My Dreambike-Serotta CXII

I meant to write this the other day after a 1 hour ride on my old red road bike when I felt like I was being stabbed in the delt. In 4 and half hours on my custom Serotta CXII a couple of days before this pain was not there, but 1 hour on the wrong bike and yowzy! The truth is I love my Serotta! Love like you love the comfort and coziness of your bed after a long day of barking orders at high school kids, love. From the moment I laid my eyes on it, I knew it was my baby. I've ridden everything-aluminum, carbon, titanium-multiples of each material and the carbon/steel combo is dreamy. It's not that I don't think big carbon aerodynamic bikes aren't cool, but after a quick trip to Lake Placid the other day I was reminded that if your bike doesn't fit and you aren't fit there's no possible way to be aerodynmic on the bike. Tons of shims take that aero bike away from it's original state and original point. The fact that this bike was made precisely for me is also dreamy-nagging aches and pains no more, I can stay aero comfortably for hours! After being blown off of bike courses from crosswinds and nearly bucked off by crappy roads I'm a huge fan of keeping it simple. I'm not the most stable rider, I'm downright twitchy to be honest and on this bike wind, logging trucks, hills, and rough roads are not a problem because it's so stable and powerful. Which means I get to be stable and powerful to go really really fast! Perfect fit, perfect mix of materials, and perfect frame construction from Serotta are my CXII-simple!

Sometimes Dogs Just Know...

and sometimes they chew through your daughter's Smartcycle cord. But it's the times when they surprise me by being especially sweet or considerate that I think-wow that dog really gets it! When I started teaching Adaptive Physical Education I brought Quenton into school to play therapy dog, and except for that one time when he shredded that playground ball, he went from my crazed puppy to a calm cool collected gentleman as soon as he hit school grounds. After Ruby was born we sent home some of her clothes for the dogs to smell so they wouldn't eat her and when she came home Bandit was so gentle and treated her like her own little baby. When I moved to Jen's for a year Q knew that Ruby and I needed extra spooning and he would have get used to falling asleep in my death grip. Roxy, sweet baby Roxy must've known that it was time for an easy, quiet dog to make my heart burst with pride when people remark about how gentle and well behaved she is. She has also been the best little runner from the first day we hit the trail-she knew what I needed.

The other morning I was running with the whole pack when we happened upon someone meditating. I was startled but the pack just ran right by him and left him alone! They never leave people alone on the trail unless they've been out there for hours, I really felt like they knew it was best to leave him alone and let him meditate. Then on the way back Roxy decided he needed 2 tiny paws to the back and Bandit gave him a bark-I guess they didn't know!

Duathlon National Championships Highlights

Raced the Duathlon National Championships this weekend-hit my goals square on the head, felt pretty awesome and proved that winning my age group last year wasn't a fluke after the freight train debacle. Phew, I'm not really sure if I would have gone through with trying to race pro for the rest of the season if I didn't win this race. Good thing it went as planned! Here are some Highlights from the weekend!
Most Insight from a 6 year old-
During the 4 hour drive to Aunt Kim's Ruby and I had a lot of time to talk and sing. The best conversation we had was when she woke up from a lovely hour nap and informed me that Earth Day should be everyday and that we all need to feel lucky to have the Earth while we have it and we need to take good care of it to make it last longer. Then she listed some of the ways we can help the environment-by not driving so much because the gases from our cars go up into the air and get trapped in clouds and then come back down in rain and kill plants and ruin lakes and rivers, by not using lead sinkers when we fish because they kills plants and fish, by not pulling grass out of the ground, and by turning off all the lights we don't need we can save a lot of energy!
Best Pre-flight Distraction-
When they brought me to the airport Ruby and I sat on different sides of a glass partition and talked to each other on the phone for 15 minutes and I explained to her that this is what it's like for people in jail-what a fun game!
Nicest Sight for Sore Eyes/BFF to the Rescue-
I made it to Virginia and pretended to be calm waiting in the airport for Jenny. I hadn't seen since she drove away from my house in August, so when she finally walked around the corner I ran up to her, gave her the biggest hug and then I just stared at her for a little while to make sure she was really there. She was and she really enjoyed the beautiful Econolodge I found for us on the Midlothian Turnpike. It took 4 tries to find a suitable non-smoking room, but we did it and we will live to tell about it!
Best Magic Potion-
Coach Martha promised-I'll be sprinkling invisible go-fast glitter dust on you during your race. she did and it worked
Best Cheer-
On the phone with Ruby before the race Jen asked her what she should cheer at me when I went by Ruby suggested, "RUN LIKE A MONKEY!" This was one of my favorite things to yell at teammates at SLU and for some reason she knows this and likes it.
Best Pre-Race Laugh-
On race morning I got a text from Kevin that said "kick ass! Ride like you stole it! Run like ur running from me! haha!" it's good when people make you laugh before races:)
Worst Foot In Mouth Comment to someone from USAT-
I like the duathlon scene, it has a good vibe, a little bit more relaxed than triathlon. Less of a flexing contest.
Funniest Post-race Field Trip-
Stumbling through Colonial Williamsburg on aching weary legs
Best Comment about Amy becoming less of a basket case at races-
I used to have this panic about things going wrong at races, I don't really get that anymore because things just sort of work out. -Jenny

Learning To Suck It Up & Move On

I don't think I ever gave racing parents enough credit when I first started out-I remember always wondering how they could race at a high level but figuring they must have nanny's or amazing overworked spouses. I know I thought it must be a juggling act, but I never realized how much. The minute I realized I was pregnant I gave up swimming and mostly just ran ran ran to my hearts content. It had been a long time since I didn't have to get in 2 or 3 workouts a day and could do whatever I wanted. One of my triathlete friends was also pregnant at the time and didn't take her time off as seriously as I did so when I turned to her 10 miles into a bike ride and said I had heartburn from the 3 hotdogs I'd eaten before we took off she looked at me like I had 2 heads, but without a race in sight and an alien having taken over my body I didn't see any reason to push it. This was the first time I had to learn to suck up my natural instinct to be aggressive and worry about what my competitors were doing and just enjoy moving as much as possible. I was hesitant to get back into triathlon at a high level because I knew how hard it was to reach my training and racing goals when all I had to worry about was one dog, how could I do it with a baby, a husband, a track team and two dogs? More often than not life gets in the way of the plans we make to achieve our goals. That's why I started back with marathoning, because it was uncharted territory so I wouldn't constantly compare to what I had done 5 or 6 or 8 years ago and it also wouldn't take away as much time from the family as triathlon. While the marathon year was fun and everything, lining up next 95 pounders floating through 6 minute mile after 6 minute mile was discouraging and tore my legs up like nothing I have ever done!

When I had sorted a few things out in my personal life and almost gotten over the sciatic nerve injury from 2 marathons in 7 weeks it was time to get my ass back on bike and experiment. Knowing that training and racing time wouldn't come as easy as they did in my 20's last years was an experimental year-I would train as much as I could and do a few half ironmans and see what happened. I didn't really follow a schedule and things went pretty well, so this year I've been getting guidance and key workouts from Martha Grinnell, the woman who taught me how to be a triathlete at 22, trying to complete what I can, and getting in as many hours I can. Between my family and friends and Kevin on Ruby duty I had been getting in enough to stay sane and feel ok about the prospect of racing pro this season. Ruby and I spent much of spring break with my sisters who were more than happy to send me out on runs and rides or take field trips to their local pools. I felt really good about getting my first bigger week in and saved Friday and Saturday for my long run and ride, we kicked off Friday with a trip to Whiteface and I immediately got a pit in my gut that the training plans for the weekend were heading out the window. Needless to say, instead of getting 6 hours of training in over those 2 days I got in 1 crazed 1 hour run followed by a rather dramatic meltdown because I was certain I couldn't race at the level I want to if I can't train at the level I want to. My support team responded quickly and despite trying to dig my heals in about how impossible it all was they convinced me that sometimes we just have to suck it up and move on. Extract the awesome parts, be grateful for them and just do our best. Martha, besides being a great coach, is an even better psychiatrist and always has the perfect words of wisdom and encouragement to help me put things into perspective. This time was no different and with a lot of help from Ruby, Kevin, and our wonderful daycare provider, Kelli, I cowboyed up and had my best week of training in 7 or 8 years! Suck it up and move on, suck it up and move on:)

The Easter We Had To Laugh

After starting our spring break finding the perfect new running buddy, Ruby and I decided to hit the road and go visit my sisters and their families for a few days. Our first leg was a short trip to Clifton Park, normally short unless your 6 year old is speaking in "blah" and "fart" non-stop and quizzing you about what she's saying! I don't know how people travel with more than one child-a chorus of the abc's in "blah"-ouch! So we spent a few days at Aunt Ta Ta's house playing and training. Roxy made friends with a cat cousin who is bigger than her-pretty uneventful time in the burbs highlighted by a couple of great runs and rides at the Saratoga Battlefield.

Ruby and I crammed cousin Hillary into the car on with Quenton and Bandit and hopped onto the Thruway for Easter weekend at Aunt Kim's in Lansing. When we arrive it was wine and hot tub time-so when Hillary quietly told Ruby she wanted to go home to her family I had to explain that Aunt Kim had forced me to drink a glass of wine so I couldn't drive her the 3 and half hours home. She held it together and soldiered on! It was shortly after the hot tub that we started to notice ants, tiny tiny ants sneaking out here and there-no biggy we carried on planning our adventures not worrying about the little creepers. The next day our parents arrived-yay! Whenever Jim Farrell visits any of our homes projects usually ensue whether we like it or not, so usually we try our best to get him to chill out and enjoy himself. It was a beautiful day and we were enjoying the sunshine on the back deck watching Hillary and Ruby dredge the little pond when they could keep it dog free and coloring Easter eggs. It got so warm that we decided to pull the umbrella out. After some confusion about weighing down the base of the umbrella and a little jerry-rigging we had it set and were enjoying the shade! The wind was picking up but Kim and I both thought-wow, it's working as we headed inside to gather snacks. Two minutes later there was a loud crash, the glass table top was shattered all over the deck and Jim was about to wake up from his nap! We swept furiously and gave the girls instructions for no more bare feet by the hot tub. By the time we thought we'd done a great clean up he was asking for a Shop Vac for the tiny shards of glass we'd missed in the cracks. Farrell=thorough:) Within 2 hours the table had smashed, we cleaned up, and then he pulled a sheet of plywood out to make a new table top! When Kim couldn't locate any duct tape for the fancy blue plastic table clothe we had to improvise with coordinating blue painters tape. Farrell=industrious:)

The rest of the family poured in and they (I say they because I still play helpless youngest child busy plotting my next ride and incapable of being domestic) started prepping for the next days big meal. We all went to bed late thinking all was safe, but at some point in the middle of the night I went to the restroom and found the giant plastic bolts on the toilet seat had been removed by elves! Someone must have realized this because when I woke up there were cute notes reminding the 14 people on the house that one of the two toilets could be dangerous and to use with caution. The other discovery on that lovely Easter morn was creepy little ants that had devoured a giant pan of brownies and some delicious candy the Easter bunny had delivered. We laughed, sealed everything in ziploc bags, and decided maybe it was time to go to church and prayer for a little help! As we pulled away I heard one of the 5 dogs howling especially loud but figured our favorite Jewish, dog loving uncle would take care of him. After mass I headed out on a run to let the grown ups start prepping for dinner. When I arrived home I walked into the kitchen to see anyone needed my help and found a kitchen of women who had been visited by a 6 year old face painting monster! Kim also showed me how the howling hound had escaped via the screen door, it's so nice when dogs can take care of themselves:) Fortunately we made it through the rest of the day only a couple of broken dishes, a few more ants, the normal side effects of giant family meals and a lot of laughs!

Luck O The Irish

Luck or fortuity is a belief in good or bad fortune in life caused by accident or chance, and attributed by some to reasons of faith or superstition, which happens beyond a person's control.

Since Indoor Track ended a couple of weeks ago I've enjoyed more time outside after work to train and play after school. This has led to some great runs and rides where I find myself cruising through some of the most breathtaking spots in the Adirondacks. On Friday I made it up to the potato fields at John Brown's Farm, with the most amazing view of the High Peaks, and I had to stop and take a huge deep breath. I did the same thing at sunrise on Saturday when I reached the top of a climb and turned around to a pink sky through the trees. Lucky, I feel lucky. When I first graduated from SLU and took my first job in Gouverneur I wasn't sure where I was going-Florida or Cali someplace where triathletes can be tan and frolic outside year-round, but I never thought it would be here. While I've visited so many beautiful places, the proximity to the best grandparents in the world makes it hard to imagine living anywhere else. Life here is slow, but I'm thankful for that. My brain moves fast enough. When I think about Ruby growing up here surrounded by endless outdoor opportunities I'm grateful for that I left the Ogdensburg City Pool 10 summers ago to sell wetsuits and chammy butter in the mountains-lucky kid! Ahhhhhhhhh


The other thing I'm feeling pretty lucky about right now is the new member of our family-Roxy. If you know me and my dogs, I haven't been blessed with the easiest dogs in the world. I had a well behaved, intelligent dog once, but he followed Quenton out onto some thin ice and never came back. RIP sweet Harry:) I had made up my mind that after these dogs, I would stick to one dream dog to make life a little easier, but then I had a couple of runs where Bandit and Q ended up limping and a lil lame and the search for a new running buddy began. I knew I wanted some sort of herding dog-a Border Collie or Australian Shepard because they like the work and could go all day. It's amazing what gets labeled a Border Collie or Aussie on petfinder.com! Rescue sites, breeders, shelters the internet is so much fun when you're searching for just the right dog. Ruby and I went to hold puppies at our local shelter and within seconds I knew a "puppy" puppy wasn't what we were looking for and I definitely wanted a herding dog. Back to the computer, I broadened the search to my sisters zip codes and hit the jack pot! At first it was a lovely border collie who caught my eye, but then I scrolled down and found her-Roxy the Catahoula Leopard Dog! A leopard print dog? After more research it was a no brainer and we were gonna spend our first day of spring break driving to an adoption clinic to stake our claim! I ran into the store like it was 1985 and there was a new batch of Cabbage Patch Kids being released. I scanned to crates to find Roxy and my heart sank until I got to the final crate and there she was. Phew! The volunteer came over and asked if we'd like to see her and Ruby and I both shouted "YES!" As I carried her away from the crowd I knew we were done for and without asking a single question about her I was telling Ruby we could take her home and my ex husband was filling out the paperwork for me. The vultures were circling and waiting for us to put her back, but lucky timing put us there just in time! She was so calm and relaxed that my sister Tammy and Kevin kept questioning what the puppies were going to be like when the sedatives wore off. Fortunately the sedatives (the volunteers claimed the puppies weren't drugged) have worn off and Roxy is the best puppy I've ever met-house trained in a day, comes when we call her, fits right in with B and Q, and allows Ruby to do whatever she wants. You get the feeling that she realizes she hit the jackpot and feels pretty lucky:)

My Winter Trails

Railroad tracks and frozen lakes are two of my favorite ways to see the Adirondacks in the winter. I've always loved running on on railroad tracks and beds and I really try not to be intimidated by sharing them with 4 wheelers and snowmobiles. Snowmobiles open up a new system of trails for us in the winter and while I pray for snow to ski, a big part of me gets psyched when I hear the obnoxious beasts zipping by on the railroad tracks a block from my front door. When we moved to Elm Street I happened upon the tracks early one morning and couldn't stop going back to explore on foot or skis further and further in every year. Last week the dogs and I spent entire long run on the tracks discovering ponds and lakes-all three of us grinning foolishly:) A couple of winters ago John and I followed some snowmobile tracks out onto Oseetah Lake for one of my favorite runs in ever, to be chuggin' along surrounded by these mountain views-breath taking! I kept dragging John and Jenny out there so we could play Alaskan Explorers and I'm pretty sure they never got bored with it!