First, a note from PowerBar: “You’re stronger than you think.”
- Team Awesome finished top three in our triathlon.
- The runner was responsible for our numbers and timing chips… and showed up ten minutes before my wave. By then, the cyclist and I had formed a backup plan: I would swim and run. Thanks to my over-planning, I am always ready to work out. I keep the following things in my car: work out clothes, sneakers, a yoga mat and a fleece jacket. So I ran back to my car and grabbed running gear. We would be a two person team, if it came down to it.
- I overcame my fears of the milfoil in the lake, since 1. I was in a race and just had to squash those feelings, 2. I was surrounded by bodies, specifically lots of slower bodies who would surely get snatched by grindylows before I would, and 3. the waves before us created enough current to push the milfoil down a bit.
- That triathlon inspired two of us to sign up for individual triathlons. I have not done a tri in two years, as I have been focusing on distance cycling. I used to define myself as a triathlete, doing one race a month, in season. It has certainly been a while.
- Our city was overcome by Smokezilla, visiting from British Columbia. I continued to swim, but I limited my outdoor activities to just that. I did not train on my bike, leading up to the race. I figured I bike enough and where I really needed work was on the run. So I ran a few times, even on the treadmill, which I really do not enjoy (boring and bad on the knees).
- I also ran in a place that was so humid, I looked as if I had run through a waterfall when I finished. That was a lot of fun.
- It was a really fun and friendly race, but I found that it was quite easy. Before starting my distance cycling, I was starting to get bored and was not feeling challenged by the sprint tri’s, anymore. I was considering the Olympic distance, but got sucked into cycling. Next summer, I will have to figure out a new game plan.
- I finished Jasmine and Fire by Salma Abdelnour for my book club and was delighted to find that she does urban hikes. Hers are more on the food-quest side, but it carries the two main components: 1. walking significant miles in a city, and 2. exploring. She is the second person this summer whom I have discovered is an urban hiker. It may be that there are loads of us wandering around cities. We should have a secret signal.
- Finally, I documented one of my favorite bike routes. A friend in a far-flung island asked me to take pictures of my ride this morning. It made me look at my ride with fresh eyes and think about why I love it, 1. it is shaded, 2. the car traffic is minimal, 3. the hills are gentle, and 4. the public bathrooms are cush (comparatively speaking). Without further ado, notes from a smaller island:
The I-90 Bike Tunnel
Looking east
A perfectly manicured hedge on this small island
View from the Island
One of the many switchback hills
Flamingo mailbox (never noticed it until today)
Northwesterly Motion 