I did the work out's today, and everything felt fine, although I'm quite tired after yesterday.  I was so pooped on the bike yesterday, but today's little spin felt very good.  Coming back into town I decided to just make a fun ride out of it and took a couple little detours to just look at the neighborhood houses.  The run was good news because my foot and ankle held up fine with no sign of hurting.  It did hurt a bit stretching this morning.  This week has lots of run volume as well as the longest run of the whole training plan.  Next week has the longest bike of the plan. 

Here we go.  The two toughest weeks are up next.  Then taper.

today I'm looking for a reasonable and inexpensive used car for my son.  Laundry, dishes, general house keeping. 

We can only
Be Here Now. - Gita Bellin

I was worrying about how much of today I've spent working out (8 hours) and the fact that it is already almost 5pm.  but today's inspiration says it all. 

EAGLES!  I saw a huge eagle soar away, just above the misquite bushes as I rode up on it.  Then to my right and high I saw another big bird, which I judged to be a trukey vulture because against the sky it looked black and it was much smaller that the other bird which had a brownish plumage.  The smaller one the flew parallel to me and gave up just a little altitude to swoop ahead of me effortlessly.  I was riding about 15mph, so the bird with no apparent effort must have been doing 18 to 20.  Very graceful.  It then swooped up to the top of a telephone pole and folded it's wings.  As I rode by I looked at it's head to see if it was a vulture, but no,  it did have fairly dark plumage, but was another eagle.  Darker and smaller, is it the mate of the other?  Very cool sighting.

The mocking birds were singing earlier, and I got to see fish in the waters of the draw.

The morning was quite cool ~ 59 in town, but down to 55 out by the churches, and there were some light clouds so it didn't warm up for a long time.  I was glad I decided to take my arm warmers.  The day was quite nice, but the ride... how can I say this?  Sucked from the beginning.  I had no energy and felt tired from the very start.  Usually after a while things get better, but mostly this was a very hard ride.  I stopped at 40 miles for about 10 minutes to refill water bottles and visit with the bike club group who meet at the town and country at ~10:00 every Sat and Sun.  That was fun, and I rode out with some of them who went south.  When they turned around, I kept on going - Still had 4 hours to go.  When I turned on the last leg back to town the wind picked up in my face 10 to 15 mph, and I had nothing to give.  I did not feel like I was bonking, I just had no strength.  I stopped twice just to rest a little and I walked about a block.  Sore and tired.  I wonder if part of it was from riding bikes with strange seats on Thrusday.  I did feel pretty brused at the end of my demo rides.  Fortunately my seat is split but I was still a little sore at the end of my ride.  I got it done, although on most days a 6 hour ride would net me over 90 miles.  today just 86

The swim felt good, although I did get a cramp in my foot toward the end of the time trial.  Thought I'd do 3100, but it's not what the workout called for, and I was ready to stop.  I've got to spend more time in the pool.  NO SKIPPING SWIM WORKOUTS JASHA!

Extreme Veteran Posts: 439 Location: Midland, Texas Online Silver member

I went to both shops yesterday.  I had a GREAT experience with Sean (sp?) at Plano.  He did what I believe is a full fit on the first bike I tried (Kouta).  He is a bicyclist with many years of experience, and took his time and got it right.   He was very willing to share his experience and thoughts, but was careful not to tell me what he thought of the bikes, till I had tried all three he recommended.  While I was out on the first bike he set up the second, and was waiting with it when I came back with the first.  He did the same with the third bike.  It was really an awesome experience and Sean was very, very helpful.  I spent about three hours with him. I was kind of late getting to RBM (5 pm on a Thursday)  they weren't busy, but did not have a Cervelo (which I really wanted to try) in my size.  The sales guy looked in the computer and found one in their Frisco store - called over there to make sure they had it, and sent me over with good directions.  There was some problem rounding up a pair of peddles, but they finally found some. I worked with Chuck at the Frisco store, and I have to say I was unimpressed, and do not feel like he set it up right.  I liked the feel of the bike, but would like to have some more adjusting done.  Unfortunately, by that point I was running out of time and had to head back to the airport.  After setting the seat height, and having me spin some on the trainer, Chuck got his measuring device out and (very quickly) checked the hip and sholder angles and said, "they're within nominal, This is your bike."   It sounded more like a sales job to me than an appraisal.  He made no offer to try another bike.  I would like to have tried the QR, but like I said I ran out of time. So I'm sitting here trying to decide If I want the Kouta, which felt light and quick, or the Cervelo which felt fast and easy and more aero, but needs more fit work. -- more later. By the time I got in last night and got to bed it was midnight.  So this morning I just slept in till 8:30.  what a wonderful thing!  I did get up at 5:15 to feed the dogs so they would not be jumping on the wall outside my bedroom window.

I'm not sure how I glued the whole frame in there but interesting.

Be at Peace and see a clear pattern and plan running trhough all your lives.  Nothing is by chance. - Eileen Caddy.

This is one I'm having trouble with today.  It's just been a hard day for some reason.  I missed the run and swim yesterday, an I had planned to do them today.  I was just too tired.  so I get a second rest day in a row.  although I did ride bikes for about three hours on and off yesterday.  That was really fun.  and to top that off, I missed the Social Security office by five minutes, and they had screwed up my order at the optomitrist.  Got nothing done at work either.  I would have been better off just staying in bed all day.  NOW THERE"S an idea! :)  Good Night Gracie.

Tomorrow 6 hour ride 1.5 hr swim.  I love long bikes.  Up at 4:30.

group ride tonight

Foot is definitely hurt.  used ben gay last night, I guess I'll have to start soaking it and see if that helps.

Getting ready today to go to Dallas tomorrow.

Paradoxical but true: I'll find lasting happiness only when I let go of the notion of permanence. - Casey and Vanceburg 

I find that to be so true, but it's still hard to practice.  I think it's comforting to know what is, and what to expect.  There is a comfort in sameness - even if it's a bad sameness.  I cannot really share details right now, but I took a farily bold step into something that could have been very unplesant, bad, and nasty a couple of weeks ago.  The plan was to change my life by going through the bad, hopefully into a better future.  It turns out that the bad nastyness did not, for the most part, materialize, and things are actually better immediately - although the badness is lurking.  Working to keep it from happening at all.  Wish me luck, and some day I'll be less criptic.

Some day I'll actually do the whole swim work out.  Running felt pretty good starting out, but after ~2.5 miles right ankle/foot started hurting again.  I walked several times, but tried to do the 'mile' repeats at a good pace, and managed a sub 10 minute pace still breathing in 3 out 3 - which is fairly easy.  Legs were a little tired.  I feel good about the 8 miles, but am concerned about the sore ankle.  I could feel the effects of weight lifting in my lats during the swim.  The shallow/warm pool was full, so I swam in the diving tank end of the big pool.  there are no lane markers for those three lanes and there were four of us in there, so there were tiny waves - good practice for OWS, especially when the guy next to me was trying to swim butterfly. :)  It felt like a pretty good workout, and I thought I was at an hour.  I've got to time things better - or get up earlier.

 I had no problem getting up at 4:20 this morning.  I was dreaming that I was in T2 of the Iron Man.  Weird dream though:  In the swim we were sholder to sholder, and there was something under the water in front of me, I pushed it up to the surface and it was a female competetor.  she was smiling but unconcous.  We were swimming through this hallway kind of place and there were tons of swimmers, but I was able to flag down a kayack, who got her out of the water.  The second leg of the IronMan was...., get this,   rollerskating.  and not just skating, but the roller derby kind with pushing and shoving and wrestling.  I was in T2, and my number (which was embroidered on my t-shirt) was read out wrong and they couldn't find my transition bag - then the alarm went off.  So, I was mentally ready to put on my running things and go run.  Like I said WEIRD!

I'm so excited.  I've go to go to Dallas on business on Thrusday, and I'm going to go to Richardson Bike Mart - and hopefully BUY A BIKE!  If not there, perhaps Plano Cycles.  --Again wish me luck!

Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story - Max Ehrmann

Decided to rest today.  Just kind of tired and my resting heart rate is way up - usually 48 today 64.  I had lots of hard riding yesterday, so I think I'll just not ride today.

Hill Climb yesterday was very good, and I think I finished around 45 minutes (7 miles).  It's a tough climb and challenging.  The ride down is fun though - especially when you get off the steeps and can let yourself go fast.  I did have to break though - the dad-gum cars in front of me were going slow - ARG!

Not much strength in the weights either.  Just resting .