I have enough sleep for a small village

Don't be afraid guy under the sheets. It's ok, that Lunesta butterfly is going to sprinkle some of it's sleep dust on you. And, if you're lucky you won't have any side effects like explosive diarrhea.

Ever since Sunday I feel like I've been surrounded by sleep. Not only have I seen the Lunesta commercial 3 times already BUT I've also been listening to the Michael Jackson trial. I feel horrible that he wasn't able to fall asleep for days on end. It's seems like such a curse.


If I did a big show and shook out all those dance moves I would immediately need a pillow and blanket. Even when I do that thing in the car when I dance to Thriller I get somewhat worn out. Takes a lot to properly do that zombie dance while driving.

Sunday, I ran 21 miles. I spent my entire Monday thinking about eating. Any crumb within 500 yards was in serious jeopardy. I spent Tuesday to today napping and sleeping full nights. I have enough sleep for a village. I've run 3 miles this week. I haven't even felt guilty about not running more than that.

If my body says sleep. Well then, we sleep.

There's Never Enough Mo' Cowbell

That's right. Three more days until my October begins! I'm suuuuuper excited because not only do I get to run my first race of the fall season BUT I more importantly get to run it with my friend Michael from Slowly-Tri-ing. I can't get the link feature to work for some reason but if you're reading this you can find her on my blog roll to the right. Anyway, Michael was one of my first followers AND she was also the winner of my first giveaway! In a nutshell, she's awesome because she's as real and honest about her running and training as anyone I've ever met.



This'll be me and Michael in Missouri. Except we're more of a running wolf pack than Vegas strip types. Well, we could potentially end up in Vegas but that's doubtful...at least for the time being anyway. HAHAHAHAHA!!

Otherwise I have nothing else to write about. Let's do it this way. I'm gonna give you the short version so you won't have to suffer through paragraphs.

Since I last blogged......

My middle child came down with a 104 fever at the amusement park. We had to go home after he felt that the Vortex had rearranged his forehead and given him a headache.

All week both kids have been sick. I, however have escaped unscathed. moooo hahahahaha! I ALWAYS get sick but not this time. I will not be taken hostage but illness.

Remember how my kitchen ceiling caved in? Well, the painters and roofers have been in the house so my kitchen, dining area and bathroom look like a war zone. Plastic and dust are EVERYWHERE! Each day I come home to clean up what seemingly feels like this...



No time to blog, only time to scrub floors and walls. I've only run 3 miles this week too but after my 21 miler on Sunday I figured that I have miles in the bank to coast on till this weekend.

On the last week of marathon training my true love gave to me.....

The beloved Marine Corp Marathon schedule with everything in between.

What started as a simple printout, a plain white sheet of paper has come to symbolize months of blood, well not really, but yes, lots of sweat and a few tears, at least two episodes that I can remember anyway.

I know that lots of people track their miles and running on Daily Mile. I've used it for quite a few years but when it comes to a specific schedule for a specific race I always print it out and keep it with me. It gets folded up like a brown bag and makes the mecca to the bottom of my purse, to work, the sun visor in the car and the end table in the living room. The schedule itself is training. I use it as a coaster for my drinks, for a scratch pad for phone numbers AND for some reason others get a hold of it and use it to doodle on. It's almost as if holding it brings me good miles via osmosis.

I was thinking about this very piece of paper today on my 21 mile run. Lesson NO. 1 from last year - I didn't do enough long runs to get marathon ready. Hal don't know jack about the lazy that I'll pull out of the hat when faced with the end of a run. Hal says "20", I say "19.75". I did the required running but I never went over 20 and had to stare at THE DARK SIDE. It's where the auto pilot of leg locomotion stops and the the mental work comes in. Today I did my homework. I...was a mental workhorse.


I told you my knees where a mess.

Courtney and I met up in the dark of AM and she stayed with me until mile 8.5 when her hip started giving her fits. At that point she helped pack me up and send me on my way for the rest of the journey. It technically does run out into the middle of nowhere. Yes, you have to pack if you're gonna be out on the trail for any amount of time.

My IT Band was tight as the circus wire around mile 14. You could have walked midgets across it. I was running negative splits by then, if you can believe it or not, so I had time to lay down and do a little stretching. Good decision on my part. I didn't have any more pain after that. I may not have a large ego about my running abilities but I'm starting to think that I'm SO FLY at keeping this injury thing to a low roar.

So, do you print out the schedule or do you track it online??

Don't lecture me about rabies!

Blogging. Once something I could churn out in about 20 minutes while I had time to kill during the day has become as difficult to find time for as cleaning out the ashes in my fireplace. Not happening. Yes, I'm busy with work and kids and running and just trying to remind myself to breath. I would describe the details of my busy-ness but then someone would invent an "UnFollow" button and all of my friends would be gone. Snore. My blog would be prescribed instead of Ambien.

It's been me n' horses.



I love this shirt but do you think it screams PICNIC TABLE? At least someone told me that. Of course it was a guy, which discounts it's credibility by at least half.

Then, later in the day I went to illegally park my car and this little guy (although look at it's little squirrely chest carefully, could be a girl) came running up to me! Squirrels don't just run up to people. At that very moment I knew it was my lucky day. So I say what normal people do when wild animals come running up to them... "well hey there little fella'". It let me pet at it's head and then I kinda grabbed at it's fuzzy tail AND IT LET ME! I should have went and bought a lottery ticket because that's what you're suppose to do when things like this happen BUT instead I got in my car and grabbed a Peanut Butter Energy Power Bar with berries! I just ooooo'd and aahhhh'd and fed it the whole thing! Had to have been that squirrels best day ever!



Now, I posted a pic of this encounter on my Facebook page and some jackass (sorry but it's true) left me a comment lecturing me about rabies. Tell me, does it LOOK like that squirrel has rabies!? I did an instant check. No foamy mouth and no staggering. We're good to go! Plus, I'm a risk taker, us Type A's often act before we think and I pride myself on that. Shut up Facebook friend before I...I...hide you.



Finally last night, I ran 9 miles on the treadmill cause I'm THE BOMB, then watched some TV and crawled up in bed. For some reason I couldn't quit thinking about Bobby Brown, the singer. I have zero idea how a married couple ends up having a 15 minute conversation about Bobby Brown at 11 pm but we did. Basically, I couldn't remember the lyrics to "Every Little Step". I sang it the wrong way no fewer than 20 times. It was killing me so (to preserve his sanity) my wonderful other half meandered downstairs and grabbed the Nook and climbed back under the covers and turned on Pandora radio! We turned on the Milli Vanilli channel and I sang songs till 11:45!! I sang Young MC, I sang Warren G. It was 80's night, literally. Finally, I made him turn it off at midnight because I wouldn't stop singing.

So, what do you miss from the 80's??

Have you ever pettted a parking lot animal or wild animal?

Have you ever been lectured about rabies?

Mick Jagger knew what I was getting myself into.

I'm nearing the end of my marathon schedule. Can you believe it? I really thought back in March and April that this wouldn't be possible. I woke up Saturday morning at 4:30 and met my friend Courtney for our 18 miler. The goal was to run for at least 3 hours straight. Since it doesn't get light until around 7, most of our run was under the moon, spent talking about things that only girls can occupy the weee early hour of the mornings with. We talked till we finally were down to only words of encouragement.

After the run I had 8 hours of work to do so it was off to the house for a quick shower. While scrubbing my hair I started singing a song. Yep, a Rolling Stones classic...."you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes. You just might find. You get what cha neeeeed". No truer words were ever sung about a season of running in my life.

Mick Jagger is right. I'm not getting what I want. I'm getting what I need. There'll be no marathon PR but there will be a hard fought marathon finish, one that finds me still wondering how in the world I'm able to work that IT Band just enough to get it to stay calm while I run, slowly, but nevertheless, run. I get an A+ in home physical therapy. I've quit wondering about what could have been and instead live in the moment of what I have now. That's a marathon schedule that has me two 20 mile runs away from D.C. I'm 3/4 of the way there. I honestly thought by this point I would be drowning in injury sorrow.

So, I'm gonna lay out my remaining schedule in AA meeting style.

Hi, my name is Coy and I have a running problem. When all rational says stick a fork in it, I'm just getting warmed up. This is my October:

October 2nd - Mo' Cowbell Half Marathon. This very easily could be the coolest thing I'll do this year.

October 7th / 8th - The Bourbon Chase Relay (200 miles of bourbon across Ky). I'm a beer girl so I'll only be observing the bourbon.

October 16th - Lousiville Marathon (training run cause I have 20 miles for that day anyway). Why stop at a half a stack of pancakes when you're at the IHop and it's endless pancakes day? 6 more miles? Gravy.

October 30th - Marine Corp Marathon.

I told my husband last night that I was afraid of getting the blues in November. I call them the running blues because they happen to me after I've reached my big goal for the year. Do you know what I'm talking about?? It's as if you walk around your house going "well, what now?"

For now, more work with horses. Soapy horses.

I is kind, I is smart, I is important

I've been promising my daughter for approximately two weeks that I would take her to go see The Help. She always has trouble finding books to read but from the moment she uploaded this one onto the Nook, she's been curled up on top of the blanket each evening without a sound. I haven't read it but I'm guessing if my 12-year-old is enamored than why shouldn't I be?

Probably about half of you have seen it. It's about African-American women working for families back in the 50's. You only have to be a woman to like it. I'm sure you guys think that I'm well put together mentally like the walls around Alcatraz but I struggle with the simple concept of just accepting myself "as is". Simple enough? My dream is to wake up and love me, just as I am. Thighs that I hate, acne that's made it's way back onto my face / launch pad. Hair that is out of control. When I was watching this movie I was listening to what Aibileen kept repeating to this little girl. Yeah, it's the quote up above. Shouldn't life be just that basic? I definitely think so.

I decided that's it's going to be my new philosophy. I's kind, I's smart and I's important. I will embrace my running life and not beat myself up over how long it takes me to get from Point A to Point B. I will love the time in between.

I will love my hair, even if people do double-takes, especially on rainy days. Because it could be worse. Or could it?


He's hungry for Marshmellow Peeps. That's why his face reads of anguish.


I swam a mile last night, then I celebrated by doing the back float. Just like a waterbed, only....more water outside the mattress.



Do you ever find yourself having a hard time trying to accept the things you can't change?

Work mode / Zombie mode (same thing)

I work for a living. My dad calls it "the curse of the poor". I. am. a. worker. bee. Sometimes I like to think that I would be good staying at home but I know that if I did I would become obsessive about learning how to cook and I would clean till I wiped the paint off the walls. Non stop. I would have my house looking like a Pottery Barn catalogue. You're welcome to come in but don't sit down or touch anything.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. This time a year my life is dedicated to work and to the horses. I live in the great state of KY where horses are our big cash crop. They're beautiful and much faster than I'll ever be. My life from sun up to sun down resembles a busy trading day on Wall Street. I seriously do not know if I'm coming or going. Everyone becomes frustrated with me, especially my husband who wonders why I'm constantly misplacing my keys, sunglasses, brain and purse. Well.....since our roof caved in, all of my regular spots are occupied by plastic and tool kits.


Horse flesh. The view from my mobile office.

It also becomes extremely difficult to find time to run. Last night I squeaked in a 4.5 miler, I kept jacking up the speed so I could get it over with to move on to point B. which was dinner. I run with my phone in my hand and huff and puff at people on the other line, who I'm sure are under the impression that I'm engaging in somewhat cavalier activity in the back of a car.

In closing, I have to find a January costume, more specifically New Years because our relay team is dressing up with monthly themes for the Bourbon Chase. I'm January. Not nearly as sexy as January Jones.


I googled "adult snowflake costume" and it gave me this. I will not run dressed as a hooker. Maybe a stripper but not a hooker. I have standards.

Lionel Richie, in my home doing damage

If you're a home owner you're no stranger to pest problems. Mice, roaches (yeah, they're breeding underneath your sink), small kittens, etc. Well, I've set traps for plenty of things but never for a pop singer from the early 80's. Yes, Lionel Richie has been dancing on the ceiling in my home. And my entire kitchen caved in. Insulation and all.




Are you hungry for lunch? You are absolutely welcome to come over and I'll fix us a delightful panini with spinach, grilled chicken, insulation, dry wall. A culinary cabaret!

No reading between the lines today

So, yesterday I had the standard issue mid-week 6 miler. The weather is cool here. It's a runners dream, high 50's, low 60's, slight breeze ALL DAY LONG. Work is hectic for me so I packed my gym bag and figured I would just run here when I got done. So, around 4:30 I slipped into my stinky sneakers, plugged the tunes into my ear canal and away I went. First mile in and I'm averaging 8:50's and FEELING SPECTACULAR. Oh, running, you are so wonderful, especially on cool days.


If there ever was a port hole into my running sole (for awhile) yesterday it was this. I was grabbing running by the horns. I felt like Usaine Bolt. Fresh legs. The whole nine yards. It was the old me. The running world was at my disposal. For a brief moment (or approx 40 more minutes).

Mile 5 and you could stick a fork in my right knee. It was done. Shut the front door, I was popping my knuckles as I had stopped on the side of the road, stretched (because that's what the injured do during runs) and shuffled back to my loser cruiser.

As a woman and as a blogger I feel the need to articulate in multiple paragraphs the way this frustration is making me feel. But I won't. I decided that I'll hit the high points with bullets. After all, isn't that why Microsoft invented Power Point!?

* I hate my right knee. I hate that it controls me. Because I'm an only child and I don't like being controlled.


* I'm a better runner that my right knee will lead you to believe that I am. It's crippling me and holding hostage my marathon PR. Homeland Security hasn't come close to a color for my upsetedness. New word.

* Some days I wanna give up, just chuck the marathon but then other days I put together 14 nice, slow miles and I'm thankful for those. AS I SHOULD BE. I yearn for 12 more. But, like I said, even though I'm 30 (something) I still suffer from Only Child Syndrome.

*I have no money to go have my IT Band scraped in a painful way. I just bought a carbon bike. I barely have money to eat.

* I need to chill out.


EXACTLY what I was thinking!!




Sometimes I look for inspiration in the little things. Orphan Annie was right. The sun will come out tomorrow and IT IS a hard knock life for us but she never mentioned anything about my low self esteem when I have a bad run.

I've earned lazy

I'm on day 4 of rest since my triathlon on Sunday. I debated swimming one day this week but I opted out of it for something more mundane, like hanging out on the couch watching TV. I realized somewhere around Monday afternoon that I was pretty tired and was gonna rest (and eat) until my body told me that it was ready to start training again.


My favorite recovery meal - chicken soup from Jalapenos! Chicken, rice, onion, avocado, tomato, cilantro and probably some other stuff from off the kitchen floor.

I've done zilch for three days but I woke up this morning to feet that were rubbing up against each other under the sheets like that of a crickets. I'm restless and my legs are finally completely back to where they should be. With that, I threw my gym bag over my shoulder this morning on my way out the door to work with the intention of knocking down 7 miles today. It's cool out so I have a feeling that it's gonna be a good one!

Over the years I've always been hard on myself with taking rest days. This marathon cycle I've experimented with taking two days off in a row twice a week and I feel better for it. I might swim on a rest day but I'm getting better runs by taking two days off after the long run and after the mid week long run. I'm not a machine, although I wouldn't mind running like one. It's just not in the cards for me.


I ate probably a 1/4 of this cake my 12 year old baked and decorated for my husbands birthday. Yes, she's 12 and I didn't help AT ALL. She has skills and this set of them didn't come from me.

So, this Saturday will find me entering the late stages of the marathon schedule. I'll be attempting the 17-18 miler. I always felt that if they're done right, that they can be the most productive. It's been 3 weeks since I've had a long run so I'm hoping that time away will have given my IT Band a good chance to rest and cooperate for me. I also hope that all the triathlon training and racing will have been a good substitute for the long runs. I could be kidding myself but last year it worked. For the most part anyway.



I have to thank all you guys for the encouragement lately. I've felt amazing and that's normally not like me at all. I feel like I'm the running version of the Cowardly Lion most days. I'm mustering up courage but only as I get closer to marathon day! Thanks to my friend Courtney who did the Tri For Sight with me. She believes that I'll do great even when I have serious doubts. Michael, who was the glue behind my mental battle with nerves and Julia who came to visit last night over some seriously good AND CHEESY, Mexican food!


You guys, "complete me". In the most non-creepy way possible.

Tri For Sight - 2011 Recap

Tri for Sight 2011 - Let's start with the swim. 800 meters. The triathlon was almost full, I think they had maybe 20 spots that didn't fill. I love being in the dark outside getting all my stuff ready in the transition area. They have really great music piping through the loud speakers. They take breaks to read the names of random athletes that have shipped in from out of state for this event. As I'm setting up my shoes and socks, listening to the shout outs to all these guys I can't help but think to myself "great, another person I have to pass". This is THE biggest triathlon event in KY, people are in it to win it. Period. I spent probably ten minutes on the front row of transition drooling all over all the leaders bikes. Bike porn. And it was classy.

Anyway, we all head like seals to the sea, shuffling in a close crowd to the pool area. They seat you by number and you head down in groups of 25 to the pool deck. I was number 144 out of almost 400 swimmers. You're seeded in the tri based on your swim time and this year since things have gotten better for me in the water, I'm just like the Jeffersons. I'm a movin' on up. Now, let me say, last years swim for me was an all out EPIC FAIL (as my 12 year old would say). I got beat up in the swim. Literally. Knocked in the head, back, multiple times. It scared me to death. I had never had that happen before and I didn't like it. So, as I hear "go" from the officials to slide into the pool I run into a BIG problem. I start having a panic attack. I can't catch my breath, can't get my head underwater. I proceeded to swear at myself for 50 meters! I was LIVID that I was letting what happened last year affect me in this way. I get to the end of the pool, grab the wall, have a 5 second discussion about calming down and go back at it. Things got better, fast. I knew I had lost 15 seconds or more and hauled ass through the rest of the swim. I passed about 5 people and didn't get passed again. I was on a mission....so much so that the officials yelled at me when I popped out of the pool to slow down.

The bike! 18.5 miles. The great unknown! This is my worst event. I just don't have enough training time on the bike. I really didn't spend enough time on the bike last year but this year I felt that I had put in enough quality miles with the Bluegrass Cycling Club to do well. Lucky enough I was right. I averaged over 2 mph faster this year than last. I consumed Roctane (that I had hair banded to my handlebars) like it was gonna be taken away from me in a street fight. I went into every hill as if it was a physics equation to be solved, working the gears in a way to get the most out of my downhill to uphills. Some woman who was in my age group tried to race me to the finish (we have our ages marked on our calves) and I took her to school. I will safely say that I have never had the will power to put someone away like that but I did it TWICE on the bike. I DID NOT wanna get beat. Period. One of the obvious rules is that you're not suppose to draft but I found this 66 year old guy and he and I pretty much hung tight the entire time taking turns passing and sticking close. It benefited both of us in the end. I got off that bike feeling like a rock star.

The run. 4 miles. Anyone who has ever done a triathlon will attest that mile 1 off the bike SUCKS. No other way to put it. You're legs feel like the heaviest jello mold that was ever made. The acid build up is ridiculous! About 3/4 of the way into mile 1 I decided to walk for a second at this nasty uphill spot. I ran again through mile 2, did a little walking, went back to running again and somewhere around mile 3.25 started getting goosebumps all over my arms and legs. Yep. That's not good. The heat of the day was setting in on me. I didn't have any salt so it was gonna be sliding into home on fumes made up of pure determination - because no one WALKS into the finish.

This was safely the best can of Dr. Pepper that I've ever drank.

Results - 6th out of 18 in my age group

Swim Time - 18:50 for 800 meters (9th out of 18)

Bike Time - 1:06 for 18.5 miles (6th out of 18)

Run Time - 40:10 for 4 miles (13th out of 18)

Joni Mitchell - Best song ever?

Have you ever heard this song? It's one of my all time favorites. Ever. I find myself singing it when I feel the emotion of just being human. Life and love, so complex.


Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev'ry fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

Do you have a song that you love?? That you sing in your head when life is happening to you? Does it involve Lil' Wayne?

Final tune ups with a tri great

Three more days to go till Tri for Sight. Last night as I was washing the pool outta my hair I was fuming a little bit over the fact that there aren't more triathlons in my area. There is one biggie and THIS is it. Plus, it's not an Olympic distance although quite close.

As you guys know, I've been a bit of a basket case this week. Trying to sort out my new bike, taper and leave marathon training behind for the last little bit. I remember how I felt after the tri last year, I was bummed. I hated that it had to be over. I love the randomness of swimming, biking and running. You sit around wondering how you can tweak this and that to perfect each one.



One of my big battles has been combating nerves. I have an army of squadron of nerves that are waiting to be unleashed. Part of the problem is that I build up this idea of not knowing. One way to squash that problem for me is to go and DO. And last night, that's just what I did. I slithered into my Zoot suit like a superhero, commanded my 12 year old to put on her suit, pile into the loser cruiser because we were headed to the last open 50 meter pool in town to give the 800 meter swim a go.

What would be the odds that when I arrived, I would be in the lane NEXT to the woman who founded the Tri for Sight and possibly one of the most noted age group winning triathletes in history, Susan Bradley Cox. Just google her. You'll see. She's a LEGEND! I adjust my cap and goggles as I'm watching her paddle her way towards me. She pulls up beside me with this welcoming smile. I know who she is but that's as far as this goes. I introduce myself and then regale my daughter with Susan's superhuman resume. I tell her that I'm in the Tri for Sight this coming weekend and she comforts me with a "oh, you'll do just fine". That's all I needed to hear.


When I grow up I wanna be just like Susan

I managed to pull down an 800 meter swim in 18 minutes. That's 2 minutes slower than what I can swim in a 25 m pool. The plus side is that in the lane next to me were about 10 high school swim team kids and I hugged the lane line next to them and swam in their wake just to make it difficult. That Tri for Sight swim is a tempest I say, a tempest. If I can grab 18 minutes that'll put me about 3 minutes faster than last years swim. I'll take it!