The Cult of the Foam Roller and Missing Workouts

Swim
1 x 200- Warm-up
2 x 500- 7:30
1 x 50- easy
5 x 200- 3:00
1 x 50- easy
1 x 500- Hard (7:11)
1 x 100- Cool down
total- 2900 yd

At this point last year I had maybe missed two workouts during my strictly regimented plan for the Honolulu Olympic Triathlon. I was nailing it and nothing was getting in the way.
This year couldn't be more different. For a variety of reasons I keep missing workouts. My alarm doesn't go off. I'm nursing a sickness or injury. Life pops up and says, "Hi, you're dealing with me today instead of getting two hours on your bike. Suck it." I haven't had more than two real solid nine workout weeks since the cycle started. It is really bothering me. I know I'll be prepared for the Honu, I'll be able to get through it, but I won't be as prepared as I could be, as I want to be. I guess that is an ideal though, and it doesn't do me any good to be unhappy about past missed opportunities. I sat out all of last week save Monday because of my Achilles, which I'll get to in a minute, and because I was head cold knocked down. And yesterday I didn't get to ride, even on the trainer, because my landlady insisted that the lawn get mowed and weed-whacked RIGHT NOW, after which other stuff needed to happen.
Grrr. Grumble. Grrrr.
Every Monday morning I think, This is the week where I put it all together. Everything is going to happen. I'm going to hurt all week and it's going to be awesome. Strong will happen. And so far I've failed more than I've  succeeded. The workouts I am getting are good. But they aren't consistent enough. (Also, I don't have a child yet and Super Awesome Wife is not gestating a Super Awesome Dirtbag Baby yet, but I would appreciate it if no one saves this post and waves it back in my face when I'm trying to teach, train, be husband, and be dad.)
As far as my little injury goes, I think I'm just about healed. I hope so, the Hapalua is Sunday and I want to have a halfway decent run. I don't expect anything significant, but I do want some distance confidence to be built without any injury aggravation. I've been massaging it with an ice-filled Dixie cup (Fill the Dixie Cup with water, throw it in the freezer, then you can peel and ice and you have something to hold on to.). And Friday I finally took another step towards runnerhood and bought a foam roller. Took it home, threw my calf up on it, and immediately became a convert to the Cult of the Foam Roller.

Rooooooll it out!

Hurt so good

Holy crap, Dirtbag friends. This thing is fantastic. Hurts so good. I prop my right leg up on it, cross my left over, hoist my butt off the ground, and roll back and forth from mid-calf to my heel and back. Four sets of 12. The next day I was feeling it. Such a big release of tension. I really like. I'm going to start using it on my hammys and back too. That, plus the ice and I think I'm ready to get back out on the road for some runs again. And Sister Dirtbag, Official Trainer of Team Dirtbag, sent me some Rock Tape to put on my leg. Which means there needs to be some sheering going on. The product information video makes some really big claims, but Sister Dirtbag assures me they, for once, actually know what they are talking about. So expect a picture of a naked Dirtbag leg adorned with a very special color tape in the near future. I know, you can barely stand the suspense. I'll give you a color clue. It's like red, but not quite.