It's been awhile

Wow. I haven't posted anything at all in almost three months. I suppose I have a couple good excuses...I moved across the country and am now living in the lovely City by the Bay, San Francisco. I've officially been a resident for three weeks today, but it's been almost exactly a month since I left Nashville. I can't believe it's already been that long. It seems like yesterday! I miss my friends more than I ever imagined I would, but at least I'll get to see them when I'm back in Nashvegas next month pre-Ironman. And yes, I'm still planning to race. Never once did I even consider not following through - I mean, I've spent the last eight months training for this thing so there is NO WAY IN HELL I won't do it...I have had a few terrifying moments in the last few weeks, but I think it's completely normal. Yesterday I had one of those moments - and it was more like one of those days. I went out on a ride with a bunch of guys and it's no lie, riding out here is a completely different ball game. Gone are the days of rolling hills. Yesterday I actually said to Johanna via text, "I miss the Trace!" WHAT!? Yes, I miss the Trace. The route we road yesterday makes the Natchez Trace look like child's play. We road up Mt. Tam, along Highway 1 and all over Marin County. It was absolutely gorgeous. I've never been on Highway 1 in a car, let alone a bike so it was an interesting experience to say the very least. At one point, we climbed for almost an hour. Straight up. I guess it will be good for me come race day. The only downside to yesterday was that I only got 70 miles in on my bike outside so I came home, cried and then went to the Y to get on a spin bike for two hours. I am insane. That was when I realized that this is just crazy. I am so excited for August 29th to get here, I almost can't stand it. All I can think about is crossing the finish line and am trying to avoid the inevitable nightmares of not crossing the finish line. It's just not an option for me at this point. I feel like it's my wedding day - I've been preparing for this day for so long and if it doesn't happen, it will be really tough to deal with. But, like I said, it's not an option so I'm just going to try and keep that out of my mind.

35 days and counting...only two more insane weekends of running, swimming and biking and then it's TAPER TIME! Unbelievable how quickly it has arrived.

View from Highway 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway)


Mt. Tam

my latest discoveries

I've spent much more time than usual surfing the interwebs and stumbling upon genius content, both related and unrelated to triathlons. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) A conversation about the Boston Marathon. Amazing. "And you wore a fuel belt in your 5K marathon?" Speaking of Boston, congrats to Amy and Lynn for their unbelievable races! Amy even made the Boston Globe!!!!

2) The trailer for the movie "Living is Winning".People never cease to amaze me.

3) I don't even know what this is, but my GOD it's genius - http://www.weebls-stuff.com/flash/466_horse3.swf. Proud to say that I've learned all the words to this song. Thank you, Mr. Sconzo, for sharing.

Why do we do this?

Brilliant.

"Why Do They Do It?"

Pretty sure I do this for at least 1.5 of these reasons.

AERObars.

I got 'em. They're good for a few things, namely riding faster. I also think I could get some serious work accomplished if I had a trainer at home!

beyond exhausted.

This weekend was the longest weekend ever, as will be the case with pretty much all weekends from now until August. I ran 14 yesterday (well, ran 12 and walked 2 thanks to minor dehydration issues) and rode 60 miles and ran 2 miles today. WHEW! I'm worn down, but at least I will sleep like a baby. And even better, I have tomorrow OFF.

It was a gorgeous weekend, but it's definitely starting to warm up. Johanna and I rode the Trace out 30 and back 30 today. It is so beautiful out there right now. The Trace, for those of you who don't know, refers to the Natchez Trace Parkway which runs from Nashville all the way to Tupelo, MS. It's a popular place for both motorcyclists and cyclists because there is very little traffic and some of the most amazing scenery in the entire world (in my humble opinion). Here are a few photos from today's adventure!

We stopped at Puckett's in Lieper's Fork about 13 miles in and ran into a bunch of our buddies who started much earlier. Wayner was munching on "Fried Gu," a.k.a. a deep fried apple pie. Not sure how well that would have gone down, but Wayne is an anomaly.



This is my absolute favorite view. I want to live in that house!



I knew we were really effing far out when I saw this sign. I wouldn't DRIVE to Columbia. Ever.

The Finish Line

It's unavoidable. I cry every, single time I watch this video of Ironman Louisville 2009. I don't know if it's because I was there or what, but it still makes me cry, especially when they announce the oldest finisher at age 72. Incredible. I hope I'm still able to swim, bike, run when I'm a senior citizen.


http://www.ironmanusalive.com/RaceVids/imlou/RaceVid-2009-LOU-low.wmv

By the way, someone needs to upload this to YouTube so it's more easily shared. As is the case with nearly all of the videos I post, I watch this when I need a little mental boost or as a reminder of why I'm doing this. Pretty sure I'm going to lose it when I hear those six words at the finish line.

Who's Your Daddy?

More motivation:



The background music is a song called "Who's Your Daddy." You can get it here. I wonder if I'll be convinced between now and August 29th, to purchase one of those goofy aerodynamic helmets? Hmmm...hope not.