- Part 5

WENDY’S WORKOUTS 7/01 TO 7/06

July 8, 2013 By Wendy D Leave a Comment

This week was a doozy! I considered it my hell week. Long workouts. Lots of vo2 max stuff for those of you who train. For those who don’t, sorry, I can’t explain it well enough to make sense. Suffice it to say, you go as hard as you can, like until you’re going to throw up, and then you hold it there for 15 minutes. And then you continue on with your normal workout and pray your heart rate comes back down to just grueling range. OK, here ya go!

Monday: Rode my bike for 3 hours with a 15 minute vo2 max test. The most impressive thing about this ride was that I did it alone! I NEVER ride alone. I always go with my Little Friend Lynn. She’s now a grandma and so spends some of our riding days with her grandson. And he’s so stinking cute I can’t even complain. And in the end I was very proud of myself for riding alone. It was as if the training wheels finally came off. And by next week I’ll be looking up to heaven and saying, “Look Mom, I went potty on the big girl potty chair!”

Tuesday: Rode my bike for 3 hours… again alone! Maybe I don’t need that scrawny grandma after all! This ride went well, but it was HOT. Like Africa hot. And since I wanted to push myself today, I ran for 20 minutes after my ride. The temp was 101 when I took off on my run. I do not recommend this. And truth be told, I planned on running for 30 minutes when 20 suddenly became plenty!

Wednesday: Ran for 1 hour with a 15 minute vo2 max. I’m not going to lie, this suuuucked! Again, it was hot. Why is it when I trained for a marathon, it blew like hell the entire 3 months and now that I’m training for a half Ironman triathlon it’s blisteringly hot!

Thursday: I ran 1 hour and it was GLORIOUS! Why? Because I got up at 5:30 and ran in the cool air! I then swam 4000 yards today. Felt fine. Easy workout, comparatively speaking!

Friday: No workout.

Saturday: Ran 1 hour in the cool morning air of Graegle, CA where we were camping. And even though it’s about the same elevation as Reno, it seems much cooler. I then went on a 4 hour hike. Caught a trail head near Johnsville, hiked up to Jamison and Rock Lakes. Watched Domi and Darrin take icy plunges and then headed back down… and had beers at the new brewery! Stay tuned! That blog post coming soon!!

Filed Under: Play, Wendy Tagged With: working out

WENDY’S WORKOUTS JUNE 24TH-28TH

June 28, 2013 By Wendy D Leave a Comment

Monday: Rode the wind trainer for 1 hour 30 minutes. OMG tough! I got up really early and started riding. Not sure if it was because I was right out of bed or what… but this 90 minutes hurt every second! So what do you do after a horrible workout like that? You go running for 40 minutes.

Tuesday: Basically a repeat of Monday, minus the run. I’m starting to get nervous about my bike. Not sure why I’m so weak on it!

Wednesday: Ran 1 hour 30 minutes and realized it was snowing. Truly. Look at the picture.

See that white stuff floating above the trees. That’s cotton. It’s literally been snowing cotton in Reno for about 3 weeks. Have I mentioned I’m allergic to cotton. After sneezing the last 10 minutes, I headed back inside and onto my wind trainer for a 1 hour ride. And guess what??? Super woman! This ride was so much easier than the previous ones. I think riding a bike right out of bed is not good for you!

Thursday: Ran 30 minutes. And here’s a question for you…how many living things do you see in this picture?

What? One you say? There are actually thousands of creatures in this shot. I know this because I ran through thousands of tiny gnats during my entire 30 minute run. Gross! Can you say extra protein today! And gnats and sweaty skin do not mix! After washing bugs off my face, I rode my wind trainer for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Friday: Swam 1 hour in Lake Tahoe today. What a great workout! It reminded me of why I love to train. Being outside, enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and pulling through the crystal clear water of Tahoe… you can’t beat this workout. Yes, I was a popsicle when I got out, but a happy one.

Filed Under: Play, Wendy Tagged With: working out

WENDY’S WORKOUTS-THE LAST 3 WEEKS

June 24, 2013 By Wendy D Leave a Comment

In the last 3 weeks, I’ve worked out 3 days! Not very impressive for someone with a very long race coming up in 5 weeks. But whatever virus went through Reno 3 weeks ago, it found a cozy home in me and nestled in for a good solid 2 weeks. So last Monday I was finally able to get moving again. Here’s how my week played out:

Monday: Ran for 1 hour 15 minutes. I then rode my windtrainer for 50 minutes.

Tuesday: I mountain biked Galena with my Little Friend Lynn for 1 hour 30 minutes. This was supposed to be a 2 hour ride but I forgot my bike pump, my rear tire which I patched was of course flat, so had to drive all the way down the mountain to get my pump. Ever have days like that where you JUST CAN’T GET GOING???

Wednesday: No workout, says my coach. My ass! I replied. I rode in the Reno Rodeo Cattle Drive today. I was on horseback for 8 hours! My coach said if I wasn’t on my bike it didn’t count. I need a new coach!

Thursday: Rode my windtrainer for 1 hour 30 minutes. Swam 3000 yards. Then I did this new workout called Tabata. It’s 45 minutes of cardio interval training. I did it for a story for work, but I’m still counting it for my personal workouts.

I had to cram a lot into Thursday, because on Friday, I took my daughter to Denver to visit our friend Mackenzie. We did a food marathon there… but I’m sure my coach wouldn’t count that either!

Filed Under: Play, Wendy Tagged With: inspirational, mountain biking, sports, working out

SONOCINE

June 18, 2013 By Wendy D 2 Comments

“Mom, how are your boobs?”

“Mom, when’s your next mammogram?”

“Mom, what’s this lump on my chest?”

Those are common questions around my house. And when I say common, I mean like every day. I guess that’s the backlash from having elementary age children lose their beloved grandmother to breast cancer. At age 8 and 6, my kids were old enough to understand my mom died of breast cancer, but not old enough to understand that I’m not going to die of breast cancer… at least not any time soon. So conversations started about mammograms and self breast exams and, lately, dense breast tissue. I’m sad because my kids are too young to even know what a mammogram is… certainly too young to literally have it marked on their calendar when I get mine. But they do. That’s our reality. And today was the day.

I went to the Renown Breast Center because they also offer SonoCine. This is an adjunct screening approved by the FDA to help see cancer sooner, especially in women with dense breast tissue. That would be me.

SonoCine is basically a movie of your breast tissue. A wand glides over your breast a couple of times and the computer makes it into a streaming video.

This technology uses ultrasound, so there’s no radiation exposure. Unlike mammography, cancers show up like dark spots up against the white background of dense tissue. This is easier for the radiologist to see compared to mammography where dense tissue and tumors both show up white. It’s often referred to as looking for a snowball in a snowstorm.

This is my radiologist. Dr. Susan Ward.

She was nice enough to let me barge in while reading my reports! Yes, I’m that impatient. She didn’t finish completely looking at them but she didn’t see any problem areas while I was there. Phew!

There’s no pain nor compression with SonoCine. It takes just a few minutes to get done. At this point, it’s not covered by insurance. Regular cost is $195. Renown is running a special if you book in June for $150. To me, it’s like insurance. It gives me a little more peace of mind that I’m doing everything in my power to make sure I don’t have breast cancer. And if I do, I’m catching it as early as possible.

And since SonoCine is considered an adjunct screening, I still walked down the hall and got my annual mammogram.

Along with monthly self breast exams, I really believe I’m doing all I can to stay on top of my breast health. So the next time my kids say, “Mom, do you have breast cancer?” I can honestly look them in the eye and say “No.”

Filed Under: Live, Wendy Tagged With: breast cancer, DENSE BREAST TISSUE, family

DONNER LAKE HALF

June 13, 2013 By Wendy D 5 Comments

I’ve done it! I picked my race! I’m officially registered. And I want to throw up. Who knew officially registering for a race was such an emotional step. I feel like I’m in middle school and I’ve just agreed to “go” with the hot guy I’ve had a crush on all year. Because now what?? What does “going” mean? Will he pick me up at my locker? Will he hold my hand on the way to 3rd period leadership class? Will he call me tonight or should I call him first? There’s so much pressure when you’re officially “going”with your 14 year old boyfriend. And that’s EXACTLY how I feel about this race. Will it be too hard for me to finish? Will it abuse me and just toss me aside for a real triathlete? Will it laugh at me as I struggle to keep pace with other racers who obviously are more competent? I feel like there are so many unknowns now that I know which race I’m doing. I’m committed to the Donner Lake Half. This is my “guy.” No more flirting with other races. No more googlie eyes at different distances. I’ve agreed to “go”with this ONE race. I’m now in a committed relationship. At least I will be until July 28th. So about 2 months. Yeah, that’s about how long the relationship lasted in 8th grade as well. And I survived that one so I guess I’ll survive this one as well.

The Donner Lake Half is a half Ironman distance triathlon. 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13 mile run. The swim will be in 65 degree water with wetsuits optional. OPTIONAL?? WTF? The only option is to wear a wetsuit in my book!

The bike is 56 miles. Not bad, except when you look at the elevation. We ride up old highway 40 out of Donner Lake. Here’s the elevation map… it sucks:

The run is 13 miles. THIS IS GOING TO REALLY SUCK. It’s twice around Donner Lake. Not bad, except the backside of Donner is extremely hilly. Maybe not to your standards, but for this girl, the backside SUCKS. And I get to do it twice. The website doesn’t even give you an elevation map. Need I say more??

Back in 8th grade, there were moments I wondered why I made this decision to “go” with said hunk. And as of right now, I have those same regrets. Aren’t there better guys (races) out there? Aren’t other boys (races) more attractive? Wouldn’t a less hot boy (race) be nicer to me? STOP THINKING ABOUT IT WENDY! You’ve made your up your mind, now go be a good girlfriend (athlete!). I hope I chose wisely!

Filed Under: Play, Wendy Tagged With: inspirational, sports, swimming, working out

ANTI-AGING SKIN CARE

June 12, 2013 By Wendy D 2 Comments

I am that lame. Yes, I am that girl who sits at home watching infomercials… and actually buys the stuff. Especially when it comes to “It will make you look 120 years younger” facial products. Example? I bought Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford. I used it for about 6 months before admitting to myself, “I bet Cindy doesn’t even use this stuff!” So I dropped my subscription (oh yes! every three months they would send me more!) and went back to my plain old tub of Cetephil. I use Cetephil because several dermatologists have recommended it to me. But it’s just not sexy enough. It’s too cheap. It can’t be that good!

So imagine my excitement when my friend, Sarah Sommers, said she was selling Rodan and Fields ( www.ssommers.myrandf.com) and wanted me to try it. It’s the same company that developed Proactiv® Solution. And if that’s good enough for Jessica Simpson it’s certainly good enough for me! So here I go again. Switching up my facial regimen and trying something new. I’m so excited! I’ll let you know what I think in a few weeks. But between now and then, if you see a 22 year old anchoring the news, it’s just me!

Filed Under: Live, Wendy Tagged With: aging, GROWING OLD, life

AH NUTS!

June 6, 2013 By Wendy D 2 Comments

Have you ever opened your refrigerator to this sight?

After 13 years of being married to a Damonte, I’m still not used to this sight. A bag full of nuts. I guess it’s the same as being married to a fisherman and coming home to a frig full of crab. Oh wait. No it’s not. These are calf testicles. Not crab legs. Nope, hard as I try, I just can’t compare this to anything in the normal world. And I know what you’re thinking. “Did she really cook them?” “Have I ever been to her house and been offered an appetizer of mystery meat only to be tricked into eating testicles?” “I’m never eating over there again!” “Does she feed those to her kids?” OK, allow me to answer that final thought you’ve all had. No, I haven’t cooked them for the kids. But, yes, we did trick them into thinking they ate them. We are that mean. We look for every chance to humor ourselves, even at the expense of our children. The other night, I made a Chinese dish with some chicken. After Eva and Domi finished their plates Darrin said, “Wow you guys really like calf nut stir fry!” Eva ran to the sink. Domi looked at me with surprise and disgust on his face. It was the same face I saw at his first communion last month when he finally got to take the host. For years, I’ve told my kids the wafers have flavors. And it’s a different one each Sunday. Chocolate, strawberry or my favorite coffee. Immediately after accepting communion for the first time, he glanced over his shoulder and slowly shook his head when our eyes met. I chuckled, he glared. Humor is subjective I guess. You know what else is funny? I just combined calf testicles and the holy communion into one post. That is my life, people.

Filed Under: Live, On The Ranch, Wendy Tagged With: family, KIDS, Ranching, wendy's family

BREAST DENSITY LEGISLATION-THE REAL STORY

June 4, 2013 By Wendy D 14 Comments

It was Monday morning and I had just wrapped up a great mountain bike ride with my Little Friend Lynn. It was 10:50. I was sweating, muddy and sporting a sweet helmet head look. My phone chirped, signaling a new text massage. It was from Gina at my work making sure I knew AB 147, the breast density bill I’ve dedicated the past 4 months of my life to, was going to be signed into law today by the Governor at 11:30. WHAT????????? was my reply. Governor Sandoval’s office had called and emailed me… but on my work contacts. So the only warning I got was 40 minutes before the bill was to be signed. I’ve posted before about how my life is like a duck; calm on the surface, but paddling like hell beneath. That was me on this day. I literally ran to my bathroom. Showered in less than 2 minutes. Threw a dress on. Combed my dripping wet hair and ran back to the car. I called the kids’ school and said, “I’ll be there in 7 minutes. Make sure the kids are outside.” At 11:05 we were heading down to Carson City. We found a decent parking spot at 11:25. As we briskly walked into the state capital, I was pulling on my belt and shaking the remainder of the water from my hair. 11:38, we were escorted into the Governor’s office… as if that was my plan all morning long! Governor Brian Sandoval was amazing. He engaged my kids in conversation. He showed them is coin collection. He answered their many questions about the state and his family. He even asked them which desk he should use to sign the bill into law. Normally in Nevada, the Governor uses a small historic desk. But my kids wanted his grandiose, every day desk and he obliged. He then had just the kids and me come behind him so we could get official pictures taken with just the four of us.

He then invited assemblymen James Ohrenschall and Randy Kirner (sponsors of the bill) and lobbyist Audrey Damonte to join us for the official signing.

And this was a live signing. Sometimes it’s just ceremonial and the actual bill was signed ahead of time. But he saved this piece of legislation for us to witness him signing it live. He used several pens and then gave each of us one of them. He also handed me a copy of the bill, personally signed to me by the Governor. And he gave the kids his Governor coin.

All in all we were in his office about 25 minutes. 25 great, historic minutes. I cried out of pride and sadness. I’m proud to have helped pass a law that will save women’s lives. I’m sad this bill came too late for my mom. But days like this make the sadness easier to tolerate. And I know my mom was watching. When I got home that night, I put on some shorts and was making dinner. For no reason, I put my hand into my back pocket. My fingers curled around a thin piece of paper. Surprised, I pull it out and broke into laughter when I saw what it was. Two 5 dollar bills. One for Eva. One for Domi. A present from my mom in heaven saying, “Good job guys! Well done today.”

Filed Under: Live, Wendy Tagged With: breast cancer, DENSE BREAST TISSUE

BREAST DENSITY LEGISLATION

June 3, 2013 By Wendy D 5 Comments

The fight has just begun. Even though today it ended here in the state of Nevada. The fight will continue all across this country. I’m talking about breast density legislation. Today, Governor Brian Sandoval signed AB 147 into law. This will make it mandatory for physicians to inform women who get mammograms what type of breast tissue they have. Why is this important? Because dense breast tissue is more prone to develop breast cancer. AND tumors are harder to see on a mammogram for women with dense breasts. For example… my mom had a CLEAN mammogram and then 6 months later, she was diagnosed with end stage cancer. She had 4 tumors in her left breast. 1 in her neck. And of 54 lymph nodes taken out, 38 were cancerous. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE for cancer to spread that quickly. My mom had breast cancer, undetected in her annual mammograms, for years! She didn’t die of breast cancer. She died because she had dense breasts. Had she known she had dense breasts, I’m positive she would have paid the $150 a year for additional screening. Her cancer would have been picked up years earlier. She would be alive today. Here’s the story of the signing:

KTVN Channel 2 – Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video –

OK, now that I’m off my soapbox (momentarily) I’ll return to humor tomorrow. Because you will not believe what happened moments before the signing occurred. Only in my life would something so important happen so haphazardly!

Filed Under: In Case You Missed It, Wendy, Wendy's Work Tagged With: breast cancer, DENSE BREAST TISSUE

DR. TERERAI TRENT

May 30, 2013 By Wendy D 2 Comments

I had the huge honor of meeting Dr. Tererai Trent today. What? You’ve never heard of her? OK, to be honest, before today, I hadn’t either. Even though she is Oprah Winfrey’s all time favorite guest. She’s from Zimbabwe. She wasn’t allowed to go to school. She became a wife at age 11. And by 18, she had 3 of her 5 children. You know what kills me about that? My daughter, Eva, is 9 1/2. I can’t imagine losing her to a man in just a year and a half. As tears fill my eyes, let me tell you a bit more about Dr. Trent. She believes in education. And it was her determination for an education that set her free from a life of poverty in Africa. Two weeks ago, she attended her daughter’s college graduation. For most of us, that’s a given. For her, it was a dream. You’ll understand after watching this video by Oprah:

Filed Under: Fascinating People, Wendy Tagged With: inspirational