Down to the Wire

Sports
It is now 10 days until the Las Palomas triathlon. I’ve been doing a decent job of training, minus the week I took off for a combination of rest and muscle spasms. Up until two days ago, I felt great. I had just gotten clip-in pedals for my bike, and had finished a 23-mile ride without killing myself (or anyone else). Granted, I literally fell over after just three miles. Turns out balancing with one foot attached to the bike isn’t as easy as it looks. Luckily I was stopped at a light at the time, so the damage was minimal. The chain popped off but with the help of another passing biker, I was able to get it back on, though I ended up covered in grease.

On Monday, a seemingly innocent turn of the ankle in a parking lot has led to a decent amount of knee pain. I have iced it periodically, taken ibuprofen, and tried to stay off it. While it’s feeling a little bit better this morning, something is still off. Regardless, I’ve decided to continue on with my training as if nothing is wrong. I swam 1000m last night and will be running at lunch time. With only 10 days to go, I can’t take days off right now… I’m determined to beat 2 hours for this triathlon (750 m swim, 16 mi bike, 5k run), which would be a six minute improvement over last year. Wish me luck!

Life
This weekend, we will be paying our respects to Jess’ beloved grandmother, affectionately called Oma. Oma escaped East Germany as a young woman with her 5-year old daughter in tow. When she was finally joined in West Germany by her husband, the family emmigrated to Detroit, and eventually made their way to Tucson, where she spent the remainder of her days. She taught Jess a love for the German culture from the time he was a little boy. She was a second mother to him, and she will be sorely missed. I am so grateful that I had the chance to meet her in some of her more lucid days, and I thank God for the influence she had on Jess’ life. Rest in peace, Oma.

Other
NAWMBA! I am the President of the Phoenix Chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs. We started ramping up the chapter in August, and after several successful networking and educational events, are having our official launch next week.  Ticket sales have gone wonderfully and I truly believe it will be a wonderful event. I feel a bit like a chicken with my head cut off right now, just waiting for deadlines to arrive to make sure we have the needed logos, giveaway items, names, etc. On top of triathlon training and being out of town for four days, I’m feeling just a bit of stress right now. Good stress, excitement-stress, but stress nonetheless.

Hope today finds you all happy and healthy! Until next time…