get your motor running

Up at 5:45 this morning for a nice run around town. Literally. I run around my town. It ain't that big. Out along the trail along the quarry pond, past the cemetery, along the creek, over behind the ball field, across the tracks, beside the college and back home past the high school. A long coal train came through around 6:30 and I got to run over it on the little ped bridge. If you stand on the bridge and wait for the train, the shock wave nearly knocks you over. Bu loves it. Lots of walkers out this morning. The cherry and apple trees are in bloom and the lilacs are coming on. The whole place smells like L'Occitane.

really nice sunrises in this part of the world

I'm getting in on a lot of them lately. You first start to see light about a quarter to six, so I hop on the bike and head out the road to the north of town, the quietest one around here. There are a few people coming into town early, but not much traffic going out. Peaceful. Sightings this morning: Red-wing blackbirds, doves, robins, sparrows, rabbits, squirrels and a massive dead raccoon. I just got a new floor pump so it was all systems go, keeping a great cadence and climbing more easily on the hills, feeling stronger. The drivers are nice, and maybe it's partly the early hour. Everyone gives me a full lane at 6 a.m.

This Saturday is Ride the Ups and Downs over in Illinois, getting a little pack experience. I'm thinking about which other tris to register for this summer. There are enough just in Iowa that I can do a few a month, although they're pretty expensive (about $50 each). I'm thinking about doing four this year, including the Iowa Games. I've been looking at the times and I'm reasonably competitive, but I'm going to have to kick it up a notch if I want to win anything. The cycling's going well, so I think a little speed work on the track is probably the thing.

Also this week: extreme lawnmowing, running and weights. This time the weight workout didn't kick my butt quite as badly. I've really got to work on getting to the pool more often.

big weekend

I really need to do more swimming, but it's so fantastically inconvenient without a pool nearby. This weekend I had a long run, a medium-ish cycle, dancing, softball, and generally so much physical activity that it's now Monday morning and I need a nap. Next weekend is Ride the Ups & Downs in Illinois and I'm going over with the local bike gang. Sounds like fun and we're praying for good weather.

ouch

Went for a run this morning to loosen up my sore legs. That weight workout definitely hit the right muscles - I could feel them every step. Plus I had a blister from wearing stupid girly shoes yesterday. Even in my compromised state, though, I saw the sun rise over open fields and all was well.

ommmmmm

Yoga again this morning. I was planning to run but it was nasty cold wet windy awful out and my legs were still hurting from weights yesterday, so I got out ye olde yoga dvd and followed along with Philip, who is apparently Gumby's long lost white boy twin. I do feel better. Maybe I'll get that run tonight. I also got a nice long walk in high heels while running a few errands this morning. That must be good for some part of the body, but it's not my back.

chasing lightning

Little Bu is taking off on his little Lance Jr. Trek bike. He still has the training wheels on but he hardly needs them. He uses them to corner hard. I have to wear my running shoes to keep up with him. We did a few miles last night, with breaks to watch the high school girls tennis match and to race all over the grade school playground. When he goes up hills he doesn't slow down or get off, although he has only one gear. Instead he growls. When it gets steeper, he growls louder. On the straightaways he shouts "Woohoo!" repeatedly and pedals as fast as he can. I think he gets it from me.

This morning was weights, moving on to the Power Endurance phase where I do lighter weights at insanely high reps. I did 40 of everything this morning, which sounded easy conceptually and hurt a lot by the time I got done. A new workout is always good. It keeps you thinking.

full force gale

Okay, I exaggerate, but it was a lotta wind. I was doing so great this morning, record speed, incredibly strong, until I turned around and headed south into this big bitch of a headwind coming straight at me across the less-than-mountainous Iowa landscape. You know it's bad when you have to keep pedalling to maintain speed going downhill.

Biking into the wind was this morning, Saturday was a rest day if you don't count hiking all over town with Bu hunting The Last Basselope, pulling a wagon full of supplies. We found the basselope, in case you're wondering. It was under a picnic table at the park.

Friday was a bike/run brick that went really well. It didn't hurt much at all going to the run. I didn't worry about transition, just sat down and put on my running shoes. I'll work on that part later. Plus - I've signed up for my first triathlon of the season! It's the Pigman sprint in Palo on June 6.

Still geeking out with the bike maintenance. I'm going to practice on our old bikes while tinkering very very carefully with my precious. I gave her a name today, while on the tailwind joyride: Ananda, the joy without which the universe would collapse.

en famille

So yesterday evening little Bu rode in the babyjogger, Andy rode his bike and I ran. We did a nice loop through town and wound up at the big playground where we all played until we started to get really hungry. Bu got out of the stroller a few times and wanted to run and push it himself, which was fine except that he couldn't see over the top and kept running into trees. He got enough of a workout that he nearly passed out in his burrito and didn't object to having his face washed and putting on his jammies. You gotta love spring.

still here

Sorry for the long disappearance. The new job kicks my butt sometimes, but I'm still training. I did about 40 miles on the bike this weekend, half of it into a nasty headwind. A good run, yoga, the weekly weight workout (Power Endurance phase, for those of you who follow the Triathlete's Training Bible), a track workout yesterday, and tonight I'm going out running with the whole family. This doesn't mean everyone runs. Probably I'll push little Bu in the babyjogger (he weighs over 40 lbs/18kg so it's a workout in itself!) and my husband will probably get out the in-line skates and cruise around. It's gorgeous here. No normal person could stay inside.

I'm getting out on the bike a lot more, and getting geeky about maintenance. I've been reading Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, hanging out at the bike shop on my lunch hour, you know the signs. Mastering my cycling computer was a major triumph. Now I'm getting all the bikes in the house cleaned up and tuned. There are many excuses to buy more tools. Heh heh.