I found a new running buddy

I am on vacation this week and Lucy is with us. John took Macy home with him so I get stuck with the one year old let me destroy everything that I know you love yellow lab. She is a very sweet girl most of the time but boy if you don't have her occupied she really does love to eat precious items. Like my new running shoes a few weeks ago.

Today is Lucy's one year old birthday and I thought what better way to start it off then to let her run with me. I wasn't really worried about running much today because after being thrown off the golf cart yesterday (by accident) my ankle was hurting so I really just was trying it out to make sure it was just tight and not really hurt. The majority of the swelling is in my arch so I thought it would be fine to walk on. So off Lucy and I are. She is not much of a leash walker so I had no grand hopes of her running far. Well my little girl has surprised the heck out of me and she actually ran the entire 2.5 miles with me. At first she couldn't decide which side she wanted to be on but after the first mile she chose my right side and just trotted right along. I am still in shock over how focused she was. Nothing bothered her. Passing cars, people and little dogs did not effect her at all. She just kept going. Lucy was totally ready for her water bowl when we got back and now is napping.

Then when I opened my email, there is an article from Runner's World on training your dog to run with you! Guess what I am going to be reading this afternoon? Lucy is officially my new training partner. I sure hope Rod and Jess don't mind her coming along in the mornings to run with us!

If anyone else runs with their dog and you have any words of wisdom, please share them with me. I want this to be a good experience for me and Lucy.

How it feels

To those of us who run regularly, you know what it is like to be sidelined and not able to do what you love and that is running for me. I will never be a winner of any age group, but I love to put one foot in front of the other and go. Therefore the last seven weeks have been very hard physically as well as emotionally.

I have missed my running friends, my early morning therapy sessions as I refer to them and several events that I would normally have signed up for. But mainly I have missed the feeling of getting the miles in and what it does for me mentally. Oh and being able to eat whatever I really wanted to was missed as well and my scale shows that more than anything.

With that said, yesterday I ran 2.5 miles. I don't care that it was 96 degrees when I started and stopped. I ran the whole thing. That doesn't included the almost half of mile I walked to warm up or the quarter of a mile I walked to cool down. I ran 2.5miles without stopping or feeling like I would die from anything other than heat! YAY!

It feels indescribable to me to be running again. I had no idea how much I truly missed it until yesterday. Now let the training begin...slowly that is!

Getting Back

I know I haven't posted anything in a long time. Haven't had anything to really post. I have an injury that I have been and am still nursing. I was finally given the thumbs up to start running again last week. Don't think that I have just been sitting around doing nothing for the past 7 weeks. I used this time to focus on swimming!

I will not bore you with how poor of a swimmer I am. If you read this blog you know that already. Well that has changed. I have turned into super swimmer and have the gold stars from my coach to prove it! Cherri Kennedy at the Hartley YMCA Masters Program has spent two days a week with me for the last 7 weeks. We both are excited when the class is over that I made and could complete the entire workout. Yesterday we even marveled that she hasn't had to adjust a workout for me in weeks! I don't mind showing up twice a week now. Before, any excuse to get me out of it worked just fine for me. Not that you care but I have also been doing spin class to keep the legs moving. As hard of a workout that I get from that class (2-3 times/week), it did nothing to keep the weight gain at bay!

So now that I can run, the plan he gave me has me starting out at 2.5 miles 4 times a week, then building on that. That seemed like way too much so I decided to run 1 mile and see how it went. Not so well the first time. My leg started hurting again and I got scared. So I took a few days off and my leg still hurt. Gun shy or just crazy I guess you could say. I emailed the PA and asked what he thought. I am sure he laughed the entire time he was typing the response. I was told to just run and follow the plan. Unless it hurt severely, then I was fine. The muscle group was not use to being used so it would hurt and that was expected. Yeah I am not buying that but I don't have DR. or PA in my title, so that is what I am doing, just running. I tried again this week and it went fine. So hopefully I really am back in the sport of running. This truly is the first time that I have ever followed Dr.'s orders so they better be right!

I do feel like a slug with the weight I have gained so I decided to let someone (I will not mention your name, but I am rethinking our friendship) talk me into trying a new class. Athletic Conditioning...Yes it sounded like something that I would be able to do when reading the class description with no problem. Well that was Monday, and John had to help me wash my hair this morning (Wed)! I can't lift my arms over my head. How sad is that? I wasn't going to do the class again but now I feel like I have too. I obviously am not very strong and need to work on some muscle conditioning. So after I come back from vacation, I am going to try it again (unnamed friend your going back with me)!

So here is to happy running times and getting back out there. The IPod is charged and I will hit the pavement or the track at the Y tonight!

Support Trooper J. D. Goodnight

I know this has nothing to do with training. I feel the need to put my feelings down on paper. Isn't that why I started this blog anyway?

On May 23, 2010, we were getting ready to leave our house when I heard alot of sirens and activity on the highway near our house. Not thinking anything about it, for the fact we hear it often, we leave and are off to our destination. We come upon a horrific accident. When I say horrific I mean horrific. You knew that there were fatalities. I said a prayer for those involved and then looked to my right.


To my right was a Highway Patrol car in the woods. My heart sank. Why you might ask would that make your heart sink? My heart had already been shaken by the sight of this accident. But a very dear friend of mine is the Trooper in this area and I knew there was a good possibility that he would be working. Like any good friend, I text him that there is a bad, bad, bad accident at that intersection. I know, why didn't I just call him? Because I am a texter! I got nothing back. We called another Trooper friend who said yes Jay had been in an accident but that it was at 29/70 so I thought thank God he wasn't in that tree. But then later at dinner I got a text from someone saying "OMG have you heard about Jay, he was in an accident. I then found out that it was Jay in that tree and that two people had died in the accident. To clarify 29/70 is Business 85 to most of us.


My first thoughts of this news went straight to praying for those families that God would send peace and comfort as only He can do in times like this. I am sorry for their loss and can't imagine what they are going through. Then my second thought was thank you God for sparing my friend. He has a beautiful wife and family at home and of course he is my friend so I would not want anything to happen to him. Who would I pick on about being a cheerleader? Cheerleader turned Trooper, I love it!


I know Jay, I know that he would not put anyone in harms way intentionally. He is a man very proud of the job he does and respects the laws that he works tirelessly to uphold. The media has decided in my opinion to turn this into "Man with a badge and a fast car, kills two innocent people". Of course anyone who knows me knows I am all over that. I wanted someone to stand up and scream “JAY GOODNIGHT IS THE BEST TROOPER I KNOW, HOW DARE YOU FOR BLAMING HIM”. So I did. I wrote an editorial, that will never see print, I am sure. I tried buddy! LOL!


There are two sides to every story. Trooper J. D. Goodnight's story is limited because of the job he holds and that we live in a sue me world. But the accident report and the independent report,completed by an independent contractor, does tell the story. All should be public record if you would like a copy call the N. C. Highway Patrol and ask for it. But what you will find in that report is a very different story than what the media has told. I am not going to tell you the results for the fear of coming across as heartless for those injured and dead. Read it for yourself if you would like.


I don't want anyone reading this to think that I am a heartless bitch. I am sorry for the loss due to this accident. Their lives cannot be replaced. Grief takes on many faces as we all know. I am sure by the reports that Trooper Goodnight and the State will be sued, their grief has turned to anger. There is no amount of money, justice, I am sorry for you loss, explanation, blame or reports that will bring them back. Only time will heal the wounds of death. Only time will heal what Jay might be going through as well. Is his life any less valuable then theirs? No it is not and I am sure anyone who knows him would agree.


Let us not forget what Trooper Goodnight and every law enforcement officer; EMS work and fire fighter go through every time they go to work. Unlike me sitting at my desk typing this, they put their life in danger and risk not ever seeing their families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors again. To that, I say THANK YOU! Thank you for the selfless act that we call a job, that you call your life.


I am sure there will be many that read this and don’t agree. You are more than welcome to your opinion just as I am to share mine as well. I would ask that for those of you that do support the job that is done by not only Jay but everyone in law enforcement to show your support of them on Support Trooper J. G. Goodnight facebook page.


Thank you and goodnight! (No pun intended)

Not really training for anything

It seems very odd for me to not really be training for anything in particular. Oh believe me, I have made my race calendar in my head and it is going to keep me busy. But right now I am just enjoying running.

I haven't enjoyed just running in a long time. It is not a chore (well most days aren't) to get up and get out the door. I am running 4 weekdays and am going to get my long run in on Saturday. I am still swimming and biking but not really focusing on anything. Just enjoying multi-sport fitness.

My goal is to learn to run by myself and if I find someone to hang with me for the long runs, that will be great, but if not, I can do it. I think there is a new lesson to be learned by me in this and it might be to find some inner peace with running. Be one with running.

We shall see how this works but so far so good.

An Apple A Day will not keep the Dr. Away

Well at least not for me. It seems I will be seeing a pulmonary Dr. for the rest of my life. How did this happen and why me is all I keep asking myself. I have never smoked in my entire 40 years of life. I have not always been active but shouldn't the last 4 years of hard training have been enough to make up for it? Shouldn't all the people I know be looking at me saying "Damn if she can, I can"? Yes I think all of those things apply. Well they don't.

As reported in my last update, I had a medical issue at the end of the race. I am an asthmatic and the granddaughter of COPD genes! Well guess who was the lucky one? That would be me. Yeap, my lungs suck. They don't move air the way yours do. Yeah you sitting on the couch eating ice cream, potato chips and french fries and you breath just fine.

As I am sure you can tell already, I am angry, I am mad and now I am reassured that I was not switched at birth, which I had always believed. But they cannot deny me now. I got their lungs! The anger comes from not doing anything to cause it and actually working hard to stay healthy. Unlike the rest of my family.

I will not stop any of this madness, I will just have to be careful. Run with an inhaler, a phone and yes I guess an I.D. bracelet. I was asked to run in moderation and watch the conditions. Which I will watch the conditions but I will not back off, I will just up the life insurance and make sure I always have clean running shorts on just in case!

Race that never was and the Race that I am glad is over

As you all know I was training for the Flying Pig Marathon for the Spring. I would love to say that I went, had a great time and I kicked major ass at it. I don't get to say any of that. I get to tell you that the best of plans sometimes get foiled. The best of plans get interrupted. I think my life is like one of those shows where they come on and say "We interrupt this program for a special announcement". I don't like the announcement coming, but oh well. It is what it is and I move on.

So with that said, Flying Pig never happened and for that matter not alot of anything happened. Training fell by the wayside and I didn't really get much done.

But I still had White Lake to worry about. As we all know that was the one I was worried about anyway. Running is second nature to me now. Not 26.2 miles but running is easy. Triathlons on the other hand, push me to my limits. Physically and mentally. Mentally probably more than anything. That was why I signed on for this multi sport madness, wasn't it?

White Lake Sprint II weekend is quickly approaching and panic sets it. I have to get in the pool to see if I can still swim, I need to get my bike from the shop, I need to ride a bike, any bike will do so Friday before a race I go to spin class. Not sure if that helped or hurt, but I did it. We are there, we have our nice accommodations (not Langston's) and we are having fun. Jill completes her first half ironman distance on Saturday. I cry when she crosses the finish line like any good friend would do. I eat a great meal and go to bed early. Not too early since my start time isn't until 8:56. Really, I won't be finished until lunch time. Just kidding. But everyone else will be finishing and I will be all by myself on the bike and run course. I wasn't but that is what I was thinking. I was on the second loop of the bike by myself for a bit. There were actually several out there and I got to pass them. YAY for the small things. Saturday afternoon I started having major anxiety over the swim. The wind had picked up and the water was getting choppy. That is never a good sign for the girl who is already worried. Sunday morning arrives I get my new wetsuit as my Mother's Day gift and I proceed to get ready. I go get my timing chip, I get my numbers (personally not happy about the Master's age group) and off we are. Like a huge baby, I get nervous about the swim and I what, yes, I cry! I don't want to swim. I want to turn around and back out. But I also hate quitting. So what is it, suck it up and swim or quit and feel horrible forever? OK I get in the water. I warm up a little and I feel better. I met several people that think they swim worse than me. Ha Ha, that is the funniest thing I have heard all morning but I will give it to them. Then they call it, 3 minutes to the Novice group goes off. I learned last year to not swim in my age group. Horn blows, swimming I begin. I am feeling pretty good at first then I realize how choppy the water really is as it slaps me in the face at every time I go to breathe. Swim takes a little longer than I would of liked....but when I got out of the water, I wasn't last and I didn't quit. I wanted to several times. Time to ride my bike 14 miles. Head wind the whole time. I have a good bike time for someone who hasn't ridden a bike other than spin class in 6 months. Bike is racked and time to run. I love running. I feel good! I have an excellent run time. Going back in from the run was hard, everyone was leaving and here I am just coming in. It really shouldn't matter should it? I finished and I finished better than I did last year. Which means I did better somewhere in one or all those of sports (SWIMMING). There is alot that went on after the finish for me but it would take two days to explain. Short of it, I experienced a medical issue and ended up in the medical tent. Glad that is over.

I say this for the second year, I hate that place and I will never do it again. I will be back next year White Lake, I also refuse to let you get the best of me and I am going to master swimming some how if it kills me!