I WON a Lazer Helmet!

my new Helmet!!

Thanks to Tri Dad of Five, Christmas came early for me!  Lazer Helmets donated a helmet for a giveaway on his blog, and I was the lucky winner!!

This came at the perfect time- my old aero helmet broke in a minor crash this year, and I've been borrowing one ever since for my races (thanks Steve) !!

I'm SO excited, I've researched aero helmets quite a bit this year, and here's what available for LAZER helmets:

For more in-depth information, check out Tri-Dad's review.

The 2 features that attracted my attentions were:

1. Head Down Aerodynamics:  This is how I tend to ride so I would love a racing helmet that takes this into account when designing aerodynamic features!
2. Aquavent:  Unlike "regular" helmets, aero helmets usually don't have any vents, so when you noggin' starts heating up, there isn't any way to cool off.  The Lazer helmets have an actual vent designed to allow you to dump water on your head through the helmet!  This is going to be key for me next year, as I will be racing in some HOT conditions!

And of course, some bonus features...

• It looks cool.  

• And, lots of FAST pro's trust Lazer helmets, including:

Julie Dibens...

Courtenay Brown

Happy Holidays everyone!! :)

Foot Recovery part 1!

Surgery went well!

I was a little nervous before-hand...

 I was a little confused/uncomfortable when I woke up...

I was told that I kept asking about eating IHOP before/after they put under anesthesia...There was one on the way to the Surgicenter, so Dan and I were joking about going there...apparently I was serious...I always am when it comes to food...

So here's the beauty herself!  The bone spur, which looked like an upward-pointing "hook" has been smoothed out... I don't know much else about it, I'll learn more about it at my follow-up appt. this week.

 Surprisingly, I felt fine shortly after I came out of anesthesia.  I was shaking a little bit, but I wasn't in pain or nauseous.  The "worst" sensation was the nerve block- I would command my ankle/toes to move, but my body didn't respond.  Very strange and it kinda freaked me out.  I couldn't imagine paralysis.  The nerve block wore off overnight, so my right lower leg has been "functional" since Saturday morning.

We were out of the Surgicenter within 45minutes of me waking up, and since I felt fine... Guess where we went??

Looking fresh... 

MUCH better- PANCAKES!! :)

I've received so much love and support from friends and family- THANK YOU!!

Check out the awesome recovery basket I got from my in-laws- how thoughtful!!

Dan has been a ROCKSTAR husband (as usual)- he makes sure I am comfortable & fed (no easy task) and that I have means of entertainment at all times :)  He also gave me an early Christmas present!

new black dress coat with a HOOD! :) xoxo

On Saturday, since I was feeling fine after the surgery, we were able to attend our friend's annual Holiday party!  I'm glad we were able to attend, we had a lot of fun and it would have been a bummer to miss!  Too bad you can't see my big bulky black boot that I perfectly paired with a red heel to match my dress :)

I haven't been in much pain at all- I took a painkiller before I went to bed on Friday and Saturday (worried I would wake up in pain), but have not needed them otherwise.  It is painful to put weight on it, but it's a non-issue for now since I'm supposed to be resting.

It's very annoying/inconvenient to go to the bathroom/etc... the abilities we take for granted...

I enjoyed my lazy weekend full of movies, naps, TV, facebook, twitter, etc., but now I'm started to go a little stir-crazy, especially with the 40-50 degree weather we've been having in DECEMBER.  Seriously??  I just bought Iron War and I'm Here to Win on my ipad, so hopefully that will keep me occupied this week....

OH, and if you haven't seen this... I was DYING with laughter yesterday...

 and the Pre-Quel...

 ENJOY!!

Foot surgery tomorrow... ouch.

Big day tomorrow... foot surgery.  uggh.

Most of you know that running hasn't been going so great for me the last two years due to injuries.  At IM Cozumel last year the marathon was a disaster due to GI issues and plantar fascitis, then this year I thought I was plagued with achilles tendonitis- so I thought.

I tried rest (seriously), icing, physical therapy, medication, shots, etc., all to no avail- the bottom part of my ankle (back of my heel) would NOT STOP hurting!  I DNF'ed a 1/2 Iron this year b/c it so bad and I didn't want to do further damage to it.  This was NOT OK with me.

NOT my hairy leg- just showing you where it hurt!

Finally my doc looked at an X-Ray and saw this:

not my actual X-Ray either... sorry.   Mine is similar though.

What's not normal here?  Here's a better comparison:

WHY is this a bad thing?

Yes, my achilles tendon is going OVER the bone spur, causing  friction, and a painful bursa.  It hurts while doing everyday activities, but it's particularly painful while running.  He told me that I wouldn't do any "extra damage", and gave me permission to run on it to train through the final block and race IMAZ.  Owies, but I got the job done (you gotta want it.)

What are the causes of this? How did I get it?

• Sometimes called a "pump bump"...women who frequently wear high heels that rub against the area may cause the bone the calcify due to the stress placed on it... (Nope.  At the MOST, I wear heels 2x/week, if at all)
• Tendency to walk on the outside of your heel- the inward rotation causes the bone to grind against the tendon. (Nope)
• High arches (YUP!) - the heel bone tilts backward into the tendon
• Tight calves/achilles tendon (DING DING DING!!) Lots of pressure on the bone since the tendon is tight and rubbing on it would cause it to calcify.  Talk about the important of foam rolling and stretching...jeez.

It's not going to go away... so the doc suggested shaving the extra bone off.

Yikes.

They won't have to detach the achilles tendon to get to it (THANK GOODNESS)- if they did, recovery could take 4-6 months.  BAAAD.

My doc told me that I could probably be back on the trainer and in the pool within 2-3 weeks, and back to running within 4-6 weeks.  So that means I'll "recover" through the Holidays, start back up around January 1, and be running by the end of that month!  

It sucks, but this is definitely the right time of the year to do it.  I'm pretending like I'm not nervous at all... everything is going to go perfectly, and I'll be running injury-free next year, right?? 

A new addition to our driveway...

Well, sort of! (We have it winterized and stored right now)

Dan and I have wanted to do this for a long time, and after much time, research, and effort, we did!

We bought an RV!

She is a 2008 Coachmen Freedom Express Racing Edition.  We found this model a few months ago, and scoured the internet until we found one that we loved and at the right price!  Jim from Camping World of Southern Alabama was so wonderful and accommodating, as was the rest of the staff :)

We flew down to Pensacola, FL the day after Thanksgiving, and Jim was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and drive us to Camping World- they had the vehicle all detailed and ready to go.

Rick gave us a very thorough and detailed walk-through- which was much needed because are RV rookies!!  We learned what, where, and how everything works... between the two of us hopefully we'll remember everything!

Here's what you've been waiting for:  A PHOTO TOUR!

She is a 31ft. Class C Motorhome...pretty big vehicle!  The "cockpit" is large and comfy, which is awesome, but we are super excited about the "house" or the coach.  Above the cockpit is a queen-size cab bed... tons of space to sleep 2 people comfortably, or for storage.

And YES, our RV has a BAR!! Instead of the standard "dinette" we opted for this sweet set-up!  The large couch you see pictured also folds out into a full-sized bed, comfy enough for 2 people as well.  The tables and barstools are easily removed and stored behind the couch.

There are 2 "slide-outs" in the living room you see- they are both "out" in the photo.  While driving, the kitchen is pushed up all the way to the bar (which folds down), and the couch goes up to about 12-18 inches away from the bar, leaving a little hallway to walk-through.  

There is a TV that is set up in the kitchen now, but can be removed and hooked onto brackets in the bedroom or on the outdoor entertainment center!  Although not pictured, we have hookups for an entertainment center on the exterior, under an enormous awning.  We also have exterior hoses for a "shower"- nice for cleaning people/dogs/stuff off!  There's even a spot for an ice chest in the huge storage compartment :)

We have a classy, larger-than-an-airplane bathroom as well!  It is located right next to the kitchen near the back of the vehicle.  

Across the "hall" from the bathroom is the shower- it's big enough to work for us! :)  It is also located sort-of within the bathroom... there is a curtain/door system implemented.  The curtain goes around the shower all the way to the bathroom door.  The bathroom door flips out and locks, creating a privacy area from the living room.  I'll explain it some other time.  Regardless, here's the shower and bedroom!

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!  What do we plan to do with it??

• Um, camp?  There are many parks within a short drive that would make for fun weekend trips!  
• Triathlon races!  No need to plan and pay for airfare and hotels far in advance... as long as we can find a campsite nearby, we are good to go!  We've priced out several planned races, and even with gas prices nowadays, RV'ing is going to be significantly cheaper.
• PLUS, Having our own bathroom and shower for pre- and post-race is going to be a.w.e.s.o.m.e.
• AND, post-race party at our place!! awning, shower, TV on the outside, BAR on the inside!
• Training weekends!  It's going to be a blast to pick up and go and head for the hills (and better weather) whenever we please!
• Tailgating- all the features of this RV- the bar, exterior entertainment center, awning, ice chest, etc. really LEND itself to a good time!
• We LOVE traveling and visiting family/friends near and far, and RV'ing is going to be a FUN way to do it!!
• We get to travel with our dog Winston! :)

We look forward to a ton of new adventures!!!