Monday, July 7, 2008

What a Weekend it Was...

The Forth of July has come and gone.

Kaboom. (ohh, ahh)

It was really a wonderful weekend, full of great activities. Hubby and I golfed, grilled and gardened.

We also got together with friends and went on a 39-mile bike ride along the Cannon Valley Trail



The trail is wonderful. Well paved and mostly shady, it winds (downhill) to Red Wing, another wonderful Minnesota river community.

It was wonderful to ride with Hubby, Marcia, Marty, Kathy, Marc and Matt.

Nat and her boyfriend, Rich, were going to join us, but her toe is still on the mend. Hopefully she'll be back in the bike saddle soon.

Like every other "endurance event" I've participated in, we were all chatty and peppy on the way to Red Wing.

Here is a photo of us on the way there:


Note the happy, smiling faces, the great postures, the "let's go get 'em" expressions.

Once we got to Red Wing, we took a well deserved lunch break. Food and conversation were both great.


Then we started our way back to Cannon Falls. Although the trial is not really hilly, there is a slow, steady grade. Now were were winding our way BACK UP the trail.


Here is a picture of us on the way back:


Note: less smiling faces, less enthusiasm, less pep.


Regardless of our energy levels, we got back to Cannon Valley without incident.

(Well, except for seeing a snake along the trail, which freaked me out totally....).

Good news for me is that the ride, just shy of 40 miles, helped me with my confidence of being able to handle 56 miles during Pigman. I know that 16 miles is a lot -- and that precedes a 1/2 marathon, but I still have 5 weeks of training to go to prepare.


After we all got back to Minneapolis, we went to a BBQ hosted by another good friend of ours. We ate lots of great summer foods. Always a favorite part of mine...
I also got together with my good friend Mary K., who has been busy (overwhelmed) with managing kid activities this summer. We had a chance to catch up over coffee and to make some plans for a picnic dinner for later this month.

-------
Training continues...

I did a course preview yesterday for LifeTime.
Rode my bike to Lake Nokomis, then hopped in to the water for a test swim without my wetsuit. The temperatures have risen and I'm not sure that, by Saturday, wet suits will be legal.

I've gotten to rely on the buoyancy of the suit and if we can't wear them, I want to make sure that I feel comfortable in the water.

It was hot and humid yesterday -- our first 90 degree day of the summer. The beach was packed and lots of recreational swimmers were splashing close to shore. Past the ropes, where the water runs deeper, were "my people" -- other triathletes getting ready for Saturday.

I got in the water, got past the ropes and swam for about 20 minutes. It went pretty well.

Then I ran the 10k course, which loops the lake twice.

LifeTime always seems to happen on the hottest day of our summer (one year it was in the high 90s and the water temp was 82...). This year, it is expected to be hot and humid (again). Being out there yesterday was good practice for this weekend.

I'm hoping to have a better finish time than at Rochester, but I'll be happy to just participate and enjoy the day.

7 comments:

Steve Stenzel said...

You wouldn't have wanted to be that close to Nat's toe anyway... that thing is nasty.

We'll have to exchange race numbers (once they're released) for the LTF tri so we can say hi in transition before the race!

Michelle said...

Wow, what an action packed few days! I predict you'll be great with or without the wetsuit. Very smart though getting in some time without it. I love the "before" and "after" pictures. Your whole post is just so positive and energized, I love it!

Anonymous said...

That was a great - but exhausting - bike ride. Forward me the photos when you have a chance.

Best of luck this weekend at the LTF tri! You're well on you way to a great performance this Saturday!

Nat said...

You're doing great on the training amy! Keep up the great work!

Dori said...

Sounds like a lot of fun--I wish I was there! I'm really envious of the great trails Minnesota has; the scenery here is beautiful, but there are always cars to contend with.

Good luck on Saturday! I can't believe you're doing Lifetime so close to Pigman.

Sunshine said...

Sorry to be late with this... Thanks thanks thanks for your recent supportive comment!
Enjoyed your post as always.

Sunshine said...

Sorry to be late with this... Thanks thanks thanks for your recent supportive comment!
Enjoyed your post as always.