In Yellow Lab LaLa Land, Backing off on the Pain,and our Ironman Amulet

Wakey Wakey

I woke up Friday morning with a big yellow lab snuggled up against me, with his head on my chest.

This is Jasper. He's my roommate's dog. Liam was out of town for the night for double top secret undercover coast guard work.

Jasper was lonely. And so was I.

This is the same Jasper that gave me that shiner last week (see previous blog). But it was an accident, and the eye looks better by the day.

Back pain punctures

Then I rushed to my doctor's office for my quarterly cortizone injection! Yes, I get excited because for a few days, I live without any back pain. It's a real treat.

I'm a regular at Houston Medical Imaging. It sooooo helps, especially with endurance events.

Two LONG needles are inserted on each side of my L5. Dr. Cain gives me his special mix. What's in this cocktail, I have no idea, nor do I want to know.

And he goes in very gentle (okay, get those depraved thoughts out of your head!).

Notice the two dots on each side of my back. Oh, and that's a funky tan line above the lines.

Doesn't my back look deformed here?

This is probably my most important pre Ironman prep. It masks some of the pain endured from the pounding.

So I was relegated to swimming on Friday evening. I was a bit sore and tired from the injections, but I managed three loops at the good ole trusted RV lake with Kelly and our newest commune friend, another Kelly. I love girl power!

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Chelly's Charms

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I wanted Kelly and I (together we make "Chelly") to wear something special for "our first" Ironman....because "they say" the "first" is always the best.

So i got us both this cool looking charm from Fly High Little Bunny, a funky jewelry shop in Montrose.

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According to Sonya at FHLB, this is a Tri scallion. You can't tell by the photo, but it symbolizes victory, achievement and success. I plan to touch my charm everytime I need a mental pick me up during next sunday's big race.

At Liam's suggestion, and through what I believe to be divine intervention, we decided we'll have this design tatooed to the head part of our M dot.

It's all coming together so well ...

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Cheers and happy training!

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Orison Swett Marden - “People who have accomplished work worthwhile have had a very high sense of the way to do things. They have not been content with mediocrity. They have not confined themselves to the beaten tracks; they have never been satisfied to do things just as others so them, but always a little better. They always pushed things that came to their hands a little higher up, this little farther on, that counts in the quality of life's work. It is constant effort to be first-class in everything one attempts that conquers the heights of excellence.”