Thursday, July 27, 2006

Myrtle 1 Me 0

Last night I got put in my place. Anything resembling ego or arrogance was ripped out and run over like road kill. I had heard the legends of the infamous Myrtle, but had brushed them off in the typical male egoistical manner. I figured that with all the training and racing that I’ve been doing that I would be able to handle Myrtle. Now I had no qualms about it being a hard workout. That much I knew and respected, but little did I know how hard it was actually going to be.

After meeting up with everyone, a bigger turnout then I expected, we made our way from Oakdale to Stillwater cruising along the highway in a nice fast pack. There were a few rollers and the speeds were soaring on the downsides. I hit the upper 30s without even cranking. In no time we arrived in Stillwater and made out say down Myrtle. Finally getting a sense of what were we up for. Holy crap was all that came to mind.

Here are the stats on Myrtle. She is only about a ½ mile long, but she gets you with an elevation change of nearly 200 ft. Now I know I live in a somewhat flat area and you have to go find the good hills, so this is some serious incline in such a short distance. From the start of the repeats I was hurting. I might have hit the first one a little hard, but then again I didn’t know any better. I was using my easiest 3 gears for the trip up Myrtle but it still wasn’t enough to get away from her grip. I would have given a million dollars for a bike with a triple ring (3 rings on the front) last night. At the moments I dared to look I saw my speed at a crawling 5 mph. With each stroke I wondered if I would get another one or if I would just fall over, slip off my handle bar from the sweat rolling down my arms, or loose the contents of my stomach that seemed to be at the top on my throat. After 3 repeats I knew I was nearing my threshold. My legs and lungs were screaming. I spun at the top of the hill for a little while trying to bring my racing pulse down the whole time regretting the long run from the night before.

After a little rest I went back down Myrtle to start the second half. As I started to climb I rolled over the lyrics from “Best of You” by the Foo Fighters over and over. At the top it was another long rest as the rest of my group continued to look strong and grind out the repeats. I made it down and up one last time before my body came to a standstill. There would be no 6th repeat. Myrtle had gotten the best of me. Myrtle had won.

Now I was more than a little disappointed that I couldn’t finish the workout. It would have only been one more repeat, but the body had thrown in the towel. I got off my bike and had some water and a gel as the group finished up their repeats. I know that there are always good days and bad days, but it still doesn’t take away the sting. So I tucked my tail between my legs and rode back after the group was done. Of course I had a flat on the way back as well which was great. So I will have to return to Stillwater in the near future. Myrtle and I still have a few things to sort out.

Overall it was a great workout and a great night to be out riding with the crew. In the end it’s all “money in the bank” as I venture closer and closer to Pigman. Still stings though. :)

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

A bit longer

Well my plans for a long ride last night were once again nixed by Mother Nature. I guess if truth be told it was my fear of Mother Nature. Yesterday more storms rolled through the area. Again I veered toward the safe path and didn’t test whether I would get in a long ride without getting caught up in rain, hail, and the very fun headwind. Instead I headed out for a run after work. I debated doing a hill workout, but figured since I’m going to tackle Myrtle (Kim's 2nd Myrtle post)tonight that I’d save the hills for the bike. So the workout of choice was a longer run. I extended the 7 mile route that I did last week into downtown St. Paul to make it a 9+ mile trip. The weather was hot and humid and I was dripping wet in seconds. I tried to keep the pace relaxed and not burn out the legs right away. My legs appreciated this and kept a nice steady pace all the way to the turnaround. There is was a quick drink of water and stretch before heading back. About mile 7 the legs started to feel a bit heavy and tight. I’m sure I was a little dehydrated and my body was simply letting me know. Arriving home I was completely drenched and my front contained a nice collection of gnats. I mean who doesn’t want to look like a windshield after a long run. Despite the heat and humidity I felt pretty good and ended up with a nice 8:27/mil pace.

While doing my normal browsing on TriFuel I found this post about race t-shirt etiquette that you might find entertaining. Stay tuned for tails from Myrtle.

Quote of the Day: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. - Norman MacEwan

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Dilemma

I have a dilemma! A couple of days ago I was asked to take over coaching our TNT Walt Disney World Tri team. The current coach took a new job which is turning into a big time conflict with the tri team. I’m very flattered and appreciate the offer to take over the team, but I’m not sure if I can swing it. With Lifetime all wrapped up apart of me wants to keep things rolling by taking this team down to Florida. The other side of me is like ok enough for awhile, you’ve got your own races to give your undivided attention to. The WDW Tri is in late September so it would only be for two months. Of course that would affect both Pigman and Chicago. So I’m torn and not sure what I’m going to do. It doesn’t help that I can be a bit indecisive from time to time. Hmmm…might just have to flip a coin. Anyone got a quarter?

Monday, July 24, 2006

Victory Party

This weekend was full of comings and goings. I spent Friday night back in my hometown for the wedding of an old friend of mine. It was a really nice wedding, but things just took a long time. The wedding itself wasn’t too bad, but it did almost last an hour. Then the receiving line took another 45 minutes at least. Now normally I would have been ok with all this, but I was by myself and really didn’t know anyone besides the bride and her family. So we’ve had a long wedding and receiving line and then people make their way to the reception. Given that this is a Friday night so things are getting late and the meal was served sometime after 9:00. As much as I wanted to stay til for all the festivities I bailed soon after the meal. I met up with a friend at a local bar and for a couple of drinks before calling it a night. Now don’t get me wrong it was a very nice wedding and I’m glad I went, but I’m not so sure about the whole Friday night wedding thing.

After arriving back in the Twin Cities the next day it was time to gear up for the highlight of the weekend. Saturday night was the TNT Liftetime Victory party. The event was held at a German bar/restaurant call Gasthof’s. This is a great bar with a wide range of German beers and food. Gasthof’s is also known for its Polka dancing. There is always a live band playing on the weekends til they break out the real dance music later in the evening. There was a very good showing and it was great to see a lot of the team members. The night proceeded to include a ton of food and drink, a picture slideshow from the year and more dancing then you could shake a stick at. One of the funniest things was when I arrived a few of the teammates were already working on a boot of beer. That is 2 liters glass of beer. (shaped like a boot of course) The fun lasted very late for the ½ dozen of us who stayed til almost closing time. After dropping everyone off at their perspective homes it was about 3 when I finally called it a night. What a great way to cap of the season.

Sunday came all too quickly with a phone call at 8:00 AM from a friend I was suppose to have breakfast with. My body was still very tired and achy from all the dancing the night before. Yes I did manage quite a few polkas the night before. It’s kind of what happens when one of the few guys who knew what to do. Not that it’s hard or anything. If you can hop you can polka. Anyway I managed a quick shower before having a nice breakfast. Afterwards it was back to bed though. I was still zonked from the night before and needed more rest. Needless to say I didn’t accomplish much the rest of the day. As much as I have been sore in the past from training a night out dancing brings in a whole new set of soreness. I’m such a wimp…

Here are a few pictures from the party on Saturday. I hope you all had a good weekend!

Quote of the Day: It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up. - Vince Lombardi

Thursday, July 20, 2006

One Month

One month, 31 Day, 744 Hours, ect, ect. The final countdown towards Pigman has begun and there’s not a lot of time left. With Lifetime over and done with my A race is just on the horizon. I’d like to say that I feel very confident about where I’m at but I’m not there yet. There is plenty of training that has to take place before the big event. I know that I didn’t get in nearly enough training over the last couple of months. I ended up making TNT a bigger priority then I originally thought I would, but it was worth it. Yes I might not do as well during the ½ Ironman as I’d like to, but I know that I will finish and sometimes that has to be enough. The next few weeks will be pretty nerve racking, but that’s the norm and it’s my turn to be nervous about a race instead of being nervous for someone else. Come Aug. 20th, with any luck, I will complete the hardest event that I’ve ever undertaken. I won’t be lightening fast, but I should be able to manage better then a snail’s pace. Until then it will be nose to the grindstone and battling the nerves that will come as time ticks away. One month…who knew it would all go by so fast?

Ok enough of the nervous writing/venting. Yesterday Mother Nature once again pulled my chain. After some strong storms and dark clouds rolled through most of the day I cancelled the ride that I was planning on doing. Even as I drove home it was still raining in spots and looking dark. About a ½ hour later I look out the window and what do I see the sun. frickidy frick Yes it was poking through some clouds. I’m like great this would have been perfect for a ride. As to not waste the improving weather I slipped on the Asics and headed out for a run. After racing over the weekend and running the day before I wasn’t sure how the legs were going to respond. 7 miles later I was still going strong as I finally made my way home. I was pretty impressed that the legs held up so well and continued to turn out a good stride the entire time.

This morning I was up early to get in something of a ride before work. The streets were empty as I made my way through the cool air. I haven’t ridden in the morning for quite some time and I forgot how nippy it can be. Luckily after a few miles I had warmed up and hammered on the pedals as best I could. After the run the night before my legs were a little heavy, but they didn’t complain too much. With the time crunch I was out for just under and hour, but it felt good to get the legs moving again. They’ll have a day or two off before their next tour so they should be ready to grind out some long miles this weekend.

For those who were interested below is the Tritini recipe that Bridget, Jaime, and Jackie came up with. I didn’t get to sample it myself, but I heard good things. If nothing else the name kicks a$$. Have a good one folks…

1.5 oz vodka
2 oz black cherry juice
A couple splashes of lime juice
Garnish with a lime

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Brisk

It’s a word that wouldn’t have been associated with our weather patterns of late until yesterday morning when temps were in the 60s. (That's brisk when its been in the 90s for so long) I woke up early to get an easy run in as I start my training up again after the race this weekend. It was an amazing morning to be just out running. I didn’t go very far or run very fast. I just enjoyed the cool morning air as I passed a few fellow early morning runners. With no watch or music as distractions I settled into a nice quiet running zone that has been somewhat illusive lately. After spending so much time running around the busy lakes I took in the peacefulness of Summit Ave with only the occasional car or person to be seen in the early morning light.

The peacefulness of yesterday morning has been replaced with storms and clouds. Looking out our office windows earlier today you would have sworn it was night time. It seems like the worst has moved on. My hope was to get in a good hill workout on the bike this evening, but that will depend on the weather. If the storms continue to move on through the area perhaps they’ll be over by the time work is done. It would be nice to get the legs going again. The countdown to Pigman has begun. I’ve only have a couple of weeks to hit it hard before another taper begins. Go hard, taper, race…Go hard, taper, race…It’s all a viscous cycle I tell ya.

Finally for your viewing pleasure/displeasure here are a couple more galleries put together by our TNT staff person.

Pictures from Lifetime

More pictures from Philly

Quote of the Day: When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. - Helen Keller

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Post Lifetime

After the long day of racing in the sweltering heat there was only one thing left to do, PARTY! Well there was some recovery time after the race with lots of fluids, food, a long shower and nap. After all the recovery junk was over it was time to rejoin some of the TNT folks. Our official TNT party won’t be til this weekend, but Jackie, Jaime, and Bridget decided to host a party of there own. They even created their own tri-tini’s. There was more food and drink then we could possibly consume even with the large turnout. We spent several hours goofing around while eating and drinking. Things really kicked into gear when we turned a noodle (yes, those water toy floaty things) into a beer bong. I can’t say that it made the best beer bong but it was quite entertaining. In the end I think everyone had a turn at the beer bong. It was pretty funny seeing all these triathletes tired and dehydrated taking turns bonging beers with an orange noodle. Below are a few of the pictures that were captured during the night’s festivities and the party caped off an amazing day…










Monday, July 17, 2006

Lifetime

Shall we say the hottest weekend of the year for the 2nd year in a row? If I were a beating man I’d be putting down a lot of money on this one. On a Saturday the temp rose to 99 °F with the sun blaring down and not a cloud in the sky. People huddled under the shade of trees wherever they could be found to escape torturous rays. This was a luxury not allowed the athletes that gathered to compete in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon. For them it would be a hot day under the sun fighting against the conditions and themselves. Here is how the day played out for me.

The wait – With so many racers, a time trial start (racers start every 3 seconds), and luck of the draw my wave was not set to start until 9:30. This meant a nearly 4 hour wait after arriving at the race site. During this time we found out that due to the conditions that the race course would be shortened. They knocked off 3 mile on the bike and run. I was a little upset at hearing the news, but it was almost expected with the conditions and the number of issues they had last year with the heat. Finally after many hours of waiting, trying to stay cool, and hydrated it was finally time to race.

The swim – Overall I was pretty happy with how my swim went. The only exception was the start of my swim. With the adrenaline pumping and the nerves raging I ran into the water, did a two dolphin dives, and started my stroke after I was told to go. It is probably a few hundred meters til you hit the first big buoy and turn. I was having trouble slowing my breathing down during this time. All the pent up energy was making me hyperventilate a bit. I had to take a few breaks to come up and settle my breathing down. Once I hit the turn I was good to go and it was back to racing. I took a couple kicks, grabs, and pushes per a normal race that would throw me off for a second until I regained my stroke. My final swim time was 35:54.

T1 – A little winded I ran up the beach toward the transition area. I turned a hard left and ran almost the length of the transition area to wear I was racked. One of my teammates Andy was racked right next to me. His girlfriend had brought a balloon with a monkey on it for him to mark his area. It worked great and I had no trouble finding my spot. The only thing was that part of the string had wrapped around my rear water cages so it took a couple more seconds to get my bike free from the rack. A quick spray of water on the feet, helment, sunglasses on, and I was gone. My time for T1 was 1:40.

The bike – The course for this tri is one that I have rode many times, with much of it on some of my normal routes. I really hammered during the first section of the course. Knowing exactly where all the inclines/declines are and what I can get a way with and what I couldn’t. The one exception was when I hit a large bump and the sponge from my aero water bottle went flying. Yes technically I should have stopped and retrieved it, but I was traveling downhill and there was no way I was stopping without causing some serious issues for the rest of the bikers. So the rest of the race I had Cytomax slashing all over me and my bike every time I hit the smallest bump. Needless to say I was a little sticky. I used an extra water bottle to spray down my back to ward off the heat but it didn’t help too much. I did slow a bit toward the end of the bike portion but I was happy with keeping a 20 mph pace and coming in at 1:03:45. Thanks again to the people who were using their own hoses to spray people down as they rode by.

T2 – With my feet out of my shoes I slowed down to enter transition again. I slowed to almost a complete stop before jumping off and running with my bike back to the rack. I racked my bike and quickly took off my helmet before sliding into my running shoes and grabbed my racing belt as I ran toward the transition exit. My second transition time was 1:15. Both of my transition times were in the top 40 overall which I was very pleased about. I mean if ya can’t win the race you might as well be competitive in some aspect of the race.

The run – This is where things always get interesting on such a hot day. It didn’t help that there is very little cover on this run course. The sun was beating down very hard at this point. At each water stop I grabbed a couple of waters that were to douse the body and one for drinking. I know I wasn’t running as fast as I probably could have. The heat factor was just too much to take into consideration. They did have a couple of hoses out spraying people along the course. It felt great, but it only lasted a couple of milliseconds. I pasted a few of my teammates on the run each time cheering them on as they pushed towards the finishing. They were so close and I knew they were going to make it. I was passed by my teammate Dani. (this girl can fly) at one point. She asked if I wanted to run with her. I would have been hard pressed to match her pace at that point so I just let her run her own race. At that point I knew that I had a steady pace and was happy knowing that I would finish well. Finally I made it to the finish line and crossed it after a 24:09 run.

The finish – My final time was 2:06:45. I was pretty happy with my time even knowing that it could have been a little better. With my own race complete and my core temperature starting to work its way down it was time to watch the rest of the team roll in. I stationed myself at the TNT tent and greeted the team members as they finished up. Everyone was thrilled to be done and they all did a great job. Everyone finished and there were plenty of cheers, hugs, and tears and the day progressed. Finally at about 2-2:30 we finally packed up the car and headed home.

The Lifetime Tri is a great race and the team did incredible. Watching everyone come in with smiles on their faces made for on wonderful day. They all finished and competed on a very hot day. The 2006 TNT Lifetime Fitness Triathlon team is a group of some remarkable people. Even in the sweltering heat everyone was smiling and enjoying the great day that we all had.

Friday, July 14, 2006

My Focus, My Team

Last night many of the team members along with their friends and family gathered in a hotel ballroom for one last time before the big event. We had well over a 130 people enjoying a good pasta meal while listening to incredible stories about team honorees and speeches by the staff and coaches. Some stories were new to many people like when a teammate shared that her husband had passed away a couple of years ago after battling Leukemia. I don’t think anyone on the team knew her true motivation for joining TNT until that moment. The evening was full of laughs, good conversation, and of course a few tears. The emotions can run high at such an event, but it was the perfect way to cap off a season that started back in February and will end tomorrow at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon.

There were two special moments for me last night at the pasta party. The first was during the speech that our coach gave to the team. She surprised me by giving a very long and personal thank you for all my efforts this year. I’m not the greatest at accepting recognition, but it was very endearing to hear her talk about the difference that I had made throughout the season. Of course she had to throw in a few stories about how much of a nubie I was last year which was good for a few laughs. She then presented me with a very nice gift certificate for a local running store. I was then shocked when I went up to the gift certificate that everyone stood and applauded. I can’t say that I’ve ever received a standing ovation before so it was quite something to be up in front of a room full of people standing and clapping.

As if the standing ovation wasn’t enough I was treated to one more surprise. This one almost had me in tears. I say almost because I have to keep up my hardcore triathlete persona at all times. hehe As people were leaving a small group of my teammates were talking and asked me to come over. Not sure what was going on SafetyBob went into more thanks and appreciation stuff, I’m serious they almost had me crying like a baby, along the lines of what our coach had said. He then went on to say that sometime next week that I would be receiving a package in the mail. The contents of which would be a gift from them as a token of their appreciation for all that I had done this season. I was completely overwhelmed and amazed that this group of people who do this for me. As I said before I’m not the greatest when it comes to recognition and thanks, but I couldn’t help but be thrilled and very thankful that these people had done this for me. Even after all the laps and miles I made them do throughout the season they were grateful. At the same time I’m grateful for them and all that they have accomplished this year. To see a group of strangers come together as a team. To support each other and grow as athletes and individuals is simply amazing. So a special thanks to Kim, Dan, Hiromi, and the fore mentioned SafetyBob.

So tomorrow when I’m struggling through the sweltering heat I will be thinking about my team. I will be thinking about all that they have accomplished over the past few months. I will take pride in the fact that so many people challenged themselves to try something new while raising money for a great cause. Even when I’m hurting tomorrow I will do my best to smile in recognition of the 100+ team members that had the courage to step up to the starting line and at will cross the finish line as triathletes. Tomorrow I race for my team. Who everyday inspired, motivated, and encouraged me to continue to show up and push them and myself to really see what our true limits are. They haven’t been reached yet and hopefully they never will. In closing this year my Lifetime Fitness Tri is for all the members of the 2006 Philly and Lifetime Team in Training Triathlon teams. As much as you thought I was helping you, you were all helping me just as much and for that I am forever grateful. GO TEAM!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Waiting Game

Sometimes the taper goes by quickly and sometimes it doesn’t. This time around it seems to be dragging its heels. Sure there is plenty to do before the race on Saturday, but time seems to be just creeping along. Hence I don’t have a ton to blog about today. I’m sure tomorrow I’ll be wired beyond reason which may lead to a long drawn out piece or another short number because I can’t sit still for more then two seconds. So on the list of things that I can control. Here’s how it’s going…

Hydration – Lots of fluids in and lots of fluids out. So fluid circulation is in working order and I found out I’m not a big fan of Lime Rain Gatorade. RideTide Rush is still my fav.

Carbo loading – Pasta last night, Pasta party tonight. I think I’m good in that area.

Sleep – Ha, this one has never been in my control. The last night was better then how the week started. Hopefully the trend will continue.

Sorry folks, but that’s about all I have today. Tapering just messes with everything; No hard workouts, body feels like mush, and the brain just decides to turn off.

Have a good one everybody…

Quote of the Day: Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. - John Wooden

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Gatorade on the rocks please

With the impending heat wave that is about to break over the Twin Cities has forced me to really really consider my hydration. Now normally I do a pretty good job of drinking water while I’m at work, but just water alone might not be enough. So starting today I’m substituting at least one large mug of water for a sports drink. I figured if there is one thing I can do right before the race this weekend in to by well hydrated. Some might consider rest right up there as well, but after the TNT Lifetime race prep meeting on Tuesday I was so jacked up that I couldn’t sleep. Hopefully that pattern won’t continue, but sleep never gets easier as the anxiety increases. Stupid insomnia.

The meeting went really well on Tuesday and there were new faces which was good to see. Our local TNT tri team has 100 members which is huge! It’s the biggest team our chapter has ever had so there are loads of people we still haven’t met. Tonight will be the last group workout for the season and the pasta party will be on Thursday. It’s all a little bitter sweet when you come to the end of the season.

As I’ve tried to prep for the race this weekend I’ve been trying to think back to the race from last year when it was my first Olympic distance tri. The funny thing is that most of that day was a blur or at least the actual race part kind of is. All the excitement and fun before and after the race are right there is the memory banks, but the race itself just flew by. So hopefully I’ll retain a little more this time around. Neighbor Kim posted about watch me race last year as part of post which was pretty cool and brought back memories. Now it’s the team’s turn to make those memories of their first big race. Not even Mother Nature and her hot flashes are going to stop me or anyone else on this team. On Saturday we will show up to race and we are going to give the Lifetime course and Mother Nature a run for their money.

Quote of the Day: Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. - Mark Twain

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Mother Nature let’s chat

Small rant forthcoming...

You see MN here’s the deal. I want to know what I did to piss you off this time. I know you have a lot of people to please but would it kill ya to send along one decent race day for me. Let’s look at where we have been so far this year:

Madison – Temps hit 90+
Philly – Rain washed out my swim
Elysian this past weekend – Rain and wind that felt like hail on the bike
Lifetime – They are saying you are bringing upper 90s my way this weekend

COME ON!

I mean at least give me a fighting chance for a race that wont be impacted by your moods. I’d rather blame myself for a poor race then you so let’s work this out shall we. All ya need to do is bring in some rain Friday night to cool everything down. That will take care of the heat and humidity. What ya say? Do we have a deal? I don’t need a repeat of last years hottest weekend of the year. Come on give a guy, and the 2500+ other racers, a break. Do it for the Gipper!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

I heart my team

There have been a couple of instances over the last couple of weeks that have made me stop and really appreciate my team. The first stems from the mentor/leader cap I put on from time to time. After an open water swim last week I noticed that two of the ladies were gearing up for a run. I’m like going for a run are we? And they were like yep and then one added “I guess you’re starting to rub off on us.” We laughed and it really made my day. It’s great to see members of the team going beyond the group workout by tacking on an additional workout after the group is done. It’s makes me smile when I see someone new to the sport really put forth the effort and dedication to do the best they possibly can.

The second major happening was courtesy of neighbor and fellow TNTer Kim. Unknown to me until the other night Kim is actually arranging a cheering squad for the Pigman ½ Ironman in Aug. Somehow she’s convinced people from the team to drive down to IA and cheer on SafetyBob and myself. This is freaking huge and was such a surprise. I’m sure I’ll say it may more times, but this is pretty incredible Kim and you have my deepest thanks!

Last night was a moderate run with the TNT crew. The team kept up a nice pace to finish the 6.5 mile run. My run ended up being a little bit longer with all the catch-ups I did to make sure we were all on the right path and we weren’t missing anyone. My legs felt pretty strong and responded well after the long weekend with no running. Tonight we have a mock race, but I’ll probably just do the swim and maybe a bit of the bike. I decided to do a little sprint race this weekend in prep for Lifetime. Since I didn’t get to swim in Philly I wanted to put it all together in an actual race before next weekend. So I’ll take it somewhat easy tonight with the sprint only a couple of days away. There are a large number of TNT peeps doing the sprint this weekend so it should be a lot of fun.

Well that’s about all that I’ve got, but before I’m done below are a few more pictures from Philly. Kim’s parents were at the race and took some nice pics. I’ll put up the link once Shadoweyes puts them in a gallery for public viewing. Have a good one…

Quote of the Day: We are faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. - Hildersam





Wednesday, July 05, 2006

My liver hurts

So the long holiday weekend, today is my first work day of the week, kind of did me in. I really didn’t have the intentions of booze the entire weekend, but that’s kind of what happened. Here’s the rundown of the long weekend…

Friday night – stay in because the cable company is finally going to show up and fix TV/Internet problem. The problem being they disconnected everything when we canceled our phone service the week before.

Saturday morning – group ride with the TNT crew. We rode the Lifetime Fitness Tri course which was fun.

Saturday afternoon – Helped a friend move out of his apartment. I’ve never seen a guy in this 20s have so much stuff.

Saturday evening – BBQ, drinks, hot tub and Risk. Risk while under the influence can be quite entertaining.

Sunday – Headed to the river for a day out on the water. Plenty of sun and beverages followed.

Monday – Wake up at 7, did some chores then headed to the pool. (Have no idea why I was up so early without an alarm or anything.) Ground out a 1,500 meter time trial in prep for Lifetime. Then it’s back to the river for more fun. Once again many beverages, plenty of sun, some volleyball and good times goofing around in the water.

Tuesday – Head out for a training ride and feel like ass. Hmmm…I guess that’s what happens when a person who doesn’t drink a lot, spends the previous days under the influence. Then it was off to a BBQ for the 4th. Lots of good food, company, pool/hot tub, and no booze. My liver couldn’t take anymore so I laid off the liquor yesterday.

I hope you all had a great holiday. Man it feels like a Monday. Take care…

Quote of the Day: No pressure, no diamonds. - Mary Case

P.S. I swear I’ll get caught up on the 100+ posts you all have queued up in my bloglines…

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Philly - Part 4 of 4 (The Pictures)

I apologize for the delay, but I finally have all the pictures from my weekend in Philly up in a gallery for your viewing. I also have a link to the pics that were actually taken during the race. I was planning on putting my favorite pics on this post, but there were too many so you’ll have to just view the galleries. Enjoy the holiday everyone…

Here is the link to the photo gallery.

Here is the link to the race photos.