Howdy from Lise!

[Lise]

Hello to all my TE friends! To those who don't know me...well...look at the number of posts by my name. Whew! I used to hang out here a lot. What a great bunch of women.

Then....after y'all had listened to my sad stories of dating woes... I fell in love. Yep, "J" from last fall, is definitely now my DBF of 8 months. He's a wonderful man, and we're having a great time together. Yesterday we spent the morning cleaning our bikes, and then tooled around town, riding hither, thither, and yon, including Peet's for coffee, the zoo, Navy Pier, and home again, tired, and happy. He has a huge Trek comfort bike with a saddle that is more like a sofa, and we laugh about it. But the man is 6'2", and can speed away from me in a heartbeat, even when I'm on the Bianchi.

The cost of being in love, however, is that I've barely trained all winter and spring! I went out and tried to run too hard, too soon, and hurt my calves. Slowly coming back from that. Biking is good, and J and I ride 10-20 miles a weekend, but it's hardly the blistering 20 & 30 mile rides I was doing solo last year. I gave away my registration in a sprint tri for the end of last month because I just wasn't ready. I'm signed up for a sprint 8/5, and I *will* be ready for that one.

Last year I bought a full wetsuit, because my plan was to do a 1/2 IM this year. I've realized, though, that I have no interest in spending that much time training, when I'd rather be with J. So I'm going to be selling my wetsuit, and my fancy Tri-Zone tri bag. I got a nifty, if less fabulous tri bag as a goodie bag when I did Pleasant Prairie last summer, and I really don't need two! I took pictures of them today, but cannot get them to upload to my computer. J's a computer guy for his work, so I'll load them at his place; when I'm ready with all that, I'll post it here. The wetsuit is so nice...it's a Athena size Ironman Instinct. I've never worn it in the water. I've tried it on at home, that's all. Sigh. I'm almost 47, and the long distance tri is just not for me anymore.

For those who remember my kitties, Isaac had to be put to sleep three months ago. He got very sick, very fast. Ariel's not doing well now. She has an ulcer in her mouth that just isn't healing. I'm taking her back into the vet tomorrow. She's 17. It's so hard to know when to keep trying to heal her, and when to let her go. It became obvious with Isaac, and I trust it will become obvious with her...I just hate to let her suffer, if I can ease it.

I'm busy, with work, J, and what training I can fit in :rolleyes: , so I don't get here often, but I do peek in occasionally, and love to read what everyone's up to. Best wishes to all, for health, endurance, and much fun this summer! :D Lise

[KnottedYet]

Oh, Lise! It's so good to see you again! I've missed you!

[eclectic]

good to see you back!

Ain't love grand :rolleyes:

glad to hear your life is going well :D

Sad to hear you are selling your wetsuit :(

Glad to hear you are signed up to do a spring :D

[salsabike]

Oh, Lise. Nice to see you. I am so glad about J. And so sorry about the cats. We are still keeping the Beeper going with two subcutaneous fluid sessions a week, which she despises. But Nina is almost 16 and Beeper is almost 17, so I know your situation.

Don't forget to take a vacation out here sometime. The PNW TEers would love to show you guys around.

[crazycanuck]

LISE!!!! Dear Lise..I've missed you :D :) :D (((((((((((((hugs)))))))))

It's great to hear you & j are doing well. I often think of you whilst hangin round in TE TD & wonder how you are. How is your job?

Poor Ariel :( I know how much your kitties mean to you.

I need to send you a postcard from WA to remind you of beaches!

Did you & J ever go overseas? There was a trip of some sort planned, correct?

Must run. Take care & come back soon.

I miss you Lise :(

C

[Velobambina]

I've missed you as well and was hoping that you were having too much fun to post. By the way, I've been wanting to thank you for recommending Smartwool glove liners---they helped keep my fingers toasty this past winter! Nice to see you back.

[Veronica]

Yes, Lise you have been missed around here! But I'm glad it's a fun and full life that is keeping you away! :p

V.

[rocknrollgirl]

I am very happy for you, finding the right person to love is such a blessing. Sorry to hear about the kitts. I had to put one down last fall, it is so very hard.

Now, a question:

Why give up your hope to do a longer distance tri? Things may settle a bit in your life and you can go back to more training. Perhaps the new man will train a bit with you. I was amazed at how quickly my DH settled in to my training schedule this winter, and how quick he was to train with me.

47, heck, you have plenty of time.....

[Lise]

How nice to hear from everybody! :D

Velo, glad the smartwool glove liners helped. Both J and I are crazy for both Smartwool and Icebreaker. Steep and Cheap, I tell you. I've ended up with 3 Icebreaker sweaters from SAC, and have imposed a moritorium on my own purchases! Salsa, I'm impressed that both your kitties are still with you. Heck, twice a week fluids, that I could manage, if it's what she needs...who knows. We shall see.

About the longer tri, the 1/2 IM distance...I know how it felt to train for the marathon a few years ago. It took up all my time and energy. I was often running on empty, and became injury prone. Last year's training for the international distance tri is when my heart started skipping beats. I have far fewer skipped beats now that I'm training less. My plan to do the 1/2 IM tri made sense when I could pour all my free time into it. It's not that I was yearning to do the long distance, so much, as that it was there to be done. I was single, had been single for quite awhile, and it wasn't looking like that would change.

Then, that did change. There's so much that J and I want to do together. Some of it is biking and running, but some of it is also tennis and scuba (his interests). Some of it is spending time with his teenaged daughter who lives in another state, or my young niece and nephew, who live here. And some of it is snuggling in bed in the morning instead of leaping up and pulling on running shoes to head out for a long run. :p So that's the reasonl I felt relieved when I thought, "I can do sprints". It allows me to keep doing triathlons, which I love, without having to push-push-push to train. MY work as a nurse-midwife can have crazy hours, and it was hard to train for both 1/2 and full marathons.

So, I'm going to go do my AM Yoga with Rodney Yee tape now! I'm doing a 12 hr call from 10 AM to 10 PM today, and I expect it to be busy. Before I go to work, I'm taking Ariel into the vet, if they'll let me. At least 20 min of stretching will help a lot.

love to all! L.

[Pax]

Lise!!!! Good to see you! I was thinking about you and wondering if you were there for the rainy Bike the Drive...I'm guessing you were warm and snuggled up instead? :p

[Lise]

Lise!!!! Good to see you! I was thinking about you and wondering if you were there for the rainy Bike the Drive...I'm guessing you were warm and snuggled up instead? :p
Nope! We were out there! J's statement the night before: I don't care if it's raining. Unless 20% of participants have been struck by lightning, I want to do the ride! As it turns out, zero % of participants were struck by lightning :D , so we were out there! It was nice, really. We did the 30 miles, and had a great time. Did you do it? Are you in Chicago now?

Ahhh...I feel much better after yoga with Rodney...

[Pax]

Nope! We were out there! J's statement the night before: I don't care if it's raining. Unless 20% of participants have been struck by lightning, I want to do the ride! As it turns out, zero % of participants were struck by lightning :D , so we were out there! It was nice, really. We did the 30 miles, and had a great time. Did you do it? Are you in Chicago now?

Ahhh...I feel much better after yoga with Rodney...

We're in Urbana but we went up on Friday and spent the weekend with my niece (she lives in Wrigleyville). We did the Northern loop and had an absolute ball!!! Next year we'll have to swap cell #'s and see if we can meet up by the coffee tent (we spent a long time there after the ride :D ).

[Lise]

We're in Urbana but we went up on Friday and spent the weekend with my niece (she lives in Wrigleyville). We did the Northern loop and had an absolute ball!!! Next year we'll have to swap cell #'s and see if we can meet up by the coffee tent (we spent a long time there after the ride :D ).
Great idea! We were at the coffee tent, too. :rolleyes: :D Did you see the line for pancakes? And the line for cheesecake? WHEW! J. lives north, so we rode to the drive from his place, and then just pedaled right up the on-ramp to join the ride. We rode south to the Museum. That's a fun turn-around, and the drive is lovely down there. Then north to the start point, where I bought one of last year's long sleeved tech shirts for $20, and a bike sticker that says, "I AM TRAFFIC", for the Larkspur. Then up north for waffles for me and an omlette for him, then home again for a well-deserved nap. It's a fun day.

[Tri Girl]

Lise- it's soooo nice to hear from you again. Congratulations on finding J and falling so deeply in love. It's a good thing!!! :D
I'm sorry about your kitties- both losing Isaac and Ariel being sick. It's hard to make the decision, but you're a kind and gentle soul who always does right by others.
Glad to hear from you again- please don't be such a stranger!!

[Pax]

Great idea! We were at the coffee tent, too. :rolleyes: :D Did you see the line for pancakes? And the line for cheesecake? WHEW! J. lives north, so we rode to the drive from his place, and then just pedaled right up the on-ramp to join the ride. We rode south to the Museum. That's a fun turn-around, and the drive is lovely down there. Then north to the start point, where I bought one of last year's long sleeved tech shirts for $20, and a bike sticker that says, "I AM TRAFFIC", for the Larkspur. Then up north for waffles for me and an omlette for him, then home again for a well-deserved nap. It's a fun day.

We both forgot to pack extra shoes so when we were done we went back to the parking garage, loaded up, and drove home for three hours in sopping wet shoes...THEN we took a nap! :D It was such a fun ride that we're already making plans for next year.

I sure hope you keep dropping in Lise...you've been missed.

[Brina]

Hey Lise,

I have not been posting much at all - or training much for that matter. I have been stalking the board looking for an update from you. glad to hear all is so lovely in your life - you deserve it. I so wanted to do bike the drive this year, but now that bank of america is the sponser I don't know if I will ever do it - I refuse to thave anything to do with BofA.


What tri are you doing on 8/5?

[mimitabby]

Hi Lise
we miss your wisdom and point of view here. You know TD moved to
Australia. FYI

How's the job? and is the BF riding a bike?

welcome back (and don't go away again!)

[mtbdarby]

Hey there Lise,
It's good to hear from you again - glad to hear life with J is good and sorry on the kitty front. Sometimes life has a way of changing our plans, but the important thing is to be happy which it sounds like you're doing.

I think you and Queen with your SO should come up to Janesville on the 16th and do this ride with me:http://www.janesvillemorningrotary.org/index.php?page=events_pie_ride.html

You get a tshirt and a WHOLE pie after the ride!:D Come on, who doesn't like pie??

[Pax]

I think you and Queen with your SO should come up to Janesville on the 16th and do this ride with me:http://www.janesvillemorningrotary.org/index.php?page=events_pie_ride.html

You get a tshirt and a WHOLE pie after the ride!:D Come on, who doesn't like pie??
I'll have to forward that link to my SO, she's a pie fanatic! We do this ride (http://www.decaturbicycleclub.org/arthur.html) every year because of the pie (and home cooked chicken and noodles), you should come down for it. :D

[Lise]

You guys crack me up! I forwarded the Janeville ride link to J, who *is* a big fan of PIE, which he pronounces "PYAH", being from Alabama...he has the cutest accent...sigh...he's cute all over. In a handsome, manly way, of course. :p Can you tell I'm smitten?

Yep, he likes to ride. We were in a bike shop the other day, where he saw gel seat covers for the first time. "Oh!" he said, "I must have one of those!" I said, "Honey, if your saddle got any more comfortable, it would be a barcalounger!" He did start looking at road bikes for the first time, so who knows. We're planning to move in together in the fall, into his condo, and it looks like the bikes will be on a rack in the small dining room. That should be interesting; it's already three bikes!

You're right, CC, good memory, we went to Rome in March! We had a wonderful time. What a beautiful city.
Took the cat in today--the vet was a guy I hadn't met before, but he was wonderful. Our main vet had written good notes in her chart, and this guy was suggesting the same thing the other one did, exploration under anesthesia. So I'm giving her 3 more days of antibiotics and sub-q fluids, then taking her in on Thurs. I'm aware that anesthesia may be too much for her, but she can't keep on like this, either. I am lucky that it's easy for me to give her the fluids and the meds. I'm quite comfortable with needles and IV bags because of work.

It's so sweet to know that I have been missed, and to be welcomed back so warmly.

Brina, I'm doing Lake Zurich tri on 8/5. This is the first year they have a sprint. www.lztri.com Come do it with me! Aww, come do Bike the Drive next year anyway. You can get back at BofA by refusing their stinking t-shirt or something. :cool:

Queen, you know the one thing I didn't throw in the pannier for BTD? Dry socks! I was wearing wool, which were soaked through, as I was wearing my well-ventilated biking shoes with cleats. J offered me his extra pair of COTTON socks, which I graciously declined. At least, I hope I was gracious, as internally I was horrified. COTTON? I think not! :eek: So, yeah, I had damp feet for most of the ride, but at least it was wool. Next year I'll remember.

OK, time to get back to work. Y'all sure know how to hook a girl on re-upping at TE! :D :D :D L.

[maillotpois]

Oh Yay!! I have missed you!!!

I am so glad you have been happy-busy and I suspected as much! Glad you're well and happy and that things with J are good!

[btchance]

You're back!! Great to know everything is going well, except for the kitties. I hope they figure out what is wrong with your girl so you can bring her back home, healthier than before. And congrats on the J, it sounds like he's terrific!

[Dianyla]

Nice to see you, Lise! :D

[bikerz]

Lise - it was so nice to see your avatar again! Welcome back, and congrats on the new special person in your life - you deserve him (and he you!) :)

Looking forward to reading your funny and wise posts again!

[Lise]

awww...you guys are great! If I'd known how much looove would flow my way, I would've popped in a lot sooner!

I went through some major changes this late winter/early spring with a group I'd been very closely involved with for nearly seven years. I made some changes to a major relationship within the group, and the rest of the group members decided to have nothing more to do with me. It was a painful decision, and I was horrified to find myself absolutely shunned. J. was great throughout, and I've made some new, good friendships. I am glad to be free of what had become an unhealthy dynamic, but it's been pretty hard. I put Isaac to sleep the same day I made the break with the person who had been like a spiritual advisor to me for the seven years. Both things needed to be done. But no matter how much it needs to be done, it's hard, and there's no way to speed up or skip over grief.

It feels so good to be getting free of that, to be enjoying my life much more.

Dianyla--the nurse at the clinic who called everybody "Precious" is on leave, but I still think of you and your bike when I have a (traumatic) memory of working with her! :rolleyes:

MP--how's your health? What thread can I go to for updates?

BZ--what's the "7" about?

BTC, how's residency going? Just finished a year, right?

love to all! L.

[mimitabby]

Lise
you're going to devote more than 1 sentence to your Trip to Italy aren't you?
I missed your midwivery tales too.

I'm sorry about the social group you are no longer a part of. That could really hurt and the cat dying at the same time!

glad all is well with the fella and he's riding too :D

[tprevost]

Oooohhhh Lise...

I am so happy for you ;) Reading your update actually brought tears to my eyes as I know the trials you have been through. You are such a warm wonderful person that it warms my heart that you have found someone so special that you can share your life with.

I'm sorry to hear about your kitties... that is a hard thing and I feel for you; but know you've given them lots of love and I know you will do what's best for your sweet little girl...

Sending lots of hugs!!! Enjoy the wonderful things in your life, you deserve them ;)

Trac'

[KSH]

Thanks for the update Lise! It's nice to you know that your life is going so well and that you are happy.

And train for what makes you happy!

[bikerz]

BZ--what's the "7" about?.
Lise - I got a new bike! I finally have a bike that fits and that I love! I bit the bullet and got a custom titanium Seven. Some pics are here (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16017)!

[SadieKate]

Lise, I've been out of town visiting the MIL and yellow for a few days and get back to find all these happy posts from you. At least you have a good reason for neglecting us.

There must have been something in the air because I was stalking you last week trying to figure out the last time you had posted and if I had missed it. I'm so glad you are happy with J and the positive changes you've made in your life. I hope you won't be gone as frequently this time, but you, yourself and thine are the most important. Have at it! :D

[Lise]

Lise - I got a new bike! I finally have a bike that fits and that I love! I bit the bullet and got a custom titanium Seven. Some pics are here (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16017)!
WHOA! Z! What a gorgeous bike! :D :D :D

SK, how nice to hear that you and yellow got some quality time! I was remembering my visit with yellow last year, because our annual midwifery convention just happened. Last year it was in SLC. How funny that you were "stalking" me...email me anytime! :D L.

[maillotpois]

MP--how's your health? What thread can I go to for updates?


Great!

I started riding again right about the end of December. It was a little tough at first because I really got out of shape in the 6 months I had been off the bike. But it improved pretty quickly.

So far, I've done 2 double centuries (included Devil Mountain Double - 19,000 feet of climbing!), a 300k and 400k brevet and best of all feel like I have had a complete lung transplant. I can actually fill my lungs the whole way, which is amazing. I don't have "asthma" at all! Never did, dammit. I had blood clots!! I have no wheezing or anything, and I struggled with that all last year!

DH and I are coaching a TNT group for the Death Ride and this year I will actually ride the thing!! I was so sad not to be able to last year. 6 months off the bike has really rejuvenated me, though. I am much more enthusiastic about riding.

You can pretty much browse the Adventure Stories thread for reports on some of my rides.

[RoadRaven]

Psst, Lise... glad to see you and the flying dachsund are back!

So wonderful to hear of the fantastic change in your life - and he rides a bike, what more could a girl ask for?