The SlooTs Reunite in Las Cruces

Lauren and I are gearing up for Day 5 of training camp with Paulo and the posse. Training has been PLENTIFUL: bike time in the past 4 days totals 12 hrs and we have paired that with swimming and running, of course. It's been a breath of fresh, 35 degree air to bike the NM roads with them all.

Lauren and I wait for a Mexican dinner with Sipos (of twitter fame)



Pre-ride smiles with Jacqui, who we have to thank for all pictures not featuring our hotel room or Super Walmart.

Lauren, Lindsey, Tracy, Jacqui (and Danny - the photog) take a wrong turn and transition it into a photo op during our near-5 hr ride on Saturday... all 3 of these ladies will be racing the same IM early this summer

Friday night at Super Walmart. Sorry Costco, we cheated on you.

Lauren didn't actually lift any bags into the trunk. She was saving her back for training.

Lauren's post-ride look... our hotel room in shambles...

Lauren with Michael--a Miami native who still still dresses for Florida weather

SAY GOODBYE to Winter Ride - aka do not climb Old La Honda with improper gearing

Today the sun came out - first time in what seems like 100 days of constant rain. Granted, I live in Northern California where the temps rarely dip below 40 and am not dealing with blizzards. HOWEVER, I still feel that I should have the right to complain about the weather occasionally, as this happens to be a human pastime.

To celebrate the end of winter, I rode to the coast with some friends, Matt and Christine. Aside from riding in Monterey, this is one of my all time favorite rides. When I first started riding I learned to suffer on these hills while trying to stay on Pataky's back wheel.

I always seem to forget how hilly this ride is. We climbed up Old La Honda and I made sure to remember the recent Slowtwitch.com debate about what is the acceptable RPM for which to climb this. I am happy to report that I have an acceptable RPM, despite my horrific gearing (clearly I don't know how to talk about bike gears correctly. I just know the important things...like I have a 23 on my training wheel and a 25 on my race wheels...and this does seem to make a difference when climbing.)

I decided to take some pics while riding with my newly acquired iPhone. Unfortunately, I am not terribly gifted in photography...especially while riding... so you'll just have to pretend the pics are about 50 times more beautiful than what you see.

GOOD BYE WINTER!!!! (Note: I will ignore the latest weather forecast indicating more storms for my hood this week.)



Notice the overcast sky - It was sunny on the other side of the hill. Note to self - bring sherpa to carry warm clothing when heading to the coast.



PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) ruined this shot with their freaking power lines.



Road that reminds me of cycling in New Zealand (sans the multitude of sheep.)



iPhone shot of the day - charlie waite should hire me.

I Rate this a Slam Dunk

"Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don't feel like doing them."

- Basketball Hall of Famer, Julius Irving aka Dr. J.

I came across this gem of a quote in a book on motivation: Drive, by Daniel Pink. Mr. Pink is a metro red line neighbor of mine and an authority on 'the changing world of work.' More or less, his book falls under the umbrella of self-help. His 2-month long national book tour is winding down in the DC area and his speaking engagements are posted on his blog... just an fyi for any DC area residents (i.e., non-Canadians) reading this post.

To continue with our slam dunk theme, please enjoy the video of Le Dunk de la Mort. In the 2000 Olympics, Vince Carter JUMPED OVER a 7'2" French player, Frederic Weis, in the USA's 85-75 win over the French for a ... Slammmm Dunk.




(blog fodder: Lauren told me she would post last night, but nary a bold word appeared in my google reader from the rookiepros blogspot this morning... i SURPRISE her with a new post of my own and the only commentary from LAHP is: why did you include that basketball video)

Washington DC Snowfall

DC has been a ghost town the last 6 days due to the snowfall, lack of cleanup on the streets/sidewalks and the federal gov't closings.

Notice the 3 inch thick layer of compacted snow/ice in the roads...

On a Sunday morning walk...
Here, Connecticut Avenue Bridge crosses Rock Creek Park--this is where I usually cycle, but currently this is where I sled (FULL DISCLOSURE: I went on ONE RUN on an abandoned garbage lid... after living on the edge, once, I can resume my risk-averse lifestyle)

2 girls loving their cardboard sled

Marilyn looks on as Carl cookie-sheets it down the hill

Sledding essentials

Aside from working from (someone else's) home... notice the plethora of natural light, occasional stops at the office, training indoors and walking through food-less grocery stores, I am having a blast in the kitchen and making the best of the extra morning time in egg creations.

Midwestern frittata (FRITTATAS ARE SO EASYYY to assemble and retain their heat longer than scrambled eggs; fact)

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken

Rib Eye Steak w/ blue cheese, lemon asparagus, chambord carrots and cinnamoney sweet potatoes. Note to Lauren, I ate a PORTION of the steak
Calvert Street, NW DC on Saturday, Feb. 6

Calvert Street, NW DC on Wednesday, Feb. 10

Basketball Takeaways for the World of Triathlon

LJ's boyfriend Carl recently sent her this gem of an interview with Houston Rockets star T-Mac (Tracy McGrady). While I dabbled in basketball during my formative highschool years as a respite from the daily tennis sessions, I've let my basketball knowledge slip lately so I had to google this guy. Apparently, this T-Mac character has had some injuries which have prevented him from reaching his best the past few years. He is currently working hard to rehab and what I find most motivating is his attitude.

Interviewer: You've heard all the doubters saying that they don't know if you can make it back to being the player you used to be. Is the pain you're enduring during rehab all the motivation you need and do you feel confident that all the work you've put in here can get you back to the same level you were at?

TM: I'm not necessarily worried about the doubters saying anything. If they feel like I can't back to the player I once was I don't care about that. That's not gonna motivate me. What motivates me is I'm not finished. I got some unfinished business left on the court. I'm not happy the way last season went, so that's motivation in itself. I know what I'm gonna do and what I'm gonna get back to, so I know where I'm gonna be. Once I leave this place and I'm healthy, I'm gonna be ready because I'm not satisfied the way last season went.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog?name=friedell&post=4479907

Operating on All Cylinders

Lauren treated her body to a full night's rest by sleeping in Thursday morning, relegating her workouts to the evening.

Lauren: "i got home...jumped on tready for 50...hung upside down for 2 minutes... changed shorts and shoes, jumped on computrainer for an hr..20 min warmup, 12x1 z5...jumped off and grabbed a rice tortilla with peanutbutter and an apple, drove to pilates where i pilated for 90 minutes, came home, ate yogurt and died"

I am impressed Lauren fit in all that activity and was STILL awake to watch the drama unfold with Addison Shepherd. After her husband asked her to shut off the lame tv show and do something constructive, Lauren retorted: "I'VE BEEN GOING ALL DAY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LET ME HAVE MY PRIVATE PRACTICE."

It's good to see that Lauren still has some snap. Keep it up!

In East Coast news: Costco is turning hippy by stocking almond butter. Thank you. thank you...

Active Dog Looking for New Home - HOW TO PR THE RUN NEXT SEASON

Hi Blog Followers -

A good friend of mine in San Francisco has to give up her one year old dog, Toby, and wants to find him a good (and active) home. I've copied her email into this blog post, along with some pictures of Toby. If you are interested (regardless of WHERE you live), send me an email (laurenharrison00@gmail.com) or comment and I'll put her in touch with you. Toby would be a GREAT way for you to PR your run next year. I guarantee it!

Hi,

I am writing with sad news and because I need to ask for your help.

Due to personal circumstances, I need to find a new home for my 13 month old puppy, Toby.

If you know anyone who might want to adopt a 13 month old, incredibly energetic but also incredibly funny, smart, and loving dog, please let me know. I am more than willing to pay to fly him or drive him or whatever if you know anyone out of state (or just not nearby) that would take him.

I have put all of the breed, medical, temperament details about Toby below, and attached a few pictures.

Thanks for your help,

Deirdre

Breed
He is a mix, but the vet’s guess is that he is part Flat Coat Retriever and part Border Collie. I buy it. He looks just like a flat coat (I know I am partial, but I think he is gorgeous), has the energy and instincts of a border collie, and the intelligence and sweet personality of both breeds

History
- I adopted him from the San Francisco SPCA when he was about 3 months old. They had only had him for about 5 days before I adopted him. They don’t know his history before thato I do not want to give him up, but my circumstances have changed and I can’t afford him anymore·

Health
- He is 13 months old and healthy, strong, and happy
- He has been neutered (all rescues from the SPCA are neutered before they can be adopted out)
- He has had all of his first vaccines, but will be due for his next set when he is a year and a half, which is in March
- I give him Frontline and Interceptor, so he is covered for heartworm and flea stuff
- He weighs about 45 pounds
- I can provide full medical records. My vet is Pets Unlimited on Fillmore St. in SF
- He has never been sick but was recently bitten badly and needed surgery and stitches on one of his hind legs. I was really scared, not so much for his physical health because I knew that he would get better since he is so young and healthy, but that the incident would change his personality. Thank goodness, it has not. He is physically 100% better and his temperament is as wonderful and hilarious as always. Which leads me to…

Toby – Force of Nature
- He is an incredibly great dog, but he is also a force of nature. His new owner needs to be ready for a really, really high energy dog. Toby is the first pet that I have ever had, but even seasoned dog owners tell me that he is truly one of a kind
- He is loving and loyal beyond belief. He keeps close tabs on me
- He wags and wiggles his entire body upon seeing someone because he is so happy
- He loves and is great with kids. He loves and is great with just about everyone and everything, for that matter (except pigeons… I think his goal in life is to one day catch a pigeon)
- He gets along with other dogs, no problem, despite the biting incident I described above
- He loves – and needs – to play and get a lot of exercise
- During the week, I have a dog walker that takes him out for 2-3 hours during the day, and then I take him out for an hour to an hour and a half when I get home from work
- On weekends, I take him to the beach for about 2 hours in the morning, and then out again in the afternoon / evening for another hour or so
- I take him out for short bio breaks as well, but they take all of about 3 minutes
- He loves to swim, chase, tussle, etc.
- He barks – A LOT – when he plays, but only when he plays. He is totally quiet in the house unless he is really startled or worried about something outside (which I actually don’t mind… makes me feel safe)

Shoes
- I don’t want to sugarcoat this, so I will admit – Toby has been known to chew shoes. This is largely my fault, since my house is a mess and I leave shoes lying around, but still – beware. If you do take my baby boy, put your shoes away!

Thanks,

Deirdre