Weekend Training Hiatus

This weekend was a training disaster of epic proportions, but epic nevertheless...it was the bachelorette party of all parties, in Cheyenne Wyoming. HotPantsCowgirlAKB is getting married this fall, (in the pink shirt), so the sisters (HP02, 07 and UpAndComingHotPants) naturally rose to the occasion. Well girls, in short, we took HotPantsCowgirlAKB to the biggest rodeo event of the year and showed her a kick assing good time!!

Who could ask for a better weekend: great girlfriends, a cool concert, boys, livestock, and larger-than-life cowboys ropin' and ridin' (in the pouring rain, and subsequent mud)...well, that was HOT, and like I said, it was epic!

The thing is, HP07 hasnt had more than a couple of beers in over a year and a half (the HPSteamboat trip was right before the emergence of BabyHotPants, see below), and while BHP is a pretty legitimate excuse for witholding from drunken rowdiness, the fact remains that HP07 has been a remiss blogger for, well 100 years. Which is why she is getting outed to the HotPants community- while the grandmothers watched the little one, it was a top notch innaugural weekend for our beloved HP07:

OK so regardless of the drunken disregard for her reputation this weekend, HP07 obviously has all kinds of athletic mojo (as clearly displayed above with the F-ING GUNS). Truth be told she has signed up for a 10 mile run in September, and as we all do at one time or another, she is suffering from a lack of pre-race discipline. And if she isnt ashamed for not having blogged in 8 months, well she should be. But really all she needs is some encouragement to get back on the wagon. Which is where the HotPants come in...

But honestly, its kind of hard to care about anything else when you have this little piece of heaven to have to brighten your day (and commandeer your free time):

Funny of the day...

Upping through the Dating**

**Please note that nothing in this Blog post will actually relate to any person, place or thing going on a date and that the title is merely a play on the commonly known word "Updating."

So here we are, a little over a week since the Ocho decided to get her life back in order and all of the HPs may be wondering how it's going. Well here is a little update because surely, enquiringly minds want to know.
Laundry...While HP08 was knee deep in clean underpants for about a week, this little task has fallen a bit by the way-side and needs some further addressing. The Ocho vows to tackle this mess that keeps on giving this weekend.


The work out...
HP08 hit it pretty hard last week and was able to work out 6 out of 7 days. She hasn't been as good this week because she hasn't been feeling very well, but all in all, she's in a much better place emotionally about her training. Unfortunately, HP08 lost one of her awesomely cool bike gloves this weekend (God rest it's soul somewhere in the Arb), but she's already received a new pair from Land End and they're even more awesomely cool.
Also, the Ocho forgot the break the news to the OT HPs, but HP08 has decided to say goodbye to the YMCA and embrace her true urban self by taking up her swim training in the Eastern Market Pool. There are a few differences between the YMCA pool and the Eastern Market pool and they are outlined below.

YMCA pool -
Heated Water
Fresh, clean towels
Locker room with Sauna

Eastern Market Pool -
Freezing cold water
Bring your own towels
To clean the locker room they spray it down with bleach

Things you will see at the Eastern Market Pool that you probably won't see at the YMCA -
An 18 year old girl being thrown at your feet by her...somebody...because she won't go and get their child out of the pool while the somebody is carrying their newborn in his non-assault hand.

Things both pools have in common -
HP training buddies (HP09 calls the Eastern Market pool home)
lap lanes and water
Snotty desk attendants.

Biggest and most important difference?
$45 A MONTH!!!

So there it is. The Ocho has enjoyed her first few swims at her new pool and has gained a little in the streets smart department.


Diet...


So far, HP08 is 1.8 pounds lighter than she was at the beginning of last week. This leaves her only 1 pound to lose until she's back on track with where she left off a few weeks ago. Most importantly for the anal retentive Ocho, though...she feels like her eating is under control and we all know how HP08 likes to be in control.

So there it is. 10 days in and going strong!

-Ocho Out.

Me Too, Me Too!!!

Well, ladies, it has been a very long time since HP02 has ventured into the blogosphere, mainly because her shameful lack of consistent training. But as the HotPants report on their progress, HP02 feels the drive to train building as she reads about the diligence of others. Per usual, you girls kick ass!

So it is 24 days until the Iron Girl, in which many of the HPs are participating, but for HP02, the Iron Girl 2007 is going to be solo tri #1. The SheRox tri in Philly sounded ever so tempting, but truth be told the expenditure was ill timed. Anyway, this summer the Molotov Cocktail tempted fate one too many times, and finally broke down for good, leaving HP02 with nothing but pedals for transportation. This has been a good primer for training, but honestly a daily 4 mile bike ride and an occasional 3 mile run at lunch cant really be counted as ‘daily training’.

So its back on the wagon for HP02. Sunday it was a 10 mile bike ride to Alexandria and a trip to the pool with HPM.C. (sorry MC, I cant remember your #!). Then Monday it was a 20 mile bike ride with hot shot colleagues HotPantsRickyAndNicky to Bethesda on our lunch break. Those guys whooped my ass!! Tuesday was a rest day, then tonight it was a 20 mile RT ride to Alexandria for A LOT of laps in the pool. I started loosing count towards the end, but I think I went down and back around 16 times- I think that's 400 meters? Actually it felt good to begin to get a rhythm. But can I just say that sharing a lane blows? I always get stuck next to the ‘swim team chick’ who passes me twice per every lap I do, and for some reason I don’t want to piss her off, so I always hit the divider because I am scooched over so far. Oh, and tonight I learned the hard way why we wear swim caps when we go swimming- I forgot mine in my locker but didn’t want to lose my place in the pool, and had hair interference the entire time. UG.

Well this weekend it is off to CO for the sister’s bachelorette party. Before the boozing begins, though, I hope to get a run in with HP07, the embarrassingly remiss blogger. HP02's new strategy is to attempt to shame her little sister into occasionally updating the HPs on her progress. She just signed up for a 10 mile run in September, but I will let her tell you that.

Gettin' My Sh*t together

Today is the first day of the rest of your life...or so the saying goes. For the Ocho, today is the first day of getting her life back in order and her proverbial sh*t together. How does HP08 plan to do this? It all starts with the laundry...
Step one on the road to recovery and the way out of a slump is to clean your dirty laundry. No, not air your dirty laundry, physically clean it. HP08 started yesterday and as of this morning she had her last lode in the drier. When you can wear anything you want and don't have to search through the bottom of your drawers for things that haven't seen the light of day in 18 months in order to meet the professional dress code, the day just starts off better. (You can also wear the comfortable underwear, which we all know has a direct effect on one's mood.)

The second step is to get your butt back in gear...

HP08 went for her first run in about 3 weeks this morning. She expected it to be pretty rough, but it actually felt kind of good. It was hot a muggy out, of course, but her body was pretty happy to be moving again and she and Senor Ocho pounded out 3 solid miles.

Step three...get back on the diet!!!

The Ocho has put on about 4 pounds in the last 6 weeks, which doesn't sound like much, but is frustrating when she worked so hard to take those 4 pounds off the first time around. So, this morning HP08 went back on her Weight Watchers Points tracker and started plugging in her info again. She only has about 10 more pounds to lose total, but those last 10 are the hardest.

Well, as the Today Show says, it's a new day all over! Here's to the three step plan to sanity. Wish the Ocho luck!

The Ocho meets the President

As a "thank you" for HP08's work on the failed immigration bill, the WH staff invited all of the immigration staffers from the Senate offices that worked on the bill and the DHS staffers to come to the WH for a receiving ceremony. To their surprise, after the President landed and entered the WH, he came up to greet the group of about 30 people, shook all of their hands, thanked them for their hard work, and then gave them a little pep talk. It was all pretty cool. Here are some photos from the occasion.

"Things change." -Daddy-o '03

HP03's older brother accused her of chopping off her hair in a desperate search for change. He was right. She owned it, "Yes, D. I am seeking major life change, but will settle for a change in hairstyle to tide me over." Well, about a week later the real changes began ... Due to "an unforseen lack of funds" 03 was laid off from her gig in NH. She took off to NYC for a few extra days with SB and came back ready to dig in.

But NH is boring. And she can't work here, depsite some sexy offers. No, not stripping, actual political communications jobs. Thanks, but no thanks.

So ... drumroll please ... 03 is packing it in from the Granite State and heading back to DC, job or no job. Bring on the meetings. Bring on the interviews. Bring on the bike rides. She wants to save the world. Someone find that do-gooder bitch a job. No seriously, thoughts? She'll be back in the first week of August. She will be in Dupont with RabbiHP. And yes ladies, he digs cheetos. (HP03 and the trading post bear ponder the future.)

You Better Work!

So the Ocho has spent much of her last few days getting poked and prodded by various doctors for various reasons and she felt that it was appropriate to share all of her aches and pains with TCP. Yes, probably too much info, but if you're not going to share news about all of your bodily functions with the people you work out with, who will you share with?

First, the root canal yesterday went alright. The Ocho's face is a little sore and just a bit swollen today, but it really could have been worst. The low point was when they started sticking little bits of burning metal in her mouth. Don't ask...just know that it smelled really bad. Well, actually, the low point my have been when they started sticking a bunch of random needles of varying sizes in her cheek and tongue. It was almost like mouth acupuncture, but she had not idea what the purpose was. It was at this point that HP08 just shut her eyes and decided it was better not to know what was going on. The Ocho has to go back in three weeks for her permanent crown. Since she's 90% sure that the nurse actually dropped her temporary crown on the floor while she was filing it down, she hopes the new crown is handled with care. Hopefully after they get the permanent crown in, HP08 can stay out of the dentist's office for a while since it is by far her least favorite of the doctor categories.

Last time HP08 promised stories about her new physical therapy for her damaged hip flexor. So, here you go... After much delay and whining, the Ocho decided that it was finally time to get her act together and go and see someone about her chronically sore hip. It started to be a problem during marathon training and has hurt pretty much every days since last September. So yeah, it was a little over due. Well HP06's recommended a little place on Penn and 6th SE and the Ocho went in for her first visit last week. The diagnosis? HP08's left leg is shorter than her right by about a centimeter. Of course the Ocho took this about as well as she did when she was told that she had flat feet (for those of you that don't remember, it didn't go over well.) Apparently, this is a pretty common problem, though, and the difference isn't significant enough for them to "fix it." (HP08 doesn't really want to know how you make one leg longer...) The result of her freakish deformity, however, has been extra strain on her left hip flexor and the Ocho now needs to build up the muscles in her stomach and back to support that hip. So twice a week at 8am HP08 now goes to physical therapy to build her muscles up and get stretched and generally tortured. Lori, her "therapist" seems to think that the problem is fixable and actually, the Ocho is feeling better already. And, it isn't really a bad way to start your day. HP08 assumes it's kind of like starting your day with Yoga, minus the part where Lori digs in to your stomach and back trying to loosen your muscles. The Ocho is trying to be extra good about doing her exercises at home in order to speed along the process, but she does admit that some times she forgets. Just like how she forgot to pack her underwear with her suit today when she packed her work clothes to change in to after this morning's session.

What does this mean for her training you may be wondering? (She can train without underwear.) Well...it means that HP08 has been a total bum for the last few weeks. Honestly, the Ocho has decided to give her body a little bit of a break. She's been going strong for almost two years now, between the marathon training and her tri training and thought it might be time for a little repair. However, she knows that it's about time to get back on that horse and get serious again, especially since that swim for Iron Girl is a little more than she's been used to. Lori recommended that she lay off the running for a bit or at least moderate it, (in the Ocho's mind, she remembers Lori saying, "Whatever you do, don't run and sit on your butt on the couch as much as possible") but she really needs to be swimming and biking. As soon as her MRI results come back today and she knows her brain is not going to explode, HP08 is going to put herself on a serious schedule.

Well that's all the news that's fit to print... Happy Thursday!

-Ocho Out.

As the Dixie Chicks would say, "Been a long time gone..."
(the Title section wasn't working...)


Ok, so the Ocho has been out of the game for a while in more ways than one, but in the aftermath of the destruction of her life that was immigration, she has decided to pick up the pieces, refocus her life and get herself organized and back on track.
First, we'll tip a little out for the immigration bill. No, HP08 doesn't want to talk about it and won't bore those that don't care with the details. Let's just leave it at the fact the the Ocho has a lot more free time on her hands now, which is good considering everything that has been going on.
So, what's been going on? Well HP08 will tell you... To start, meet the newest member of the Ocho clan, Baby Ocho:





Abigail Marie was born on June 20th, 2007 in College Station, TX making the Ocho a proud Aunt for the first time.





















Senor Ocho and HP08 spent the Fourth of July weekend in College Station with the proud parents and the little bundle of poop.















As you can see, the newest Ocho is adorable. She spends most of her days sleeping, eating and pooing. A life the rest of us can only dream of.

Other than spoiling Baby Ocho, HP08 has spent a lot of her time the last couple of weeks in and out of doctor's offices. Because the Ocho has been so busy at work, she's been putting off a number of different check-ups and tried to cram as many of them in as possible in the two days she was in town and in recess last week. The result? An MRI and MRA Wednesday afternoon and a root canal Wednesday morning. HP08 isn't 100% sure what is involved with a root canal, but here is a photo to help explain:























Get it now? Nope...HP08 either. All she knows is that it's her old dentist's fault for putting in a filling without actually getting all of the cavity out and has nothing to do with her general dental hygiene.
The MRI and the MRA are to rule out the possibility that the Ocho's brain is going to explode. The Wednesday after Little Pepper, HP08 experienced her first ever migraine. They think that it's an ocular migraine which means it has something to do with her eye sight, but they have to rule out the possibility of a brain aneurysm too (that's the exploding part.) All HP08 knows is that she had a bad headache and she had spots in her visions like this (minus the clock because the Ochos don't have a clock like that):
















Well, there really is too much news to discuss it all at the point so, for next time, the Ocho will discuss her new physical therapy to fix her hip flexor. Expect many more posts from HP08 from now on since she's got nothin' but time on her hands.

And in conclusion, she'll let the Chicks sum up her feelings about the last few months and her sad, dead immigration bill:
The rest is a long time gone
No, I aint hit the roof since I dont know when
Long time gone
And it aint coming back
I said a long time gone
No, I aint honked the horn since I dont know when
Long time gone
And it aint coming back again

Bring that new hair to Phili!

Hey...nice hair NH HP!

Sorry no good photo yet, but HP 09 wanted to share the good news that she successfully finished the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon on June 23! It was a fun race but she sure missed the HP ladies, the cowbell, and the positive energy only the Caliente Pantaloons can provide. The course was far and away the 'friendliest' course this HP has ever 'tri-ed', the weather was brilliant and ~2 minutes were shaved off her run, a near miracle in itself.

This HP enthusiastically encourages the trip to She Rox Tri, which is said to be the EXACT same course, except for the swim, which instead of being upstream, is a point to point swim downstream in the Schuylkill River. Yes, it's true that 09 I was openly afraid of all the potential nasties in that river, I'll admit it, but she's still here and without flesh eating bacteria, so it's probably safe. She Rox is an all women's race on Sunday August 5, at 8:00am Check it out! http://www.sheroxtri.com/site3.aspx . Registration is still open and is $109.00/ea prior to July 9. If even 1 other HP is into it 09 is on board so give us a goal and c'mon board!

Oh, and for pre-race fun I'd suggest we look into staying in Media PA, a quick 10 minute drive from the race site and a neat little town with a great brewery for pre-race carbo loading. Of course all thoughts/suggestions are welcome.