In One Week

In One Week I'll find out if I get the two weeks off next year that I requested.  I have to bid on vacation days and I chose November 9th thru November 22nd so Lan and I can go to Arizona and volunteer for Ironman Arizona 2014 & sign up for IMAZ 2015. Then, I can train for 2 years AND share my working out with my coworkers. I can also share my race with them and be all excited for it, not have to hide it from them like before.

 

I'm about 99% sure I'll get the two weeks off next year, not a lot of people want to take time at that time of year, they all want May or June. I think IMAZ 2015 will work beautifully for me, it gives me 2 years to get ready. Most importantly, it gives me all of next summer to ride the horses.

 

I really want to do the endurance riding with Sarah, that should be a lot of fun work. Now that Karen is going to be at Bton dock, she is ahead of me on the seniority list so she will get the hours I would have gotten but I'll be back to more time off, to do fun stuff. I do have my priorities.

Handy, going out to pasture

I need another one of these so very badly!

 

Linda and I both need these.

 

I have almost everything together to make a shadow box but I've lost my swim cap! Also, I threw out the yellow tag for my loved one to pick up my stuff, I have no idea what the thing on the bottom right is and I don't have a love note from my wife. But I'm sure I can put something else in there, like the toilet paper roll Lan carried for me.

 

I do have the medal, bike number, helmet number, bib, blue wristband and my envelope, plus extras like the small maps of the course, a FINISHERS sticker and glow I in the dark plastic necklace. Id like to make one for Lan too.

Horse Trailer Repairs

The horse trailer now has a new floor. This is the old original floor.

 

The 3 right side boards were rotten, not unexpected for being 15 years old.

Not so rotten that they were going to fall through on the next ride but it was time.

 

We decided to replace 6 of the 7 boards because

1)it will be done 

2)the ends of all the boards were rotten 

3)they weren't THAT expensive.

 

Lan had to remove the front kick mat off the wall. That's when he noticed the rust.

 

He had to sand blast a few parts, cut out some others, replace a few pieces of angle iron & sheet metal. This is the front wall between horses & tack room.

 

Lan, BREAKING BAD.

 

He was sand blasting here, had sand everywhere. Including in his ears.

 

Flintstones.

 

So hes got the floor boards in & bolted down, now just to trim the side mat that has stretched & bunched up.

 

And bring the mats in.

 

He still needs to replace the front wall mat. He didn't want to, said he would do it later. But I know when later is:

 

NEVER.

 

So I made him go to the store, get rivets and he did it tonight. That way I wont have to bitch about it forever and its finished.

 

 

Probably the only job he has ever completed in a reasonable amount of time and actually finished.

 

There is still a light pole hole between the arena and pasture, its not safe for turn out in either of those places. I didn't realize the arena had half the hole. Shit, any of the horses could have got a broken leg.

13.1

 

I ran in Race For A Soldier today, a local half marathon supporting soldiers with

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

 

  I used Lindy's entry because she's on another vacation, this time in Maine or someplace nice and beautiful like that. She travels a lot so that's probably why she didn't want to run this race herself. lets see, do I travel or run 13.1 miles?

 

 They made the shirts red this year and used the same material as they did the first year and I like that shirt a lot. Long sleeved, perfect weight for running in.

 

 We had to run down Peacock Hill Blvd into Gig Harbor; last year it was a little different than that and the first year it was a 75% different course.

 

 With a forecast of rain I was overdressed for what we actually got, only a little light rain and it wasn't enough to make me cold or wet. So right before mile 3, at the bottom of the hill, I handed off my extra shirt, gloves and ear warmers to Lan.

 

I really wished I could have kept that shirt on, it's one of my 140.6 FINISHER shirts I got at Ironman. I paid $129.99 for each one and I have 2 so I want to wear them and in places where people can appreciate them.

 

 Lan caught me walking! But in my defense, it was uphill and I wasn't the only one.

 

After we came down Peacock it was mostly all uphill after that, so basically 10 miles of uphill. But if they did it backwards I wonder how it would be/ To run UP Peacock after 10 miles?

 



 I chicked this guy with less than 2 miles to go! and believe it or not I was running in this photo.

I did the last 2 miles in 20 minutes.

 

FINISHERS medal.

 

 

Technically I was in the F 65-69 division but I'm 50 so I will compare myself to others of my age.

 

2:38:26 finish time

 

852nd out of 995 finishers

 

377th out of 472 females

 

32nd out of 36 F 50-54

 

12:06 Pace

 

2:13:31 Average time, including males

Going Away

Cassie and Patti have left my barn.

Cassie was my barn girl for 3 years and Patti is her mare, a nice Appy with 'Birdcatcher' spots on her back, otherwise all chestnut.

Cassie and her boyfriend have moved on to a local farm and they have room for Patti. I'll miss them!

 

So we had a Going Away party for Cassie last night.

 

Page, Cassie, Janis, Hannah & Sarah

 We sat around for a couple hours and chatted

And had a BBQ & potluck, YUM!

We gave Cassie gifts, I gave her a basket with a bunch of single servings of wine, doggy treats & chocolates, some cute little birdy salt & pepper shakers and horsey place mats and napkins.

Hagen loves to join in

It was a lot of fun to just sit and chat with all the girls. Sarah brought her daughters, they played around the farm and in the fire. Pyros! They cooked/burnt our marshmallows for our s'mores.

Sarah is the one who did Endurance riding this summer and came in 10th out of 54 in her first race, now shes hooked. I'm going to do it with her next year. Hopefully on Wifi. We'll see how that goes.

Wifi

 This is Wifi, she wasn't too happy that I stopped on our way out to the arena for this photo op.

 'Mom', she says, 'Clean up that crap.'

 

This is Les and Lan on their ride up Mt. St. Helens today, taken by Beth. 80 miles in the cold wind & rain. Too bad I had to work.

HAHAHA

 



Well I got out of that

I contacted the people at Black Diamond and told then I have ITB issues & they refunded my money for the race. I feel better about it. I haven't been training and have too much stuff to do around the house to be able to.

Around the farm I have been getting a lot done that I have ignored for 2 years. The arena fence is mostly all rebuilt (thanks Lan) and its got light poles put up for nighttime riding. I have pressure washed the whole fence and most of its has been painted, black again. I'll finish up that job in today.

There is a fence along the dead end road that needs washing and painting so I better get out & do it. its supposed to rain this evening & then who knows when I'd have time to do it?

I am interested in endurance riding and think I'll try it on Wifi. The only thing I don't like is that she would need shoes for it & shes never had them before. I'll have to tell Gary to be sure to hammer on her hooves when he does her next trims to she gets used to it.

I wonder if Sunshower could be my endurance horse? She doesn't enjoy trail riding but maybe she could get used to it? I like her on trails, shes short so I can get on easily enough, I trust her.

Sunshower had a bout of colic the other day, I brought her out to the arena with me and gave her Mineral Oil then just kept an eye on her.

Sunshower, 2 years ago

She was fine in a short while but I gave her the foaling stall with shavings overnight.  I had treated her for sand with Bentonite earlier in the day so I'm sure that was the cause so when I give her more Bentonite today there will be a LOT more water in it. I mix up Beet Pulp with the Bentonite in it, it clears the sand out of the horses belly. A lot cheaper than Sand Clear.

Going nowhere slowly

I haven't been working out much, haven't been on my tri bike in over a month. Supposedly I'm supposed to do a sprint this weekend and a HALF IRONMAN in 9 days.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahah

I'll do the spring, its local and can be for fun & games.  For the HIM I am going to ask for a deferral to next year. I'll say I've got ITB or something. I just do not feel like doing it and I'm not trained.

Last night I went to the lake and swam and I feel like I'm getting slower and slower. Everyone I swim with is faster than me. Only, and I mean ONLY, 2 people that I've swam with this summer are slower than me, Barbara & Rhonda. And they are codependent sisters that I can't stand anymore.

BUT ON TO THE GOOD NEWS:

Lan finished Ironman Canada Whistler in

13:06:08

 

I couldn't be more proud of him, he is so incredibly awesome.