At the request of Bree (and other bloggers!)

10 Years ago I was:
Finishing my 2nd year of college and transferring back to Ohio University (and starting to think about doing a Triathlon!?! Hmmmmmm)

5 Years ago I was:
Preparing to begin my graduate degree in exercise science at Ithaca College
(and debating training for my 3rd IM......still debating....;)

1 Year ago I was:
Dreading the fact that I was almost 29 and still not married/homeowner/didn't know what I wanted to do with my life...and still single! (hehehehe)

*Disclaimer* I am now today, EXCITED about turning 30 and loving the fact that the best times are ahead, right?.........

5 things on my TO DO list today:
Mail my student loan check
Deposit another check (see a trend!)
Get my long run in
Pick up a Rx
Send a thank you note to a friend

5 Snacks (only 5!!!):
Pretzels
Banana
Granola Bar
Apple
Peanut Butter *Disclaimer*this goes well with all of the above

If I were a Billionnaire::
Pay off all school loans/debt for my family
Buy "vacation" homes in Hawaii, New England, Italy, Australia.....etc and of course, host fabulous training get-aways for all of my homeys
Be more philanthropic with time and money
Buy more bikes!!

5 People I would want to have lunch with:
My Grandma Helen
My Mom
My Best Friend Joanna
Steve Carrell (cause he'd make me laugh)
Kathy Griffin (because she's absolutely nutty!)

5 Places I have lived:
Dayton, OH
Bloomington, IL
Athens, OH
Ithaca, NY
Tucson, AZ

5 Jobs I have had:
Grocery Store Cashier
Ice Cream Scooper/Sundae Maker
Lifeguard
YMCA Fitness Attendant
Exercise Physiologist, Cardiac Rehabilitation

A Great Ride up the Mountain.......

While most of my home-girls from Summit Velo (cycling team) were up in Flagstaff racing this weekends' Summit Center Classic stage race, I opted to stay in Tucson and get my act together for my final on Monday! YES! THE Final! I am so excited to be finishing this class, as it will allow me to get the ball rolling on nursing school or physicians' asst school soon! (More on that another time!:)

Today started with an 0400 wake-up call, followed by me rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, making java, eating my Organic pop-tart and PB(!) and getting the gear ready for what has now become my "standard Sunday ride"- Meet Paul, Christina, and whoever else gets their holy laziness out of bed, and cruise over to Mount Lemmon for some intervals (or really, whatever you want to do) up the mountain.

Mount Lemmon is our beautiful little secret training mecca here in Tucson. It is about 9,000ft up (just ask Jen, she's gone to the top!) and is a hill climbers' dream. Some rolling parts, lots of steady steep grades and the place where you can find nearly 99% of Tucson cyclists on a Sunday morning. Not to mention, when you hit about 6,000 ft, you don't even feel like you are in the desert anymore. Pine trees, cooler temps, and the smell of fresh mountain air. Just love it!!!

While I am normally a rather "outgoing" gal, I have been rolling solo lately on workouts. Sometimes we endurance athletes do better with training buddies, and then other times its nice to step away and use workouts more for gathering your thoughts, personal time away, etc., and lately, that has been the case with me. Besides, not really having a training focus has helped (BUT NOW I NEED ONE!!) I have welcomed the change, however, and am always glad for Sunday when I get to ride with my Northwest Tucson crew.

Saw the usuals cruising up Lemmon, but this week I did NOT see Peter Reid. Yes, that's right, THE Peter Reid. Last Sunday on my descent, I could have sworn I saw a familiar tall and lanky Canadian climbing the mountain (sans helmet!!)....when I reunited with my crew, my buddy Paul (who knows NOTHING about the Tri world and EVERYTHING about cycling) said to me, "Gord Fraser was just riding up the mtn and was with this stud triathlete." Paul only understood the lure and excitement after I ran down Peter's list of IM achievements--and I hear he is now a pilot!? Interesting.

Time to refill the coffee and fuel up for an intense study session on immunity and disease. Oh the excitement(?

Have a peaceful and happy Sunday!

I think we may need an intervention.

I admit it, I am severely addicted. Sometimes I find myself at Trader Joe's with an "excuse" that I need________ (fill in the blank), but really, I am just there for IT. IT and some other essentials that go so well with IT. IT calls my name as I walk through the holy gates, (that, of course would be TJ's)

"Mere, there's only 3/4 of a jar left, you need some more of me!"

Yes, my fellow friends. Most of you (Jen, Ashley, HTFU et al) know EXACTLY what IT is - PEANUT BUTTER!!!!!! And I am not talking about that processed crapola that comes in industrial sized tubs at Costco. NO WAY IN HELL.....I am talking about the delicious, seductive, smooth-yet-crunchy "Organic Natural Trader Joe's Crunchy" PB.....it's pure heaven on earth......It makes me salivate just thinking about it.

I, like some others (who shall remain nameless but let's just say they are Starbucks-obsessed!!! RR, ME) am completely obsessed with the PROCESS, shall we say, that goes into a perfect jar of Trader Joe's Organic Natural Crunchy. Should you be so obsessed, please follow the rules below :
1) Buy 2 jars--in case of course, you have NO PB at home in your fridge, which would be in fact, a crisis! In that case, buy 3 at a time (You really never know what life entails but you ALWAYS need to have your trusty companion available at a moment's notice to take with you to race/weekend away/in the event you starve to death)
2) Upon your return from the store, promptly turn sealed container upside down. This will promote even distribution of natural peanut oils and will sufficiently prepare you to "STIR" later.
3) Go do something ridiculous. Paint your toenails. Make and drink a pot of coffee. Read a blog or two.
4) Return to that pretty little jar and GET WORKIN'
5) Open sealed container and with a knife, begin stirring slowly in a churning motion. Use those strong wrists. ( I add a few EXTRA shakes of Sea Salt, just to give it some more OOMPH!)
6) Lick the knife, you know you want to!
7) Toss in the fridge (I hope you screwed lid back on!!).
!Voila! You have just mastered a fine art! Congrats, pat yourself on the back, and spread some of that fine delicious-ness on a warm toasty slice of bread!!

...LET the RAIN begin......

YESSSSSSS!! Its finally here!! As much as I would have rather swam for the full 60 min today (no biggie, though, I did almost 120 min yesterday, so I am good!!:) I got kicked out of the pool this afternoon due to a pending storm and thunder!!!

Most people would be grumpy as hell to have their workout cut short but not me, its FINALLY here!! Yes, that is right my fellow non-desert dwellers!!! It is the glorious start of MONSOON season....you see, most of the summer months are spent dealing with temps well over 100 degrees...and Monsoon marks the beginning of temps in the 90's and cooler, more pleasant evenings and mornings (ie, great for those early morning rides or runs...) Not to mention, you don't have to run your A/C at 67 degrees just to maintain your sanity indoors!!

Off to the gym for some strength training....Yahoo!!!:)

Thank God for Good Friends........

Those who know me well know that the past few months have been particularly low due to a variety of "changes" (if you will).....The cycling season ended a bit early (April) as I took on some new challenges by adding a full-time summer class to my already busy work schedule, thus reducing my hours at work and trying to bang this thing out so I can move ahead with a new career.........

On the relationship front, I have been quite down in the dumps.....I feel like I am so damn sick of dealing with men who claim they are "ready," when really, they have no clue what they want. In fact, the idea of dating anyone right now, frankly, scares the $hit outta me! Warning to the wise: If he's still living with mom (even if he claims its "Temporary"--he's really never planning to move out!) And on that note, she's the one you are competing with--not some other young thing!!!l! ;)

Which brings me to my homeys: Kendra and Cindy!!! Kendra is my wonderful "Married" (like its a disease or something) optimist, who is quick to schedule a lunch date, a ride or swim, or just some good ol' time to chill , even though her schedule is busier than Obama right now.....She's just completed her first year of residency and I swear, she never sleeps and still manages to lead a much more vibrant social life than yours truly, and I have NO excuses!!!!

Cindy is the most analytical, yet kind-hearted person you will meet. She is there (even if only on text messages lately! HA!::) if you need a quick pick me up, or to grab a beer and just vent....she's lived through many more "life experiences" than myself, so I definitely take to heart her points of view, and her ability to pick up and move on.

Its no wonder that these past few months I have really called upon my girls to cheer me up and bring to light what really matters in life : YOUR FRIENDS
(In fact, no sooner did my heart break and Kendra was there with wine, my favorite dinner, ice cream, cookies, and an entire night of consoling my tears ! Thanks K!!!)

So here's to my two best Tucsonans....I love you girls more than you know and we've got many good times ahead!

:) MP

.....Things that are broken

......My car.....well, now its fixed , thanks to my best friend's husband--AKA Nate the Rent-a-husband!!!!!!!

......Everyone needs a rent-a-husband, don't they???!?! (my sources tell me even married girls enjoy a man who knows how to "fix things")

.....My iShuffle....ok, well, let's just knock on wood...or knock on the handlebars of the tready that i did my KILLER interval workout this afternoon, cause (can I get a "HELL YA!!") it still miraculously works after I so furiously and stupididly(is that even a word?) "washed" it with my cycling gear!!!! DAMN....I am counting my lucky stars on this one..........

.....So my one and only blog homey Jen H., who I am happy to report will soon be a part-time Tucson resident/aka homeowner, bugged me about my "BLOG"......Jen, seriously, do you think I actually have time to BLOG??? I mean, I am a much better blog READER and subscriber than an actual blog"GER"............

This is a start....we'll see if I can keep up...........

......MP