Fast Summer

     Yes, I have been wrapped up in my own little world the past few weeks.  Between work, 2 summer swim leagues, and family time, something has to take a back seat.  The weather seems to have taken a breather around here and let up on the heat a bit.  I have been trying to run early morning, but that is not always convenient.  I am in week 6 of the half ironman training and have begun to consult my veteran wife as to what I should feel like at this point.  The miles and yards seem to be piling on at this point and the heat just makes matters worse.  The kids 2 swim practices a day that we frequent help tremendously with time to get the workouts in without interfering with the family, but even still I find myself tired and lethargic at times from the heat.
     I have spent the past few months fighting my lower back pain/tightness.  I have been to the chiropractor a number of times and done countless yoga and therapy exercises on a daily basis.  None of it has solved the tightness and pain in the lumbar sacral area.   My next stop on the therapy bus will be at the local massage parlor.  M picked me up a 90 minute session to try out.  I know I get a lot of muscle tightness that clamps down on the vertebrae back there, I just hope that the massage is not a one hit wonder. 
     Props to my sister for winning her AG (age group) in her triathlon this past weekend.  She is my long distance training partner for the Outer Banks Half Ironman.  I guess I need to step up my game a bit.
     Was able to get out on a new route the other night with a good friend of mine, Sam.  We headed up route 20 from his house and made a loop from Stony Point, out Burnley Station, back on Watts Passage, then made a bee line (literally, he got stung) to the pool where we met the families for dinner.  I was in a slumber on the couch with an aching back when Sam called and had bearing problems in the rear cassette of my bike. I was less than enthused to hit the road that night.  Turns out, it was just what I needed to get going again.  Sam has a way of picking things up and keeping you going.  His riding abilities are superior to mine, so he is a master at riding just fast enough to make me work hard.  I keep saying I need to ride more with him to get better (plus I enjoy his company).  I need to work on making that happen.
     Swim is the theme of the day tomorrow.  Long course practice at 6:30a with B, then P and I will pick him up and head over to summer league practice at Key West for a couple hours.  I hope to squeeze my long run for the week in during the Key West practice.  Oh yeah, we have to be at Washington Park at 4:30p for the meet with City.  Where do the days go.  Later.

Weekend Fun

     It has been a busy 2 weeks, but fun nonetheless.  I guess I have halfway started the HIM training for the Outer Banks Half in September, but I have admittedly not signed up yet due to logistical reasons.  I have not really been following the training schedule too close yet.  The first 3 weeks are fairly basic and with the 4th week being a recovery week, I plan to pick it up closer in week 5.  My training volume is more than adequate right now.  Being that I work 3 days a week, my strategy with this race is to combine some of the shorter workouts and probably train 5 days a week instead of 6.  Swimming is a maintain thing for me right now.  I will not get much faster, and I am OK with that at least for this race.  I will concentrate on bike time.
     Last week was great.  Had a couple great rides, one being a hill climb from the bottom of Afton Mtn. to the top of Ravens Roost Overlook that I had wanted to do for some time.  It totalled out at about 3800 feet of climbing out and back from the bottom.  A new record for me.  Was able to do a couple bike/run bricks and a couple of short swims at the neighborhood pool.  This time of year is always tough for swims as the schedule at the UVA pool goes haywire when the students let out.
     The end of the week brought about the annual Cale Elementary Field Day for my kids.  I was in charge of taking the dog to the kennel for the weekend as we were leaving for Smith Mountain Lake afterwards.  All I can say was, at least he didn't puke this time on the way to the kennel.  He is a wonderful dog, but hates the car. Field Day was a great success and a blessing for many of these kids.

M was in charge of the tug of war for the kids and kept them entertained.

So proud to see B wearing his yellow FCA jersey.  4th grade was yellow, but he had other options.  You had better believe that kids and people read that shirt and ask about it.  What a blessing.

P had a great time as well and loved being with her friends.  I am so proud of her attitude and kindness. 

  

     After the fun we were off to Smith Mountain Lake for a short vacation with my family.  We skip Christmas presents each year with my family in lieu of a weekend trip.  This year we made our first trip ever to the shores of Smith Mountain Lake (SML).  It was awesome.  We arrived on Friday late afternoon with my parents already there.  The townhouse we were in was very nice and the backyard was the lake.  I brought along my kayak for some extra fun and was glad that everyone got a chance to enjoy it.

     We awoke Saturday morning and headed out for a bike ride.  My sister is joining me at the Outer Banks Half.  Myself, M, my sister and her husband headed out to explore a bit.  We got to see numerous neighborhoods around the lake which added to my view of the lake itself.  If you have not been there I would highly recommend it.  In fact, we will be back in August for a week of SML.  I could not help but think that lake living is very conducive to triathlon training.  It's all right at your doorstep.

     Upon returning from the bike ride and catching up with the kids, it was on to the water.  My brother-in-law gave us a kayak escort for a half mile swim.  Then I took B out into open water for the first time. 

     He loved it.  I was very nervous at first and made him use M's wetsuit for buoyancy.  He did fine and I was even able to draft off of him on the way back in.  P was in the open water for the first time as well and was mesmorized by all the fish that were around.

    

 That evening we hit the local Mexican restaurant as it is more gluten-free friendly than most places.  I think we were all famished from the days activities.  It wouldn't be a trip away from home without a stop for ice cream.  Fortunately we found a DQ on the way back and there were Blizzards to be had.

     I cherish any time that I get to spend with my family, as it just doesn't happen all that often.  We live in separate towns and life tends to get in the way sometimes.  You just don't know what the next day will bring, and you can never be sure that all of you can be together like that again.  Reality can hit you like a ton of bricks sometimes.  Doesn't this make it all the more imperative to know that no matter what, you will see each other again?  There is only one way to do this.  His name is Jesus.