Souls, like animals and plants, need air.  Do our lives have enough empty space in them to nourish our spirit?  Living in cities, plugged into networks of jobs, friends, and projects, we sometimes neglect our standing-and-staring needs. - Casey and Vanceburg

I've got to find more time somewhere.  Gave up running for PT this morning.  I think I'm about finished with PT.  I just need the time to train.  Time to stop and stare? - Actually that is what long rides are all about - especially solo ones.

As my training plan graph shows, at the end of the next nine weeks the Iron Man lives. 

Slept in this morning a little.  I stayed up too late watching IMKY finishers.  Very inspiring.  Congratulations to all the new IronMen.  (guys and gals)

Followed the prescribed workout this morning.  The bike felt very good, and it's really amazing to go for a ride that is just a 1/2 hour easy.

Still worrying about how I'm going to get a tri bike.  It has to do with the estranged spouse.  I guess I've just got to take the bull by the horns.  [Randy Paush: "The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people." ]

    Work is the fiber of our lives.  It nourishes us and provides us with a measure of ourselves.  When we're productive, we feel good.  When work loses its meaning, we feel bad.
    We owe it to ourselves to find work that fulfills us.  We need the rhythm of tasks begun and completed for our spiritual health.  Whne our work violates us we suffer.  Then we need to look for creative solutions to end our pain -- changing the work we do, taking risks.
    Wrok is our blessing.  Today I'll be grateful for good work; what I do, I'll do well. - Casey and Vanceburg

tired today, and really stiff this morning.  Doing a warmup exercise I popped my back and it's quite sore. Hope I didn't actually hurt anything.  I meant to leave work by 3:30 and hit the pool for 1/2 hr, but took a nap on the floor instead.  So today will be a rest day.  I think the pool is closed tomorrow, so I'll just follow the plan with a short bike.

Spent an hour on the personal problem and am depressed and scared.

Perhaps a trip to Sams this evening - we need some things.

I've really enjoyed 'watching' the coverage of IMLO.  Probably get back on tonight for just a bit before bed.  Very inspiring.  I liked the IMCdL coverage though where they showed different camera angles throughout the course.  I've had the coverage on all day while at work.  Fun stuff.  I sure hope my personal life resolves enough for me to do IMFL.

BIG thanks to Erin and Socks and the folks jockstrapping and providing updates.

Had a wonderful cool ride - jersey weather.  Saw a crane in the draw, and I think another eagle.  Dead coyote.  The scents were unbelievable with all the humidity in the air.  There was one place where it smelled like licorice, and then there was the sweet flower scent for a while, but I think my favorite is the creosote bush.  Good ride but I ended up 15 minutes short - oh well.

New nutrition today:  mixed a four hour bottle of perpetuem, the first drink at ~1/2 hr made me a bit nausious, but after that it seemed to work real well.  I only took one water bottle and that was not really enough.  I needed to take some water after each sip of the perpetuem and that worked well no adverse affects.  Supplimented the perpetuem with three powerbar gels starting at about 2.5 hours.  At the rest stop I only filled my water bottle with water, and did not eat anything.  I ate a bananna at T1 and still had enough energy to complete the 1 hr run.  Recoverite afterwards.  Took a dose of endurolite last night before bed.  Used 1/2 strength gatoraide in first water bottle.  I went to the bike store after the ride and picked up a water bottle cage for behind the seat.  now I can carry four bottles, which should be enough for the 75 mile Ft Davis ride unsupported and I can carry the perpetuem.  I might consider mixing it a bit thicker because I needed the gels (for more energy - and I could feel when they kicked in).  I could also have a Cliff bar at turn around.  Overall I was real pleased with my nutrition today.

The run was interesting.  I walked for a minute, then ran 1.5 then walked another minute before setting out at a very slow pace.  It was about 10 minutes before I felt like running at all, and then did not feel strong.  After 15 and about 1/4 of the measured time mile I started to be able to pick up the tempo and it felt pretty good.  The second mile also had a pretty good cadence and I'm happy with sub 11 minute miles after a 4.5 hr bike ride.  Hopefully the run will get stronger in the next couple of months.

Oh, I almost forgot I had the most awesome vehicle experience this morning.  FIVE, count them five, different vehicles waited to pass me on narrow two lane roads, till the oncoming lane was clear.  AND the oncoming traffic pulled to their right on the narrow sholder to give more room.  EVERYONE this morning was so considerate.  For the most part the folks driving the back roads and oil field roads around here are very thoughtful and considerate.  (and of course obey the law)  It was fabulous.

Devote your attention to the quality of abundance and expand your consciousness. - Safire Rose

Rest day today.  Thou shalt honor thy rest days.  Friel says the main thing in training is to arrive at your key workouts rested and ready to go.  Tomorrow 4.5hr ride followed by 50 minute run.

Went to a chriopracter today who appears to be a bit more of a 'healer' than just a chriopracter.  she's also an actupuncturist and nutritionist.  She's sure done some good for my daughter, but I'm not convinced.  There's a lot of mumbo jumbo about adreanal glands - same thing she told my daughter.  AND I'm not fond at all of chriopractic practices.  The leg did feel a little stronger though.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.   She wants me to take DSF formula - basically vitamins minerals and Adrenal/Thymus/spleen - bovine sources, and Adreno lyph which apparently is bovine spleen.  I've looked it up online and apparently it's very commonly distributed through Chriopracters.  I coud find nothing besides hundreds of advertisements and places to buy the stuff.

Looking forward to tomorrow's long brick 5.5 hrs.

...to have a crisis, and to act upon it, is one thing.  To dwell in perpetual crisis is another. - Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

There is no "above" without "below," there is no "inside" without "outside"; The two things have to be there at the same time... This is because that is, that is because this is. - Thich Nhat Hanh

When we limit our good to our concept of good, we limit God.  When we limit the avenue of our good to certain people, places or vevents, we limit God.  Whe nwe limit relationships to our concept of love, we limit God.  God is everywhere: up and down, in and out, and all around and all about!  - Casey and Vanceburg

Lots of inspiration today. 

I don't even remember hearing my alarm this morning.  Perhaps I overdid yesterday - Ya think?  Anyway I've been rearranging workouts to try to fit everything in, and today the achillies are real sore - so today's long run is just going to get cancled.  I'm just out of time.

I'm thinking it takes a singular dedication to become an Iron Man.

Every time a man unburdens his heart to a stranger he reaffirms the love that unites humanity. - Germaine Greer

I woke up at 3:00am worrying about finances and dispute with spouse.  Finally got up at 4:30, might as well go run.  The run was good, but it's been a while since I've done any strength/speed work.  The warm down run back home was tough.  I really do enjoy running barefoot on the football field - running just as fast as I can feels good.  It didn't seem to hurt anything, although the achillies were sore for the rest of the run.  I had to walk a few times on the way back.

In discussions with spouse last night and my worries this morning I forgot yesterday's lesson: "nothing is lacking" - Lao Tsu  When threatened it's hard to remember sometimes.

Went to the shrink yesterday with my daughter and he changed all her med's.  Hopefully this will help.

I'm a pretty optimistic person, but when everyone around you is unhappy, it can be tough.   Swimming/Biking/Running helps.  Thank you everyone for kind words and inspires.  They help keep me going when things are tough.