Running

Lately I have been running a bit. Not every day, not on any schedule, just once every couple of days I get out there. Usually got 3 miles. Last weekend I ran once & walked once, just so Lan would get out there and do it.

I have signed up for the tribabes again this year, officially, so I'll have a schedule to keep pretty soon. I KNOW I can to that training, its a sprint, easy peasy after 26 weeks of Ironman training. I have enough time to get at least as fast as I was for all my other Irongirl (Danskin, Trek) venue races.

I won't be taking any age group awards but I'm going to give it my all and I really, really hope I do well and beat all my previous times. Maybe I should actually get out there and ride my bike??

Lan needs a new wetsuit. While we were at Speedy Reedy in Seattle the other day I tried to get him to try them on but he wouldn't. I remember the first time I had one on, it was there. 1st one was too big, second one was so tight I left claustrophobic and had to GET OUT OF IT as fast as I could.

I'll maybe go out to the lake tomorrow for a swim, Lan and I both have the day off and we both need it.

 Two days ago Sarah took Renata for a trail ride & Joey whinnied for her for an hour, something he hadn't done in a long time. Then I realized he has always had Handy beside him if another horse left. So even if my girls are right there where he can see them, he still doesn't want her gone. Bonded. Uh Oh.

 

 

After I fed horses this morning I remembered to turn on the hot water heater in the barn so I can bathe Wifi again. She's not going to like it but my baby girl needs to be clean for her show in 10 days. I'll at least wash her tail today. Its not very warm out, she's all shed out and she can't be left wet all day. I do have a polar fleece blanket to put on her and I'll lock her into a stall with shavings. Maybe Sarah will have time to turn her out later in the day??? I sometimes dislike having a job but if I didn't then I wouldn't have horses or triathlon either.

I'm expecting her new sheet to be delivered tomorrow and I'm excited to try it on her but can't decide if I'll use it on her before the show or not. Maybe I'll go to From The Hooves Up and see if they have a cheap one to use at home & save her new one for being away.

Speaking of hooves, Gary was finally out for their feet, they were 4 weeks overdue. But all of them were still good, Joey hadn't lost any and the girls were OK. Wifi has small but beautiful hooves.

Next Dressage Show

I've got the paperwork for Wifi's next show, it will be held in Olympia on June 7th. Lucky for me that's a Saturday & I'll have it off so won't have to worry about work. But it is also Daves retirement party and I can't be late or miss it at all. I missed Terry, Rich & Lisas Tri Birthday Party last week for Wifi's first show.

I have ordered her a new blanket and matching lead rope in Royal Blue, since shes royalty.

I'm pretty sure I ordered her a solid blue blanket, not this plaid one but I should have ordered two of them. Next time I go to a tack store I'll get her another one. This is to help prevent green poop spots on her gray coat on show mornings.

 

In other news:

 

Today Lan & I went to Seattle. Here he is at Starbucks, waiting for his coffee.

 

Look, they are opening a store in our name!

Wifi's 1st Dressage Show

We loaded up Wifi and hauled her to her first Dressage show on Saturday.

 



 It was at Donida Farm Equestrian Center in Auburn/Enumclaw, WA.

This barn kitty was there to great us and hang out. This photo was taken at about 5pm Saturday, there were only a few people in the barn at this time, in a half hour it was full of horses, people and tack.

 

This is the front of one of the indoor arenas, is got a cement patio and inside there is a wooden deck, for viewing.

 

Well, this horse, Samuri, had an accident. He came off his trailer & reared up, his handler LET GO OF HIS ROPE, thinking he would just stand there LIKE HE HAS IN THE PAST. He took off, wiped out on the patio above, got up & took off around the back of the outside arenas, wiped out again back there, ran around some sheds, came toward me, I raised my arms to stop him but I knew he wasn't stopping yet. He ran through the barn aisle that was full of people, horses and tack trunks, finally someone stopped him.

 

His injuries were extensive. This cut was maybe down to the bone.

 

Anni got it doctored with salve, put on gauze, cotton, a standing wrap and polo wrap. They doctored his many other cuts and abrasions and put him on a trailer for Pilchuck. On Sunday they found out he might have a fractured coffin bone.

Sarah said she knows him, he is a complete ass to work with, he has NO good ground manners. But sometimes those are the best horses.

 

This first arena on the left is the one Wifi had her warm up ride in.

 

This is right after Delicia and Wifi finished their Introduction A class.

 

 

 

Reina riding Tessa in her Intro B class, she got 2nd place.

 

Wifi & Delicia warming up for Intro B

 

Delicia was very happy with how well Wifi handled herself. She didn't spook at anything, she was calm in the warm up ring with all the other horses running and going around her. She had energy and acted like a little lady.

 

WOW.

I absolutely LOVE this photo, it shows her off so well.

Her head is set and she's on a lose rein. she's paying attention to Delicia.

And she's showing off her new bridle. I might have to get one of these for Joey, its got the cut out area behind the ears for comfort and has a padded noseband & chin strap.

 

Intro A = 52.5%, 2nd place out of 4

Intro B = 55%, 1st place out of 2

 

I'm totally happy with how well Wifi did and can't wait to find another show to take her to. maybe in another month.

%$#@(*% Raccoons

This morning I heard something at 4:45, John Henry woke up & was on high alert, meaning, she was going insane barking in the bedroom. It was a real threat, whatever it was.

I got up wearing my jammie shirt & undies, slipped on shoes and went outside like that. In my undies. With a flash light. All the hens were scared shitless so when I opened the gate they all poured out. One more hen lost a bunch of feathers but she's alive and well, lucky girl. I think it was Rosy.

So I was running around outside in my undies searching in the trees for glowing eyes so Lan could shoot the bastards. I'm so glad he's got that 22.

FUCKING RACCOONS got 2 more of our chickens. FUCKFUCKFUCK. One Barred Rock & the Buff Orpington. The thing is, we didn't even see them as they were leaving the hen house and it took us a while to figure out HOW they got in.

But they are strong little bastards. And everyone knows they are smart. They moved the cinder blocks from behind the house. Today my chore is to get the Barred Rock hens body out of here and dispose of her, then I'll replace all the current cinder blocks, put up chicken wire around them and then add more cinder blocks around and over the current blocks and the new wire.

After I got some pants on I figured I might as well feed the horses so I put out hay, turned them out, cleaned the barn, got dinners in stalls & filled all the hay bags. Sarah will be delighted.

Rumor Has It...

Rumor has it that Ironman will quit doing the Lake Stevens

 

 

& Boise 70.3 races 

and move the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) race

from the end of June to sometime in August; I'm betting it would be the weekend currently used for Lake Stevens which would be August 16 of next year.

 

I had been planning on doing CDA again and had just told Windy of my plans when Linda leaned over & told me the rumor. Linda had been told by Connie and Connie is in the know.

 

Connie is hosting an Ironman Pro meeting at her home next week, she invited Linda to go 

(but not me)

Connie also invited Linda to stay at her home again during IMCDA this June (but not me).

 

I had already decided that I would definitely do either

IMAZ

 

or HITS Arizona

 

in 2015 and had told Windy I'd like to do IMCDA 2015. With a June date I would have 4.5 months in between to recover and continue my training but if IMCDA is moved to August I would only have 3 months in between, not enough time to rest/recover/retrain for an amature like me. So I am going to have to do some soul searching; train for 3 years and do IMAZ/HITS in 2015 & IMCDA in 2016 or attempt two races in 3 months.

 

I already know I HAVE to put my all into another IMCDA race so I can beat not just my time but beat it by a couple hours and I also hope to have an awesome PR at IMAZ.

 

The IMAZ bike course elevation

 

~vs~

 

HITS AZ

bike course elevation

 

Another choice:

Do Arizona 2015 and IMCDA 2016.

 

Would I want to do 3 laps at IMAZ or 2 out & backs at HITS? I think Lan & I are going to have to take our tribikes to Arizona this fall so we can try out both routes. We don't have to do 112 miles of either of them but at least 1 on each.

 

 

Snide Comments

The other day I was with Linda and she said something like 'people aren't skinny just because some store makes the sizes of their pants a 4 when it should be an 8. Those weren't her exact words but you get the gist of it.

 

She will never be a size 4; her hips are too wide but that is the only reason. She has the potential to lose just as much weight as me but she's got a binging problem (worse than mine). Right now she is heavier than me but she has a bigger body. Remember, she lied at Ironman and said she lost 107# FOR Ironman when she had been losing weight for 5 years before that and she had NO idea she would be doing an Ironman then. BIG FAT LIE.

 

But don't try to make it sound like I am fatter than I am. I tried on many pairs of pants at 2 different malls and a few other stores and at ALL of them I fit into a size 4. So just because she's in a 12, don't try to make it sound like I'm lying. I'd like to see her try to get into ANY of my small pants.

Or any of my size 6 or 8 pants for that matter!

By the way, I weighed 139# this morning, exactly where I expected to be. She is 20#'s heavier.
 

This morning I was wearing last summers shorts and this is what was happening.

 

 

 



 

 

This is a problem I have been having, wearing too big pants with a belt. The 8s still go on my body but don't fit well. The 4s fit well.

 

In horsey news:

Another horse got hurt in the barn yesterday, injury to the head. The barn owner said his pasture mate kicked him in the head. He was weaving and bobbing, ignoring his food. He is a 28 yr old QH and has been with this other horse for at least 5 years that I know of. So anyway, the barn owner didn't even call the owner and tell her that her horse got hurt. Just ignored it and left him in his stall.

 

So I brought Wifi home this morning. Just went over, packed up her stuff into the trailer and brought my baby home. She had been off the other day and Delicia couldn't ride so I might as well have her home anyway.