12 days left!

tree hugging dirt worshipper

this is where I don't get to ask about my knee/foot/head/etc.

OK, now it's time for some serious nervous energy. The car is completely clean, but i still haven't steamcleaned the carpet yet. Today was a restful day, and we started it out with a bang, on our favorite trail. It's a 5 mile hike, to and from Siltcoos Lake through a gorgeous old growth forest. I had plans to ride for an easy 25, but i got caught up in the family health drama (does addie, after all, have a broken arm?).

Countdown to Canada

Peter wonders if I could embed this in the page, but i think the link is about as fancy as  blogger will get.

http://www.ironman.ca/canclock.html

ten mile run!

Kris, veteran of many marathons.

Well, considering I somehow missed my last "real" long run, today's run of ten miles had to fulfill my anxiety about distance and time on my feet.  I really couldn't consider anything longer for today, and I have no intention of stressing myself beyond what I did this morning in between now and the 29th.  as we say, I know better.  So it's behind be, what became perhaps the most whimsical, pleasant ten miles I've ever run, well, really jogged.  I couldn't go out the door without my camera, so I strapped my camera plus four fluid bottles onto my hip, and walked out the door at a downright luxuriant 8:45 AM!  Not only was I late leaving the house, but I was reminded of my tardy activity because I ran into my friend and running buddy, Kris, who of course was finishing up her 7 mile run AND delivering trash that she had found on the road into the proper receptacle.  She is one of my great inspirations, and a fabulous athlete and dear friend.

river view, mile one

the river never looks the same. 

So with the camera on my hip, I took a few shots in favorite places.  By the time I got to Driftwood Shores, I wanted to take more pictures of the ocean, but the fog was thick and so I decided to get a little live action.  This is five miles into my run, and the spirit of stopping and taking video on the beach really broke the mood for me.  This is supposed to be fun, afterall.  Plus, I know by now that no speed records are going to be broken on the 29th.  If I can walk away from this month happy and healthy, well, that's a good enough thing.

Here I am at Kris' heartbreak hill, at about mile 9.

If only this were a half ironman!

Pacific Ocean, to the right.

I got out this morning for a lovely 45 miles.  I threw the race wheels on and well, that sort of made me feel fast, although I wasn't working very hard.  Somewhere between,  *oh, I don't care and gee, I should be working a lot harder*.  Probably a good thing for taper, all things considered.

Tagaderm!!!!!

road rash? what road rash?

it's not cheap, so if you're smart you'll barter w/someone in the med. profession!

Steve, thank you Steve! It's all about the tagaderm! Next time you have an intimate exchange with pavement, by all means this is what you need to medicate with!!!!

16 days left

What Will I wear?????

You know you've started to taper when you start to clean the car, thoroughly and seriously wonder, what shoes will I wear? Seriously, there has been a lot of stress this year, particularly around cycling shoes. I just got some new inserts for the sidis, but i may have to go with the old sidi T1 to prevent any unnecessary numbness and pain in my feet.

Running and Swimming

Got a baseline 5 mile run in today and my knee felt OK until about 36 minutes in.  Stopped, stretched, evaluated, and finished my loop.  I'll try to go for a more serious run Saturday.  Swam with the kids in the Greentrees pool. Always fun.  I guess this is what 17 days from race day looks like. Who knew?