WEEBLES WOBBLE BUT THEY DON'T FALL DOWN

Way back when I was a little kid (insert old guy and short jokes here) we had these cool little toys called Weebles. Weebles are little people shaped like eggs that you can throw, knock over, push, pull and attempt in any way to knock down, but they would just stand right up. No matter how hard you try, those little guys just refuse to let anything get them down. Lately I feel a little bit like a Weeble. First, the long-term substitute teaching job I was supposed to get was given to someone else. Then I spent weeks being sick with some sort of swine/avian/west nile/ebola flu. Just when I felt a little better, I raced in the frigid, rainy icebox that is Palm Desert, sending me into a new level of sickness. Not to be deterred, I took a few days off, saw the doctor and knocked that illness out with the help of some serious antibiotics. After recovering I actually got in a good week of training, and was feeling back on track - just like my old self. Everything seemed like it was once again going in my favor. I even had a great start to last weekend when Kindra surprised me with tickets to Cirque du Soleil, which was an amazing show and we had a great time. On Sunday, however, came the next attempt to knock me down. First, my dog Sugar, who I've had for 12 great years now, once again became very sick and I'm really worried about her. To add injury to insult, Sunday evening, Kindra and I were in a car accident (someone else's fault) which has left me with some new pain in my already mangled back, less than a week away from the Oceanside Ironman 70.3 (thankfully Kindra is ok). I am sore; I am angry; I am sad; I am worried, but as before, I am not deterred. I spent yesterday with Sugar at the vet and today I took myself to the doctor. Sugar is already looking to be on the mend, and the doctor says there is nothing majorly wrong with me - well, physically anyway - just some soft tissue injuries. I do have to take a couple extra days off of training, and Saturday's race is still in question, but its a long season and my eye is still firmly on the prize, IM St. George. So there you have it....the world has once again made its attempts at knocking me down, and thanks to some wonderful friends and encouragement from those who love me, I may wobble, but I intend to come out of this standing tall and smiling big, just like those little egg-shaped Weebles, and I also will not fall down.