mission accomplished

way to go Mel...all smiles exiting the lake after first attempt.

it was a little hairy at first, but she took the bull by it's horns!

proud of you!

lemons anyone?

look what i found driving down 1-10! hahaha

red bluff thursday

last night i tossed and turned all night - so needless to say, the crankiness was still in the air since i awoke tired and still achy from the weeks of training ive been building into.

"one more day" i told myself - then a day off, then a big weekend of miles, then a whole week ez....cant wait to get there. the trick however, is to get there healthy...

this morning, JP picked me up at 5 and we headed north - about 90 minutes and set off for the climbs ranging up to 14%. you can imagine the added crabbiness when i realized my front derailer didn't work, the cable was wack, and i had limited access to my small chain ring. so, here we go - all the hills for 66 miles in the big chain ring. YEAH! whatever...

well, it went fine. two loops, no problem. then a 40 minute run up and over red bluff and back. tried a little off road action, and that got a little hairy, but a good run nonetheless. warm, but not hot and steamy. it was an awesome day.

we made it home by 1:30, then time to unload, swim a little to loosen up, then off to pick up some dinner, a bottle of red wine, and yes, a little ice cream. yummmmm....i've earned it :-)
now time to chill out and watch my favorite night of comedy tv...

its a mad mad world...

ok, so maybe im just a little cranky today....but in my defense, i've have 2 huge training days back to back totaling about 12 hours of physical work...
so right now, I'm sitting in my chair in front of my HUGE tv in a semi coma after putting away my favorite buffalo chicken sandwich and an oatberry muffin...reflecting about the day, trying not to fall asleep.

and so a few things are running thru my mind -

like....whats up with all the mad people driving on the road? and why dont they like people who run? or ride their bikes? are they mad at us because we are healthy? dunno....but the older and more out of shape they are, the madder they seem to be....

and whats the deal with the paperboy not stopping at stop signs? who said you dont have to obey the traffic laws in the early morning hours? this week, i almost got hit by a teenager turning at high speed thru a stopsign into my path at 430am...i mean, i was close to being a hood ornament of a 20 year old red pick up truck. its bad enough having to duck when he hurls a paper past you, but really....

ok, i am cranky. i admit.

heres hoping the rednecks in mississippi are nicer to me tomorrow as i haul my larger than normal frame up the mountains in hopes of shedding a few last pounds off my ass. and the dogs...lets hope no one lets the dogs out...

Dinner at Ripp's on the Lake in Mandeville....awesome ending to a great training day! finished the day off with a lot of seafood..a couple of glasses of red wine....and some yummy onion rings!

WEEKEND TRAINING

so the weekend started pretty normally....friday was my catch up on stuff day - a day off from training when the load starts building up. Also, On friday, I get to prepare for my weekend which will include a lot of miles now since I signed up for IRONMAN TEXAS in May. Ive got about 9 weeks - so it's crunch time for the mileage.

Saturday was my long ride - 100 miles with the bonus of 2 flat tires from keith, so it took a little longer than usual, so that cut into my swim a bit, but i still got one in before going out to dinner. Then Sunday - an early long run through old mandevlle, the lakefront and Fountainbleau State park, then church, family, and alas...a little social activity.
It all started to go downhill (or uphill, depending how you look at it) with the margharita's, but it was a fun time and I've been in need for that for some time.

However....it took more than a day for me to get over the booze and the time change sleeping issues, but i feel back on the wagon today :-) enough for a strong 10 miler in what is likley the last of the cool weather of the season, and a fantastic hour on the bike. if all goes well, i will get to top the day off with my own little swim in the spring sunshine before it's time to coach...

anyone still there?

Yes, It's true. I'm updating my blog. I know I said I would do this a LONG time ago, but a lot has happened in my life in the past year and I just didnt have it in me to add another thing to do. so saty tuned for more stuff...