Our training is....

sexy and intriguing - at least that's what Grandison wrote to me in an email last week. I was describing myself as being a bit boring since my life consists mainly of working and training right now. Luckily, Grandison always has a way of seeing things in a positive light. This called for an investigation. Were my Friday & Saturday workouts actually sexy & intriguing?

Friday: What a gorgeous day! I arrived at work prepared for quick get-away (time & work responsibilities permitting) to the good ol' West Creek area. My bike was packed, my nutrition was packed and my oh-so-cute trigirl shorts & pink bike top were packed. I wouldn't describe myself as sexy in those shorts. I can say that a few students were undoubtedly intrigued (or more likely horrified) by the sight of their professor in a trigirl biking ensemble. As I drove out to WC, I figured that I could get about 5 hours of riding in before it got too dark. Riding in the dark? Hmmmm....that's intriguing, but I have no desire to do that. Anyway, the weather was quite cooperative, albeit quite windy at times. The gates to the Capital One were open - intriguing! Almost like they were welcoming me back after a winter's absence.

In case you were wondering, it gets pretty lonely riding for that long by yourself. But, I figure I will be riding longer than that by myself in Brazil, so I hope it helped reintroduce me to the whole notion of mental toughness.

I wasn't so smart with the nutrition. I had eaten lunch 3 hours in advance of my workout, and I started the ride feeling a little hungry. My perpetuem, heed and a bag of sharkies got me through - but I definitely needed more food prior to starting my ride.

Saturday: For the first time in months, I didn't get up at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday. I woke up around 6:30 a.m. to check in with Rick before his 90 mile ride. Then, I ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, an english muffin and coffee. Ahhhh....such a treat on a Saturday. After a few household chores, I headed out on my 8-miler. I had mapped a route down Grove, through the U of R campus, up to Forest (just a bit past 3sports) and back. Would I be able to negative split this hilly course? Rather intriguing, don't you think? Okay - maybe only I thought it was intriguing. I love running around U of R. I tend to check out the lawns and the varied architecture. I will admit that I was intrigued by a large addition being put on a sweet little bungalow.

For the record, I did manage a negative split - by a mere 30 seconds.

After a quick refueling at home, I had planned to head straight to the Y for a 2-mile swim. Wait a second? Was that THUNDER I just heard? A quick check of the radar confirmed that a line of storms was heading our way - and most disturbingly, right towards my buddies out on route 5. As my dog (poor sensitive girl) hid under the bed, I watched the storms move very quickly through the area. I had hoped that most of the White Lakers & Brazilians had made it back in time, but I knew that was unlikely given the distances they were riding.

After learning that they had all made it safely back, I was intrigued to learn how it went. And really, let's be honest, anyone who can ride in that weather is sexy. Maybe not immediately after the workout, but that kind of bravery and perseverance is to be admired, celebrated, and honored. Here's to you, my sexy, intriguing training buddies!