Early Morning is not my friend!

So as always my goal for this year is to get in shape and loose weight. My off and on working out proved not to be good for loosing weight go figure. So I sat down and planned out weekly workout on excel and even plan on using my new phone app to track how far i go and record that too. I also had this wild idea that early morning workouts would be a great idea.....

My alarm went off at 5am. I got up put the dog out and fed her. And for the life of me i could NOT keep my eyes open. So back to bed i went. I guess my body is determined to be an evening workout person.

So keeping my scheduled workouts the same i will just do them when i get home in the evening which is about 5pm. And maybe gradually set my alarm earlier and earlier so waking up at such an ungodly hour isn't so hard.....

I Can dooooo this!!!!

What do you say?

A very dear friend of mine has been fighting cancer. Until recently i was over the moon optimistic that everything would be ok. I was positive she would keep waking up every day, going to work, laughing and among many more things watch her daughter grow into a beautiful woman.

Then i heard the news no one wants to hear. "The cancer has spread and if this next round of chemo doesnt work you have 6-8 weeks to live." What do you say to that? How do you comfort a woman who has been fighting to survive not only for her self but more importantly her daughter. I try to stay positive for her and i hope she doesn't hear the pain in my voice or in my words when i write or speak to her. What else can i do? If i could magically take the cancer away i would in a heartbeat, but i can't.

Another friend of mine is collecting letters to put them in a book to give to her when she visits this month. I'm faced with a task of writing a letter to her. I say task because it's not something i really want to do. Not because i do not love her, but i'm at a loss as what i want to say. Do i write an encouraging letter that she will beat this no matter what or do i tell her that she has been and will always be a great friend where ever she will be. I don't want her to feel like I'm giving up on her because i am not. However reality is her body is giving up on her. Maybe i'll make my letter a collection of pictures that somehow express how i feel with out having to say the words: you are a wonderful loving woman, mom to many and you will be missed. le sigh

Woot

Finally! i found a helmet that fits right. Although ill probably get a new set of goggles because mine just don't sit right. Stupid short forehead! I scored quite a deal. i found a 160 dollar helmet for 62 bucks including shipping. Can't beat that! When i was putting it on Athena took a liking to it. she kept wanting to sniff it. ...So i put it on her goggles and all LOL. The second i put it on she just froze and let me take pictures. At least now its properly broken in dog hair and all.






So now i am set to be injury free!...well hopefully!

And Some sunset pics from my dads place

Annoyed

This weekend was the first weekend i didn't have something planned from dawn to dusk. I woke up Saturday feeling great with no soreness from last weeks workouts. So i loaded up Athena into the car and headed out to out favorite recreational place. The morning was crisp and over cast and just how i like it. Like always i tie extra doggie poop bags onto my leash and off we go...

Not even 25ft from the trail entrance and trash can was poop galore. And most people would say to me "well it is a wild life sanctuary maybe its their poop". No it wasn't. It was dog poop. WTF people. Not only was their a trash can 25feet away but they also provide Poop bags at the start of the trail FREE. As we continued on our walk i saw more and more dog poop everywhere. It was disgusting!!! To the point where i did not want Athena walking anywhere near it and instead of letting her have free rein to explore the 6ft of her leash i kept her at my side. Never in all my years of going to this place have i ever seen so much dog poop littering the pathways.

So as we are making our little walk Athena decided to do her business just for me. So i pick it up and double bag it since i have about a mile left in our walk and there are no garbage cans to be found. At one point Athena and i stop to watch the birds and enjoy the view of the salt flats. A guy walks up to us to take some pics and turns to see me picking up the bag i have to carry back to the trash can. The only trash cans are at the trail entrance and at a picnic area. Since the budget cuts of our east bay parks i have noticed that the extra garbage cans that use to be at various points are now gone. The guy gives me an odd look and asks what is in my bag. So i tell him and he gets this grossed out look on his face and asks why i am carrying dog poop and how unsanitary it is. Well, i said, there are no garbage cans and i am not going to leave it on the ground for someone to step in. I think i can carry it to the trash and not die. Plus the people who don't pick up after their animals are ruining it for the rest of us. All the state needs is an excuse to A. Close the parks or B. ban dogs at parks. This is one of our favorite places to come to relax and enjoy i prefer it to stay that way. The man mumbles under his breath and walks away.

Seriously people how hard is it to pick up dog poop? It specifically says to pick it up and they give you FREE bags. If you are scared of the smell then bring a ziplock bag. I don't like poop scooping but as a dog owner it's my job to do so.

OK ok....end rant.

There is snow in dem mountains

Last weekend Tahoe had SNOW. Yes i know it's a bit early to start doing the snow dance or is it?!?! I have read that El Niño will cause this winter season to be very wet. Yay right? Well i have also read that although it will be wet for most of CA it might be dry in up north. With normal snow fall but not what we want to fall. I personally am doing the snow dance for a few reasons. 1. CA needs this snow pack to help us make it through another year. 2. I LOVE the snow and so does Athena. 3. I want to get good on the snowboard.

Over last weekend my brother and i were talking about the upcoming season. We are both excited. So excited that i started shopping for my protection gear. You see my brother and many of his friends are all about prevention. Which is fine with me. Using his knee pads last year when he took me out, more then likely saved my knees for lots of pain. Last year he made me wear his helmet, which was 2 sizes too big for me. So this year i found one on REI outlet site and it was for a great price. So i ordered it. I really hope *crosses fingers* it fits right. My bruder even offered to pay for it as my birthday gift yay!. I had expressed my concerns about it being white and blending in too much. My bro just said "well we can paint it". I really love my brother! So all that is left to buy is knee pads and wrist guards. Helmet, wrist guards and knee pads...sounds like a wild night LOL.

This was me Last year


Being a total wuss and not even trying to go down the green run. My brother was very patient with me and even made me wear his helmet and knee pads so i didn't "kill my self", as he put it. This year i want to get better and be more comfortable out there. Maybe one day i'll be able to follow him around with my camera and get some nice action shots.


Come on everybody do the SNOW DANCE *dances around*

Is it suppose to hurt?

Over the last few years i have been dealing with off and on shin splint pain. And its a big pain in the shins. My body goes through phases of "i'll cooperate and let you run/walk" as well as " I hate you you must be in pain and not be able to walk." So after reading Molly's Blog about ART i thought it might be a good idea for me to try it. Since all the stretching and ice and rest I've been doing hasn't worked much. I sent her an email asking what she went in for and she made a point to tell me that its going to hurt. Pain?!? sweet...See i'm one of those folks who believes in no pain no gain. I guess i get it from many years of receiving deep tissue massage. Many years of little fingers/elbows and forearms digging their way around my back seeking out knots and destroying them. Pain is expected and honestly its welcomed because i know the next day i will feel like a new person.

Fast forward a few days to my appt. The doctor was nice watched me walk and played with my feet a little. Then asked if i was ready and he gets to work. He said my feet are a mess and my calves are super tight. He asked if i have had any heel spurs before.I said yes once about a year ago and they were cured by taping and rest. The pressure wasn't as intense as i was expecting. It felt like a Swedish massage rather then a deep tissue. At that point as i'm laying there i was thinking "wow this is not painful at all is he doing it right". Before i left he told me i should start taping my arches for a few days after the treatment. So i have to go get some more athletic tape or maybe something not so harsh on my skin. Before i walked out he showed me some exercises to strengthen my arches and inner leg muscles. I left with my legs feeling a little looser, my ankle beginning to be a little sore from all the manipulation and walking straighter.

Now i know that not everyone's experience is the same in any thing, but honestly i thought i was missing out LOL. I even emailed Molly when i got home asking if it was suppose to hurt! i guess ill have to get my massage therapist to torture me when i go in next. She is more then willing to make me feel like a broke chicken wing. Actually i think she takes some pleasure in making my muscles do what she wants them to do.

This morning I'm not really sore. My right shin, which is the bad one of the two, feels a little tender. Not tender to the touch but tender as in how i feel the day after i have a freezing episode. So maybe this will work? I'm seriously hoping so because Athena loves her walks and i love my work outs! Tonight will be the test. I'm planning on a long walk with Athena due to us leaving early tomorrow for a 2 hour drive to Sacramento!


Thanks Molly for all your help!