Fun Trip!

I didn't talk about this new job much when I took it a few months ago, but I really do like it. They really like me too, which is nice. I am actually working from home again, and I'm based out of their Balt/Wash office in DC. So sometimes I will get brought up to the office. This time it was really cool.

I worked at home all day thursday then drove up to DC thursday night. I picked a hotel in Alexandria VA that was just a few blocks from the client's office so I could walk there for meetings friday morning. The meetings were great, client loves me. Back to my office in McLean VA and I got a few more tasks buttoned up tight. Very productive morning.

Then the fun started. A bunch of us from the office threw a crab crackin', which I believe is kind of the northern version of a pig pickin' down here. All you can eat Maryland blue crabs from this place in Arlington VA called The Quarterdeck. These crabs were amazing. Everyone else was an old hand at those things and knew exactly how to tear into them, and I had no clue. But once the head of the office showed me how to get in there, I got lots of practice.

I'm not saying Ironman training leaves you hungry. Well, actually, I am. Most people finished up after 24-30 crabs. I got closer to 50. Of course we were also getting pitchers of beer so I couldn't keep an accurate count. Needless to say a good time was had by all, and I got a ride back to the hotel a fat and happy drunk. Then it was time to meet up with my friend Shawn for dinner.

His GF grew up in the area, and I hadn't seen Shawn since march, so she picked the place. I got there late as hell but as quickly as possible. We had some fun times, went to a bar after that, it was good all the way around. The new GF is really a lot of fun. I hope she sticks around for a while.

Saturday I got up and was supposed to get in a nice run before heading back to NC, but the pitchers of beer from the night before didn't agree to those terms. I did find the Mt Vernon Trail a few blocks from the hotel, it's a really long greenway that runs along the Potomac river and George Washington Parkway that was filled with plenty of bikers, runners, and walkers. I walked it for about an hour. Completely amazing. The trail goes all the way into DC but I didn't get that far. Just walked for a while and came back.

I got checked out of the hotel in time and was back in Raleigh in good shape. The last time I went to DC I flew up and the airline lost my luggage, then some items were stolen out of my suitcase including the small point and shoot camera that I like to carry on these trips. I still haven't replaced the camera, so I have no pictures from the trip at all damnit. Not cool. And I found out at the crab crackin that they expected me to stay saturday night as well, which means I could have tried to setup more social activities and gotten tickets to the Clemson vs Maryland football game which turned out to be a great win for the Tigers. I have so many friends in the DC area I really wanted to be more social. I'm also surprised how many people that I went to high school and college with ended up in the area. At least I got to see Shawn this trip. More next time.

All that left me with Sunday to get in a long brick workout to make up for the 30 lbs of crabs I ate on Friday. I hit 40 miles on the bike and followed with a 12 mile run. I guess that will do. Still burned about 3000 calories. Towards the end of the run my quads started feeling fatigued.

Today starts the last week of the build phase. Get through this one and it's only 2 weeks of taper to go. I'm ready to see that starting line, and ready to see that finish line.