Taper is, is taper does...

So,

Monday night was of course rest day. Nothing special occured, except that I picked up the Xbox and started playing some again in my free time. What can I say, I have already paid for the games, so all I am really paying for in the way of entertainment costs is electricity.

Tuesday night I decided once again to head out on the Sandy Springs ride. It still felt hot last night on the ride, but It was closer to 90 degrees than 100 degrees. Watching the news this morning it seems that some of you out there in the tri blog land are getting some repreive from your training and events, although not much.

Since I am officially in my taper I decided to take it easy, which meant riding like I did last year (except that last year I would have been busting my ass to get the same time I did last night). Of the three girls that I had met earlier this summer, two of them had returned (I don't know if I had ever posted it, but the three of them are in Team in Training for cycling only). Kim and Alicia(?). We talked again for about fifteen minutes after our ride, and they rode with me during the ride, so I got to see how their Team in Training event at Tahoe was, and I told them how my Gulf Coast Triathlon went. We all have a couple of events left for the year, and we recapped them.

I will not lie, it felt awsome being able to hang out for a few minutes after riding and being able to speak with someone about my interests. Usually I just pack up and leave, while the rest of them catch up on the week and then go out to get drinks, etc. I tried hanging out with a few of them last week in the parking lot during the deluge that occured, but they did not really open up to me as a new person. Don't get me wrong I have a few people that I already speak with my interests with (parents, friends, Jackie, Charlie, etc...), but after awhile it gets kinda lonely when you go out for a run/ride/swim, and you are ALWAYS by yourself. It is also nice you have you guys out there in blogland for support and feedback on what is going on in my tri life.

TUESDAY

BIKE
23.49 miles in 1hr 28min ???sec, I forgot I am not near my bike computer right now. Not my best, but I am tapering, remember?

Bike computer works great!!! Thanks for the advice!!! Great investment.

We had to cut off about a mile and a half due to a downed power line. I thought we might actually get lost but where were turned to detour, but all of the sudden we came to the intersection that is at the top of our long hill climb (not that steep, just long). Alicia calls this section "mini Schooner." When she was out at Tahoe for her TinTraining event, she said there was a "hill" (that is what they call the smaller mountains out West I guess) that had a climb 9 miles long. The locals out there call it the "Schooner." and our little rendition on the Sandy Springs ride reminds her of it.

I am kind of worried that I might not get my brick in this weekend, due to the fact that I might be taking a little mini road trip on Saturday for a fraternity event. I do not know 100 percent if I am going or not, but it will cut off my Saturday and Sunday training, since I would be driving back on Sunday. We shall see what happens. Who knows, I might just take my bike down there and make a brick workout on St. Charles Avenue (oops did I give away the location?)

Thanks for all the race reports and question polls that all you posted this weekend, they were great to read. I truly love this sport, and I love it when there is new content for me to take in (i.e. new tri book, Triathlete magazine, your blogs, websites, etc...). I heard Peter Reid was cranking out a new book that is due to come out soon.

Talk to "y'all" later!

Murtha...