Need to knows

* I have a huge boil on my ass. It's the size of a fucking quarter. It even hurts when I walk. I guess my ass needs a break from the bike. Or I need chamois cream. I always forget to put it on.

* I skipped my swim this morning. I woke up soaked in sweat, to the sound of the alarm at 5:45. Fuck it. Turned the alarm off and then tossed and turned for 2 more hours. Finally got up, fed the dogs, and then Dominic and I walked them for an hour. Working till 10pm. So my only chance of a workout was before work. Now I am going to be pissy all day.

* I always feel so guilty when I don't get up for my swim. It gets harder and harder to get up at 5:45am and swim as the weather gets colder and colder. Especially since I work nights. I don't know how you guys do it all the time. Amanda gets up at 4:30am for swim practice twice a week. Insane.

* Ambian only works for about 6 hours. I am now waking up at 5am every morning, drenched in sweat. My hair is wet, my t-shirt's all wet, and it's almost impossible to fall back asleep. I usually toss and turn, falling back asleep for maybe 30 minutes total before I actually get up.

* I am going to turn into a fat ass if I don't stop eating all night long. I used to have so much more discipline when I worked in an office. Now that I work from home, I have none.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading.
XXOO - Judi

Can someone shut her up?

Saw this on Drunk Cyclist.

Riding bikes

Pictures by Amanda

Trying to ride uphill with no hands.



Riding up Vine street.


Ugh.

General anxiety is worse. I have this panicky feeling every morning and I stay all uppity and anxious until I get a workout in. Some of those feelings come from not knowing what it is I should be doing. Sometimes I'll stand around and ask Dominic what I should do. Should I run? Should I ride? Which bike? Maybe I should go lift. Or swim.

And don't forget the dogs get an hour long walk in the morning as soon as I get out of bed (which is 7:30am). I still feel panicked. It reminds me of the way I felt during my peak training weeks for IMKY. That omgwhenamigonnagetmyworkoutin feeling.

After I am home and have fed the dogs, checked email and Facecrack, I decide what kind of workout I am going to do. Sometimes I plan it out in my head beforehand - around errands or running Nancy's dogs, or seeing my Mom.

Today was supposed to be a road ride with Dominic (he's been off the bike almost 2 weeks now due to work) and then CX practice in Mason. Dominic bailed on the ride due to "possible rain" and went to the Y to lift. Oh I was pissed. I threw a pan at the wall. It wasn't raining, and we could have squeezed in a 90 minute ride. So more anxiety. Dominic, please get back on the bike soon. I miss our rides.

Rollers. I LOVE my D-Motion Rollers. Love them. I rode them hard for 90 minutes (30 miles) and had a nice sweaty ride. Felt like a new person.

Changed into fresh lycra and loaded my CX bike up (it now has gears 1x9 and a new chain catcher). It started raining. Perfect. Bring it on. Oh shit, traffic. Legs getting stiff.

Finally got to Mason and unloaded the bike. This is where I raced CX the first time so I am familiar with the course. And it's open anytime to ride. Today no one was there. Just me.

I rode a lap just to warm up. It felt good to be back on my CX bike. I fucking love it. I can't explain it, it's just so much fun. The course was still very dry compared to what I have been racing on. It was fun practicing cornering without feeling like I was going to go down at every turn. I bombed down the hills and never lost my chain once! I ended up riding 5 laps and loved every second of it.

My back, on the other hand, hurts like a MF. Right side pull. Somehow I am going to scrounge up the cash for an acupuncture appointment next week.

I have been getting in some fun road rides too. The pictures above are rides with Amanda. She is super fit from Worlds so keeping on her wheel is a bitch!

I am signed up for a 10k Thanksgiving Day Race so I am going to the track tomorrow for 4x1200. Oh boy, can't wait (sarcasm intended). More riding Thursday.....

Have a great week.

Love

I was going to write a post about canine nutrition. I have had a few people ask me about it so I am going to eventually write a post on it but it's not going to be today. That will be long, lengthy, and probably quite boring post to most of you, but that's ok.

I loved reading all your comments about a possible wedding between Dominic and I! As I re-read the post I kept thinking oh I should have used this picture, or I should have used that picture. So now I am going to bombard you with pictures of me and Dominic over the last 2 years. Enjoy! Or don't.


Our 1st double date with my x-BFF Emily and her husband



Our 1st Xmas



Snow storm



In transition before a race...



At a bar he used to work at.



A Father's day family get together



Breast Cancer ride chowfest



After the Thanksgiving day race 07



A make up ride, after a huge fight.



Before my 1st half ironman.



After a marathon



On a century ride



Another make up ride.



On my way to run the marathon portion of Ironman Kentucky. Had to stop and kiss him.



After the IM



Stopping at Suzanne's to visit Nani the day after IMKY.



Our 1st CX race.

I love Dominic

I have never been married. I was so into my drug use in my 20's, I didn't give a shit about it cuz I thought I was going to be dead by age 30. A lot of my friends had kids during their drug use and a lot of my them also got married.

Nowadays, MOST everyone my age has either been married or has kids. But not me. Nor Dominic. I was kind of engaged once. But I gave the ring back and then he gave it back to me so I traded it for heroin.

I decided a long time ago that marriage was not for me. I was with my x for 9 years and never wanted to marry him. I hated him.

I met Dominic through our bike shop on August 14th, 2007. I had bought pedals and shoes. My bike shop folks had set me up with Dominic so could teach me how to use them. I showed up to the bike shop and he was behind the counter. He looked at me and said "Are you the triathlete?" and I was like "Yea, are you Dominic?". Wanda and Ron (the shop owners) had been trying to set us up for a training ride for weeks. It was like instant attraction. We started talking about helmets (I NEVER wore one, he didn't either) and headphones, and the longest rides we had done.

My shoes were sitting on the counter, cleats installed. I had bought the ugliest pair of tri-shoes you ever saw. I went cheap and knew nothing about shoes, so I bought Nashbar brand. They were so ugly. Silver and gold tri-shoes. I couldn't believe how ugly they were and we were both laughing about it. We still laugh about it, hysterically.



Anyways, I practiced clipping in for an hour on the trainer, and at one point, I bashed my shin so hard it started bleeding. I just kept riding. Dominic liked that. Then Ron told Dominic to take me down to the Y's parking lot and practice there. So we met over there and Dominic and I rode around that lot for a looooong time. He told me he was an x-drug addict, and I told him I was too. I asked what his drug of choice was (cocaine) and I told him mine (heroin) and then we high-fived.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

So a couple days later he calls to make arrangements to come over to my house, and make sure my bike was race ready. My friend said "The bike shop dude came to your house?"

And it's been like, crazy ever since and I love the shit out of him. Like, we are exactly alike. You know when you meet that someone. You just click. It works.

We have most certainly had our ups and downs. Some of you know just how bad. We have had some nasty fights that resulted in break ups that lasted weeks. But I think we're through that now. I think we have found our groove finally.

He's talking to me about marriage ("I want to call you MY WIFE!") and so I have been thinking about marriage too.

Please, do not tell me I need an engagement ring either. I would much rather have carbon race wheels or a dura ace upgrade. Who wears a rock to a bike race anyways? I mean, no offense to the girls out there who NEED a ring and a proper proposal and all that. I am not into it. I haven't worn make up in well over 2 years and wear zero jewelry. A wedding band is going to be a big enough pain in the ass.

So, I just wanted to share this with ya'll.