Life Exploded

So its been quite a while since I have been able to write.  Things seem to have exploded since I had that great weekend down in Huntington Beach.  What exactly exploded?  Well, work for one.  Things were getting pretty busy and then they sprang a major audit on us.  I can't wait until they leave at the end of this week.  Gabby also unexpectedly has come home from school for a while--she is doing some research and working through some issues and then is planning on returning to school in the fall - this has been taking up a fair amount of my non-working time.  I am also working very hard at getting back to being an athlete and a regular routine.  I'm going it without a coach this year--so there is also that time spent planning your workout program that I haven't had to deal with for several years.  Let's see--I am also coaching a friend who is just starting to bike--she has signed up for Cycle Oregon later this year  (and talked Don and I into doing it too!).   I think that maybe somewhere I might have a spare 5 minutes--anybody have a great idea what I should fill it with?

My diet has leveled out--my body seems to be adapted to being vegan as I am not noticing changes like I did the first few weeks.  My weight has stabilized at about 145 (which for me is 16-17% bodyfat)--so I guess if I want to get any lighter I will have to do it the hard way--I was hoping that the few pounds that I lost easily at the beginning would continue for a bit more.  I am finding that I feel satisfied now on less food.  I have found some great recipes and lots of good restaurants and am really not missing the meat or dairy at all.

So I think I am having a bonus, completely unexpected side effect of going vegan.  This is going to sound weird--but my hair is growing.  Now for most people having your hair grow is quite normal--but for me it isn't.  I went through several years of my hair actually getting shorter--and then we discovered that I was hypothyroid.  Getting some hormone into me seemed to stop the shrinking hair, but it hasn't really grown  (for the record I have not had my hair cut since we moved to Portland in 1999).  The last several weeks, it seems like its getting just a bit longer.  I will be tickled if it really is going to start growing like normal--somebody will have to recommend me a hairdresser!

Surf City Here I come

So this race isnt going to turn out as I originally intended.  What did I originally intend?  Well, I took a good break after Ironman Canada and then started marathon training around mid October.  I got in lots of great running up until about the week before Christmas.  Did a couple of things I have never done before like running more than 40 miles in a week.  Then my left foot started to hurt--at first I attributed it to getting a bruise on the top of my foot from tying my shoes to tight---but it didnt go away.  I suffered through a few runs over the holiday break and then when we got home from Toronto, fully admitted that I was injured.  I got myself off the the chiropractor to see what was going on.  Well it seems like I jammed up almost every joint attached to my metatarsals.  It took several treatments to get it all worked out over the course of 3 weeks.  During this time I quit running and did all my training on the bike, elliptical or water running.  About a week ago I had my first pain free run back on the foot.  Well then a week ago Friday my back started to tighten up and by Sunday my back was in a full blown spasm--I was mostly flat on my back.  Well 3 trips to the chiropractor later, the back is much improved but it is certainly not completely better.   So what am I going to do tomorrow?  Well, I am not going to run my first sub-4 hr marathon as was the original plan.  We will be doing a short test run this am and I will be switching my entry to the half -marathon--which will likely be done at a pace that allows me to really take in the scenery down here along the ocean.  I will be able to be waiting at the finish line to congratulate Don when he sets his HUGE PR in the marathon and hopefully runs a BQ time.  I will enjoy the warm weather and sun and my friends that are down here.   It will still be a great weekend!