Good workout week!

Tuesday- Ran 5 miles in the sweltering heat at lunch. After work we (Jerry and I) did a tempo workout. Unfortunately our tempos are different so we didn’t ride together much. He also managed to get separated from me by adding a hill and I never saw him again. So I hammered it through Mt. Vernon and into Verona when he called saying he was still outside of Mt Vernon thinking I broke down. On the plus side I must’ve been a lot faster than he assumed I was!

Wednesday- I was kind of beat down but I managed some basketball and some swimming. After work we went to the bark park! I though Chili was going to die of heat exhaustion. That night I went grocery shopping and got gas. I spent more in gas ($51) than I did in groceries ($48.) I never really thought about gas prices but $35 used to be how much it cost to fill a tank. Gas is still a value I think although I wish they would moderate and increase prices more gradually. Since I started driving in 1993 I’ve paid as little as $.97 per gallon (1997, in Indiana) so the 300%+ increase seems out of hand (worse than real estate and Taco Bell.) After getting groceries I went to $1.50 tamales. All the potential was there and unfortunately I left it there as the tamales sucked. They didn’t ask what kind I wanted (and they were so busy I didn’t think about it) so I ended up with one overcooked chicken and one severely undercooked cheese and onion. The potential was there but the quality control wasn’t. I hope next time they have beef. I ate roughly one tamale between the two of them. Came home and actually did some cleaning and reading.

Thursday- Swam in the AM. Gun Show at lunch. Didn’t want to go because of the black wall cloud and cloud to ground lightning but Stephen implied I would be a wuss if I didn’t go. Well even I am a sucker for peer pressure now and again so I went. We got some light showers on the way out and Stephen and I tore the field apart and he let me take the first sprint if I would help him take the second. I about killed myself helping him toward the second sprint. Right before we hit the second sprint though the 90+ weather dropped instantly to like 60 degree weather, all I could think was tornadoes. Well instead of tornadoes mother nature decided upon a torrential downpour. We rode through the thickest rain ever, seemed like the whole road had standing water. Regardless though I got in perfect position for the sprint. 100 yards (I am guessing, I couldn’t see anything other than a red blob that I assumed was Stephen) to go and Stephen jumps. Unfortunately my legs don’t know how to sprint anymore and I held his wheel for as long as it took him to accelerate me off of it and he wins. I keep telling myself that my lack of sprint will help me for Ironman…yes that is the excuse du jour until September 10th! So I’ve got that going for me. No need for a shower either, I was refreshed. After work it was chill until volleyball. We won all three! Some celebratory Culvers and some net surfing and it was bedtime. Which leads me to today!

Tonight: Poker at Dean’s. Jess wants to buy Blockus Tetragon. I want a cheeseburger. We both might be happy!
Tomorrow: Hoops, Kettles?, Evita at Fort Atkinson dinner theater (I can’t remember the name right now and I am too lazy to look it up.)
Sunday: Running, swimming and maybe even some cycling! No Nascar. No Tour De France.

Good luck (and piss off) to all those who are going to 24/9. I am not proud not to be there but at this point I sure am glad!

I’ve got to send some special love to Kelson and Jen! They are getting married this weekend in Boston! How Kelson actually found anyone to put up with him is beyond me. And Jen is more than just anyone, she is super cool! Seriously though, congratulations and good luck!

Name that tune!!!

This thing right here
Is lettin all the ladies know
What guys talk about
You know
The finer things in life
Hahaha
Check it out

Ooh dat dress so scandalous
And ya know another n____ couldn't handle it
See ya shakin that thang like who's da ish
With a look in ya eye so devilish

Uh
Ya like to dance at all the hip hop spots
And ya cruise to the crews like connect da dots
Not just urban she likes the pop
Cuz she was livin la vida loca

BRIDGE
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt
Uh
I think to sing it again
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
All night long
Let me see that thong

CHORUS
I like it when the beat goes da na da na
Baby make your booty go da na da na
Girl I know you wanna show da na da na
That thong th thong thong thong
I like it when the beat goes da na da na
Baby make your booty go da na da na
Girl I know you wanna show da na da na
That thong th thong thong thong

That girl so scandalous
And I know another n____ couldn't handle it
And she shakin that thang like who's da ish
With a look in her eye so devilish

Uh
She like to dance at all the hip hop spots
And she cruise to the crews like connect da dots
Not just urban she likes the pop
Cuz she was livin la vida loca

BRIDGE

CHORUS (2x)

Whoaaa
That dress so scandalous
And I swear another n____ couldn't handle it
See ya shakin that thang like who's da ish
With a look in her eye so devilish

(Whoa)
Uh ya like to dance at all the hip hop spots
And ya cruise to the crews like connect da dots
Not just urban ya like the pop
Cuz she was livin la vida loca

(Whoa)
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt
(Ooh)
Uh think to sing it again
Cuz she had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt
Uh think to sing it again
Come on
Come on
Come on
Come on

Yeahhhh yeah

CHORUS (3x)

Whoa
Uh alright
Uh whoa yeah
Ooh
Whoa
(Like it when the beat goes da na da na)
(Baby make your booty go da na da na)
(Girl I know you wanna show da na da na)
Baby
(That thong th thong thong thong)

(I like it when the beat goes da na da na)
(Baby make your booty go da na da na)
(Girl I know you wanna show da na da na)
(That thong th thong thong thong)

.......to fade

You've got to be kidding me....

Sometimes I wish it was 1987...

Beat down…

Yesterday I had a good old fashioned exercise day. 5 hours, 3 sports. I miss those. Started off with some basketball action which was fun! After several hours of work I went for a lunch-time run. That is when some shenanigans took place. I was running on the road, against traffic. There was a truck waiting to turn on the road I was running on, watching only left so they could pull out. Well they decide to pull out (and pretty quickly) and I was perfectly centered in his grill. I jumped hard to my right giving me 4 feet and they finally saw me and hit the brakes. The truck was still only a foot from me. I got pissed and slammed their hood with an open hand (hard enough for it still to be sore a half hour later.) I think I was in the right, it was a beater truck too so any damage I did probably would go unnoticed. But I am sure I sent a message. Probably not.

After my run and some more work I got ready to ride the Ironman loop. It is 7 miles to the point where I would enter the loop, exactly a 40 mile loop and another 7 back so 54 miles. I rode it hard out there but the wind was killing me. By the time I had some tail wind my legs were sore. It was my first ride with aerobars (used them a lot too) so my hamstrings are hurting. I think I need to raise my seat maybe a cm so I’ll be messing with that. Anyways, my time was 2:17 for the 40 mile loop. There are some places I can cut time (mile section of gravel where I can normally hammer) and hopefully my legs will feel better when I get used to the aerobars. That being said I think I can be on pace for a 6:30 bike split with 2 (2:15 loops) and an hour each way to the course during the race (16 miles). I guess bump that to 6:45 with a couple stops and lots of time for fluid and fuel intake. I’ll certainly be hoping for winds from the east or southeast on Ironman day.

Tuesday morning! Supposed to ride tonight, forecast for storms with hail and strong winds might have me in the pool instead.

What to say? I don’t have much. Life hasn’t been exciting lately, seems like I am spending more time resting than anything else. Not anymore though. Ironman training is back on, full-swing. Yesterday I had my longest ever swim session and I am gaining swimming confidence every day. The joints will begin the repounding today as I put my running legs back under me. Cycling training will increase to include one longer ride each week but will mostly stay the same. The aero bars are mounted and the seat is moved up. I am also hoping to improve my training diet hoping to drop a few pounds and add a bit of muscle. With my mountain bike season being toast I have nothing to stop me from feeling more comfortable in the Ironman.

TV is declining, no more Tour to watch so I’ll be watching some movies. Jess and I watched the whole first season of the Office (only a 150 minute feat) this weekend. How ‘bout Floyd? That TT was awesome for the hour that the leaders were riding. The first two hours gives cycling a bad rap. I mean is watching Sebastian Lang ride a TT to become among the early leaders enjoyable for anyone?

Played some games on Saturday night. It was fun! Lots of Oh Hell and Blockus. I am sucking more and more at Boggle though, seems like I am barely even a competitor any more. Not that I was good or even decent before but I am not good now. I think I need to work on my concentration skills and my vocab could use a refresher. I did knock down a Rush Hour Expansion pack in about 2 hours this weekend. Found some new stores to try as well including a place with $1.50 tamales (2 minutes after eating lunch which sucks)…could be legendary.

Oh yeah I just read that Viatcheslav Ekimov is retiring in September. The end of an era for sure, he is one of my favorites of all-time. I loved watching him race against Lance in the Tour Du Pont, it felt a lot like American Flyers. He will be a team director at Discovery Channel next year so he'll still be around. I wouldn't rule out him starting some races even...

Have a great Monday!