d I Congrats to all those who finished IM AZ! We only had one athlete from the area, Jim, AG 6-64, finishing in 13:53. Amazing.

As for my weekend, I found I am REALLY liking doing a long run on a day other than Saturday or Sunday. I figure I might as well do as much as possible on a work day, since then I am forced to sit and relax, to a point at least.

Saturday was to be a travel day, so getting the run out of the way the day before was beneficial for that as well. I did make it to the pool and was only going to (1) swim 20 min., (2) swim 30 min., (3) swim 25 min., and finally ended up doing 2000 yards. It just felt so good in the water. I couldn't help think of the dolphins and beluga whales at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago last weekend, and how they swam so freely and effortlessly. That's how I felt Saturday. Free and effortlessly. Not particularly fast, as I felt as if I were plodding, but it felt good. So the 2000 yards just happened.

Sunday was not supposed to be as nice as it was, so I never planned to bike outside, but as it turned out, no wind and full sun made it hard to turn down at least a short bike ride. I knew there would be a group meeting at the park but opted to go alone as I knew they would be doing 64 miles, and I am not there yet. I could have opted to do an out and back with them, but that would have involved crossing one of the busiest highways by myself on the way back. I just don't have the guts to attempt that in the afternoon. Despite no real wind, you can still pretty much figure on some sort of windchill once you start moving. I really had no idea what to wear, but went by the temp. at the time I was leaving: 46 degrees. So it would be layers and windblocking clothes, gloves, ear covering, etc. I could feel the wind immediately and wished I had worn one more layer, but continued on. There actually was a wind once I got going. I decided to do the hills first and then turn back and do the flat part around the river. I felt good, just a little slower than my last couple of rides. Maybe it was all the clothes and the wind?? Took the bike path to cross over the river and came upon lots more people out enjoying the day. The bike path is good if you go early enough in the day, but usually gets clogged up the later in the day it gets, and the warmer it gets. Today was no exception, however I was able to keep going without a problem until I arrived at the bridge.

Now I am not usually rude or obnoxious about oblivious people in the way, but this was one of the rare occasions when I spoke up. There in the path, blocking the path, were two bikers. One had her bike laying across the path. The other had his bike upside down fiddling with the pedals or wheel. I shouted out "could you please move the bike?" The woman moves out of the way. I again shouted, "The bike. Could you move it out of the way??" Her answer? "Oh, well we just had an accident." Okay, but--"if you don't move the bike I'm going to have an accident." (there was nowhere to go and nothing to do at this point but stop). "Well sorreeee." That was her response. So apparently it is okay if she isn't using any common sense because something was wrong with one of their bikes? Both were standing. No one was bleeding. There was nothing obviously wrong, so how would I know they were having a problem? As I said, common sense would tell you to not lay your bike down on a path where others ride, rollerblade, run, or walk, regardless of the problem--unless you were unconscious. It was an accident waiting to happen. Duh!

Despite this, I decided to not let it bug me and rode on along the river. The river and the road were still showing signs of recent flooding, with groves of trees still in standing water, and debris still covering parts of the road. It really is the worst section of all bike paths in our area, but I realize this is due to yearly flooding (and probably lack of money). The bike path goes through 4 municipalities, and only this stretch is bad, so all in all a nice riding area.

Ended up with 15.6 miles, but it was long enough for what I intended for the day. Just getting out in the sunshine was bonus enough!

Today I again surprised myself and did 3 miles on the treadmill. I am actually looking forward to these runs and no longer dread having to do them, regardless of the distance. I am feeling a part of my old self return, am finding I have more energy than ever, and have shown a definite toning and weight loss. I still have a ways to go (for me, not that it is necessary), but it is just one of those things I am not consciously doing everyday, it is just happening, as being a part of me. Here is the quote of the day that caught my eye:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle

Things are looking good!