Great runs with great friends

Last Monday, I took an impressive spill on my bike – and after the comedy subsided, my riding buddy asked why I never blog about “moments like this”?  Ok, so I guess making a right turn straight into the curb, traveling at ½ a mph, less than a block into our morning ride was funny.  It only tore up the surface of my right knee and traumatized the entire right side of my upper body for a good three days.  (wink)  In all seriousness, it was only the 2nd time I’d gone down on my bike – so I was embarrassed more than anything.  Matt was a good sport, telling me stories of his falls (which were all at some ridiculously slow speed attempting to stop) – it did make me feel better; I’ll admit.

The reason I mention this now is because I told him the reason I never blog about my klutziness is because I only blog once a week and, if those moments don’t occur close enough to blog-day, I either eliminate them or just forget about them.  Both Matt and Ron said that the solution for this problem is to simply blog more often.  Naturally, I thought, “who the hell would want me to do that?  I only have a handful of readers, anyway.”  So…how many of you regular readers realized I blogged 2 days ago?  We’ll see if I can keep it up.

This is now week two of Philly-Marathon-Training and Brent was interested in coming out to my neighborhood to hit the hills for a 7.5 mile run with me.  I’d suggested going farther if he needed it (since his marathon is 5 weeks before mine), but he was happy with 7.5.

Much like me, Brent is a runner turned triathlete.  Our training schedules are somewhat similar and we talk biking, running and swimming a lot.  However, not this morning.  This morning we talked about life and work and friendships.  It was a morning filled with personal advice and professional wisdom.  We know that we share a lot of things in common – but the most profound is our love for our work, our professional work.  We’re not dissimilar in our work either – we both work for colleges and have many of the same issues with our colleagues and friends.  Its really refreshing to chat about similar issues but not have a clue who the other one is referring to.

Soaked!

The morning was 80-something degrees with what felt like 100% humidity – really unusual for Phoenix.  So, Brent and I laughed as we came around to my driveway at the end – ringing out our clothes all over the sidewalk and pavement.  Since we’re both from the mid-west (Brent from KC, and I from STL) we knew this kind of humidity well.  It’s unfortunate that we both sweat out our body weight, this morning – because Brent then had to get into his car and drive 20 minutes home.  I cannot imagine that it was going to be a comfortable ride at all.  In fact, we could hear our feet sloshing in our shoes for the last mile of the run.  However – we kept a decent pace; even with stoplights and a water stop, we still managed to pull the 7.5 miles in 1:13.

Thanks Brent – sending you big hugs!

Early Blog - Pre-Tri-Tri!

“Our best successes often come after our greatest disappointments.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

After the trail run with the sun and the mountains at our backs.

After an incredibly lovely trail run, yesterday, Matt asked if I might be up for a ride the following morning (today).  I knew I needed to get a swim on the books, but I also knew that if I said “no” that I would be relegated to riding by myself at some point over the weekend – a fate I don’t mind, but I certainly prefer to be pushed harder than I would alone.  

So, in order to be able to do both, I set my alarm for 3:30am and was in the pool by 4am.  I poked my head up and out of the water at 750 meters (18:37) and was pleased with my time.  Digging back in, I completed 1500 meters in 37:42, my best time in the last several months.  Looking at the analog clock on the wall, I could see I still had a little time to spare before meeting Matt, so I dug in for an easy 200 more.  I like the idea of swimming at least 1700 meters; it lets me know I can swim a mile without fail.  

Quickly changing into my bike gear, I headed to Matt’s house to do some hill work – since I am worried (to death) about the upcoming tri in San Diego.  It pleases me to no end that I have a riding partner who doesn’t mind the pain of accomplishment (either).  Interestingly enough, neither of us was really in the mood to be chatty.  We had independent crap swirling around in our heads and it made for some brutal miles of pushing ourselves harder than we had together in months.  We even made mincemeat of the HUGE and PAINFUL hills – one that is so difficult it feels like you are literally carrying your bike with your arms to the top.

I asked Matt, somewhere mid-ride, if he’d mind if I did a 5K from his house after our ride.  His comment was priceless.  “I thought you might want to do that.”  We’ve become so accustomed to these hard mornings, that I swear we can read one another’s minds.  It just seemed pointless to drive all the way home and not get the benefit of the run directly following the ride.  Not to mention, there’s this incredible 3 mile route around a lake in his neighborhood.

So, as we shook off our crappy moods, we finished our 21 mile ride strong!  With the hills and emotional darkness came a strong AVS of over 17 mph.  We both remarked about how amazing those numbers were considering how slow and painful the hills had been.  However, we knew we were pulling big numbers on the flats – which made up for those hills nicely.

Post ride, pre run!

We rounded Matt’s neighborhood and I commented about how I would likely carry one of my water bottles.  It was nearly 90 degrees and getting hotter by the minute.  Fortunately, Matt said he had a chilled hand-held-bottle (with strap) in his fridge and would absolutely let me use it for the run.  So, while he ran in to get the bottle, I stripped out of my bike shorts in his front lawn and into my run shorts (and swim suit).

After a hug and a pat on the back, Matt said, “Now, get after it.”  And, I did.  I thought about how much I wanted to be a better triathlete all the way around the lake.  I kept looking at my watch to see that I was maintaining a comfortable pace between 9:25 and 9:35.  After the swim and the bike, I was so pleased.  I came around the bend at the end and could see my car, but my watch only said “2.88 miles”, so I headed around the backside of Matt’s street and when I saw my car again, it was 3.1 miles – a full 5K.  My time: 29:23 – a 9:28 pace.

Matt appeared shortly after I finished, all clean and holding a cup of coffee.  “You know I am not going to hug you, right?”  I was soaked and disgusting.  He put out his fist and I knew he was proud of me.  There are so few people in my life who really “get” just how hard this shit is – some tell me I am crazy; most tell me they could never do it themselves.  The truth is – we all CAN do it.  It’s just a lot easier when you have incredible support along the way.  So, this is a thank you to all of you who really do support me – even though you think its insane or your convinced you can’t do it.  And it’s a fist-bump to all of you who, just like me, get after it day after day, week after week.

PR's are still comin'!

Generally speaking I like to blog right after my long run or ride of the week, but I am in St Louis this weekend, so logistically it simply didn't work out.

I have to admit, after reviewing my times from last week's triathlon in Flagstaff, I've been pretty ecstatic about my stats.  My first Sprint distance was in April and I completed the Tri in 1:43 minutes.  I wasn't disappointed with my times (at the time), but I knocked 10 minutes off that time in this last one for a total time of 1:33.  What I realized when looking at my times is that I am fairly competitive on the bike and that perhaps I really should focus more effort there.

So on Wednesday, I met Matt for some hill-repeats (I've also been told my next Tri in San Diego is super hilly).  Matt's hill route is a stair-stepper, with three distinct sections up.  On our first trek up, Matt took the lead and I stayed behind and we took it fairly easy.  By the second time up Matt gave me the look as if to say "every man for himself, Mer" and was gone, blazing a trail that left me eating dirt.  By our third trip up, my legs were loose and I was ready to challenge him, passing him about half way up, but unable to hold the lead as he flew by me at the very top.  At that point I was hungry for another opportunity and as soon as we hit the bottom (and I could see in Matt's face that he was ready to be done with these), I took off -never feeling Matt on my heals again.  For the first time, I actually believed that Matt didn't "let me win".  All these painful workouts are really showing improvement. 

Thursday morning, as usual, we met for a 6 mile trail run.  Matt had purchased new trail shoes the day before and was super excited to try them out.  They are so cool (to look at) that I found myself super jealous as he made his way out of his car and onto the trail. 

Because we were hoping to do 6 miles, we agreed to meet at 4:45am so that we'd have a little extra time to finish and cool down.  However, neither of us realized it would be quite so dark at that hour.  So, Matt flew off into the darkness, as I took every step with caution.  Your eyes really do adjust after a few minutes and by mile 2 the sun was really poking its head up, so we were fine.  It was 88 degrees and not terribly comfortable on the trail, so it was as hard and rewarding as ever.  Our times weren't anything to get excited over, but just knowing we can do it is enough, some mornings.  And, I think Matt liked his shoes. 

(Sunrise -- not too shabby considering just how dark it was!)


(Look, we kinda match!)

On Friday I boarded a flight to St Louis to see mom, Gram and Michael, after pushing out a 2000 meter swim. 

Marathon training for the Philly Marathon (on Nov 18th) began last week, so I really have to stay focused on getting some good runs on the books.  I had a 7 miler planned for Sunday in St Louis and had been worried for two weeks about their scorching temps.  The weather and temps in St Louis had been far worse than Phoenix and that's not an easy thing to say.  So, when my plane landed and I stepped off, I was pleasantly surprised by the cloudy, relatively cooler, temps. 

That evening we went to the Cards vs Cubs game in Busch Stadium and the temps were still awesome.  So, while sipping my beer and watching the Cubs lose, I figured I should probably move my 7 miler to Saturday, rather than hope for the same weather on Sunday. 


(Marcy, Scott and I - enjoying our win -- I've known these two for like 25 years!)

So, at 5:30am Saturday morning, my alarm went off and I readied myself for my run.  I glanced at the weather -- 67 degrees and 100% humidity.  I am still shocked that it can be 100% humidity and not a cloud in the sky, but that was my morning fate.  At least I would be cool, even if horribly damp. 

As I headed out for the run, my legs were feeling fresh.  Mom's neighborhood is relatively flat with only one stoplight en route to the park a mile away.  There's a really outstanding running trail in her park, complete with a lake and shade trees for almost a mile of the 1.5 mile trail.  You are faced with dodging duck-crap all the way around the lake, but you manage to get over it when faced with such a pretty area of the park. 

As I headed around the park for a third time, I glanced at my Garmin to see how I was doing.  It read 4.42 miles and just over 41 minutes.   Stunned, I actually had to look again.  Holy crap, I was maintaining a 9:15-20 pace and had absolutely no idea.  It felt absolutely natural.  I was hopeful I could just keep it up for the next 2.6 miles.  I completed another lap and was headed home, fearful of even glancing at my watch.  I didn't want to be disappointed.  (Its amazing the games we play to keep us in it.)

I heard my watch beep "7 miles" and I immediately paused the watch and looked, 1:05:24!  My best time, ever!  I don't have the capacity to actually plug in my watch while here in St Louis, but it calculates to a 9:20 pace.  I'll have to see my splits and actually moving time once I get home.  It'll be even better once I am able to remove the time from the stoplights.  (grin). And while my mom's neighborhood doesn't offer the hills of Ahwatukee, it was ridiculously humid so still a bit of a challenge for this Phoenician.  And the park does have a couple of nice, brief, climbs around the backside of the lake. 

What a rush!  I could have gone much farther, yesterday morning, but I know that my longer runs are right around the corner, so I need to focus on improving my times with these shorter ones, when I can - and I did.  

(Mom's backyard -- these trees didn't exist when I was a kid!  They're HUGE!)

Another Tri in Flagstaff!

What an amazing weekend!  Right after the gang finished our last Triathlon in Tempe (in early May), Jim asked us if we’d be interested in doing another one in Flagstaff on July 15th.  Jacqui and I were the only other 2 on the ii Team willing to take it on.  It evidently took very little convincing (on Jacqui’s part) to rope in her husband – Aaron, her brother – Josh, their friend – Joe, and Aaron’s mom – Sally.

So, yesterday afternoon, after an incredibly rainy drive up the mountain, we all met at the Triathlon start to pick up our packets and get acquainted with the transitions.  We’re not sure whether it was due to the torrential downpours or what, but there was no pre-evening bike drop-off.  So, we picked up our packets and scoped out the area.  We immediately noticed that we’d be starting waist-deep in the water and the walk down the dock to the water was treacherous for bare-feet – both coming and going from the water (even though the water entry and exit were at two completely different docks).  Fortunately, seeing our sad faces, Judy volunteered to grab the flip flops of any tender-footed athlete at the start – I being one of them!

After listening the course schpiel from the Mountain Man producer himself, we all left and met for dinner .  The skies were ominous and each of us was nervous about the course and whether the rain would make it impossible to finish without injury.  And, as we ate our dinners, we watched the skies open again for what would be the hugest storm we had seen in decades.  Jim and I had become obsessed with checking the hourly weather report so see if there was a chance the rain might hold off the following morning – but everything yesterday evening said “Intermittent Storms” or “Scattered Showers” – with no hourly break.

I drove back to my hotel from dinner with serious trepidation.  I was unsure where I was and even more uncertain as to whether I would be able to see my way back to the hotel.  By the time I got into my room, I was shaking violently from the chill and wet clothes.  But, a hot shower calmed my nerves and warmed my bones nicely.  And, I slept like a baby.

Sean and Lyla coloring a sign for me!  I have the best friend EVER!  Thank you, Anne!

Anne sent these to me JUST before I went to bed.  

Isn't he just delicious!

Unlike our last two triathlons, there were no “designated” bike spots on the racks in the transition area, so it was dog-eat-dog – a complete free for all.  Aaron admitted to wanting a front spot, since the bike “in” and “out” were on the same side of the transition area.  It would definitely be an advantage.  So, we all agreed to get up super early and be to the start by 5am – even though the transition area would not be open for bikes until 5:30am.  Jac and I wanted to be together, as we always joke about wanting to do the event together.  However, we both know that Jac kicks my ass in the water and I am stronger than she on the bike.  Oddly enough, we both typically pull 9:20-30’s on our runs, so we’re pretty even there.

At 5am’ish, we all arrived and everyone had their bikes on one of the first 5 racks in the transition area.  We were very pleased with Aaron’s forethought.   Jac, Sally and I chose a rack a few rows behind the guys and Jim chose the closest rack to the in/out transition, but I felt that was a bit too intimidating for someone who isn’t a pro.  These triathletes can be super-competitive and I did not want to get in anyone’s way.  Jim is my new hero for braving the crazy people up front – or maybe he is one of the crazies and I just didn’t realize it until this morning (wink).

See, right up front with Jim and his bike before the race!

Sally, Joe and Josh were completing their first triathlons – so it was nice to have some truly excited and anxious people among us.  Jac and I became friends with a guy in our row who was new, as well.  Oddly enough, Josh had recently gotten into a battle with his dog and lost – well, his thumb lost; so he had stitches and swelling the likes of my forearm on one thumb.  It made for a very entertaining wet-suit application, for sure.  Opposable thumbs are what set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom – Josh was a bit of a failure in that aspect.  However, to all of our humor, he’d wrapped a condom around the stitches and duck taped some gauze, as well.  He’d hoped no water would get in and further an infection.  It was skeevy, to say the least – you’re all lucky, I took no photos of the thumb.

Joe, Aaron and Josh Pre-Race

In front of the foggy lake, pre-race.  It was cold, too!

There were only 3 heats for the Sprint Triathlon (there was also a smaller “Super Sprint” with a heat or two), which meant that for the first time EVER Jacqui and I would have the chance to start together and maybe even finish together.  We’ve always joked that she kills me in the water and I kill her on the bike, so if we could figure it out – we should be able to finish the damn thing together because we run about the same pace and can carry each other, if necessary.
And, as we got in the water, I yelled at Jacqui to “rock it” and she smiled back!  The boys were all in the first heat (save Jim, who was behind Jac and Me – I guess being 60 they assume he’s not the badass that he is).

The horn sounded and off we went.  I was only about 100 meters into the swim, when I couldn’t get my breath.  I kept trying and trying, but it was no use, I would drown if I kept it up, so I had to simply relinquish my pride and keep my head out of the water for a bit while doing the breast-stroke.  I couldn’t even think about singing Happy Birthday to myself, this time, I was angry and frustrated.  But, then I realized – yes, of course, we were at 7000 feet of elevation and the altitude was killing me.  But, it wasn’t just me – everyone was dying in the water.  And, I mean everyone.  I feared for the poor kayakers because so many swimmers were latching on to them for dear life.  One gal at my side was crying.  I just had to try to focus and regain my strength and breath – and I did.  The last 500 meters were absolutely fine.  I lost a minute or two in the beginning, but nothing to stress over.

As I got out of the water, the pain of the concrete-rocky dock was awful, so I had to walk up the long ramp to the transition mat – that didn’t help my times much either.  But, I was out and ready to ride.

I coasted out of the transition area and immediately realized that all my training on the bike with Matt and Jim was paying off.  I was passing one after another – men and women.  My speeds were over 18 and often over 21 for much of the 12 miles.  The huge climbs and descents didn’t matter, I felt great and my legs were turning as if completely fresh.  I continued to pass bikers until I completed the 12 miles.  I saw Jim on the bike about 2 miles behind me, after I had turned to head back to transition, and was sure he’d eventually catch me, but I never saw him again.  I’d hoped he was proud of how far I’d come – with much of his guidance and assistance.

As I pulled into the transition area and ran my bike in, I could see Jacqui.  Holy crap, all that talk about her swim and my bike – it was real.  I stripped my bike shorts off while she put her running shoes on and off we went, together, up the long ramp out of transition and onto the run course.  Her brother, Josh, was out of the transition area just in front of us, too.  We had no idea how he’d be feeling on the run, but just before the ½ way mark, we caught up to him, gave him a nudge and a pat and continued on our run.  We were really having a good time, chatting about how great it was that we met in transition before the run.  It was absolute kismet.  About 1/10 of a mile passed the ½ way mark, we saw Jim, too!  We all smiled and rooted the other on!  Amazing – so many of us, so close!

Jac and I ran into the Finishers area strong!  We could see Aaron and Joe on the sidelines cheering us on.  We crossed together, smiling!  The announcer even commented about how happy “Meredith and Jacqui” appeared to be!  We were happy.  We completed it in 1:33:03 – our best time in a Sprint, yet.  We didn’t have time to see all of the times (swims, bikes, runs, transitions), so we’ll just have to wait until they’re posted tomorrow.

It was a great day.  Jim finished right behind us (remember, his heat started after ours, so he rocked this one, too)!  And, Josh was shortly behind Jim.  The rains even parted for the entirety of the triathlon – and the sun came out for the bike and run portions.  Naturally, it poured as we made our way back to our hotels to shower, but none of us cared – we’d all finished!

We did it, again!

I guess I have another couple of hours to bask in this strong finish (in high altitude) before the reality of my next Triathlon hits me – September 8th in San Diego (with the beautiful Erin and Justin)!  Training blogs to follow for sure…

PR's and the other thing...

I admit, sometimes I am at a complete loss for words.  As the heat infiltrates the Phoenix metro area, my times suffer, my body suffers, my motivation suffers and ultimately my pride suffers.  This is a lousy combination, but I know we just have to get through it – that in another couple of months the mornings will begin to cool off and everything will improve – my times, my motivation and my pride.

There were a couple of highlights, this week, however.  Wednesday, July 4th, Matt organized a 36 mile ride out to Maricopa and back.  So, Jim and I agreed to meet at his place a little before 5am, so we could beat the heat (which is impossible these days).  Boy did we get lucky; while the rest of the country was suffering in triple digit temperatures, we Phoenicians awakened to 77 degrees with 80% humidity.  It was absolutely straight out of the Twilight Zone – none of us could believe it.  The humidity was something we had a hard time dealing with, but ultimately, with 77 degree temps – who cared!

I am always a little nervous riding with Matt and Jim because they are much better riders than I.  I always fear I will hold them back and keep them from really getting after it.  So, as we headed out on the long stretch of road to Maricopa, I was drafting off Jim with Matt behind me.  We were easily hitting speeds of 20-22 miles per hour and I was strangely feeling fine.  And then it happened, Jim motioned for me to take the lead and he would move to the rear.  Fearful I would ruin the awesome pace, I worked hard.  I watched my bike computer every inch of the nearly 2.5 miles I led – 20-21 miles per hour, and I held firm.  Matt took over after me and I dropped to the back, looking forward to drafting.  What I realized is that I have to be super cautious when letting off – I nearly lost Matt and Jim as I peeled back a little more than I intended and had to stand up and crunch my way back to Jim’s wheel.  I managed to get myself back, and Matt kept us chugging away – killing my pace with 22’s.  I was never so happy to be far behind him.
 
I got another shot at the lead several miles later and still maintained 20’s, but was only able to hang in the lead for just under 2 miles before I let Matt take over.  And, again, I nearly lost them as I peeled to the back.  I honestly think it was Matt trying to better the two of us, but whatever (wink).  This time, however, I really struggled to get to Jim’s wheel.  I yelled at him to hold up a smidge, but Jim had wax the size of golfballs in his ears  that morning, so, nearly in tears, I yelled so that Matt would hear me.  And, he did – and I caught up.

Shortly after that, we took a break at the ½ way spot and made sure to take supplements.  I was pretty wasted from my effort, but feeling incredibly pleased with what had just transpired.  I snapped at Matt and Jim a little for letting me struggle in the last couple of miles, but was in good spirits by the time we began our trek back to Ahwatukee.

However, it was melt-down-city about ½ way back to town with Jim in the lead and Matt behind me.  At one point I was no longer able to hang on Jim’s wheel as he pushed for 19 mph.  Matt inquired as to how I was doing and I just shook my head.  I tried, once again, to yell at Jim to ask him to lay off a little, but again he was in the zone, unable to hear anything but the roar of the traffic to our left.  Recognizing my discomfort and misery, Matt pushed ahead of me and got Jim’s attention asking him to lay off so I could get my mojo back.  But, I really never did.  I was lucky to pull 17’s as they dragged my ass back to Ahwatukee.

On a good note – I glanced at my bike computer a lot on the ride – and for about 25 miles, it told me that I’d maintained an 18.5 avs for all 25 miles.  By the time we’d finished the 38, it read “18.0” – it was a personal record for me.  I’d pulled 17.1 with Jim a few weeks prior on Pecos Rd for my 27 mile ride, so this was pretty huge.  18 mph – YES!

And, this morning, we had a 10 mile run planned.  Brent and I try to get together for our 10 at least once a month – so, we agreed to another one, today.  Before Matt left for his vacation, I told him “Sunday, 10 miles, be there.”  And at 5:15am, Matt was at my doorstep ready to run.  Sadly, Brent failed to show due to alarm issues, so Matt and I headed out around 5:30am in 89 degree heat and 40% humidity – which is a TON for us Phoenicians.  Matt and I both had our issues while on this run – he in mile 4, and I in mile 8.  Because of the temps, we also needed the occasional water break, so our times were dreadful overall – but we punched out 10 solid miles without bailing.  I don’t think either of us could have completed all 10 without the other – as it was a battle of wills, this morning – and fortunately, we each had energy when the other did not.  It could also be a desire not to let one another down.

After the run, we bumped fists and attempted to take a blog shot without the reverse camera feature.  We’re not nearly as good looking when we have no idea if its even going to work.  I think it took me 12 tries to get this lousy one.  Oh well, you all know what we look like by now – so enjoy this one.

Mer plus Matt minus Brent

Oh, and I had a great breakfast with Miss Lyla, yesterday – so I had to include this picture that Anne took of us!  She is such a sweetie!

Miss Lyla --- love that girl!

Disappointment breeds success...

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally happened.  My cell phone camera has failed me.  My blog simply will not be the same until I replace my phone.  I have managed some old-school-MySpace-style photos, but I have opted to keep most of them to myself.  So, I hope you can still enjoy this – sans the reverse-phone-feature-pictures you generally enjoy…

I had to switch things up a bit, this week, because my reliable workout buddy had obligations for much of the week and weekend.  I think it depressed us both to realize that there would be no Wednesday hill-repeats or intervals and no Friday ride through the Foothills or …whatever. 
However, we did manage to get out butts out of bed on Thursday morning for our favorite event of the week – the trail.  I’d like to tell you what an incredible trail-run it was, as I have done in weeks passed, but it simply was not.  We made it a few miles into our 5 mile run and walked the last two+ miles to the parking lot.  Truthfully, I think sometimes its good to remember that we’re only human and sometimes our bodies and minds can’t support the effort we intend for them.  I say that, but as we collapsed at mile 3, we realized that the sun was just coming up over the mountains, so I snapped this.  I think it explains to all of you why I relish my Thursday morning runs so much.

So, I had originally planned a full-brick for this Saturday morning, but a friend called and asked if I might be willing to do a trail run with him on Saturday morning.  I picked an entirely new trail on the north side of South Mountain (about 4 miles long) and abandoned my brick.  Again – THIS is what we were graced with on Saturday morning.  I think I could abandon street running altogether if this was how it would be all year (but it won’t be…).

Of course, after my trail run on Saturday, I realized I hadn’t been on the bike since Matt and I did San Juan Road the prior Sunday, and I missed it dreadfully.  There was no one willing to head out with me, this weekend, at all – so it was going to be mine to own.

When I woke up, this morning, at 4am, I was actually looking forward to my solo-ride.  I know I can pull decent speeds when out with Jim and/or Matt, but I am never convinced I can do it on my own.  I also tend to avoid some of the tougher hills when I ride with them because I simply don’t want to humiliate myself as they take the lead and leave me in the dust.  So, this was my morning.  I was going to head out before 5am and put a solid 20+ miles on my legs – pushing myself over Desert Foothills, a pass that has always intimidated me (at least in front of Matt or Jim). 

My route and climbs!

I maintained great speeds (18.5) on Pecos and my legs were feeling really fresh, so when I turned onto 17^th Avenue I was sure I would knock it out of the park.  Well, I didn’t.  My 18’s were dropping to 15’s and I was working hard to push it closer to 16, but I was getting tired.  I wasn’t sure if I would snap out of it, but I was committed to the full ride up the backside of Desert Foothills.  The last time I had focused on this ride, I pulled 11’s up the hardest part of the hill – and I was ok with it.  Not today.  I know I am better than 11’s.  As I turned onto Desert Foothills, I could see my bike computer yelling back at me – 11.7.  (sad face)  But then something happened, I stood up and cranked away for just a moment and the next thing I knew I was at 13.3 all the way to the top.  My legs were on FIRE as I approached the top, but nothing felt better than to let them just enjoy the breeze on the way down.  I still have a lot of work to do, but I was ultimately pleased with my effort – and it remained solid for the last 7 miles home. 

As quickly as I could, I stripped from all my bike gear, and showered, because Jim and his wife, Judy, would be picking me up in less than an hour.  And, at 7:30am I was in their car headed to Bartlett Lake – about 75 minutes northeast of Phoenix.  None of us had ever been, but Jim and I agreed that we should probably complete another open water swim before our Tri in two weeks. 

In truth, we had a blast!  It was really too warm for wetsuits, but we figured we should don them anyway.  There were a few others out there with their wetsuits on, so we knew we wouldn’t be the only ones getting odd looks.  I realized during our drills that I was doing really well swimming a straight line from one end of the lake to the other (about 400 meters each way).  Although super fast, Jim struggled with his lines, but that just meant we finished each leg around the same time – which, naturally, pleased me enormously.  Jim is a far better swimmer than I – faster and better technicality all around.  I figure I completed somewhere around 1700 meters in the lake.  Jim?  Probably 2000. 

Bartlett Lake

Ready to get in the water - sweating to death!

I was completely wasted at the end of the swim.  Jim, Judy and I enjoyed a nice brunch lake-side when we finished – complete with muffins, juice, coffee and fresh fruit.  A successful Sunday workout for sure.