A Humbling Experience

I met with a friend of mine that I met years ago doing agility - we both love our fast, insane border collies. We found we also had swimming in common. She had mentioned Masters level swimming to me several years ago and I pooh-poohed the idea since I was busy running and doing agility.

Well thanks to my IT Band, I have to find a new challenge so back in the pool I went. Mostly for exercise but I also decided I MIGHT try competing again. I ask Krysta to meet me at our local pool today.

I already knew my weaknesses were my turns among several other issues. Therefore, we mostly focused on turns. WOW - I have a lot of work to do. She also found a weakness in my freestyle stroke. I'm not even sure how I was as competitive as I was back in the day. Of course, the techniques she was showing me are from her 20+ years of coaching and she keeps up with the changes and the evolution of the sport, I suppose. It's possible that these techniques were not in vogue, it's also possible that my coach was focused on the other swimmers that needed a lot more attention. I was happy to learn them but it will take quite awhile for me to break the old habits.

I'll be the hippest 40+ yr old swimmer if I ever compete again. HEE HEE.

The Payoff

I'm finally starting to see and feel the payoff to all my workouts. Even though I'm not able to run, I'm enjoying all of my workouts. I walk fast for a minimum of 40 mins every other day. On my off day, I'm cycling or swimming. I cycle - slower than I'd like - on the days I can't get to the pool but my preference is the pool. It isn't bothering my IT Band, my knees or anything really. My lungs feel great and I am starting to build a bit of endurance.

I varied my workout in the pool today and ended with 2 25 yard sprints - felt the old familiar lung burn from competition years. WOO HOO - that felt great.

I've contacted a friend of mine that coaches and she is going to work with me to improve my technique, flip turns etc. I just spent a bit of time on a great website for swimmers. What fun!

Now if I only had an indoor pool at my house - for me and the dogs - I'd be in NIRVANA!

Greg Coaches B Ball

The top picture is Greg getting down to the kids' level to coach. The second picture is my son, Devin, taking a shot. I was having some difficulty with the lighting so I need to learn what setting to use for indoor shots in gymnasiums where the lights are lower than normal. Still need the zoom lense. Not sure if I will be getting that for Christmas or not.

My Favorite Ballet Performance

This is Mikhail Barishnikov in The Nutcracker performed in 1977.

Go Tyler!

Many people do not know this but I am a big ACC college basketball fan. Grew up watching it and listening to my Parents yell, cheer, scream for Maryland in my youth. I, however, have been a UNC fan and never told them until recently which made my Dad laugh. Well tonight, Senior Tyler Hansbrough just topped the record for leading all time scorer for UNC. Breaking a record that has stood for 3 decades! Go Tyler! I certainly think he has a great career ahead of him in the NBA.

Change in Plans

Since my IT Band won't settle down and I am not willing to park my butt on the couch until it does, I am walking instead of trying to run. I'm actually able to go the same distances within the same times. I guess that is a good thing for now. I am hoping my legs will get stronger from walking and doing mild cycling that I can return to jogging again soon. I will listen to my body and take it one week at a time.

This means that my goal of running 3 continuous miles has to be parked - for now. I'm not totally bummed because I still hope to run again. If I can stay fit, I will be way happier than I was last Fall when the injury side-lined me.

Well Darn - He Ducked

I am not going to post the video of the journalist throwing his shoes at Pres. Bush but what a statement he made. He risked jail time and any other repercussions to tell Bush what he really thought of the US. People are laughing at the video but I actually do not find it funny. In a pure visual sense, it is funny. But from a broader perspective of public opinion of the US in the Middle East, it isn't so funny.

With that being said, maybe that journalist was onto something - we should throw shoes to express our displeasure instead of bombs and bullets. Wouldn't the World be a better place? Oh well, that is never going to happen. War has been used to resolve conflicts for thousands and thousands of years and I don't see it changing any time soon.

Future Career Change

I'm contemplating going back to school. I really disliked school for so many reasons; mostly, it was a mismatch of my interest. I started out in Nuclear Medicine and found Chemistry extremely difficult so I switched my major to Business Administration. DUMB! I should have found a way to get through Chemistry. Oh well, not really that critical. I got a good degree, I found a decent job, I climbed the latter for several years and reached the glass ceiling. Got tired of the same old same old and basically left the business world to focus on the dog world.

I love agility but it has to be a hobby for me so I refuse to make a career of teaching it. Devin is getting more self-sufficient and before I know it, he will be graduating. Well, OK - not for another 8 years but they will fly by quickly. I would like to prepare myself to go back to a regular job within the next 5 years but I can't bring myself to go back to corporate America. I hated it!

I have been researching schools that have some programs that interest me but find the idea of returning a bit scary. I'm sure I would be the oldest person in the classes! So what, right? There is a billboard - I've passed it several times but can't think where - anyway, it shows a 90+ yr old woman graduating from college. If she can do it, so can I!

What a Weekend

I haven't been to an agility trial since Nationals which was early November. I've barely been working my dogs - well, not to the extent that I had prior to Nats. I went to an indoor trial held in a dirt floor horse barn with minimal heat. Dressed in layers - Under Armour is the best stuff EVER!

Saturday was fun but no great runs to report except that Gusto got one of his required Snooker qualifying legs towards his ADCH - Agility Dog Champion. He ran well on Saturday but we had some bobbles. I didn't feel like I could run well in the loose dirt and I didn't wear my knee brace so by the end of the day, my IT Band was sore. I ran the little cute deaf dog, Ivy, in Performance and had alot of fun.

Here is a video that Rosanne took with her new camcorder of his Snooker run from Saturday - I look like a dork running in the dirt but you will get the idea:

Hey Rosanne - thanks for taping us.

Got up early on Sunday to pick up a friend, student and junior handler (she is 16 in a few days). Katie came along on Sunday to run Ivy. I forgot to include the fact that the temps were 28 - 35 degrees most of the time this weekend. It warmed up a bit on Sunday but was still damp, cold and smelly in the barn.

On Sunday, I was down to 3 legs for his title. I had a chance to get them all on Sunday. Sadly, we were a train wreck in Snooker but he ran Standard and Jumpers beautifully. It was the most amazing feeling. We were in synch and I could run because I had my super duper stabilizing knee brace on all day. He won all 3 of the classes that he qualified in but the best one by far was our Jumpers run - smoked it at a blistering 25 and some odd seconds. The next fastest dog was 2 seconds behind our time - this is a dog that wins stuff at Nationals so I felt really good about that time.

The best part was that I stayed relaxed for almost every run (except the second Snooker run). I enjoyed watching Katie run Ivy. Ivy is the most adorable dog ever and she loves to do agility so it is great that Katie can run her for me. People can't believe that she can run agility so well considering her loss of hearing. Katie took 2nd place in Performance 16 Jumpers too - nice way to end the weekend for all of us.

Mama's Little Helper

Very Strange Universe

I'm on facebooks which has allowed me to keep up with my friends that live all over the place. I recently connected with some high school friends. Sadly, one of them just lost her Mother and I put out a condolence message on her facebook account.

Yesterday, while I was in the pool, I had flashback memories of high school swim practice and rides on the team bus to our meets. I even saw myself "off the blocks" and doing my flip turns and goofing off with some of my friends.

When I put out the condolence message on the account, I saw a friend on her list so I clicked on his picture. It was one of my best friend's brother; I clicked on his list of friends and sure enough, Suzanne was on there. It was so strange because she was one of my closest friends and I was thinking of her when I was in the pool yesterday and here I was able to reconnect with her on the same day.

Everybody Into the Pool

Back to swimming for me while my IT Band settles down. I refuse to sit on the couch and get all depressed - been there, done that. I already bought my Mustang last year during my IT Band stint. Unless my darling Husband feels generous enough to let me trade mine in for the Shelby, won't be replacing cycling and running with a car this time.

So I went to the pool and did laps today. It was a great workout, my legs are still feeling the affects but my IT Band seems OK. I had to share a lane - haven't had to do that since swim practice in high school. I wasn't good at it then and I am not good at it now. I tend to over swim the person in my lane.

The lady in the lane next to me asked me how I could swim so fast. She felt like she was going backwards when I was next to her. I told her it was a curse of mine, not being able to slow down and pace myself. Tends to be a trend in my life and I told she was doing fine and would go the distance while I would be done due to the inability to slow down and pace myself. She laughed but sure enough she was still in the pool while I was done by 1/2 mile or so :) BUT I WAS FAST.

And Here is the Competition

This is the 6.1 liter SRT Hemi that produces 425 HP at a price that is under $45k. Much more affordable than the Shelby Mustang. I still wouldn't buy it but they are sure nice to watch in action.

Yes, I was a closet motorhead. Give me good old American muscle. I know there are nicer, more refined cars out there from Germany (mainly) and some other countries but I'm a sucker for the American muscle cars that I grew up admiring. I never owned one - I opted for the gas efficient 4 cylinder, front wheel drive cars. I even owned a Honda once (hated it) and an old Nissan back in college.

My favorite car is my current Mustang. I also owned a WRX but I didn't like the turbo lag and the premium gas required to run it.

My favorite car to drive EVER was Corvette ZR1. It was the fastest American production car back in the 90s and it was amazing.

OK - enough about cars. I just had to take a trip down memory lane.

The Fastest Pony Ever Made

This is the 2009 Shelby GT500KR. At 540 HP and a mere $80k, it's out of my reach. But one has to have dreams :)

The Little Beauty

Athlete With Injury - Very Dangerous Indeed

No tailgaters yesterday. Why? Because I was BAAAD.

It's a good thing that I don't have a Shelby Mustang - I'd kill myself. Anyway, the weather was quite decent so I got the pony out of the corral and took it to do some Christmas shopping. I got stuck behind a very slow incompetent driver (no, I didn't tailgate her). But I did find an alternate route to take. One that is fairly straight for this area. You can see for about 1/4 of a mile which means you can sight out cops and other cars. Nobody was on that stretch of road so like anyone addicted to speed (agility with fast dogs, fast cars, fast road bikes), I opened up the Mustang.

This little hot red vehicle is only a 6 cylinder but it has a manual transmission and I know how to drive it - been driving them forever and used to drive my twin Bro's souped up muscle cars. I believe this Stang is as fast as the cars I drove when I was a teenager. My brother gives it a hearty thumbs up which means alot - Larry used to take his cars to the drag strip. There are faster cars out there but I bet they didn't pay as little for that speed as I did :) Anyway, I had the Stang up to 85 in seconds - in 3rd gear and wasn't even close to red lining it. WHEW - what a rush. Don't worry - I backed down immediately and noone was around.

I got this car for my 40th. Believe me when I say this, it was not a mid-life crisis thing. It was an IT Band thing, can't cycle, can't run, can't do agility thing. It kept me sane during my rehab last year.

I actually went to some SCCA races to see if I wanted to give them a whirl. The gas, tires and pounding on your car stopped me but out of that consideration came a funny story that went around the agility community that I was quitting agility and was going to race my car. TOO FUNNY!

Bumper Stickers

I think I need bumper stickers that match my moods. You can put the stickers on magnets so they easily come off your car. If I had a bumper sticker for my moods, then I could warn drivers that I might be feeling the urge to shoot them, bump them off the road, sing out loud with no malicious intent or drive slow and admire the scenery.

One of my pet peeves is when people tailgate me. I HATE it because I was rear-ended by a very large Chevy going about 45 mph. I was completely stopped waiting for a car to turn out of my lane. I was in a pretty noticeable white Dodge and the girl in the Impala (huge boat of a car) never saw me! The collision totaled my car and has caused permanent neck issues. For some reason unknown to me (ha ha - that is sarcasm), they do it less when I am in my big ass Expedition. When I am in my fire red mustang, they feel the need to drive up underneath my exhaust pipes. Let me just say that I drive fast - like 7 (on a slow day) to 15 over the speed limit with several speeding tickets to prove my prowess. I do not hang out in the left lane unless I am passing someone.

Maybe I could be on to something that would reduce road rage....if everyone put on mood bumper stickers. Oh wait, in this technologically advanced era, all we need is an electronic board on the bumper that you can control from inside the car with pre-set bumper sticker options. New business perhaps? Ha ha.

Bummer!!

I think I need to have my leg chopped off and an artificial one fitted and then maybe I will no longer have IT Band issues. I just re-injured my IT Band today. LOVELY - attempting to stay fit, I walked and jogged on my treadmill today. I took it slower to get the blood flowing and to try to build some endurance. About 20 minutes into my intervals, I could feel a tight sensation in my leg so I backed off and walked the rest of the time, cooling down. I stretched when I got off and about an hour later - the old familiar stabbing started.

I won't be teaching tomorrow and today I have been icing it off and on and using Aleve. I won't do anything until it feels better which I hope only takes 24 hours this time. Last time, it took a year to recover but that is a long story.

Since I can't even train my dogs, I stood in my kitchen with the window open and gave Gusto verbal commands to see if he could do agility without me in the yard. That was funny - he did really well after screaming at me a little bit. If I can't run him this weekend, I can stand still in the ring and give him commands. Should be entertaining.

Realization

I just needed to record this thought whether anyone finds it interesting or not. I took my son shoe shopping for basketball sneakers. The new season starts this Saturday with my husband, Greg, as coach. My son needed a size 6 sneaker. WOW - in another year or year and a half, he will be wearing the same size shoe as me. He is around 4'10 - at age 9.5. So at what point will I be looking up at him? EEK! I'm 5'7+, close to 5'8. I wonder if my husband will ever experience this - he's 6'6.

Keep On

Keeping on. What a great saying. That's my motto right now.

I'm glad I have been tracking my workouts. I went back over the past several weeks and looked at them and realized that I am making progress. YAY!

Someone once told me that everyone needs a theme song for their life. It should be a song that picks you up when you are down or makes you smile. I need to ponder this one and see if I can come up with a great song. I am not sure I will actually post the results of my pondering though - it might be embarrassing.

The Dawn of a New Day

I woke up with a sore back which actually started the night before. Wasn't sure how much I could do on my "run" day. I taught my agility class and worked my 2 boy dogs and found that moving around loosened up my tight muscles. I felt much better after I worked my dogs. PLUS they were FABULOUS today. I could list all the things they did well but it might be a bit boring so I will just end the dog training note on a "wow". Picked up my spirits from my whining mood yesterday.

The bike behaved itself today. I was even in the same room with it and I listened to it calling for me to get on and go but I emphatically said NO - I will not cave to your ramblings, you evil beautiful red bike. I behaved myself and just did a light day on the treadmill. Mostly a brisk walk with a few short jog sessions just to test the legs. My lungs feel good - it's the body that feels sort of abused.

The mind is willing so the body will eventually follow - with care.

Warning - I'm Whining, Just a TAD

I've been doing combination of walk/run/walk/run now for about 1 month. My goal is to be able to run 3 miles continuously without stopping. Not a strenuous goal, not even a large goal. But I confess it is much harder than I thought. I've been very dedicated to this goal - not skipping a running day at all and I do some light cycling on my "off" days to maintain my fitness level.

I now remember precisely why I stopped running back in 2004. IT HURTS! Yes, I'm whining - just a little bit. Running is not easy or everybody would do it. I am definitely feeling that "why can't I cycle" emotion right now. My darn IT Band gets inflamed from any serious cycling which doesn't seem to be the case with running. But because of my tendency towards IT Band issues, I am going very cautiously at building my running program.

I went online to do some research on the best way to build my training program. It is a bit discouraging to know that I am behind the recommendations to date. I'm using my body as a guide though so I have been reluctant to follow a real plan YET. I am going to park the "follow a stinking plan" idea for a few more weeks while I continue to build and allow my body to adapt to the pounding that running requires.

I haven't sold my racing bike yet - I just can't seem to give up that dream. I realize that I will probably never ride it again but I still have hope. I confess, every time I go into the room, the race bike calls my name. No, it is not an inanimate object. It used to talk to me on my rides - we were like one.

Maybe I should move it to the basement in an effort to quiet the voice. No - I will not be selling it; not any time soon, maybe never. While I try to quiet the sound, I will keep running, crawling, walking, pounding ever on to my new goal. And remind myself that this is a fresh start, brand new and one that doesn't require the threat of broken bones to get my blood pumping. It only requires the right attitude and the same perseverance that race training required.

I can do this! Failure is not an option.

Sixers Game

WOW! I've never been to a Professional sporting event quite like this. First of all, I love basketball and have my whole life. I even played it a bit when I was Devin's age. Second of all, we were in a club box suite with food, a private bathroom and the ability to move around. This was so worth the drive to Philly.

We brought a friend of Devin's along and the expression on both of their faces when we walked into the Club Box and down to the front to see the court was priceless. They sat in the seats waiting for the players to come out and warm up. They got really excited when they recognized certain players like Iguodala, Dalembert and Young. Both of the boys were watching the count down clock eagerly anticipating the start of the game. I wasn't sure how long they would sit and watch since they weren't stuck in regular seats. They sat a lot, totally into the game and the atmosphere. I would catch myself forgetting to watch the game because it was so much fun watching the boys.

The Sixers pulled out a win. All players doing some fantastic things like great passes, assists and some slam dunks by Iguodala. Brand played a great game too - I think he had was the top scoring player but you would have to confer with my stat geek husband, Greg. He was watching the ticker at the other end of the stadium. I was watching the game and the boys.

What fun! Now the rest of our weekends will be a tad bit lower key and spent doing Holiday things with our families. I am starting to get the agility itch to show Gusto though.

I think this break from agility has been great. I continue to run, cycle and do physical things that gives me an outlet for my restless energy. I train my dogs when I am in the mood and I get to do fun things with Greg and Devin. A balanced life is the key to inner peace. I'm desperately trying to ignore my obsessive compulsive self that gets locked onto something like a vengeance and maintain balance between family, athletic pursuits and agility.

Keeping everything in perspective is critical if you want to pursue any personal goals. I have some new goals for 2009. They aren't what you might think they are; it remains to be seen if I can stay the course, in pursuit of these goals.

Steeler Football

We had snow squalls yesterday. Perfect weather for playing a little bit of football....if you are a Steelers Fan. The boys had fun and I stayed warm inside other than the quick jaunt outside to snap a couple of pictures.

Ain't So Bad

If you're a dog...with your own personal fur coat to keep you warm. I might hike instead of run today. I love to go out in the first snow, makes me feel like a kid again.

Sweet or Suite

We just found out that the tickets for the Sixers game this coming Sunday are for a Suite. How cool is that? I've never been to a "pro" anything. Alright, I actually went to a Pirates game when I lived in Pittsburgh but they sucked and I don't really like baseball so it doesn't count. I also went to an Orioles game many moons ago but still doesn't count cuz I really do not like baseball.

I actually love basketball - I don't follow the Sixers though. I'm more of an ACC basketball fan. it doesn't matter though, this is going to be fun.

I'm loving my non-agility weekends! Still not bored.

It's snowing here today; just lightly. Today is a cycling day but am trying to decide whether I should or not. I'm feeling a cold coming on AGAIN and my son needs pants - he has outgrown everything and will begin to look like Steve Erkle if I don't get out to buy him some that fit.

I'm sure I will hop on the trainer - I keep hearing a certain song in my head by Queen. I need to find a way to link to one version of the song that I stumbled across yesterday. I saved it under "bad music".

Well enough rambling - must go to the freezing cold unheated building to teach.
Positives about teaching in the freezing cold building - it clears out my sinuses.

No Snot Sickles

The highs are only supposed to be around 32 degrees and after spending the morning in my unheated training building teaching and working my own dogs, my hands do not want to work.

Since I have no desire to learn how to blow snot sickles; I will get on the dreaded, evil treadmill.

Wish me luck - I hate that thing, it wants to dump me off the back whenever it feels like it. It is like a bucking bronco and I am not like a cowgirl. I'll just have to strap myself on and go for a ride.

I Was Serious

Devin did not have an outlet for his energy yesterday because the weather was pretty cold so no outside play at school. As I posted earlier - he reminds me of Troy Polamalu who plays Safety for the Steelers. I caught him jumping from our "half" wall in the kitchen onto the couch - several feet from the wall. GRRR - that is one of our only nice pieces of furniture (I couldn't help laughing anyway at his expression when I caught him). Devin did some sprints in the house too - using his watch, he timed his sprints. He's 9 years old. Scary, huh?

Thank GOD basketball starts in a couple of weeks.

Motivation

I was on Marcy's blog today and her post rings so true. Find ways to keep motivated through the Winters in the Northeast. They can be pretty brutal.

One of my biggest motivators is ESCAPE. Escape from my crazy house.

One of my second biggest motivators is the workout log. I know - I sound like a geek. I need to see the numbers climb.

My third biggest motivator is fitting in to my jeans.

My motivator for working my dogs - the insanity in my house. I have peace right now because I worked 2 of them up at my training building. This peace will be short lived though - Devin gets home from school in a few hours and the racous begins anew. Living with him is like living with Troy Polamalu. If you don't know who he is watch this video clip....he is the one with the long hair and in Black and Gold at the end - he plays for the Steelers:

I Ran, Sort Of

I finally stopped procrastinating and got outside for a run....sort of. It was more of a lift foot a little bit, drag the other forward, lift a bit, drag and keep repeating. Legs felt like lead. I kept thinking of that New Balance commercial that shows the love/hate relationship with running. I was NOT feeling the love today.

On a dog note - Robbie had his herding lesson yesterday. He was magnificant. I got to watch from the side as my instructor worked him. I really do not want to mess up his foundation. She moved him to the next largest field she has and he did a natural wide outrun. He is calm and keeps his sheep under control. It really is a beautiful thing to watch because he just knows what to do, no fighting him, no arguing, just poetry in motion. Truly beautiful. I need to get some short video clips so I can post them.

Alright I'll Run

The weather is bitterly cold. I think it is currently below 40 degrees. I need to motivate myself to get out and run. I REFUSE to run on a treadmill - would rather cut off my legs. I looked at my workout log and that is motivation - the mileage is embarrassing. I could hop on my indoor bike. I don't hate that like I do the treadmill.

It's supposed to flurry tomorrow. That's the kind of day I used to like to take the mountain bike out to a rail trail but confess that I do not feel like lifting the 35 lb monster onto the back of a vehicle. I also do not have a bike rack on my car - got a Mustang last year. No way am I gonna scratch up the Stang with the behemoth bike.

Alright - enough rambling and avoiding. I will sit and read my new book for a bit and wait for the temps to break 40 and then I am going out for a run.

One of My First Crushes

Not only was he a great speed skater, he also became an accomplished road cyclist after his Olympic career was over. He is now an Orthopedic Surgeon and was the US Olympic Speed Skating Team doctor for 2002 and 2006.

Bored - I think NOT

I didn't show in agility this weekend. I know several people that did and I will be curious to hear how their weekend went. I, however, had some other fun. Like going to dinner with Greg for his birthday while Devin went to a friend's for a big year end football party sleepover.

We went to Annie Bailey's pub in Lancaster. The food was wonderful, the beer and cider delicious and the atmosphere was a bit raucous and loud but that's the way a pub should be.

Next day, off to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Greg's Parents will be in Nevada over Thanksgiving so we had turkey dinner early. Devin missed the entire feast because he didn't sleep a wink at Caleb's house; he stayed in our car and slept while we ate. We couldn't get him to come inside, he was too tired to care.

Immediately following the feast, we drove an hour to get to Devin's football skating "thank the coaches" party. Devin didn't want to go, he didn't want to skate, he wanted to go home because he was miserably tired :) One of the coaches convinced him to drink a Mountain Dew and join in the fun. It worked. He even wanted to put on some rollerblades and skate. I haven't seen him skate much since agility takes me away so frequently. He's gotten pretty good and is interested in a pair for Christmas. We'll see - his feet grow so fast that it might not be worth it.

At the end of the party, they held races for the different groups - Varsity, JV and girls. One of the rink refs told me to come out - he practically came over and hauled me out to the rink. I was a bit embarrased but I never back down from a challenge so I joined in. There were only 4 of us and I can guarantee that I was the oldest. Never mind that, I went to the line feeling a bit nervous. I didn't want to fall on my face or break any bones. I got set - trying to figure out how to brace my back foot in blades - there is no toe pick, no toe stopper. I thought to myself - how did Eric Heiden do it in the Olympics so many years ago when I was a huge fan. Right - you put your anchor foot out to the side to push off.

The whistle blew - I was off the line in a blink. I didn't fall on my face and I made it through the first corner without whiping out! I heard people cheering my name - pulling for the old gal, I'm sure. I got to the second corner, still upright and flying. I put the hammer down the straight away and into turn 3. UH OH - I had too much speed and I couldn't corner correctly. I went wide and heard the girl behind me right on my tail. I made it through the turn but she had caught up to my rear wheel. I boogied down to turn 4 and made it around the cone. Into the home stretch - darn, she caught me at the line. Oh well, youth has it's advantages. It was gobs of fun and I have never actually participated back in the day when I was HER age. We high fived each other for valiant efforts and rink dude gave me a high five too for being a good sport.

Devin was proud of me - he wanted me to win though. I live to challenge youth another day - tee hee!

New Feature

I finally found a way to track my workouts. I stumbled across this new little item by following some other blogs. I entered what I remembered for this week and need to go get that computer so I have accurate data. The biking data is accurate - I have a bike computer for all of my bikes although am only currently using my trainer bike.

My actual total biking miles for "lifetime" is over 2200 miles. But I am not going to go back and log all of my miles over the past 2 years. No thanks. I have no idea what my actual lifetime running miles would total. I used to run A LOT in 2004 - 2005 but I never tracked it. I started having back issues so I switched to cycling. Orthodics should help with some of my problems from 2004-05.

Rain

Well the rain and drizzle and basic ugliness didn't deter me today. Today was a running day and I got out around 8:30 am. Went to a local park that has the trails marked in 1/4 mile increments. I still want a computer for tracking but this gave me some indicator on the distance. I think I ran approximately 1.25 miles with no stopping. Then I walked and stretched and ran again - at least .5 miles then walked then ran one more time. I probably did around 2 miles today. My legs felt super strong and I went at a pace that I could sustain. Not sure what that pace is, mind you, since I have no way of tracking it yet.

I did go out and buy some better running sneaks since mine were causing my foot to roll toward the outside which means the sneakers are weakening from all the training I put on them doing agility. The guy at the specialty running store told me to go to Wal Mart or similar place and get a GPS type running device. I plan to do that this weekend.

I have a need to know distance, speed, time, pace and whatever else I can track.

The Key

I did a lot of thinking after AZ and I let my teammates know that I would not be breaking my neck trying to be some crazy top level agility person. I am backing off and going to learn to go with the flow and enjoy agility when I am there and still spend quality time with the family. I haven't heard from both of them but one of my teamies sent me a great email. Very supportive and upbeat which is precisely why I picked her to team up with. She has had some disappointments in her agility career and she gained some great perspective from it. Instead of whining and crying over it, she picked herself up and plugged on. When I was upset after Gusto went off course in Steeplechase Semifinals, she let me vent and then she made me laugh about it. When her dog missed making the finals because of a bar, I reminded her that she was very close but that bar was out of her control and that at least she got her dog around the course which wasn't easy! I feel really good about being on a team with her. No matter how we do or what level we want to do it at, we will be supportive and enjoy the moments.

I got another great email from another friend of mine and that one reinforced the path I am taking. I am saving that email for future reference in case I lose my mind again. She runs, hikes, bikes and general keeps everything in balance which is what I am going to do too. I am removing any former crazed agility goals with a new one but I have to find the right words for it.

I was very happy with my reaction when Gusto popped the poles in Grand Prix Semis - I laughed. That's the key.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

I got an email today about Lacrosse registration. I'm actually kicking around the idea of offering my help with the coaching. No, I've never played but I have a general knowledge and am willing to read up on the rules etc. It was hard being on the sidelines seeing certain skills not getting worked for football. It bugged me mucho that Devin's three-point stance was INCORRECT. I finally showed him why it was wrong and how to fix it and he tried it. BUT because I wasn't a coach, he felt I shouldn't be telling him what to do :) I can respect his feelings. Greg gets to be his basketball coach, why can't I help with Lacrosse? If I assist, I do not have to be at ALL the games although will probably be at them anyway. Lacrosse season is March through the beginning of May. Robbie will not be ready or old enough to show until mid to late May. I am going to take Devin to registration and talk to the coaches. They may not need help and/or they may not want a MOM helping with boys lacrosse. We'll see.

Got an email from a cycling friend that does 10K races. I was asking for his advice on how to build endurance for a 5K run. I want to make sure I am doing the right things to build up to 3 to 5 mile runs or longer. No marathons; just longer cardio workouts. It seems I am on the right track. Today is a running day. My appetite is way up again and my legs feel stronger. I need better running shoes though. My current ones are leftovers from agility season and do not offer enough padding. So I get to go shopping in a few weeks for new sneaks - love to buy sneaks :)

Next shopping trip will include new jeans - the fat is melting off quickly. Love that feeling!

New Pics

WOW!

I went to pick Devin up at his school and decided to drive my jogging route. Just to see how far I actually went both times that I ran in the last several days. I am shocked - it was over a mile. I thought for sure it would be some short little embarrassing distance. It isn't a marathon but then I'm not a distance runner. It was way longer than I thought AND it had hills.

I have a pedometer but it never worked right. I would like to get another one so I can track my runs. Distances, calories burned, time, speed. I had all those gadgets on my bike and I loved them and would like to be able to do the same thing for my runs.

My Winter project besides getting back into pre-injury shape is locating a photography class so I can learn how to use all the bells and whistles on my camera. I also want to get a zoom lense - for Christmas.

I Finally Figure IT Out

I always have this feeling of motion. Like I need to keep moving forward to some destination. I was never sure what the destination was but I figured I would know it when I got there. It would hit me like a thunderbolt or something.

I was always searching to fill a gap or a hole or an emptiness. The right job, the right sport, the right goal, the right religion (yep, even tried that one when I was in my twenties). I just kept moving, running really towards something. Ever in pursuit of my dreams. I'm one of those people that have to have goals, that must keep driving.

In my pursuit of excellence in agility, I realized something. It didn't hit me like a thunderbolt. It was a slow awakening. A little nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that kept telling me that agility wasn't IT.

Why not? There is much work to be done if I want to reach some pinnacle at the top of the sport. You need passion to achieve that level of success. I no longer have the passion. I tried to keep pressing on, I tried to care enough to pay attention to the little subtle things in my training and my handling that needed to be addressed. I tried to set goals that would keep me moving forward. But it just didn't feel right.

I noticed this feeling this Fall. Even before we left for AZ, I had this thing in my head telling me not to go, to stay home. Some might think it was a fear of failure but I am so certain that wasn't it. I can say this with absolute certainty because I didn't even want to do the second day of any 2-day shows in September and October. I wanted to do one day, achieve some sort of success and then go home to be with Greg and Devin. When I was at agility, I wanted to be at Devin's football games. When I was at football, I didn't even think about agility. I felt NO guilt over not showing.

I was upset at how I performed in AZ. But I was more upset being out there and not being at home to see his last game. After I hopped on Val's mountain bike, the realization hit me....I enjoyed riding that bike more than I did showing Gusto. I just wanted to hop on her bike and ride away from the site - to just ride. I stopped riding and running to save my knee for the BIG event. I can't begin to tell you how cranky that made me.

I'm an athlete. Plain and simple. And as long as I am doing athletic things, using my body and pushing it beyond it's current capabilities, then I will be achieving personal success. Because the truth is, in my pursuit for some fantastic high level goals in agility, I realized my pursuit of excellence has nothing to do with agility.

I take more pleasure at watching Devin achieve his goals than I do in my own. I look forward to watching Greg coach basketball this Winter and I look forward to helping Devin try Lacrosse and I look forward to assisting Devin in getting better at football. I love helping him with his schoolwork. I want to see him succeed in academics so that he can pursue any dreams he may have.

I still have some personal goals but they have nothing to do with agility. I'll be keeping them to myself, after all, they are personal :)

A New Sport

Devin may have a new sport this Spring. I mentioned Lacrosse to him last evening and told him how you are allowed to use the stick in defense. He loved that idea so Greg went online attempting to find a youth program in our area. He couldn't find any but sent out some emails.

Today, Devin went to the Laser Dome for a birthday party and we ran in to one of his football coaches. I asked him what other sports his son does and he said Lacrosse. His son is Devin's age and so we asked him to send the information. I wanted a Spring sport for Devin and several people have recommended this one to us.

Basketball this Winter and Lacrosse in the Spring. I can't wait.

Feels Good

....to be home and doing normal non-agility things. I'm still playing with the dogs and exercising them and working Robbie on shadow-handling to help his outrun/herding behaviors. BUT the biggest thing that I am loving the most is regular non-agility exercise for ME.

I went for a run yesterday. My legs felt quite strong until I hit a hill. My new goal will be to make it up that hill in the next few weeks. Not sure how long I ran, I'm guessing less than 1.5 miles. I don't track that right now since I'm a sprinter and I need to build up endurance again. I will eventually want to work up to 5 miles. I've never actually been able to do it but that was prior to my cycling days.

I hopped on my indoor bike today and rode while watching an old Nancy Drew TV show. I went about 7 miles and stayed on for 45 minutes. Nothing too strenuous and nothing too fast - just pure calorie burning and easy pedaling.

Tomorrow is a day of rest. I need to plan out my weeks so I don't over do it but I have no agility shows planned until the end of December so I want to work out a schedule that allows me to fit all of this in and still have enough left in my legs to work the dogs.

I rode Barb's bike out in AZ. It is one of the folding types and not very stable so I couldn't ride fast. I borrowed Val's mountain bike and had a huge smile on my face. I think it was the highlight of my disastrous National experience. Next year, I plan to take more time off and do some sight-seeing. I do not want my whole trip to be about agility. You cannot control your experience, you cannot control your dog's excitement level so I need some fun stuff to make the trip worth the 2 weeks away from my family.

I am adjusting my goals for 2009. Not sure what they will be yet but I'm sure the answers will come after I run or ride. It clears my head.

Robbie's Birthday Today

Robbie turns One today! I can't believe how quickly the time flies after they are potty trained :)

I need to get camera edit software loaded on my new laptop and take some new pictures of him. He seems to be done growing and while larger than many BCs, he is within a normal range. I bet he will measure 21.5 give or take and top out at 45ish lbs. That's not horribly big.

A student of mine who brings me treats and coffee was up at the building yesterday thinking I was going to teach. She called me so I went up but told her I was not in good mental state to teach but would bring Robbie along for fun. She worked all 3 of her dogs and then I worked Robbie. He was so good. He is probably not going to be a huge bar knocker like Gusto. He really tries to figure out what I want and then applies it at speed. He doesn't get over the top by my running. He does shoot past jumps coming out of tunnels - outrun-like so will need to stop that behavior.

He can't keep up with Gusto in the yard when Gusto uses his after-burners but he does have a nice stride. I have my fingers crossed that he turns out as nicely as the majority of top dogs running agility. It is soon time to get serious with his training - he is one year old today :)

The Eyes Have It

Faith Restored

I can't even begin to express my giddiness when I heard that Obama won the election. I was surprised that America actually made a choice that I can be happy with. I voted before we left by absentee ballot. I've never felt so compelled to vote before in my life.

Rosanne and I drove hard on Tuesday and were not done driving until late. We got to the hotel in time to listen to his acceptance speech. It sounded eerily similar to something Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr would say. I assume the speech writers did that on purpose. It was very uplifting to listen to.

He has a lot of work ahead of him to restore the hope and faith in many Americans - for our economy and for our world position and for our future. I do not envy the task ahead. I also hope that his security staff can keep him safe from the fanatics in our country that are very upset at the idea of someone of his culture getting elected. Not to mention his views - that will infuriate many too.

For our Country's sake, I hope they keep him safe. We've had too many intelligent people taken out in their prime because of the fear they instilled among the uninformed, the scared, the crazy.

Arizona Recap

Well after nearly 3 days, Rosanne and I are finally home. The long boring drive did give me plenty of time to think and to talk to Rosanne and several other good friends willing to listen to me vent.

I really appreciated the calls, the emails and all the well wishers helping to pick me up after a disastrous start. I must also thank my teammates- Tracy and Claudia- for their help and for not giving up on me throughout the week. You were great teammates and made the week so much more special.

Here is my recap:
Gusto blistered his pads in Austin, Texas on the way out. I've already provided that detail in a previous post so will not go on about how he did it but will say the pads were very sore the entire week and it also affected his back. His back is still sensitive in several spots and his pads are on the mend.

The week started off with us running Team Jumpers. It was a nice course but a very tough tunnel approach after a broad jump requiring special handling to prevent an off course. This is an area that I am not very strong in so didn't feel particularly confident. I did walk to the line reminding myself how to handle that section but unfortunately, we went off course anyway. This was after my other 2 teammates had also gotten eliminated in the same section. Three eliminations in a big team events basically means your team competition is over as far as trying to be competitive. You can salvage your runs but you will not be making the cut off for the relay finals.

The next run was Team Snooker and I notoriously do not run Snooker well in a team event. I was determined to do better than I had at previous events so I picked a course that would limit the turns and the possible impact to Gusto's sore feet. It was not an aggressive plan but would get us some decent points. He ran it really well so I felt much better about how Gusto and I could do for the rest of the week. He ended up placing around 53rd or so out of 200+ dogs. Nothing to jump up and down over but at least it was a good run.

We barely got around Steeplechase Quarterfinals. I did managed to scream him off several off courses and his time was decent so he made it to the Semis. His time was about 28th out over 200 dogs so I felt good about it even though he was wide and wild the entire course.

Day Two included Team Gamblers and Steeplechase Semifinals. Gusto ran really nicely in Gamblers but he had a nasty fall off the teeter in the opening. I had to walk him around to ensure that he wasn't injured. We ended up with 65 points and had he not fallen off the teeter, would have had at least 73 points because we would have had time for more obstacles in the opening. He ended up placing 35th(ish). Unfortunately, Gusto found an off course option in the Steeplechase Semis that I never even considered. I was very upset because he is a fantastic Steeplechase dog and I really wanted a chance to try to make it to the finals. It was not to be and I had to get over the disappointment.

Day Three was Team Standard and Grand Prix Semifinals. Standard was a very nice course and I felt that I could do well enough to maybe place in that event. Unfortunately, he got called for his UP contact on the dogwalk and he also did not turn tightly in the closing line of jumps and added alot of strides which made his time not so great. But at least we got around without going off course. Grand Prix Semifinals was also a very nice course and I felt good about my handling choices. But once again, it didn't go as planned. I pushed too early to a tunnel and Gusto popped out of his poles. Oh well - another disappointing run to deal with.

No finals for Gusto and for me. He got to run European Jumpers on Sunday and he ran that nicely but dropped 2 bars and then had explosive diarrhea immediately following his run. I had to laugh at the fitting end to a disappointing week at his first Nationals. I had such high hopes and expectations, none of which were fulfilled. He did some wonderful things though and I felt pretty good about dealing with the pressure and disappointments. It did take some time to get over it though and I had to keep my spirits up so that I wouldn't affect my friends and other competitors. Since there were so many chances to pull myself up out of the gutter, I got better at it as the week went on.

I really enjoyed watching all of the finals and seeing my friends give it their all. The finals were really exciting to watch in person. I'm certainly glad I got to see it live. I would prefer to be running them though. There is always next year and according to my teammate for 2009, there is a podium spot for me next year. Thanks, Denise, for the vote of confidence.

Arizona Day 2

I didn't sleep well last night - probably about 4 to 5 hours. I was worried about whether Gusto could run or not. I woke up after finally falling back to sleep and he jumped off the bed and ran downstairs with no limping.

We left early this morning and upon arrival found out that someone had found a scorpion in their shoe so we banged all of the things we had left the previous night just to be sure. Supposedly, it was a small one but still -YUCK!

We walked 3 courses today all before Noon. My first run was Noon and I was concerned for his feet. It was jumpers and it had a tough section that I notoriously do not run well. My 2 other teammates ran before me and both got eliminated. Each person had problems in the section that I was concerned about. The opening ran well but Gusto was FLYING and went off course after the broad jump to a straight line to the wrong end of a tunnel. Oh well, I was happy that he kept his bars up and weaved. Drifter and Kiba both got around the course.

Next was Steeplechase Quarterfinals. I really really wanted to run well enough to make it to the Semis. He did get around but it was not pretty and I had to do some screaming call offs. I didn't hold his contacts to make sure I made it in. With his 3 very wide turns and his screaming call offs, he was around 2 to 3 seconds off Drifter who ran it very clean and had the fastest time. I would like to have run better but I will take it. I was exhausted when I came out cuz he made me work so hard! He was well within the cutoff though and not far off the dogs that ran the contacts and stayed on course without the crazy call offs.

Last run was Snooker. I notoriously do not run Snooker well so I picked a plan that had flow and would reduce the turns for Gusto. He did have some minor issues with several pads after Steeplechase. My teammates ran before me once again. One got around and had a decent amount of points, the other one got some points but didn't get through the closing. I had several people with relatives to Gusto staying around to watch which was nice but also a bit stressful. When I stepped to the line though, I was totally focused and he ran really really well. He did bump into my leg twice though which is an indication how high and wild he truly was today. We got enough points for me to feel successful with that run though. Drifter and Kiba both got through and had nice runs.

I must close for tonight as I need to soak Gusto's feet in Epsom salt to help his pads.

Arizona Day 1

Sadly, Gusto was not ok to run today. Ria Acciani, a PT lazered his feet to reduce the heat and to promote healing and said that he should not run. I walked the course for mental preparation. The course was very tight and technical and I would have loved the challenge of running it. Many dogs were not able to get around clean. The good news is that while I am disappointed and worried a bit about tomorrow, I am totally relaxed and not worried about how he will run through the week. I am sort of resigned to his fate - whatever that happens to be. Val, the girl that took us on the marathon hike felt that I had a very good attitude. I told her, "What else can I do. Freaking out isn't going to help the situation and I just have to take a wait and see approach." I am trying to be optimistic but realistic.

On another note, Rosanne's dog, Drifter ran the course beautifully today and we have to check results tomorrow but he definitely had to place. It was a very nice run. Kiba, her younger dog, had some moments but wasn't horrible.

And then we came back to the house, ate and watched the end of the World Series - wow, the Phillies actually won!

Off I go tomorrow, hopeful that Gusto can run his team runs and Steeplechase without being in pain and without being higher than a kite. We run Team Jumpers, Steeplechase, and Team Snooker. That's actually good because that will limit the number of contacts he must run tomorrow which will be the hardest surface for Gusto's pads.

I say Good Night from Scottsdale, AZ - stay warm, I know we will. tee hee!

Arizona Heat

Rosanne, Vanessa and I all arrived last night. Vanessa came a bit later from the airport. The drive was very long and very boring but there were some minor little things that stand out as interesting.

We stayed in Austin at a friend's house over the weekend. Went on a marathon hike which was pretty but Gusto burned almost every pad off his feet and is limping badly today. It doesn't look good for his first run tomorrow. Tomorrow is not the team event, it is a warm up run but it is still upsetting to think that I won't be able to run him. I have cut off all the blisters and soaked his feet in Epsom salt to help draw out the moisture and any bacteria. I plan to put stuff on each pad to protect them to see if he can run without limping. i won't actually know until tomorrow. We were going to train today inside but Drifter has diarrhea, Gusto has no pads and Vanessa's dog is soar from the flight and from some training before she left. So no training for us.

Some notable things along the trip on Route 10 in Texas: very long drive without seeing a human, a bathroom, a gas station. We really had to plan our stops because we were seriously in the middle of the desert. Part of this drive took us along the Mexican border near El Paso. You could see a huge Mexican flag very close to the highway. The actual border was very close to the road. You could tell which side was Mexican and which was the US purely by looking at the buildings. The US side was pretty typical - malls, business offices, chain restaurants. The Mexican side was mostly very poor looking.

When we finally arrived in New Mexico, we had to stop at a border patrol station. They didn't stop us but it was interesting as it was new for both Rosanne and me.

Upon arrival, we unpacked and waited for Vanessa. We were all hungry and needed to buy food and stock up on munchies so we went to Wal Mart. Try buying food and snacks etc for 3 people who all have their own tastes and their own comfort items. It was an adventure.

The heat feels pretty brutal today. We are hanging out in the house and relaxing. We did swim our dogs in the pool at the rental house. The house is very nice and we each have our own bedroom so it allows us some down time on our own.

That's all for now. Cross your fingers that Gusto heals well enough to run without pain.

A Win

I finally got to see Devin's football team win a game! Last year, no wins. This year, no wins....until last evening. They played under the lights at the high school stadium. The weather was perfect for football - crisp and cool. The boys and coaches were pumped up coming off a win from Saturday - their first actual win but I missed that game due to the USDAA trial at Fair Hill, Maryland. The Varsity squad didn't play much in the game on Saturday because we were up by more than 18 points which requires us to put in our back up players. Since the Varsity players didn't play much on Saturday, they were slated to rotate in last night.

Lucky for me, this was the last game I will get to see before leaving for Arizona. It was a fantastic game. Both teams played with heart, matching each others touchdowns and defensive attacks. Devin made some key plays so I was excited for him. He had two guys blocking him all night so he didn't get in the backfield like he has much of the season. He had to work hard to make plays for his team.

He was pretty excited by the win and the fact that I got to see it. He has one more Varsity game this weekend and one more JV game on Monday. Both of which I will miss but I can leave for AZ happy having seen a win.

The focus will soon turn to basketball, the sport I grew up playing as a kid. I hope Devin gets excited by it. I have a feeling that basketball will only be his second sport, he loves to tackle. I will enjoy the basketball season though because Greg gets to be the Head Coach for the 3rd and 4th grade level. He is a pretty patient guy and loves to work with kids so this should be fun. With my new camera in tow, I should be able to get some decent pics inside the dark gymnasium.

Fair Hill Results

The weather was just perfect for the USDAA Kinetic show held at the Fair Hill horse grounds in Maryland. Every year, I dread this show because the weather is usually horribly rainy, cold with a ton of mud. People get stuck in the mud regularly at this show and must be towed out by the tractors. But this year was much different - perfect weather all 3 days!

Friday was the warm up for the 2 day team event. It was my first day back at the 22 inch height class in preparation for Nationals out in Scottsdale, AZ. I felt rushed by his speed at 22 and didn't handle him in a relaxed manner which is what I started to do once I got used to him at 26. So on Friday, I just kept working on my timing. He was good but wasn't weaving well which I felt was carry over from the A Frame slam on Wednesday. He managed 2 Qs - one of which was Masters Gamblers which earned him his Masters Gamblers Champion title. He Qd in something else but I am not sure if it was Jumpers. I know it wasn't Standard or Steeplechase. He ran them well but we didn't Q. I pushed him off some jumps on Friday - my timing was slightly off, especially for the rear crosses.

I didn't win or place in any of the team events. I was soooo hoping to place - just for a boost of confidence before we go to Nationals. He ran Team Gamblers well but I was conservative and didn't rack up as many points as several others. He was only 2 to 3 points out of the top though. Team Jumpers went well considering the course had no flow. He only dropped one bar - caused by me but had a decent time. He would have placed 2nd had I not been a spaz over one bar. Team Standard was a nightmare. I just wanted to run clean because our team needed all 3 of us to be clean in order to pull us up above the qualifying cut off. We all managed to survive the course. Team Snooker - something that I suck at for some reason didn't go well. He squirted off of me after I lied him down and took a red so we only got 5 points!

Team Relay was horrid but 2 of us managed to get around so we ended up with a Team Q. That gives him his first Q for Nationals at 22.

I didn't walk Masters Jumpers because I forgot that I entered it. I decided to not be a wimp and run it anyway. I stood outside the ring and watched the course - asking people how they planned to run it. I visualized the course in my mind, walking it over and over in my head and then doing some physical practice outside the ring. Went in saying to myself, "we'll see what happens" and wow, it was a beautiful run! He went wide and I had to call him off a tunnel, but otherwise very nice. I waited for all the 22 inch dogs to run it and then checked his time and discovered that he won the class! Tracy Hirsch - a teammate of mine for Nationals told me not to walk the courses out in AZ :)

Gusto now only needs 4 legs for his ADCH: 2 Super Qs in Snooker, 1 Standard, 1 Jumpers. The Super Qs will be hard for me - I have a thing about Snooker, I hate it. Jumpers too because I never stick around for the last run of the day on Sundays which is when we always run Jumpers.

Anyway, I feel pretty good about heading out to AZ. I need some rear cross practice and weavepole practice but I felt good mentally - other than the darn rears!

Crash Test Dummy

Gusto is very much like his Sire - Mayhem who is dying from some rectal cancer. It is very sad and I will miss knowing that he is part of this world. Gusto shares so many similarities to Mayhem. One of these traits is his happy attitude towards life (since I neutered him). Mayhem always seemed to smile and Gusto shares this trait if my memory serves me well.

I was at a friend's place yesterday running some tough sequences and someone was there that knew Mayhem and mentioned Gusto's face and how much it reminds her of his Daddy. Then Gusto did a very Mayhem thing - he splatted on to the Frame. I never saw Mayhem do this but he was regularly referred to as "Crash Test Dummy" and I immediately thought of that comment when Gusto decided to splat the up part of the contact, leaving about an inch patch of fur on the frame.

Gusto was wild yesterday - dropped bars (at 22), went off course and missed almost every freakin weave entry because I didn't slow down so that he could figure out how to get in to the weaves even though he has been doing this for at least a year on his own with no help from me!!! Oh well, will be working the weaves today. Another legacy shared with his Daddy - the dog that could never rock back, slow down to find his own weave entries.

Farewell sweet Mayhem - you will be sadly missed.

A Gift or Two

I was at the Keystone Agility Trial in Mt Clare, PA yesterday on a beautiful, sunny, warm Fall day. The weather was crisp in the AM - around 45 degrees. I bundled up in layers and gloves and got ready for the fun to start. Katie Leisey came along to run Ivy and to put her own dog, Zip, back in the ring after months of time off to recover from an injury due to a structural weakness in his rear.

First run of the day was Gamblers. I love when this class is first so you can work out kinks and remind your dog what is expected for the weekend. Gusto ran great - no bars down at 26 inches - woo hoo! Didn't qualify (Q) because I screwed him up trying to get a tight wrap and caused a refusal. Ivy had a very nice run with Katie and nearly Qd but went off course in the gamble. She ran really nicely for Katie (side note - Katie Qd in Standard with Ivy taking first place in Performance, 16).

Next run was Steeplechase. It was a nice course with some tricky sections. My goals right now are based on tournament classes - I want to really start to nail these courses, fast and clean. Well, we ran it really well but he missed a tough weave entry - actually, he hit the entry but missed the wrap on pole 2 due to a bad approach over the previous jump. The cool part was that I ran my butt off to get up there - I was WAY ahead of the Guppy too which probably actually screwed him up but MAN that was a rush!!!!!!!!!! He dropped a bar due to a front cross on a weird angled jump. His only bar down of the whole day though. So with his missed entry and a bar down, I figure he won't qualify right? His time - with me fixing his poles was 30.XX seconds - the fastest time in our class was a clean 29.XX seconds. So G put down a smoking time and Qd. Gift number one - 26 inch class had a slower average than the 22 inch class so he Qd.

Next run was Standard. I wasn't thrilled with his ST Q because it wasn't clean and he screwed up his weaves. Rosanne said - go lay down a great standard run. So I did :) BUT he actually nearly flew off the teeter - in fact, if I was a Judge, I would have called it. I let him standing on the ground and gave him the "EVIL OH MY" eyeball. Looked at the Judge to see if she called it and then carried on. He ran the rest really well - one wide turn to the poles but ZERO BARS DOWN. So another Q and his second gift of the day. He took 2nd place behind Whip, his litter bro.

Last run was Pairs - wow - he ran it fast and furious and really really well! Another Q. He needs 6 legs for his ADCH - Agility Dog Champion Title. Three of those needed legs are Jumpers - I never run it as it is always the last freakin class of the weekend and I am toast by then and ready to go home.

So many very nice people came up and gave me lovely comments about the Guppy. The nicest comment came from a friend of mine, Tinna Brown. She said - you know, I have to admit that I like Gusto at 26, he jumps it very nicely and he actually looks better at 26 than 22. That's because he has to actually jump 26, he can flatten out and not jump 22 because it is too easy for him. It was very nice to hear this from Tinna - many folks weren't sure Gusto could jump 26 easily due to his structure. We shall see if he can hold up. David Acciani looked at him yesterday and did say his left hipflexor muscle is tight. Nothing horrible but he does need to be stretched. I am already feeling improvement but will have to keep on it.

OH DEAR!

LuAnn, a friend of mine, came over to work her BC, Jack this morning. I decided to run Gusto at 22 since that is the height he will be doing at Nationals (14 days until we leave). HOLY CARP - he is flying over 22 and not being particularly careful. He has one more trial at 26 - Keystone this Saturday only and then down to 22 for Fair Hill. I am not working him at 26 right now - let the bars fall. I'm getting totally focused on Nationals.

Looks like we may have secured some private time at a training facility in Scottsdale on Tuesday to work our crazy boys. Rosanne's dog, Drifter, is really going to need the time since he is going to be coming off rest from his iliopsoas injury. My boy will need it from being in the car for that many days. I remember Ivy being off her stick on the first day of competition in 2005. Gusto gets much higher than Ivy ever did - GOD HELP ME!!

I am hoping to have my new laptop for the trip. I can watch movies and update my blog which will be really cool. Kind of a log of emotions and notable things from our trip. This is going to be fun - it is more than just a test of your agility skill, it is also a celebration of getting qualified and it is a little mini-vacation too. When Barb (Rosanne's Mother) and I went out together in 2005, we did little side sight-seeing trips. It made the trip more than just going to Nationals. We had a lot of fun - it was my first time to that part of the country. I do not believe we will have time for sight-seeing but we rented a house so we should have time for cutting loose. Vanessa Mortarino will be sharing the house and although she is having a tough go of things (dog has cancer, Dad was ill, Vice diagnosed with some weird hypothalamus issue), we usually have fun when the 3 of us get together. Rosanne and I will try to help Vanessa enjoy the trip even though Vice, who is qualified, will not be coming due to his issue with temperature regulation.

14 days and counting - OH DEAR!

The Apple and The Tree

Wow - now I know how Rosanne feels when driving long distances with me in the car (15 more days and counting). The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Devin came home on the bus yesterday because Greg was home waiting for a mechanic to come and look at our ailing washing machine. What this means is that Devin didn't get to run around and play football at the after school program. He also didn't have football practice last night.

With no physical outlet for his energy, he was squirming out of his skin with boredom. This extra energy always seems to get directed at me. So I had a brilliant idea - go get the hula hoop from the basement (the reason I have one - the dogs). This entertained him for at least 30 minutes and it took the edge off of him.

Nothing like having 6 dogs (4 of which are high energy Border Collies) and one 9 year old boy that is also very high energy to try to entertain. Thank goodness I was a Border Collie in a former life.

Poor Greg, he will have to deal with 5 dogs and one child when I am in AZ. Sympathy cards can be sent to: Greg Gilligan (ggilligan@philamixers.com) while I am gone :)

My Cute Little Ivy

Katie came to agility class yesterday to run Ivy. She will be running her at the upcoming Keystone trial this weekend so she needs to get in some practice. Katie was having some difficulty in a tight section of the course that Barb DeMascio set for us. So I thought I could take Ivy out there and get her through that part to show Katie. Well guess what? I have totally forgotten THE IVY RULES! EEK - she is not easy to run and I am not missing all the required strategies and thinking on your feet and the very last millisecond changes in strategy. Sorry my cute little Ivy - I adore you but I will not be running you again any time soon. I do not miss the mental energy required to run your cute little deaf self.

The funny thing is...she is fine with all of this. She kept running to Barb for treats - totally ignored me. That is fine with me too, I just want her to get some exercise and have fun. I don't know how to have fun running her but Katie just takes it all in stride. They are a very nice team - neither one cares and they are just enjoying it together, both smiling.

No Cycling, No Running

Until I get back from Arizona, I have limited my physical outlet to teaching and working my dogs in preparation for Nationals. We leave in 16 days! It is coming fast and furious.

I decided not to ride or run to ensure I do not have any knee or IT Band issues while I am out in AZ. I am staying fit by practicing with Gusto more than I had so I do not feel I will be out of shape. I am eagerly awaiting the return so I can do more physical things - they are the best outlet for my mind. I need it but am trying to control myself so I go out with no pain.

The strategy is working to date. I have not had any knee pain at all and no IT Band discomfort. I am not wearing running shoes when I do agility; I am wearing my super duper awesome soccer cleats that allow me to wear my hideous orthodics. It seems that when I wear running shoes (with orthodics), I have inside knee pain - in the medial meniscus location. It could also be some strain on my Tibial Collateral Ligament. Either way, I have not been having any pain since I stopped cycling and started wearing my cleats. I am unsure which of these factors have given me the relief but with Nationals in a few short weeks, I am not going to play around to find out.

I have a dog and a team counting on me, not screwing up my chances to go this year. I missed last year because of my IT Band injury.

MAD Dog

I just checked the USDAA official site for my results. I am one leg shy of Gusto's Tournament Masters Bronze title. Although I am sure others will have earned higher titles much faster than I have, I am still pretty happy with how G and I are doing so far. He was not an easy dog when I started to run him on sequences. He wasn't horrible, just very fast and quite reactive. If I twitched or said anything, he would react instantly which meant bars. In the beginning, he always dropped at least one bar per class (Not to mention the teeter fly offs, the dogwalk disasters and the flying frames)- that was at the 22 inch height (and 20 in AKC). It took both of us some time to work out the nuances. Then I moved him up to 26 - this is going much better than I anticipated! I was frustrated for awhile but he is starting to figure it out and wow - his muscle tone is amazing now!

If you consider that he is a minimum of one yard per second faster than Ivy was (at least comparing some of her better runs), I think I am adjusting to him pretty well. We have our moments of "what was I thinking/doing, what was he thinking/doing" but for the most part, we are starting to come together. I admit, this is happening a bit sooner than I expected. I parked Ivy so I could focus on him, I think that was a wise decision. Katie Leisey, a junior handler, is running Ivy when she can so at least she is getting to play and she really enjoys Katie.

He earned his MAD (Masters Agility Dog) Title in 1.5 years of showing. While that doesn't sound great, it was much quicker than Ivy - she took 2 full years. He has his TM (Tournament Masters) in about one year - I didn't start him in tournaments right away. I waited a little while before trying him on those courses. Ivy took 3 years for her TM - I didn't show her in tournaments right away either so it was probably more accurately 2 - 2.5 yrs. Comparing my results with both dogs and with Gusto being such a quick dog (speed and reflexes), I am moving in the right direction.

The question is - can I keep it together at the big events? Can I handle his excitement level which will definitely be amped up? These questions remain unanswered.

Ever hopeful and always in pursuit.....

Midget Football

At one point, several weeks ago I was not happy that I would be missing Devin's last 2 football games of the season. I am now over that feeling because their football team has a losing season so far and I am sort of tired watching them lose over and over again. They play well but are just not big enough and they get pushed around A LOT. Devin basically got neutralized on Sunday. He only made 3 tackles and was not in the backfield at all! That hasn't happened yet this season.

He is still enjoying it though and it has made him quite fit. He challenged me to a foot race to the car after his game on Monday and he beat me. Now I was not in running shoes but still!!! He was very proud of himself because this summer when we were jogging together, he couldn't catch me when I sprinted.

The latest new thing for Devin is that he is planning torun for Student Council. He made the decision on his own and shocked both Greg and me. Even if he doesn't get elected, it will be a great experience for him. He has to write a speech and give it to his class. Wish I could be there to hear it.

Artful Dodgers USDAA Trial

Wow, what a weekend Gusto and I had together as a TEAM. He was absolutely wonderful - kept all his bars up, all weekend long. We ran 4 runs total and he handled so nicely. First run of the weekend was Standard; it was a nice course and I felt good about my handling decisions. He ran it really well and should have qualified except that I put a front cross in the wrong location and pulled him past the jump so he got a refusal. Otherwise, very nice run. Next run was Gamblers - he did very well on that course but didn't get the Gamble because I didn't set him up correctly to turn him back to a chute that was not apparent to the dog.

Next run was Grand Prix - I needed this for the 2009 qualifying period and have not been running Grand Prix courses very well. Mental block, too technical, bad timing - whatever the reason, it hasn't gone well. When I walked the course, there were some tough portions but otherwise, a nice course. I felt good about my decisions but wasn't sure if he could keep the bars up due to some required talking to kept them on course. The talking has caused me issues with the bars. Anyway, we ran it conservatively, just trying to keep him on course and all bars up. I held his contacts for a beat and took some inhaled breaths at the contacts to keep my wits about me. He ran it clean - an even 32 seconds. The 22 inch dogs went under 32 seconds - both dogs that did that have running contacts one of which is Rosanne DeMascio's Kiba. Great little dog that can run a very tight path. The only other dog to run the GP clean at 26 was Julie Luckcraft's Strider. Everyone else faulted. Bridget McKnights Kestrel ran slightly faster (31.8ish) and she has full running contacts - got called for the up contact on the teeter. It was a tough line and very easy to nearly push your dog off which several handlers did. I was so thrilled to win and get my very first BYE for a Regional. He needs one more GP Q at 26 and then I will drop him to 22 to get him qualified at that height too.

Sunday, I was only running his first class so I could get home to watch Devin's football team lose another game - sigh. Our first class was Standard and it was a really nice course with some tricky sections. The 22 inch class ran first so I got to watch how some teams ran it. I felt confident with my handling decisions so I stuck with my plan. I walked it with a couple things in mind in the tricky parts and told myself not to rush through those sections and maintain connection with Gusto. He was wonderful, didn't put a foot wrong. No wide turns, no near call offs, no bars down - perfect! That standard leg Q earned him his MAD title - yay! He ran it in 40.22 seconds. The fastest time out of the 2 big dogs heights (not sure what the smaller dogs ran it in). The next fastest time was 45 ish, I believe. Not sure what the second place dog ran it in - I was checking times of dogs with running contacts to see how I stack up. I held his contacts but not as long as I had on Saturday - I ran that course trying to see how well I could run it to warm me up for Nationals. I felt amazing!!!!!

The weather could not have been nicer. It was cool in the AM but the sun would quickly warm you up. Not too hot - just perfect. And his MAD title and winning the class was the perfect ending!

Umbrellas!

What is it with puppies and the fear of umbrellas? Maybe it is just a border collie thing. I took Robbie to football practice with me because he was crated all day while I had my little adventure in Morgantown. I figured just a change of scenery would do him good; we wouldn't be home until 8:00 and he would be full of obnoxious youthful energy. I left him in the crate in the truck with the tailgate open. Of course, he could see me so he barked his head off. And his bark is no ordinary one, he sounds like a very large 90+ lb Labrador.

After waiting a bit to make sure he didn't think his barking resulted in his freedom, I went and got him out. Took a Frisbee with me for entertainment and walked over near the practice field. The sidelines at football practice are always a flurry of activity; younger or older non-football playing siblings are engaged in chase games, football throwing, soccer kicking and anything that kids due with their energy. Robbie thought the kids games were very exciting. He was good though, I asked him to play with the Frisbee - bite the dead Frisbee game. It is my new way of getting him excited to play with inanimate objects. I am teaching him that "dead" toys are just as fun as the ones that get tossed, thrown, and kicked. I think this will help him with agility - he doesn't like boring repetition and he doesn't like stand still type training activities or training skills that require his own drive and speed independent of mine. He likes when I move - PERIOD.

Anyway, he was good at the Frisbee bite, toss and play by yourself game. But then a friend of mine walked up to say hi and he had the EVIL UMBRELLA. It was a golf size one so that means it must be from the DEVIL. HA. He started alarm barking and acting like a freaky BC. I asked Lance (yes, that is his name) if I could borrow the umbrella and help Robbie get over his irrational fear of very large evil umbrellas. Robbie was having a cow, so I lied him down and put the evil object near him for a sniff. After a good sniff, he decided he should bite it. I had to end the fun but he got over his fear and went back to playing with the Frisbee and nearly ripped my arm out cuz he tossed it out of leash range.

I put him back in the truck, he had calmed down, had a good day of being around different stimulating things and I was pretty sure that would take the edge off of him so we could have a pleasant evening.

What a great day!

I had the best day yesterday. I went and taught one lesson - one of my favorite student/dog combinations. Then I picked Katie Leisey (Junior handler that is working and running Ivy for me) up early and we ate at Sonic. Then I went to Wal-Mart for some needed essentials for Arizona (I still have more shopping to do but at least got a few things done). We then couldn't remember what time our class started! Neither one of us - isn't it weird how a change in your schedule can totally throw you off? Katie is 16 or almost 16 so it isn't an age thing. We drove around the Morgantown area looking for a park because we had an hour and a half before class actually started (I called LuAnn to ask about class time - I felt like a dork).

We found a cute little park along a pretty creek but it wasn't dog friendly. I searched my GPS and found Marsh Creek was about 4 miles from Julie's field. We took Ivy and Gusto for a walk along a beautiful lake. The dogs thought they were there for a swim and kept trying to drag us down to the water; eventually, they realized that was not part of the agenda.

Then we headed back to Julie's. It was a fun adventure and a very nice change in my daily routine. Along the drive, we saw many lovely stone houses and we kept saying - oh, I could live there. It was a fun game of "imagine if you lived there instead."

Gusto was amazing at class. He only dropped one bar, maybe two but was otherwise very good. I also put him over the dreaded broad jump - he did it flawlessly every time. Totally had me bamboozled because he was so horrible just one day prior!! Go figure dogs!

Ended the day at football practice. That didn't go so well for Devin and his defensive line. Oh well, everyone can have a bad day. Gusto had his on Tuesday :)

No Clue

Gusto has no clue how to jump a broad jump. This is what I learned yesterday at my session with Rosanne. I did quite a lot of reps on it yesterday and was not totally satisfied with the results. I will need to do this again every week before I leave for Arizona. He is turning tighter out of chutes though so I was very happy with that part of our session yesterday.

I ran Gusto at 22 once and he was amazing so that gave me some confidence for Nationals. Jumping him 26 is definitely a challenge for both of us. He is doing much much better but there is so little room for error that I find myself constantly thinking about the bars and it takes my focus off of my handling. This is something I am going to need to conquer if I am going to continue to pursue goals in the 26 inch height class. He is an amazing athlete and I definitely want to give him the opportunity to reach his potential. I do not want to hold him back, he is probably my one shot at reaching some pretty high goals in agility.

Robbie, while super smart, is just not as driven for the sport - yet. He can cover ground nicely but he lacks the explosiveness that I see in Gusto and Seri. I plan to continue my training of Robbie, focus on the things he needs to learn and see what I have in about a year. If he is missing the IT factor, I will make a decision on another dog in 2 years. I was going to wait but I confess, running a dog like Gusto is a total rush. I will want that type of explosive, running on the edge type of dog again. It is an addiction - an adrenaline rush.

25 Days

I have 3 shows left before we leave for Arizona! I am surprised by how fast the time is flying. I shouldn't be but I am. Probably because I feel like I need more time to prepare. I'm meeting Rosanne at a friend's place to train today. There are certain things I need to work on that I cannot do in my yard. Turns out of chutes and broad jumps. He has ticked broad jumps the last 3 times and he needs to understand not to touch them. It is no different than a jump and he used to hit them with free abandon until I taught him that was unacceptable.

I will then be working on my handling with Rosanne - really tough sequences to push me. We are also going to work on some moving or fast Front Crosses, I am not moving soon enough and getting caught behind or flat-footed. I did a lot of analysis this past weekend to see why I am struggling to run G clean and it appears to be a speed issue. I overestimate my speed and underestimate his. In training, I am probably not holding still as long and I get moving faster. In the ring, I am probably trying to make sure I don't rush and in that effort, I am actually getting caught holding too long. This is our primary focus over the next 3 weeks to get me ready for Nationals.

Weekend Update from Splash N Dash

I had a fun weekend. LuAnn and I stayed at the Clarion, it was about 9 minutes away from the Pittsburgh Indoor Soccer Arena. There is a decent restaurant on site and we are always thrilled to go back to the hotel, shower and NOT drive to get good food and a beer. Our dogs really enjoyed playing with each other in the hotel. Those of you who know Gusto well will be shocked to learn that he will, in deed, play with Jack.

Gusto ran really nice most of the time this weekend. There were only 2 runs were he was a maniac and not paying attention - Standard and Grand Prix on Saturday. I was very happy with the rest of our runs though. Still no Q in Standard - dropped 2 bars on Sunday. One was me talking to him and the other one was him cutting too close to the standard.

He has his second Q in Steeplechase at 26 inches for 2009 Nationals. I can now focus on Grand Prixs - he needs 2 and then I can drop him down to 22 and get those Qs.

On Sunday, Denise Thomas with Zippity (first litter of Mayhem x Credit) was in the other ring running her young dog, Zacchary. Love him!! She didn't get a chance to walk Snooker and she doesn't like that event anyway and asked if I would run Zippity. I said YES! So I told her my plan for Gusto and she thought it would work for Zip too. We moved Zip to the beginning of the 26 inch class so I would have time to warm G up for his run.

I warmed Zip up, making sure she was happy to work with me. Zip will work for anyone, she is an agility whore. I took her in and off we went. WHAT A RUSH!!! She runs almost identically to Gusto but is a bit less responsive to my come in cues becuase Denise doesn't use RFPs. I did all 4 reds, 3 7s and finished the course in 45 ish seconds. I was thrilled when I came out of the ring and Zippity was as high as Gusto gets on a good run. I handed her off and went to get G.

Next up, Gusto's turn. Same plan and he ran it flawlessly. He was tigher than Zippity because I worked those turns better knowing how wide Zip had gone. He kept all his bars up and went exactly where I wanted and we finished the course - 2.5 to 3 seconds faster than Zip. I took first place with Gusto and second place with Zip and got 2 Supers Qs. Denise didn't tell me this but Zip needed a Super Q for her ADCH. Glad I didn't know that going in. Denise will get another one though so she can celebrate the ADCH for herself.

I then had to go walk Steeplechase Round 2 and run G almost immediately after the Snooker run. He was hot and I was still winded. He ran beautifully but dropped 2 bars and ticked the broad!! I was irriated with him to say the least. Took him outside and he had to go potty! UGH!

Anyway, we had a great weekend and finally got some successful runs under my belt at 26 inches!!

Bring the Heat

Ok - I tried to not post about football but I cannot resist it. Besides agility, it is one of my favorite Fall activities ever since Devin started playing. I never really knew that much about the game - I knew the general rules and the overall objective but I had no clue how truly involved the game was. Last year I got an introduction into the world of the Outside Linebackers because that was the position they had Devin play all season long. This year, I am learning what a Defensive End's job is....basically, a pass rusher. Or at least, that is what Devin has deemed his job and the coaches are happy so I guess it is an appropriate function. One night this week, they had him doing Offensive line functions - blocking for the Running Backs. He did well at that too - Devin is not afraid of physical contact so he does well at any of the jobs requiring that type of skill.

Last night, it was raining and quite chilly. The boys didn't care at all and were sort of wound up by the weather. He played well - his usual sacks and tackles. On our way to the car, one of the coaches told Devin, "Way to bring the heat, let's do that this Saturday".

While I am in Pittsburgh doing my own sport, I will be checking on Devin's football game and silently happy to be indoors while Greg has to stand in the rain and the cold.

Bring the heat, Devin!

Pittsburgh Trip

I am getting ready to pack - yeah, a bit late. I was thinking last night that I would try to use this trip as a good test for Nationals. Gusto has done well at my sessions this week, he kept many of his bars up and went where I wanted him to go. He is definitely getting more powerful over the 26 inch jumps. I struggled on some of the challenges presented by the courses that Barb and Rosanne set up. I need to do a better job when I walk the courses this weekend - I need to walk them like they matter, like it might be a final at a big event. Just to get practice running him with more thought to see if I can stay in the moment in order to handle him through the entire course. I do well for about 10 - 11 obstacles and then I think I lapse mentally which is when the mistakes occur.

It was a really good training session yesterday with Rosanne. She set up some nasty sequences which required more thought than the average course. I love these types of sessions because usually it means that when I show, it seems relatively easy compared to the lovely challenges that Rosanne sets up. Practice hard, trial easy! I'm now ready for Pittsburgh - and I need to forget about the bars!

What I Will Miss

In order to get ready for Nationals, I have to do some actual events as in more than one day. This means I will miss 3 of Devin's football games; I have pleaded with Greg to videotape them for me. I sure hope he will do that so I can see them later.

I am also going to be away when the election occurs, Rosanne and I will be driving back from AZ (I now know what day we leave - thanks Rosanne). I have to research how to do an absentee ballot. It looks like a vacation is considered an eligible reason to submit an absentee vote. It is really hard to consider the trip to AZ a vacation but since agility is not a professional sport and we usually only win a few bucks here and there; it falls under the category of vacation for absentee voting purposes.

Action Shots of Jack and Gusto

LuAnn and I got together and trained last Friday. We tried to get some jumping photos of the 2 boys. I confess that Jack was a tad bit easier to get photos - his white blaze on his face stands out against the background much nicer. Gusto was tougher since he was jumping 26, he took off and landed farther away and I couldn't get a lot of frame by frame shots. I like these 2 pictures the best.