Monday, February 1, 2016

Ride Across Tennessee

The yellow line is the line separating Kentucky and Tennessee 
Starting point: Fulton, KY and South Fulton, TN
Ending point: “Welcome to Mississippi” sign on Highway 22 South
Approximate distance: 125 miles

Notes from a February 5, 2016, scouting trip:

  • The ride will start at the intersection of Broadway and State Line Street. 
  • There is a large parking lot by an insurance agency. 
  • We will take Broadway south. It turns into 45E South.
  • Around 20 miles in there is an Exxon Station at Dresden
    This is how much of northern 70 miles look
  • Around 45 miles we will come to Huntington. We could go the 22 business, but it is a bit narrow and slightly confusing. The other option–preferred in my opinion–is to take the bypass. It will probably add 2 miles to the trip, but there are gas stations and food option. The business portion has neither.

(Because I measured everything based on the going the business way, my mileage estimates from now on are truly estimates. I am going to add 2 miles to every note I made, thinking this is what the bypass adds.)
There are bike route signs for most of the course


  • There is a gas station around 58 miles.
  • There is a gas station around 64 miles at Parker’s Crossroads. This is where we will cross I-40. There are some food options also: DQ, Subway, McDonalds.
  • There is a gas station around 71 miles at Lexington.
  • There is a gas station around 75 miles.
  • Around the 77 mile mark, the road goes to 2 lanes without shoulders. It appears to be lightly traveled. It is straight, hilly, and provides lots of visibility for cars.
  • A rumble strip at the very edge of the lane is added about mile 86.
  • There is a gas station around mile 95. The rumble strip stops for a while beginning here.
  • Around mile 96 a wide shoulder begins.
  • Around mile 104 we will have 4 lanes for about a mile.
  • Around this point, we will go straight onto 117 after stopping at stop sign. We could take 22, but it is longer and less safe in my judgment. This in Adamsville. Just a note: this is Buford Pusser’s hometown, and they are proud of it. We should be careful. I’m not sure how they will feel about men in bright tight clothes with lycra shorts.
  • We begin 2 lanes again, and we will have them the rest of the way.
  • Around mile 111 we will take 142 East  There is a “bike route” sign again!
  • There is a gas station around 114. We turn right onto 22 South for the final push.
  • There is a gas station around 122 at Acton.
  • The “Welcome to Mississippi” sign is right around 125 miles. Less than a mile down the road is a good place to load up, etc. This is where 22 intersects Highway 2.

Corinth is about 10 miles away and has lots of eating options, etc. It seems a lot like Bedford from what I could tell by driving around briefly.

That’s what I know about the course! Now, we need to nail the day/time down. Then we can start figuring out where to stay, etc.

If there are any macho men in the group, you could spend the night in Corinth and then ride the Natchez Trace trail back to Nashville. It is a 100 miles from the Alabama line to Nashville. It is a relatively short drive over to The Trace from Corinth. Of course, you could hop on the Trace and keep going south also.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Tuesday Morning

Good morning! I hope you are doing well today. I woke up earlier than I wanted to, which is common for me. I really try to get 8 hours of sleep, but it rarely happens. My body, it seems, thinks anything over 7 is adequate. I feel so much better when I get closer to 8, however. Oh well, I am blessed to get that much, I know. I hear about how little others sleep and know to be grateful for what I get.

Yesterday was Miles Monday, as Jimmy calls it. It will, in a matter of weeks, become Tempo Tuesday. He confirmed what I thought: Tuesday Pace Line rides will cease after the USAT Club National Championship, which is September 12, I think. Instead of riding on Tuesday evenings, we will run.

My riding is taking second priority now. This is according to my plan to increase my running fitness in preparation for the Monumental Marathon. I hope to get my miles to near 30 this week. Last week I did 25. I hope to move that on up to around 40 per week. This will be easier as I move the long run up toward the 20-mile mark.

Last night was very hot and humid, more so than last week. I was determined to try do the speed work anyway. I figure whatever I can do now will pay off later, even if I am slower due to heat. Before I get to my effort, which seems pretty weak when compared to what the other did, let me express my respect for Jim, Tim, Ryan, and I think Rand. I say that about Rand because I do not know what he did. He did look good when I saw him.

The other 3 ran 5 miles in the 6:50ish range. That's impressive to me, especially in last night's conditions. There is no need for me to compare myself to them, I know, so I use them as inspiration to do better.

Last night I ran 2 miles, each at a 7:10 pace, according to my Strava data. Last week I ran 1 mile at 6:57. The only knock I have about last night's performance is that I had to stop after the first mile to reset my heart. I don't know how high my rate was. I do know at the end of the second mile it was 183. Looks like the average rate, according to the segment data, was 172 for the first mile and 177 for the second. That's pretty high and a reflection of the heat index.

I appreciate Scott running with me. He cruised easily through both miles. It was nice to have him there to keep me company and to keep me honest in my effort.

Tonight we ride!

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Sunday Morning

Cora's a little daredevil!

Good morning! I'm up and at it, so I thought I would do a little post this morning. I have work to do today, but I can do this also. A multi-talented-tasker I am - ha  ha.

There is not a whole lot to report. I took Friday off from endurance work. I did cut some wood and do some other physical activities. I was anticipating Saturday morning's run. It has been a while since I've run long with the group. My pace by myself is getting closer to the group pace, so I thought this was a good time to give it a shot.

Before I got there, I saw Lester pushing Cora in the running stroller, heading toward Parkview. This was a nice little bonus. I was going to get to see Cora. When I arrived at Parkview, I saw Chris getting a stroller out to push his cute son, Eli. "Hmmm, two strollers: this should slow things down a bit," I thought to myself.

Kind of like the cancellation of the swim portion at Ironman Florida, I was a little disappointed and relieved at the same time. I was ready for a faster test run, but it was humid and could wait for another day. The strollers did keep things manageable, but it was still a pretty good pace.

Lester dropped off and headed home with about 4 miles to go, and after a water stop at the cable company, we spread out a little. Miller, Rand, and Scott pulled out a bit, with Jimmy, Chris (and Eli) and me following. The distance of separation was not much.

Once we got to the First Assembly church heading toward Washington, it was time for me to make a little move. I decided I wanted to finish with the front guys. I pushed myself a bit and closed the gap. By the time we got to the Senior Citizens Center, I was with them. I stayed with them until the finish. I guess that explains my 10th mile being a 7:45 pace.

This was a good run for me. I got to see Cora, and I got to push myself a bit at the end and was plenty strong. Today I am going to totally rest. Next up: 2 miles of speed on Miles Monday.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Thursday

It's Thursday midday, and I started this post early Wednesday morning. Life keeps happening, which is good of course. I am way out of my blogging routine, so it is taking me a little while to find a rhythm. (I find rhythm one of the hardest words to spell.)

Since we last met I have had 3 training sessions. One on the bike followed by 2 five mile runs. Let's start with this morning's run. I really expected a good run this morning. The weather was nice - around 60 degrees, and I slept really well last night. I felt rested and ready to go. For some reason, however, I just didn't have much. I'm not concerned about it. I think it may be residual tiredness from the last 3 days.

Yesterday's run was tough, and I knew it would be. I always find the morning run after the hard Tuesday night bike ride to be difficult. The bike ride, coupled with Monday night's hard workout, made for a difficult one yesterday, but I decided to push a little anyway. I was pleased with the results. I feel like my running is finally returning to my pre-hamstring problems of 2013. From late March 2013 all way through last year's Ironman training, I was battling that problem, which really slowed me.

As I move toward Monumental Marathon, I need to keep increasing my speed a little. Running with the group will certainly help me. My goal for Monumental is to go between 8:10 and 8:15. I think I could realistically qualify at 8:19. That pace would put me under my qualifying time of 3:40 by about 2 minutes. All this should be doable.

Tuesday night's ride was fun. We had a big, fun crew. There was a northwest wind, which has been unusually typical this summer. It made for a good ride out, and then we worked together coming back. The low humidity was a welcome change.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Tuesday A.M.


Good morning! I'm back so soon! I hope you are doing well today.

Last night was another installment of Jimmy's Monday Miles, which is Tempo Tuesday moved to Monday because we are still doing Paceline Tuesday on our bikes. I am not sure when we switch off the Tuesday bike rides.

My guess is after the USAT Club Nationals.  The club we are a part of, Tri Loco, has a really good shot of winning it. Jimmy, Rand, maybe Miller, are the ones I know going. I thought about but decided against it. Every participant who finishes earns points for the club.

So last night was my first experience of Monday Miles and my first speed work session since I don't remember when. It was warm and humid, so my plan was to do one mile. That's what I did, and I was pleased to be able to break the 7-minute barrier with a 6:57. Next week I will do 2-3, depending upon the conditions, etc. I will slow down some also.

Jim and Tim (Miller) ran together and averaged around 6:43, I think. That, to me, is a pretty impressive performance at this point in these conditions. Rand also did some, and true to Rand's nature, we don't know his times - ha ha. He looked good and like he gave it all he had.

The Monday Miles, which will likely become Tempo Tuesday in mid-September, plan is to increase the distance each week. I'm already behind, so I plan to run with the group and carve out what I can. I'm looking forward to it.

Tonight is our bike ride. Who will show up? It looks like, yet again, a northwest wind. That means a quick ride out and then a good team effort to get back. Then we eat!

And now for your viewing pleasure:




Monday, August 10, 2015

Back at It


Well, now I partially know why I quit blogging before -- life gets in the way. I had a bit a of crazy last week. I help some unusual people with unusual problems, and they don't conform to the way most of us live and work. Not a complaint.

I also did not feel very well. I ended up taking off Wednesday and Thursday. I got back on track Friday morning with a 10 mile run in Bloomington. Why there? I decided I wanted something a little different, plus I needed to go to Indy to see my friend who had the double-lung transplant 3 weeks ago. He is doing amazingly well, by the way.

What to do on Saturday? I found peace about what happened in the swim at Cicero, and I decided that the Columbus tri really was not that important to me. It would cost me north of a $100 and a big chunk of the day. I watched the email traffic about possible plans. Roy, Rand, and Tim were doing Columbus, and others were doing various things, including Iron John going long on the bike.

In the end, Dr. Lucky and I had a nice conversational ride. I think it was just what I needed. I got some time on the bike but did not work too hard. That sets me up for this week. Further setting up this week was a total rest day yesterday. I had planned on swimming, but it just did not fit in with several things.

My focus now is training for the Monumental Marathon. On the way to that, I hope to have good races at the Persimmon 5K and the Bedford Half Marathon. They both fit nicely in the training plan. It all begins tonight with a mile or two of tempo. That should be challenging in the heat and humidity.

The trio of triathletes mentioned above did really well in Columbus! Here is a link to the results page. OK, I have a lot more on my mind, but I will save it for next time. Hopefully, that will be soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Wednesday Morning


Good morning! I hope everyone is doing well today. I am not feeling too well and haven't since Sunday. I think I got the brain-eating amoeba at Cicero, and it's going through death throes since it cannot find enough food to sustain its life. Whatever it is, I don't feel quite right - not sick enough to shut down and go to bed but just not right. Oh well, life goes on.

I've tried to go on as well. I did a little 3 mile run Monday morning which went OK, and then Monday evening after a Back to School supply giveaway at church, I went swimming at the pool. It went OK. I just seem to fight the water and cannot find comfort in it. My biggest goal for the fall and winter is to improve swimming. I need to find someone who can really teach me how to do it. I think I need several drills and ways to break it down into components. I really have no idea what I'm doing. But 3 years ago I couldn't swim at all. There is hope!

Yesterday I met up with Lester a little after 3 for a ride. I needed to bag corn in Bryantsville last night with a group from church, so the evening ride was out. This worked out well since the Tuesday ride was moved to Monday anyway. The afternoon ride with Lester revealed my weakness related to this "bug" I'm fighting. I rode slowly and even then it was difficult. I cut it a little short.

Today I had originally planned a 10 miler for early this morning, but I opted to do nothing. I just don't have it. I hope this is the last day of this thing. The rest won't hurt me.

Columbus tri on Saturday? I'm still undecided. Right now I am leaning toward NO. We'll see. My biggest goal right now is Monumental and having a good day on November 7. I am focused on improving my eating, striving to lose about 5 pounds. This will help me run better.

Looks like the Monday Miles, which became Tempo Tuesday, went well for Jimmy and friends? I saw a little Strava data that leads me to believe this. I hope to join with this next week.

The results from Cicero Tri are now available. I don't know how accurate they are. I think mine (below) are about right. I'm actually encouraged by them. Take away the swim disaster and I had a decent day.

I hope you have (or had) a great day!

Monday, August 3, 2015

Back Home Again


I'm not much of a night-owl, in fact, I'm not one at all. I'm the old early bird (but I don't like, nor eat, worms). Last night forced me out of my normal schedule of going to bed at what some think is ridiculously early. The early bird had to be a night owl. All this involves the retrieval of my broken down car 15 miles north of Martinsville. It broke down on the way home from Cicero. Thankfully, Lester was right behind me and got me home.

After pondering all the good, if not contradictory, advice I received about what to do, I opted to rent a car hauler from U-Haul. After all the taxes, insurance fees, etc., the total came to $74. That's at least a couple of hundred less than a tow truck, I think. I was not comfortable trying to do a field repair, not knowing for sure what the problem was. It was too far away to make two trips.

Lester, Ben, and I took off at 8:30 last night when the trailer became available. We arrived at my car at 9:55. The car started and then died before we could drive it onto the trailer, so with a little creativity, the use of a small hill, coupled with some pushing, and a come-along, we got it loaded in about 30 minutes. The trip home was uneventful. I arrived at my house at 11:55.

This morning I ran 3 miles and then delivered the car to the mechanic and the trailer back to the Star Stop U-Haul. After that, I got a tooth filled. Yes, it has been a great day - ha ha!

I found this on the Cicero website:

Cicero Tri Results: Thanks for being patient. There were a couple people who crossed the wrong mats in transition, and, as a result, we found a bug in our timing system software that keeps the import from completing under these circumstances.
We have been in communication with the timing software tech support and they are presently working to fix the bug. I’ll send an email to all when results are posted.
OK, that's enough excitement for today. I hope those of you riding this evening have a good ride. I'm out for tonight's ride and tomorrow's run. This working on other days besides Sundays has to stop!

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Cicero Tri

I really miss blogging, so I am going to see if I can get going again. I stopped my general blog for several reasons. I felt like I was in a rut and a few other reasons. I am not going back to it, so if I blog, then this will be the place and training, mostly, will be the topic. Endurance athletics is, in my mind, a perfect metaphor for life, so some of that may show up from time to time.

It is Saturday evening and I'm pretty frustrated with myself. I know I need to let it go but not before it finishes its motivating work. What is my frustration? My car broke down 1.5 hours away? A little but that's not the main source. My main source is my panicked swim this morning in Cicero. It was bad. It was ugly. It was embarrassing. I thought I was past that kind of thing. Oh well. Panic, by nature, is irrational. I did make it through the water eventually. I literally was the last person out, and it was not even close. That was not good for my state of mind heading into T1, but the show had to go on.

T-Roy getting ready
The bike was not bad. I had hoped to top 20 mph, but the technical nature of the course and some nuisance wind kept me at 19.4, which was OK for me. Of course, I did the 56 miles of Ironman Muncie 70.3 in 19, but with the exception of the short miles out and back to the main loop, it was mostly long stretches on a closed highway. None of that today.  It was 10 miles of tiny rollers, twists and turns. It was a fairly enjoyable course really.

I have not seen the results showing transition times, so I don't know how quickly I got out of T1 or T2, but I think I did OK, especially out of 2. I chose not to wear socks for the ride or the run and no gloves for the ride. That saves quite a bit of time, I think. Tim the Elder shared this with me a long time ago. He speaks. I listen.

The run went pretty well. I am still learning what I can do, I suppose. I managed to run negative splits and was happy to run in the low 7:50s. I think I can go faster and do better. This was my first sprint tri. It will not be my last.

I had pretty well decided earlier in the week that my tri season would end today. I would not do Columbus or the Club Nationals. My focus would be/is on qualifying for Boston at Monumental. Now I am really struggling. I feel I need to go to Columbus and do the sprint with its 800-yard swim. I feel like I need to fix what happened today, proving I can get through the water calmly if not quickly. I will ponder it and decide soon.

The sprint distance was fun. Throw in a decent swim and this day would have been a ton of fun. I was so happy Lester had a good day, even though he wrecked his bike. He rode several miles with his wheel pointing straight but his handles bars pointing off at a 30-degree angle. I am not sure how he did it. I was also happy for Nick Swayer. He really had a nice day. Hopefully, Troy finally got some real results. Jim and Rand had their usual solid performances.

OK, looks like I've started again. I have lots of thoughts I want to share about this journey I am on. I hope you will join in with comments and share your thoughts as well. There are just a few of us here. I do not plan to promote this. I will simply invite people who interested in this endurance life we live to come and enjoy. Please feel free to do the same. Everyone is welcome.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Moving!

Good morning! I am going to move back to my old blog, now that "normal" life is resuming - ha ha - yeah, right!  You can find my original blog here. Come on over. I will still blog about training but will also broaden things out a bit.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Friday


Good morning! And "just like that" we lost 16 degrees from the forecast - ha ha. I think I hinted at that yesterday. I expect it will change everyday. Yesterday I also saw a link to the PCB Surf Forecast. I'm sure it will change daily also.

Believe it or not, none of this is bothering me. I feel pretty good about it all. I hope I feel that way next Friday - ha!

My ride with Jimmy did not happen yesterday, and I'm glad. He called about 8 and said he couldn't go. I was relieved. I did not really need to ride, plus it was pretty cold yesterday morning. I needed to get a lot of work done, to top it all off, so it turned out to be a good thing.

We did swim at the Y last night in Bloomington. I did 1.2 miles. I'm not fast at all, but I am fairly consistent, I think. If I can go at the pace I seemed to have settled into, then I will be fine, somewhere in the 1:50 to 2:00 hour range, is what I predict. I have 2:20 to get the job done.

I'm planning on taking the day off from endurance athletics, but the weather and my bike will tempt me this afternoon. A short ride? Maybe. We'll see.

Have a great day!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Thursday

For all the Neo-Luddites out there
Good morning! Thursday! Nine days out from Ironman Florida. Yikes. I am ready. I am ready. I am ready. I am ready...

The weather forecast is still holding onto an 86 degree day. I can manage that - lots of Endurolytes and water. My understanding, from reading people who live in FL, is the weather is harder to predict than here, since it is close to the water. I am not too concerned about it at this point.

I had another decent run yesterday morning. It will be my last 7 miler for a little while. Everything else from now until November 1 will be 5 or less, and there are only 3 of those left, I think. Maybe 4? I think I am going to try run with the group on Saturday at 8 a.m. It will be the first time I have run with anyone since mid-March, I think!

Jimmy and I going for a short ride today. Then this evening I think I am going to join him in Bloomington for 1.2 mile swim. I would like to go ahead and get that done tonight instead of tomorrow night. The next swim after this one will be in the Gulf of Mexico. I am looking forward to getting there and getting in.

Congratulations to Tim the Elder! He has a new granddaughter, Cora Marie, born yesterday afternoon. She came several days early! This is what Tim wanted.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Wednesday


Good morning! It's going to be a great day today, so enjoy it and be thankful! The forecast above, which could change a lot, has me thinking about how I need to dress on the run. I was thinking I would need long sleeves for the second half of the run. Now I am thinking it is possible I will not. I will be prepared for all kinds of conditions on the run and the ride. I'm pretty sure the swim will be wet, so I am ready for that.

Last night was the final official Tuesday Night Ride. Of course it was short, due to approaching darkness. We had 7 show up for the fun 20 mile ride. You can click on one of our Strava events, to your right, to see the simple course we did. Riding last night were: Timmy G, Iron Bill, Dr. Lucky, Iron John H, Roy, T-Roy, and Me, the Ironman Wannabe (Gonnabe, hopefully). It was a lot of fun.

Following the ride, most of us went to Wendy's to eat, tell stories, and laugh. It was a great way to end the Tuesday night tradition for 2014. We had a long run of this year. I believe we started in March and went all way through mid-October. It's an Ironman year!

Roy and I talked some about our travel on Monday. I think we are going to leave around 6:30 and drive all the way to PCB. Jim is off but Steve is working, and I think Rand is going to travel with them, following them down. Steve is trying to shorten his day, I think. We should all be together on Tuesday sometime.

Hey, I need to go run! I hope to catch you tomorrow sometime. It's all getting pretty real...

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Tuesday


Good morning! Looks like we are getting on a good roll with the weather! This is the way October is supposed to be. Speaking of weather, the extended forecast for Panama City Beach is good. I hope it holds. The most significant thing, in my mind, is the warmth. I was concerned about a cool/cold ride and dressing for it. If this forecast holds, then that will not be an issue and a relief.

Yesterday I did a short ride of 12 miles and short run of 3 miles. I was going to go 5 but decided I didn't need to. I felt pretty good at the end, and that's what I was after. I wanted to come off the bike and get my running legs ok, which I did.

Later I went to the pool and swam a mile. Today we gather for our last Tuesday p.m. ride. It will be short one, followed by a trip to Wendy's. We plan to meet at 5:30 and do 20 miles. Rumor has it John H has a new bike. Troy has a new bike. Tim the Elder has a new (to him) bike. All of them are Cervelos. Hmm, the Kestrel club is not longer. Now it is a KC club or CK club.

I hope you have a great day!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Monday


Good morning! Twelve days until The Day! One week from now Roy and I will be on our way, or at least close to it. It's all becoming very real. I go from feeling very confident to being very scared. Honestly, it is mostly the latter, thankfully. I am eager to get to the Gulf and get in the water, hopefully everyday for just a little while.

I ended up not doing anything on Thursday for several reasons. Friday I did all three disciplines. I went for a short ride (20 something miles), followed by a short 2 mile run, and then later I swam a mile at BNL, where I left my favorite jacket. I hope I can find it. Oh well...

Saturday I got up early and ran my best 10 miler since spring. I almost back to where I used to be. I averaged 9:06, which pleased me. I had thought of riding in the afternoon, but the weather was not appealing and I didn't feel great.

Yesterday a small group of us had a nice easy 20 mile ride in the emerging sunshine. It was fun to ride with good friends in a relaxed way. We got to see T-Roy's new Cervelo! Nice! He is going to be quite beastly to a greater degree now. The number of rides before Ironman, along with runs and swims, is now countable.

I hope you have a great day today! I think I will try do all three disciplines again today: shorter ride, 5 mile run, and mile swim this evening. We'll see...

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Swimming

Actually I know what I actually look like - not the top photo.

Thursday

I have 17 hours to finish!
Good morning! How are you today? I rolled in from Nashville around 6:20 last night and had to teach a class at 7. My transition from travel to teaching involved a quick bite to eat, thanks to Kedra.

My time in Nashville was awesome! I cut my first record, wailing with all the twang I could find about becoming a triathlete. I also got to spend time with a lot of good friends and learn a ton of stuff most would not care about. One of the previous 2 sentences is true.

Anyway, I had a decent 5 miler on Tuesday afternoon. I was going to run a little more Wednesday a.m., but it was raining. It wasn't raining hard, and if I was in the midst of hard training, I would have gone. I'm in taper, so I opted to stay dry.

Today I go to get my bike back from the doctor. I hope to get on it this evening and maybe do a brick workout, probably both ride and run on the short side. Hopefully the sun will come out today. Tomorrow looks good...

Take care and have a great day!



Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Tuesday

Rand, Brent, Me, Dr. Lucky
Hey, good morning from Nashville, TN! I am attending a conference at Lipscomb University, learning stuff and hanging out with old friends. It's a good way to start taper. I did nothing yesterday in the endurance world, which is fine.

Today I have a window in the afternoon, so I hope to get a 5 mile run in around the streets of Brentwood. Urban running is considerably different from where we usually run. We are blessed to live and train where we live and train.

I hope you have a great day!

Monday, October 13, 2014

Monday

Beautiful Kenray Lake
Good morning! I am headed to Nashville sometime this morning, so I need to give you a quick report before getting organized. Before I leave for Nashville, I am headed to the Bicycle Doctor to get a tune-up for my bike. I will drop my bike off, along with Dr. Lucky's bike.

I had a good weekend of work, the last hard workouts before taper begins. I took Friday off from endurance work. Kedra and I went to Bloomington, after stopping by to see Cora, of course, to celebrate Kedra's birthday. It was a good chance to fuel up for Saturday's activities.

Saturday was my last 20 mile run. It was nothing outstanding, but it was a good, solid run. I did not fade much at the end, so I was pleased by that. It was on the cool windy side but comfortable mostly. After the ride I came home and rested for a while. Then I met Jim and Rand at church for a 50 mile ride. As you can imagine, it was a bit slower than usual. Jim and Rand ran 16 miles Saturday morning. We were all satisfied with "seat time," regardless of speed.

We had fun on the ride and talked a lot about Ironman. I am trying to learn from their prior experiences. It was a bit windy on the ride. We managed it pretty well, mostly riding into it, so we could have a tailwind on the way back.

Yesterday after church and lunch, it was time to head to COLD Kenray Lake. I was really wanting 2 miles. Jim, Rand, and Brent were saying 1 for them. Well, Jim was waffling, saying 1 or 2. I shamed him into 2, for which he was grateful - ha ha. I got my 2 in, numb feet and all. It was my fastest 2 ever, so it serves as a bit of a confidence builder. Jim thought the water temp was just north of 60. I think it was 33 or 34 degrees. Just kidding.

Now taper begins!

I hope you have a great day/week!