riders on the storm

Okay, before I go ANYWHERE, get thee to Iron Benny's site and read his IMAZ report. Make sure you have some kleenax. Congrats to Benny and Nytro for their inspirational journey!!!

Whew. OK. So now with today....

I felt really STRONG today. Not necessarily fast, just strong. I woke up without an alarm at 5:08. Headed to the pool and it wasn't even that crowded! Navy Guy and Noodle Lady were both there, along with Mr. Alanis Morrisette. (don't ask...long story) So I had the pool relatively to myself (I say that because 4 people is a "slow" day in our little Y pool...usually you're on top of 18 people in a lane)

Set off to do my 3400 yard workout.

Paused for a minute to realize how LITTLE 3400 yards scared me.

Geez......

I felt very strong. Again, not fast, but strong. I felt calm and collected in the water and finished with a decent time. The last 400 involved 3X100 hard and a 100 cooldown. I did those 100s hard under 1:36--which I was excited about seeing as I had already swam 3000 yards. Thought about how my strategy for the swim was to really be almost a "warm up" for my long, long day. I originally thought maybe I could get my swim down to around 1:10-1:12....but then I've been thinking...why? Why kill myself in the swim? Does that really matter? Why not take it a little easier, and come out of the water refreshed at 1:20ish? That's the much better route. It's not like 10 minutes is really going to make a difference in the overall day.

Note to self: must remember the BIG PICTURE.

Had a great day at school today: my World History kids created newscasts of 1989 for Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria in small groups and did "breaking news" stories of how communism fell apart in each one. They were really good--I mean I was really impressed with what these kids did. Every once in a while they surprise me--and I realize that they are really learning. And that's freaking cool.

It was stormy today--lightning and the whole 9 yards. I LOOOOOVE thunderstorms. One of my favorite things to do is to watch a storm come in off Lake Erie. Waterspouts are the BEST. Then it was sunny after school, so I did what I needed to do to get ready for tomorrow and headed home to hurry up and get my arse on the bike. I wanted to try out my new helmet and gloves!!!

The sky in the west was a little gray as I drove home. Man, was it windy.

No worries--I high-tailed it upstairs to change. Got my bottle ready and put on my road ID, and then headed out to get my bike. I was sooo pumped! Matt warned me about the wind. I said, I know, but it will just make me stronger!

I got on my bike and set off down the driveway.

And I kid you not--the second I hit the street it started raining.

Arg!

So I went to the garage for 5 minutes and debated....do I go to the basement and hit the trainer? YUCK. It's not COLD....just a little rainy...it didn't look too dark in the distance--even a bit light.

I'm goin' for it.

I warned Matt that I might call him in 5 minutes if I get stuck. Set off bracing for a storm and some wind, but excited.

I felt really strong. Cruisin' along the lakeshore...everything was awesome. The rain came, but it was short--maybe 10 minutes? So it wasn't too bad. The wind was OK...not too bad, but I definitely noticed it.

Then I followed the road as it took a little turn to follow the lake, and HIT THE WIND.

In Going Long, Friel and Byrn say that you should face your fear and personify it. If your fear is wind, for instance, they say give it a name. They suggest Mr. Blowhard.

Okay, I'm just gonna say it. That sounds a little bit dirty to me. :)

But Mr. Blowhard it is.

So I talked trash to Mr. Blowhard as he slowed me waaaaayyyyy down for about 3 miles. I mean, I was going 12-13 mph and it was ROUGH. "You suck, Mr. Blowhard. Just you wait until I turn around. Then you're mine, beee-yotch."

Finally hit the turnaround point, and sure enough, he was my beee-yotch. I was cruising at 23 mph at one point. Woo hoooooo!!!!!!!!!! It felt AWESOME.

I am soooooo glad I didn't pansy out and go hit the trainer. :)

Got home and wondered what my average speed was...I usually don't check until the end. I knew that wind put a damper on things, so I was pleasantly surprised to see I averaged 17.6 mph for a little under 17 miles.

So I felt pretty strong today. Tomorrow begins Spring Break--and the hour countdown to my flight to AZ will commence.

And Mr. Blowhard--you can SUCK IT. :)