka: MamaSimmons and went a little like this, "Regina! Email me!" I did...immediately as it seemed an urgent request. She also responded almost immediately with the most amazing offer to coach me. COACH ME! Holy crap! If you follow her blog then you know she has just announced her (almost) completion of her level I coaching certification. At the time she notified me she mentioned trying to build her base so was offering a substantial discount for her coaching services. Let's just say she made me an offer I couldn't refuse (imagine how that sounds with a raspy voice and a wad of tissue in your cheeks a la The Godfather). I didn't refuse and avoided the dreaded horse head in my bed, phew (more Godfather reference for those not in the know).

We started my training.....(I love the "we" when really it's "me" who is doing the training, ha!) the Monday after Thanksgiving and so far I am loving it and her. I'm almost sorry to let the cat out of the bag as I considered her my secret weapon. I did however, give her my word not to mention her coaching until she announced it herself, which she has, and so I have her blessing. It's why I have been getting up every morning at 5:45, why I ran that 10K like my ass was on fire, why I seemed to know shit about heart zones (which I don't!), and why I swam and ran on the SAME day on Tuesday and Friday. No, I would never have done this on my own. Nor would I have run some crazy ass hill repeats on Friday in 27˚F (feels like 2˚F), except that it was in my weekly training plan, and I don't want to miss a beat. This week will be the week from swimming hell. Actually, except for getting up at a ridiculous hour to swim, I love the swim training. Even though it is way harder than what I was doing on my own (and I fear will become even harder still), I still love it. She is much tougher in the run interval training than the running class I am taking (and I secretly like this....so hopefully she won't read this). Biking is a bit tough as I don't have a trainer (I'm on the hunt) and it is cold so I am at the gym on the spin bike, but I am putting in the time and the training as prescribed.

Let me sum it up this way; Michelle has been doing triathlon for 15 years, has done 9 Ironmans and 2 Kona World Championships and I think as a swimmer I couldn't be in better hands. Even though she is not here to see me (wah! I want to live in Hawaii!) what she has shared with me through drills and videos has revealed some big ah ha! moments for me. I am still on the hunt to get my stroke evaluated and find a masters team (I do not understand why it is so hard for people to return your (several) calls and emails, what the fuck?).

Santa Claus has delivered my Christmas gift this year in the form of a fabulous coach! And the joy just keeps on coming; every Saturday when I get my training schedule, it's like Christmas all over again!

I have to get to bed though, as I have another 5:45 AM wake-up call tomorrow.....swimming.

Oh! Head over the Jon's blog for his Holiday Giveaway Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, by Monique Ryan.

Foto Friday: Separated At Birth

My son...........................Linus

What Do They Take Us For?

I've actually been wanting to write a post on this subject for quite some time, so the recent article, Firm Body, No Workout Required? in the NY Times finally forced my hand. I have not read all the research because, let's face it, can you make heads or tails of this?

From MBT study on their website.

MBT's

So needless to say, this is only my opinion, based on nothing, but....well, my opinion. It's these instability shoes that are everywhere now claiming to tone your muscles, firm your legs and buttocks and do your laundry (ok, not that, but if they did I would definitely buy them) all you have to do is walk in them. Oh yeah, and buy them. Can I get a Cha-ching?! I think the most extraordinary claims come from a Swedish based company MBT, which stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. The word Masai forces me to take pause. Have they studied the Masai people? Do the Masai have excellent health benefits from walking barefoot? Have the Masai people taken up capitalism? Actually, there is no reference (that I could find) that the name has anything to do with the Masai people. MBT claims (and you can get all the studies on their site) their shoes can help with diabetes, hip disorders, knee osteoarthritis, cellulite, ankle sprain, low back pain in golfing, neck pain, etc., etc..

Shape Ups By Sketchers

Next up are the Shape Ups from Sketchers. They look suspiciously similar to the MBT's, no? Sketchers says that their shoes will tone and strengthen you legs, back, buttocks and abs. But wait! There's more! They will reduce your body fat, improve circulation, aerobic conditioning

and exercise tolerance, improve posture, relieve muscle tension and back/joint problems. Wow! Who needs triathlon? My favorite, is the "Benefits Study #3" on their site; wearing these shoes over a six week period women lost an average of 3.25 lbs, reduced their body fat by 1.125% and improved their gluteal strength by 41%! 41%! How do you even measure that? Here, young lady, crack this walnut with your ass. Ass.....Crack.....ba ha ha!

FitFlops Clog (I secretly want these)

The Fitflop. We are now edging into the land of female objectification. You've seen the adds for these with those leggy gals? Guys, I know you have. In the interest of full disclosure, I own a pair of the flip-flip version of these (as they are now available in shoe and boot form). I was a long time devotee of the Teva Mush flip-flop, but couldn't find them anywhere last summer. I live in flip-flops in the summer, so needed a substitute. I liked the thick sole on these, and I admit, they are damn comfortable (and I am sure all of the brands mentioned here are too). They just felt better on my right heel since I sometimes feel a little PF if I stand or walk too long. Can I now bounce a quarter off my ass? Do I have legs like Heidi Klum? Sadly, no. In fact, I didn't feel any muscular difference at all.

Reebok Easy Tones

And so, we have now squarely landed in the arena of full female objectification. Reebok Easy Tones. Before I get into the dynamics of their ad campaign, let's talk turkey, in the NY Times article the muscle toning claims are backed by a single study of only 5 people which was not published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Wearing the Easy Tone shoe on a treadmill for 500 steps researchers claimed an increase of 28% in gluteal activity (only cracked half the nut open, I guess) along with an increase of 11% in calf muscle exertion. These shoes are the brainchild of a NASA engineer who wanted to mimic the advantages of bosu ball exercise. In essence, another instability shoe.

My favorite part of the article are the claims by wearers:

Female Tester #1, 51 years old: “I thought there was no way they would work, but I tried them and I felt like I had worked out,” she said. “Do I look like I’m 20? No, but I feel like when I wear them for periods of time that I have exercised and worked those muscles.”

Female Tester #2, 31 years old: “I can definitely feel the muscle groups in my legs working more than I would in regular shoes,” she said. “I feel more toned.”

I have to wonder what, if any exercise program these two ladies were participating in at the time of this "testing"? My guess, none. I don't want to sound superior, in fact, if wearing these shoes gets you to go out and walk more, it's a win win. The interesting part about these shoes is the very nature of what they are, instability shoes. You are not encouraged to run, jump or engage in any other activities besides walking. The assumption being you will roll your ankle thus undoing all of your hard work (ok, that was meant to be snide, I'll admit).

The one thing that bothers me the most about the Reebok advertising is their objectification of women's bodies as a means to sell shoes. It isn't in a "look how healthy and muscular this person is and they must have trained hard to be so fit" kind of way. It's more of a "let's zoom in on her ass and boobs (which by the way have nothing to do with shoes) as a way of selling this product". There's a rube born every day. Marathon Mama wrote the best op ed piece that addresses the television ad campaign for Easy Tone. She says it all, so I don't need to.

I've saved the best for last. While browsing through my latest issue of Country Living magazine, I came across this ad. Everyone wants a piece of this shoe market. It's called the G-Defy but I affectionately call this the "Sperm Shoe". I mean, come on! Didn't anyone notice when they were coming up with this logo? Or are they trying to say sperm also defy gravity?

I'm not sure if you can see where I highlighted (click image to enlarge), but it says, "Should G-Defy be banned from Athletic Competition (their caps, not mine)? They might be considered an unfair advantage." Guess they will be checking for this along with illegal substance use. They also claim, "breakthroughs in your athletic lifestyle. Be in action. Be unstoppable." Well, damn! I need that!

Race Report: Joe Kleinerman 10K & Other Crap

Official Time: 57:52 Distance: 6.2 miles (PR maybe)
Unofficial Time: 57:49 Garmin Distance: 6.57 (PR definitely)

So I ran my first official 10K on Sunday morning. A real, live stand alone 10k not preceded by a swim and bike. The goal was to really race the shit out of this thing as much as my body could put up with in order to figure out my HR zones for training purposes regarding Mooseman. No, I didn't suddenly get all brainy about my training, but I'll make you all suffer and wait for that explanation. I guess I can be an evil bitch.

When I got up Sunday morning it was dark and cold, 33˚F cold. Thank the Lord we called our Super the night before to turn the heat on! Apparently some apartments get too much heat and others too little...guess which one we are. I'm losing the thread here. Did I mention it was cold when I got up? I got dressed in layers since I planned on walking over to Central Park where the race was being held. I know this course so well. It is the full loop of the park and I have run it 1000 times, especially while training this past summer for the NYC Tri. Only this time I would be running it in the opposite direction; tricky devils! So for my actual run I had on my magic tights (CW-X 3/4), calf compression sleeves, technical tank, technical T-shirt, my lululemon arm warmers with cuffins and a baseball cap. This was perfect. I warmed up on the run, but never felt too hot.

There were 4,776 participants. This is normal. I was waaaaaaaaay in the back, which made it hard to get going at first, but things moved along smoothly even if I did have to do a lot of dodging and weaving. The NYRR (NY Road Runners) use the disposable D-Tag for timing as opposed to a timing chip; my first time using this, very cool.

My goal this race was to try to maintain around a 9:00 pace. For me this is hard at this distance, but I was determined to do it. It is a somewhat hilly course, especially at the start; a nice big downhill and then a nice long, steep up hill, the rest are rolling hills with another somewhat long uphill at around mile 5. I felt pretty good most of the race. I use the word "good" loosely. I felt like I wanted to die, but in an I-will-do-this-if-it-kills-me good way. It wasn't until about 4.5 miles that I started to have some breathing issues. I am taking albuteral when I exercise and it has helped a lot, but it isn't a magic bullet and I had to stop for about 30 seconds, but then I picked it up again. The last half mile I really pushed myself and even more so when I got into the chute, I sprinted.

I should mention that my Garmin time/distance mentioned above is not from a GPS, version, but the Forerunner 50 which uses a footpod. I did calibrate it when I got it in the spring, but it could probably use it again. I'm just sayin'. I'd like to believe the Garmin, of course, because that would mean I ran a pace of 8:48. I have to admit it felt more like that and every time I looked at the pace, it was mostly 8:??. In any case, having run this same course many a time, this was by far the fastest I have run it and thus the "PR definitely". But if I go officially, it is still faster, but it is my first official race, so nothing official to compare it to so "PR maybe". This is how logic works in my head. In any case, I am happy with what I did.

My Garmin

Official Results

After the race, to doctor, to doctor to buy a fat pig or at least the swine (H1N1) vaccine for my son...finally, as it took forever for my Ped. to get it. Don't go hatin' if you are against it, believe me, I struggled with this one. My son yelled at me in the waiting room afterwards, "NO MORE DOCTORS!" Can't say I blame him. I hope there are no shots at his 4 year checkup, or I'm toast.

Last night I was a cooking fiend. I get like that sometimes. I made homemade sweet potato fries for my son (yes, they were baked, what do you take me for?) to freeze for future dinners, then on to pumpkin muffins (no, not a mix, from scratch) and then finally potato cheese pirogies for hubby and I for dinner. Didn't I earn it after my race?

Muffin mania, and this isn't all of them!

Finally, I know you are sick of me, last Thursday I spent the evening at the Metropolitan Museum listening to Chanticleer in front of the Met's Christmas Tree. Thank you Rachael & Michael for this. This is the kind of thing that makes me so happy I live in NYC. Here they are at the Met some years ago, but they did this piece last week as well.

Fear Is A Four Letter Word

All of my life I have lived in fear, fear of new experiences, fear of failure, fear of what others think, fear of not being good enough. I guess the more interesting angle on this is how my friends and, dare I say, family, see me. It is quite contrary to how I feel. On more than a few occasions a friend has remarked on how fearless I am or seem. It always strikes me as odd, since I am usually feeling myself come apart inside when faced with the things that strike fear in my heart; the same experiences mentioned above. I feel I wear my anxiety like an uncomfortable pair of shoes; all pain and agitation with the distinct inability to get comfortable. Evidently I have a warped self perception when it comes to this.

Let's break it down, shall we?

Fear of new experiences. I think I have mentioned that I really do not relish trying new things, things that I don't have any history with, inclination or talent for. Paradoxically, I consider myself a pretty good artist, perhaps better than average, and yet, I get a feeling of dread every time I take an art class. This is not so surprising since the fear is that everyone else will be considerably better than me. The anxiety of trying something that I haven't ever done leaves me feeling regret for ever imagining that I could ever successfully participate. Then I come to find that I'm actually enjoying myself and how ridiculous I was for having dreaded it. Obviously, I have the will to overcome this fear. If I didn't I would be sitting at home on the couch eating Veggie Booty and watching reruns of Seinfeld.

Fear of failure. I have adjusted my thinking to this in my wizened middle age. The fear I feel now about failing is more about failing myself instead of failing others. Others are more forgiving for my trying and failing than I am on myself. That said, I have learned to accept failure if I've really given it my best effort. That isn't to say that there isn't a nagging feeling left in the aftermath of failure, but I don't continue to beat myself up about it for days on end as I have in the past (do I?)

Fear of what others think. This is a huge one. This is the one that has haunted me most of my life. I think you cannot be a girl/woman without having experienced the need for acceptance by your peers. Not to belittle the pressures on boys/men, but I know nothing of these. I think I tried to pretend, and may have succeeded in duping my public, that it didn't matter to me, I didn't care what anyone thought of me. Truth is, I was terribly insecure as a preteen and teenager. I would even go so far as to say I carried this feeling well into my 20's and early 30's. At the risk of psychoanalyzing myself, I have sometimes wondered if this had to do with the knowledge that my birth father was uninterested in having any kind of relationship with me. As a result, I never did and still do not know him. I did, however have a great step dad, that for all purposes I don't even consider my stepped, but my dad. I think my need for acceptance based on this theory was also coupled with the fact that I was a chunky teenager. I wasn't fat, but I was "healthy". I'm not even sure what adjective to use to describe my heft (interesting). Even so, I was a very good athlete growing up, excelling in softball, soccer, basketball, etc. It all came easily to me. I would say I used sport as a way of belonging to something, a way of being noticed. These days I don't much care what anyone thinks of me, barring my friends, family and especially my husband; his opinion is important to me, although I don't hang my hat on it. Growing older is so liberating......

Fear of not being good enough. As I mentioned, I am a good artist and a pretty good athlete. As a youth I hated anyone that was better than me at either of these; I had to be the best. This stems from insecurity, this much I have learned. I can safely say that I am not bothered by not being the best any longer. In truth, I take time to recognize those who are better than I am. It feels good to recognize someone else's effort and talent. There is also value in it for me, accepting and acknowledging someone else's gift makes it easier for me to ask for their help, guidance and wisdom.

All of this as I've written it is meant to apply to my life in general, but undeniably pertains to my triathlon experience thus far. It was with terror that I signed up for my first triathlon (and my second, third, fourth, etc.). I have fear in my heart when I showed up for my first Team In Training group session. It is the termites I feel in my stomach every time I go to running class. It was trepidation I felt when I told my husband that I was going to do a Half IM (it took me days to confess it). I think it goes without saying, it was with absolute alarm that I clicked the "Submit Payment" button when I signed up for Mooseman 70.3. And it is with something akin to dread that I set my alarm for 4am when the truth of my hours of hard work will demonstrate my ability to overcome all my fears and cross the finish line.

What are you afraid of?

Foto Friday: lululemon window

Kind of gives floss a whole new meaning.

Stealing 13, For A Day

I'm going to steal Misty's Thursday Thirteen for one day because I'm pressed for time. Thanks Misty.

1. Thanksgiving was great. Got to see lots of cousins and second cousins, aunts, uncles and oh yeah, my parents, he he.
   
2. Was pretty well behaved eating-wise. Only one normal serving of dinner and one small piece of apple pie. Next night was prime rib roast (YUM!!!) for my uncle's birthday, also one serving and piece of ice cream birthday cake.
3. Drank like a fish (and I don't mean water)
4. Am busy creating Christmas dinnerware for NEXT Christmas and on deadline, busy, busy, busy hence the absence of blogginess.
   
5. Have officially fallen off the 100 push up wagon. Hoping to jump back on very soon or else I'll have to join PA (Push ups Anonymous).
6. Motherhood has not been blissful this last week, in fact it has been pure hell as my son is solidly bent on driving me insane.
7. I had to play the Santa card.
8. Watched "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" last night. You know, the Rankin/Bass production that we all know from childhood. The kid seemed interested enough, although not as much as hubby and me. We were surprised to find that the Abominable Snowman likes pork dinners. How did we miss that all those years.
9. My friends and family are pissed I didn't tell them about my TV art debut. Oops.
10. I have a 10K race this weekend. And I mean race, not run. Dreading it already.
11. My husband asked me last weekend what I wanted for Christmas. Of course I said, "World peace"....Ok, I really didn't, but I was caught off guard. I told him I didn't want anything. I didn't need anything and in fact, we should not exchange gifts this year as it is hard times financially (at least for me). Imagine my surprise when my gift shows up FEDEX on Tuesday. HUGE box. I think I know what it is.....I am happy, but waiting until Christmas to open it. I'm mad at my wonderful husband. He had already purchased it despite his needling me for info. Now I have to get him something, the man who has EVERYTHING.
    
12. I am enjoying a spiked eggnog in the middle of the afternoon....on a Thursday...my will to resist finally gave way.
13. Started training for Mooseman this week:

• Monday pool
• Tuesday run group
• Wednesday pool
• Thursday weights and spin
  
• Friday pool
• Saturday bike
• Sunday race