Thank GOD for a long weekend

Everything is good or bad today. Certainly hectic. Here goes nothing:

• Last Night's Brick was supposed to be race distance, but again the clock caught up with me. I made it 24 miles on the bike in 1:15 and change, which is decent but not great. Then moved back to the treadmill for the 6.2 mile run. I hit 4 miles 15 minutes before the gym closed and had to abandon to grab a quick shower and get out of there. I had the energy and hydration to easily make it the final 6.2 miles, everything was going really strong on the run. Usually when these workouts fail, it's either thanks to time or the bowels. this time it was time that got me. Still, a 24/4 brick is still a great workout. So we'll call that one good and bad.


• Good: Yesterday at work we took several components live that I've been working on for a few months. XML is very cool.


• Bad: My grandmother (dad's mom) had to be checked into a nursing home yesterday. She may or may not be able to go back to the assisted living facility she enjoyed before. We just had dinner with her earlier in the month, so it's a fairly rapid decline in her health.
  
• I was running out of tea in the office, so we went to this israeli restaurant and grocery store last night for dinner. It's my favorite place to get tea, they have the kind of stuff you can't find in grocery stores with no english on the label. My favorite is a chinese Gunpowder tea. Good.
  
• I found out the hard way that hummos, pitas, gyro, fallafels, and other israeli food is not good pre-brick fuel. Bad.


• Last Monday was the Assault on Mount Mitchell. Mount Mitchell is the highest elevation point east of the mississippi, and the assault ride is well known as the most challenging bike ride in these here parts. I don't know how well known the assault is nationally, though. It's a 102 mile ride from downtown spartanburg to the top of the mountain. 80 miles into the ride you start climbing in Marion, NC with a couple of descents and tons of switchbacks. Total climbing is 8100 ft. The last 22 miles are basically straight uphill with a few relief points built in. JD is a local rider and fellow Greenville Spinners member who did the assault monday, and wrote maybe the best report I have ever read about the ride. It takes 8 - 12 hours to complete this ride, and is one of those post-ironman type of goals for me. and since my ironman dreams are far-fetched, this is one of those rides that seems out of reach.


• Long Holiday: Getting through that work deadline and goLive date has been incredibly stressful. I had to work all of last weekend and plenty of late nights to get through it. So a day off for the holiday is going to be GREAT! I can't wait. My honey-do list is getting long.


• Saturday is the only 20 mile run on this marathon cycle. I'm going to head out to the lake at Furman if the weather and time cooperates. Bigun has a birthday party for a friend to go to on saturday as well, so I have to be sure that the timing and recovery allows. there's an 80% chance of rain sunday and monday, and maybe 40% chance on saturday. So I really want to get the run in then. Call it good or bad.


• Sunday is going to be backyard prep day and honey-do list time. Evil Genius will be turning 2 years old may 31st, and we're planning her birthday party for next saturday the 30th. So I've got to get everything prepped for a backyard kids party. Finish planting and mulching the garden, grass cut, everything watered and looking clean.


• Monday is the glory day of no working. If you add the days I work on the weekends and subtract the weekdays I take off for holidays and vacation I still would end up working less if I worked every single week monday through friday. So I cherish these long weekends or just having a weekday off. I've got several options what to do here. I'm seriously considering repeating last nights failed race distance brick, but doing it outside on the hills around my house. That will be hard core prep for the upcoming tri. There are several spinners rides going on around Greenville, including a 25 mile and metric century ride benefitting the Ronald McDonald House of Greenville that provides free housing near the hospital for family members that don't want to leave their loved ones at the hospital. Still, the main goal for monday will be to get some time riding Jenny outside. weather permitting.


• Memorial day weekend is also when most of the outdoor pools open up around here. So maybe I can actually get some swimming done too.


• Veterans? This weekend is also one of those times when we say "Thank You" to those who have served in the armed forces. I don't have the mental or physical fortitude to survive in the military, so I have a real admiration for those who can and do. I have no problem being one of the people who are too afraid to do what you have done; so thank you for protecting us.



• Finally, some pics. Some of these are mine, some came from a hilarious blog site Stuff that makes me Chuckle

These are not my kids

That is my kid. Coach Stu in his photographic wisdom really brought out the cool factor in that pic. it's tough to tell at this size, but the strawberry is in focus, and Bigun is out of focus a little bit. The table and background stuff is really out of focus. Having the out of focus stuff in black and white adds a tremendous amount of depth to the shot.



Yes I am that much of a nerd. and I like waffles.

Both girls on Bigun's last day of 3 yr old kindergarten. She's loving her summer break so far. I can't believe she's through her first year of school already.


Bigun on her first day of 3 yr old kindergarten from last september. It's amazing how much she's grown in a year, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.


Evil Genius playing in the horsetail rush we grow on the front porch. I tell her not to play with it because every time she breaks a couple of them off, but it does make for a cute picture.

These are the strawberries we pulled from the garden last weekend. There are at least that many, maybe more that need to be picked this weekend. And we've got to pick some peas too. Go enjoy some local produce this weekend.

Have a great weekend! good luck if you're racing, I know there are a ton of races going on here this weekend. Get outside, fire up the grill and have some fun! cold beers all around.