:-(

It has been a loooong 2 weeks.

OK...let me back up a bit.

At the beginning of August I realized it was time to get some new shoes.  My trusty K-Swiss that had got me through Boise Half Ironman and  2 half marathons this year were worn out.  I checked the kswiss website and they didn't have my favorite shoes available anymore so I decided that instead of just picking any shoe I would go and get properly measured at a local running store.

I took my kswiss with me to the store and showed the sales girl what I had been running in.  Then she watched me walk and run,checked for over/underpronation and suggested a shoe that would work for me.  Of course it was just about the most expensive shoe that they carry, but I thought it would be worth it seeing as I would be running an Ironman marathon in them.

Once I got them home I tried to be smart and for the first 2 weeks only did some short runs in them. After breaking them in I did my first long run in them.  12 miles. At the end of the run the top of my right foot was red and swollen and the pinky toe on my left foot had a massive blood blister. I went to the PT for a visit and brought both my old and new running shoes so he could check them both out.  He suggested staying with the new ones and just loosening up the laces a bit so they didn't rub on the top of my foot. 

Next week my long run was 14 miles and this is where everything came undone.  By the end of my long run I was feeling a sharp pain in the outside lateral part of my left foot.  After the run I iced my foot and tried to tell myself it was just a muscle strain but by the following day I couldn't walk at all.

Being 9 weeks out front IMAZ I started to panic.  My PT got me to have xrays and in to see a sports med doctor who does a lot of work with triathletes (she volunteers at the med tent in Kona every year so she knows her IM stuff).  the first thing she did when she saw my foot was ask...When is the cutoff time for withdrawing from the race.  Hmmm...NOT good.

The short story is that I have torn the peroneal tendons in my foot.  I'm in a boot for 4 weeks and am getting an MRI next week to see if the tear will require surgery.  Bottom line - I'm out of Ironman Arizona.

I can't believe it.

It's hard to come to terms with that seeing as I have been training for this race for nearly a year.  I've followed all my training and I'm fit and in race shape. I have a friend flying in from Australia to watch me race. I have friends coming from Spokane to cheer me on. I can't believe that such a thing as new shoes can change everything.  Initially I beat myself up about it but I really thought I was doing the right thing by going to the running store to get properly fitted.  I thought I was being smart. 

Some friends have encouraged me to still do the race and just walk the marathon but my doctor has warned me that this could cause permanent damage. Because I'm already planning to do Oceanside 70.3 in March I don't want this injury hanging around and messing up that race too.

So I've decided that this week I will be having a major pity party.  My goal is to eat my own body weight in chocolate.  It's a lofty goal but I'm dedicated to achieving it.  My training plan this week:

1 - Wallow in self pity.

2 - Next week - move on!

Best Sludge Ever

Many of you know that I have a thing for Diet Coke.  Addiction is a bit of a heavy word, but you get the picture. At the end of May I gave up Diet Coke.  Cold Turkey.  It was surpisingly easy. I don't miss it and have mostly replaced it just with drinking water.  But water can get boring and my wonderful husband decided that with all the training I have been doing for Ironman I needed something special to give me some extra vitamins and flavor...and a change from the nothing taste of water.

So every day he goes through this routine to produce the best sludge I have ever tasted.

He starts with whatever we have in the fridge and pantry.  Fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, flax seed.  You name it...it goes in.  This morning I got strawberries, plums, raspberries, green beans, grapes, blueberrries, kale, banana, baby spinach, kiwi and carrots

It all goes into the Vitamix with the berries at the bottom and the green leafy stuff on top.

Blending, blending, blending....

Adding ice to make sure its nice and cold.

Sometimes I get green sludge.  Today it was brown...yummy.  It tastes just like a berry smoothie. 

And thanks to this sludgie concoction I don't take any vitamin supplements.  Everything I need is jam packed into each glass.

I have to say thanks to this brown sludge I don't miss Diet coke. Not even a tiny bit.

Catching up

Summer is nearly over - I can hardly believe it.  Lots of things to catch up on around here.

The kids had some excitement the day before Max's birthday when they spotted a brush fire and helped put it out. { I stole this picture from Michelle's facebook page :-) }

Then of course it was Max's birthday.....12...last year before I have another teenager.

Ciara and Natalie made him an awesome soccer themed birthday cake.

And I felt a little like it was my birthday too. Just before we went on our RV trip I found out that I had been sponsored by Timex.  So I am now officially part of the Timex Factory Team which is very exciting.  I received my first box of goodies in the mail...just like a big birthday present. It included a new watch which came in very handy since my old one was ready for retirement.

Somewhere in there Michelle and I did the Long Bridge Swim. A 1.76 mile open water swim across Lake Pend Oreille. This is why they don't call it the short bridge swim...um...because is it LONG.



Of course we had our usual group of awesome supporters. Umm....ok so they were having breakfast at this stage.



But they did come out and take some great photos and cheer us all the way along the bridge.

This photo was so funny. I was swimming along and then I heard all this yelling and cheering and as I turned to breath I looked up and saw them all directly above me on the bridge.  I really am so lucky to have family and friends that are willing to come out and cheer me on when they would rather be sleeping in.



It was a super fun swim. The water was clear and NOT cold...always happy about that. There was a little bit of a swell in the middle but nothing too bad. Made it to the finish in 1:05. Let's not talk about the little detour I took. Let's just call it sightseeing.

And I wore my new Timex watch....the most comfortable sports watch I have ever worn.  When you have chicken arms like me there are not a lot of sports watches that fit my wrist properly.  This one is awesome...and cute...because cuteness DOES count.



Michelle made the swim look easy. She looks like she could go out and do it all over again.

On the Road

So after STP we hit the road and were ready for a vacation. Now I could give you a long winded description of our vacation but you and I both know that you just want to see the pictures.  So I'll keep the commentary brief.

First stop was Manzanita on the Oregon coast with our friends the Sidles Family.







Then it was off to the Olympic National Park which is a wild rainforest on the western tip of Washington. 









Matt made us stop and see the biggest Spruce tree



We found some natural hot springs at Sol Duc in the park. It was nice to soak our muscles although the springs smelled like rotten eggs.







After that we rolled the RV onto the ferry at Port Angeles and took a nice leisurely ride across to Victoria B.C.



We had the most awesome RV park in the middle of the city, right on the water, within walking distance along the harbor foreshore to downtown Victoria. This is our actual camping spot.





Spent a couple of days enjoying the fact that Canada still has some strong culinary ties to Britain and being colonial cousins to Australia it meant they have a lot of the same food we miss so much. Jack ate a salad and Max tried clam chowder. Both landmark events for a vege and seafood hater respectively.





This was the most amazing old world hotel. The Empress. Next time we come back sans RV we want to stay here.



Matt found an a bread shop just like home. {{love}}



We caught the ferry back to Washington via Sidney BC and then drove to the little German town of Leavenworth where we spent a couple of days chilling out and eating bratwurst burgers before heading back to Spokane.





Fun trip. When we got home Ciara said, "Wow our house is huge Mum". After 5 people living in a 30 foot RV for 10 days , she was right.