7/15

Whew, is it already the 15th of July??!! No way! I need more time to do more stuff this summer. I shouldn't complain, this has been a very productive and well lived summer. We have one more baseball game on Saturday for Ethan. He has done very well, as did Michael. Not going to all the games and practices will free up a bit of time, especially in the evenings. The boys actually got to go on the Tuesday night group ride. I missed it so I could go to a triathlon transition clinic. Michael rode with the faster group, he was very happy with himself (I was just plain proud). Ethan did well riding his 20" mtb bike, he stayed with the group the whole time.

My training for the triathlon has been going well. Swimming is coming along. I find that I have to use a variety of strokes to get through the 500m without stopping. Right now, I am just happy I can keep moving. My absolute goal would be to freestyle 500m without changing strokes. It is nice to have something to work on. Running is also coming along, I am running about 12 minute miles. I feel like molasses, but am up to 2.5 miles. My goal is a 5K. After the triathlon I will incorporate some interval work to bring up my speed. Right now I just want to complete the triathlon and still be able to move afterwards. This weekend is the mock triathlon at Farlington Lake. I am looking forward to it so I will get an idea of what I will feel like as a transition to the different disciplines.

Also this weekend is the Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival in Eureka Springs, AR. A race I love for the racing and the atmosphere. Last weekend I was supposed to do the OMBA Caramba, but it just did not work out. My mountain bike has literally been in pieces since April of this year for repairs on both the rear and front suspension. So I have waited forever for DH to put it back together. We got it going the evening before the race, I did not feel confident about racing when I had not ridden off road for 3 months. Instead of racing we went to Slaughter Pen Mountain Bike Park for some fun off road riding. We had a blast, although my derailleur decided that would be a good time to loose its spring tension. My suspension overall was fabulous, it worked so well I did'nt know it was working. Perfect. Hippie Tech did the work on my forks and rear suspension. The forks are sweet with sid race overhaul and new carbon steerer tube and a sweet carbon crown. Much thanks to them for extending the ride on a bike I love.

Today I was excited, yes excited, to do the Wednesday group ride. It was pretty mellow (good for me so I was able to hang on and not be shelled). We did the Mulberry loop which was about 28 miles long. We took our time and did the ride in an hour 45 minutes. I have been tracking my daily training on dailymile. An online resource that tracks your entered workouts. It is very straightforward and easy to use. I used to write down the basics of all my rides in a weekly calendar, I like this because it is digital and I don't have to drag the calendar around. It's like facebook for athletes, fitness buffs, and anyone who wants to keep track of their workouts and be able to view their friends workouts and fitness events.