She now has a name...Cricket

This is the dog that I rescued last Thursday and took to Columbia to her foster home with Chris. When I picked her up she had no name, no number, no papers because she was going to be put to sleep. I told them I was from rescue and with just my signature they handed her over to me. She was sweet immediately and very happy to get to go for a walk, run in the grass. She slept the entire way to Columbia. Upon arrival at her foster home with Chris and his other Weim, Moses and a Jack Russell mix she made friends quickly. She romped around and checked out everything but mostly she wanted to go into the house. According to Chris she thinks that any piece of furniture that is good enough for him is good enough for her. She is well behaved and loves to play ball but does not yet swim. Unfortunately she is heartworm positive but will be treated soon. She will be up for adoption within the next few months. We think she is about 2 years old.

Last Wednesday when I heard that she needed to be rescued I was torn. I knew I could not take another dog into my home so I was grateful when Chris opened his home and heart to her. It is so rewarding to be able to give a dog another chance at a good life. I took half the day off from my crazy life to pick her up and drive her down to Columbia. I did not really have the time but when you believe in something sometimes you just have to make it work. I know I can't rescue them all, but at least every once in awhile I can save one.

Oliver

Oliver the Appaloosa is my new friend along with his owner Christy (she did not want her picture taken). Years ago riding was my favorite hobby but during the triathlon phase of my life it is something that has fallen by the way side. This year however I have really had the bug to ride again. Lucky for me I met Christy at just the right time and she just happens to have a few extra horses that she does not mind sharing with me. The first time I went to the barn and got that horse smell all over me and lost all sense of time I was just in heaven. Now I try to ride with Christy at least once a week. I am finding my riding legs again and we are planning on doing our first Hunter Pace together in a few weeks.

Friday evening we took the horses out on a short trail ride and cantered around a big field. The weather was warm and balmy. The ride was the perfect way to end the day. On the way back to the barn we passed by a field with a young foal which seems to be common at this time of the year. Still I always need to stop at watch them play, it is a sign that spring is finally here.

Lots o Dogs and other stuff too

(From left to right - Harry with the ball in his mouth, Pepe', Willow, Yoda, Ziggy and Duke in the background...don't know where Smoky is)

Here is a picture of my beloved family of Weims. I love these crazy dogs like they are my children so when someone criticises my pups I put the boxing gloves on. Last week was a bad week concerning dog issues. Next door to the dog area they are building a house...so guess what? The dogs bark all day. I admit that it is horrible, I hate it, but with 7 pups there is not much I can do about it. Then on top of that I have been told (per a letter from the powers that be) that we should not be on the HORSE trails! None of this sat well with me last week. I tried to sneak into the woods with the dogs via my rear gate. It seemed to work well. I came home via the front gate and forgot that the rear gate was left open. I asked the dogs if they had gone anywhere but honestly I think they all stayed home despite the fact that I had left the gate wide open the entire time I was on my bike. Such good dogs! After their shameless night of barking (again I was out on the bike) my neighbors had enough. I basically told them that I would keep the dogs inside and get them all bark collars. (Well, maybe not since each bark collar costs $120!) So I went to Petsmart and came out with a plastic bird house. Yes, a tacky bird house that emits a sonic boom every time the bad dogs bark. I was pretty sure there was no way that thing was going to work but now after a quiet weekend I am a believer. I have gone out on the trails very very early to avoid any problems with horses. Although I think most of the horses are fine - it is their owners. I am trying to keep everything in perspective because the area where I live is really beautiful and I don't want to feel like I need to move.

On another subject Ironman AZ was yesterday. Team mate Brian Benitez-Nelson had a smokin time of 9:30 something. I am not sure if that will be sending him back to Kona or not but either way it is impressive. Sione (my friend from the Netherlands) had an impressive finish of 10:05 for 9th place overall. She will be here in NC next week getting ready for the Florida 70.3 race. Basically she will be kicking my butt into shape! So if I look tired next week...it is because I am!

I finally used some of my bike mechanic skills to tear down my "good" bike. I took everything off it and have sanded the frame down and will take it to get painted today. With my new knowledge I was able to order the appropriate parts (I hope!). I am a little worried that taking it apart was much easier than putting it together is going to be. We will see. I should be able to have it back together by the end of the week.

Maybe this week will have some more interesting news but for now I am going back to working on schedules - that is if I can get my software to work. Nothing like a challenge on Monday!

Race Horse, Wild Turkey, Fox & a Rabid Raccoon!

Yesterday I had to get out of the house to get my long run completed. It was raining all day. Sure, I waited for it to lighten up but I waited hours so then I figured I just had to get it done. I promised myself that I would get all my running in this week. I left the house and felt really sluggish. I had the ipod blasting in my ear and some good tunes but my own bad attitude was already sabotaging my run. The first car that passed me on the dirt road sacred me. I never even heard it coming. Duh - that is why running in a race with an ipod is NOT allowed. Anyway - that sent a burst of adrenaline through me. I continued running when all of a sudden I had the feeling something was behind me. I looked over my right shoulder to see a big brown nose. This time I controlled my jump because I did not want to scare the horse. The rider/jockey then asks me if I want to race? Ha - I took one look at that horse with the veins popping out of its neck and knew there would be no race. At this point the horse is just trotting a nice 7 min mile. Jockey/Gary tells me they are getting ready for the Amateur Steeplechase race. How cool! They have already done the race course once and clocked a 1:30 for the course, he also muttered something about a 45mph pace. How I wish I had 4 legs! Anyway, I wish them good luck in the race and watch them gallop off down the muddy dirt road. I am now enjoying my run and glad that I came out in the sideways rain for this.

Mile 3 - I run up a mountain. There is a gravel road here now where there used to be a trail which is a bad sign. It just means more development. I spot 2 wild turkeys running ahead of me. For an entire half mile the turkeys run on the road in front of me. I watch their goofy gate and then ponder the fact that they too are running my pace, which has now slowed to more of a 10 min pace up the mountain - but still pretty fast for a turkey! They take off in flight when I start running down the hill.

Mile 5 - Another dirt road, another long winding climb. I see something up ahead coming my way. I can't figure out what it is but it is coming at me quickly. Then I realize it is a big fluffy red fox! I have not seen a fox in ages (too much development) but I do see signs of them on the trails. The fox still has not spotted me and is now getting a little too close. I make some noise and the fox bounds up a bank and up into a dead tree.

Mile 6-11 are uneventful but somehow pass very quickly. Lots of wet horses trot over to see me run along the edges of their pastures.

Mile 11 - I need to do a few more miles but I am only a mile from home so I choose to do an out and back on the dirt road that I started out on. Not very far into my out and back I see the cute raccoon. It is 4 in the afternoon, raccoons are nocturnal so this is not a good sign. I make some noise so that he will scamper off but no, the little guy turns around and gets a attitude with me. He starts coming at me which is when I turned around and ran the other way. 1 for the raccoon, 0 for me. I am sure he was sick and that was an experience I was not willing to have!

I ran up the last hill home at a good pace, did some stretching and put on dry clothes. The good feeling of completing a workout no matter what the weather was doing far outweighs how I would have felt had I completed another few tasks at my desk!

NC Bike Week

I think that now it is safe to say that "bike week" has become a tradition in my spring training. Sometimes others join but there is always Colette from Canada. Colette ventures down here after a winter on the trainer to put her first miles in on the bike. Actually many miles in on the bike. We ride every day and try to do at least 100K and a hill. We call this training plan 100K and a hill a day. We ride, as a rule, as slow as we feel like going. We stop for lunch, we stop for pictures, we stop to look a cool places, sometimes we meet other cyclists on the road. We ride no matter what the weather is doing, although for the first time ever we actually called a ride short this year because of pouring rain & cold but really it was the lightning that sent us riding as fast as we could back to the parking lot. We had to end our bike week watching a bad movie on the trainers, but you know even that was fun when you have someone to do it with you! Colette is tough, I don't know anyone else who would/could just jump on their bike in the Spring and ride 300+ miles in a week WITHOUT complaining. That is correct, Colette does not complain, she is fun, she is pleasant, a wonderful guest and over the years has ridden herself right into my heart. Through our love of cycling and the outdoors we have become fast friends. I will always look forward to our bike week when we can catch up and enjoy the beauty this area has to offer.

Some of our rides this year included: The 4th of July bike route up the watershed (of course!), a ride from Brevard up to Pretty Place (a lot of dirt roads in this area), a ride on part of the Mt. Mitchell course and then through Lake Lure, Green River Cove (1st day!) and the Assault on the Carolinas (cut short because of bad weather)