Carolina's Masonboro Sugaree

Less than a week after I posted THIS, I lost my girl. Heaven is Sweeter with Carolina's Masonboro Sugaree.  August 28, 2008 - February 8, 2014. 

Shake it up now, Sugaree

I'll meet you at the Jubilee

If that Jubilee don't come

Maybe I'll meet you on the run

 

I am still stunned and grieving. Life is getting back to normal pace with fewer tears and bits of relief from the heartbreak. I thought I would share this today as I slowly get back to writing.

Break in the Action - Part Two

So yesterday, my brand new truck got hit. In the parking lot of Whole Foods. By someone's nose.

I was sitting in my car during a typical busy lunch hour,  talking on the phone to my most famous and favorite Hollywood writer and director friend-who-shall-not-be-named. I happened to look in the rear view mirror when suddenly.... WHAM!!! I heard a thud and watched a woman's head jerk back. I put my friend on standby and jumped out of my car and asked if she was okay.

I'mokayI'mokayI'mokay! she exclaimed which made me giggle a little bit to myself because it INSTANTLY reminded me of Judy Grimes. 

Come to Think of It, She Looked Like Kristin Wiig - But with Better Hair

I'mokayI'mokayI'mokay, she repeated. Then she fessed up: I was looking in my purse and not where I was going. I hit your bike rack. Then, she added: If it didn't hurt so bad it would be funny. 

No Damage to Phalcon. Only to the TailGater

It looked like it hurt. The bridge of her nose was bleeding - she had slightly scraped the skin. But, it didn't look broken. I asked if I could do anything and she declined. I'll just get something for it inside, she insisted and hurried away. 

I jumped back in my car. I wondered aloud (I was still on the phone) if I should leave the lot. I laughed - but only a little. A little while later, I saw her walk back to her car - giving my bike rack a wide berth. I noticed a band-aid covered the gash in her nose. She drove away and then I allowed myself a little more laughter.  

I feel bad because she wasn't really texting and walking (which I alluded to yesterday). Technically, she was looking into her clutch (for her phone?) and looked up at the last minute to find my rack in her face. I also feel bad because my bike rack is bigger than most - it carries four bikes and it connected to a hitch. But that also makes it more visible than most. Here's my reenactment:

A Break in the Action

I will continue my week in the life chronicle this weekend. Today's break in the action equals two great stories! This morning I had the pleasure of sleeping until 5:45am instead of 4:45 am! Glorious. I still needed to get in a swim workout so I headed to the pool at 6:30a - just as the tri club finished up its first half-hour, I started my 2700 yard workout. Between sets I heard -- out of the corner of my ear -- the coach say something about a missing gold and diamond earring.

I don't know if you know this yet, but I'm a little obsessed with finding spare change during workouts. Dirty Spice and I have been known to fight over loose change [and a shark's tooth or two] on the track or the road. Last year, we had a contest to see who could find the most change. CLICK HERE to see who won (me).  Anyway.....I decided to put my master needle-in-a-haystack sleuthing skills to work. 

I promise I concentrated on my stroke and bilateral breathing and my lats and blah blah blah, but I also searched for any glint and sparkle on the bottom of the pool. I searched on either side of the blue tile line and even tried to spot the jewelry between the feet of the water aerobics going on two lanes over.

Summertime Water Aerobics

No luck. 

I finished my workout, headed to the locker room (transition) and then headed home. When I opened the door from the lobby to the lot, I spied with my little eye a little gold and diamond earring on the sidewalk!

Looked Like This!

  
I was so excited! I took it back inside to our tri coach, Alan. Didn't you say that someone lost an earring? Look! I found it! His response, Great! You found one! What? One? There's another missing? I immediately went out and searched the dirt and pine straw and sidewalk for the other. 

No luck. 

I walked out to my car and found two women pacing around a parking space. One was my CORE @ THE STORE friend Sue. Are you looking for an earring? Yes! They exclaimed. I found one! What?! We found the other! There were hugs all around! What an amazing feeling! 

Did I say two stories? The other will come tomorrow. 

Watch foreshadowing here: 

  

AND THIS:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

HERE'S THE LINK FOR THE NEXT STORY

Week in the Life - Wednesday

Here is more from a week in the life:

5:00am     Alarm. Again. Transition One: it's located in the walk-in closet. 

5:11am     Let the dog out. Let the dog in. Feed the Dog. Feed me: Belvita Blueberry wafers and a banana. Prep my nutrition/hydration. Watch my sister's Facebook movie. Cry a little and curse Mark Zuckerberg for the power of tears over FACEBOOK so early in the freaking morning!

5:45am     Leave for the track. It is foggy and a cold 45 degrees. I'm wearing: a headband, beanie, three tops, two jackets, capris, sweatpants,  socks and shoes.{11 Articles of Clothing}

6:05am    Start Workout No. 1: Walking, dynamics, jogging x 8 laps. Build for one mile. Tempo run for 20 minutes near 8:00/mile pace. This is the first time I've done a tempo on a track and it feels pretty good. Love feeling the temperature dip just before the sunrise and how the unlighted field reveals itself little by little through the fog.

7:15am    Head to Starbucks. Dirty Spice and I discuss her run, her upcoming race and the guilt she feels for missing a workout.  Transition Two: new headband and beanie, remove one top and one jacket, change into just the sweatpants. {Clothes Count x 2}

Tigger and the Mermaid

8:00am    Home. Transition Three: bike tank + bike shorts + hoodie + same sweatpants. I'm not going to count the fleece that I'm wearing in the house because it's colder indoors than out.   :)  {Clothing Count x 3}

9:30am   On the bike for Workout No. 2. A steady state workout to THE BIGGEST LOSER. Being on a bike trainer by myself is the hardest workout in the world. I want to be a slacker, but I put in the work.  I get hungry at 45 minute mark and get hangry at the the 46 minute mark.

11:00am   Transition Four: yoga top + yoga shorts + long sleeved tee. {Clothing Count x 3}

NOON       Lunch. Shower. Coach. Yoga Clothes. This afternoon I work on swim video footage of my tri clubbers. I might sneak in a game of Word Scramble after each video.   {New Clothing Count x 0....unless proverbial coach's cap counts} 

5:00pm   Transition Five Going Out to Dinner Outfit: three tops + hot pants + cute flats + make up and earrings. Ace and I hit the Brasserie du Soliel for an amazing dinner with  my favorite BIG FAT SALAD, a few bites of Ace's pomme frites and a mini carrot cake. Yum!   {Clothing Count x 4}

Sans Chicken + Mushrooms x 2

Today's Score:  23 Articles of Clothing  & Five Transitions

 

Week in the Life - Monday and Tuesday

I thought it would be interesting to chronicle a week in the life now -- in the pre-season -- and later in the year when Ironman training gets going.  I've always wanted to see how many articles of clothing and how much food happens in a week.  So, here goes. 

MONDAY --------

5:00am      ALARM. Sit up. Stretch. Walk to the closet. Transition One: my clothes are already laid out for the first event of the day. 

5:10am     Let the dog out. Look up at the stars. Feed the dog. Breakfast Snack: banana and a homemade pumpkin muffin. Fix coffee. 

5:30am     Load my bike on the truck. Throw my spin bag in the front seat.

5:40am     Leave for the YWCA. Sing along to the Grateful Dead on XM.

6:00am     Coach a TriClub bike session with Ruth, Beth, Jeannie and Joe. We play name-that-bike-part. Lucinda gets to be a model for the day. 

7:00am     Pack up my bike gear and bags and head home.Transition Two: Shower and another change of clothes.

9:00am     Brunch Bunch. Small Group feeds my Soul.  

11:00am   Errands.

11:50am   Transition Three: Change from cute outfit to bike shorts and tri top and bike shoes. 

NOON:     Spin Class at the Fit Center

1:00:        Corrective Exercise. I cuss my coach. 

2:00pm     Home, James. Lunch. Coaching Catch-Up. Blog. 

6:30pm     Dinner and the News and by news I mean the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. Set Up Transition One for Tomorrow: Swimsuit. Towel. Sweats. Post WKO Dry Clothes.

9:00pm    Thinking about Sleep. 

9:30pm     Horizontal. Lights Out. Listening to Sugar snore. 


TUESDAY  --------

4:45am    ALARM. The Good Morning Song makes me happy every time. 

5:00am     Transition One. Shuffle to let the dog out. 

5:05am     Eat half a pumkin muffin. Prep my nutrition/hydration for the swim. One scoop of Amino Vital Pro.

5:28am     Arrive at YWCA pool. Chat with Meredith. Chat with Lance. Jump in and do 50 x 75 yards. That's 3800 yards. That's 2.1 miles. 

7:00am     Transition Two: change into yoga top, yoga pants, beanie cap, TriStacey shirt and fleece for the drive home.

7:15am     Breakfast: half of a mushroom and spinach and mozzarella and basil frittata. One slice of toast with strawberries smashed on top and an orange. [I think I'm writing all the food because I'm starving!]

8:00am     Coach: prep for new spin class, watch film footage of tri club swimmers, review webinar.

11:30am     Transition Three: Spin Class gear. And mascara.  

NOON       Spin Class with two new peeps! One was 15 minutes late! :) 

1:00p       Walgreens! I got lost in the Valentine's Day card aisle. Anna, Dad and Neal - SPOILER ALERT!!! I got you a punny card. :) 

This Ain't It - But It's Cute

1:30pm    Lunch and Phone Time! Connecting with friends and clients. 

3:30pm    Transition Four: Headband + 3 Tops + Jacket + Run Tights + Gloves + Socks and Newtons. 

3:40pm     Dog Dynamics. That means I walk Sugar around the neighborhood twice. Once like a normal person and once while dancing around for warm-ups. I like side shuffles and grapevines and skipping and bounding. I've had people stop me and ask, "What are you DOING?"

4:30pm    Transition Five: back to yoga top and spin bike shorts for stretching and cool down. I did a 15 minute yoga flow. It was a little like a dance - everything was on an 8-count. I pretended I looked like this chick: 

5:30pm    Track my Training. Log my workouts into Training Peaks and complain to my coach about how sloggy my run felt today. 

6:00pm    Start making dinner.

The rest of today will include Transition No. Five: pajamas and dinner. Maybe a glass of wine? Though not in that order.