Halloween Tricks.....and Treats!

The weekend has come and gone, and again I am wondering, "Is it really almost Monday?".....yikes?!?!

Saturday was a comical and adventurous "Ladies Night" with me and my homies.....Margaritas, gourmet grilled fish, salad, cookies, and some good ol' pumpkin carving was to be had!!! After I spiked our tequila with some margarita mix, we girls decided to play some fun Halloween pranks on some of our dearest dudes on the Mens' team......It was a throwback to high school as we all piled into the car and headed out to "ding dong ditch" and scare the boys!! Dressed in masks and wigs, we proceeded to haunt their house and see just how long it would take for them to figure us out! Total time: 5 minutes!!!! What a hoot........

The fall air and pleasant temps allowed for a steady, hilly 80 mile ride out to Colossal Cave on Saturday and a more relaxed 30 mile spin up Mt Lemmon on Sunday.....My glutes are now reminding me that they don't like to go hard or long....In fact, they are whining.....wimpy glutes!!!

Kristen and I headed out for a 1.5 hr hike up to Finger Rock trail this afternoon...A lovely and mellow day...and a great way to start the week!

Enjoy what's left of your weekend

The off-season

let me start off by saying that I have an EXTREMELY difficult time having an off-season when the weather is absolutely PERFECT this time of the year in Tucson.....The wind has picked up ever so slightly, the temps are dipping into the 70's just after I arrive home from work, and the early mornings are absolutely perfect for layering arm warmers on the bike or a long sleeved Tshirt for my morning runs......It doesn't get much better than this, sounds cliche...but really, this is why I live in Arizona....(Its certainly NOT for the summers!)

I ventured out into the wilderness on Wed afternoon, with an attempt at a 70min. trail run that was just shy by 5min.....The route I intended to take involved more 'bushwacking' than expected, so 20 min of that run was spent on the roads close by......I am finally feeling as though running is coming back to me, both physically and mentally....Running is often a mental game with me.....You really have to give yourself a pep talk during the latter part of a run in order to finish strong and make it back without stopping for some lame excuse.......I find the most difficult part of running in AZ is the heat...I am and always will be a self-proclaimed COLD WEATHER RUNNER! I revel in idea of black tights, warm fleece hats and gloves, and the sight of my breath as I exhale with each step on a frosty morning...that's how I learned to run and that's how I prefer to run....So bring on the colder temps, I am ready for some great runs this winter.....

More later...off for a lovely mellow long ride with my team and possible some de-lish breaky and coffee to follow.....

when things are clicking......

This morning I had a super 60 min swim, which involved lots of drill work and kicking......I can feel my legs becoming stronger and more efficient when kicking without the flippers, possibly due to all of the miles I have been logging on the road as of recently.

I nailed my 100's on the 1:25, which was stellar!! You know that you are improving when your times are dropping by :05-:10 sec and you are not quite out of breath (meaning that you can go even faster if you had to!!!)

This weekend will involve some tempo rides with shorter distance to get ready for the race next weekend

TGIF
Mere

Days off are always fun, especially when they occur midway thru my week! I awoke to my annoying alarm at 0500 in hopes of joining the Thurs Fairwheel ride downtown for a fast and friendly 2.5 hr bike up NW.....No such luck, as I noticed my rear tire was totally flat for the 3rd time in 3 days!! Must have a sliced tire, and didn't have a spare!!! Off to the pool for about 90 min of swim instead....and luckily, I would be able to get a long training day in later on the mountain.....My swim felt incredible today, and I was nailing my intervals! YESSSSS! I love those days (Although I am sure the coffee had something to do with the energy buzz!) I headed off to the bike shop afterwards and was graciously hooked-up with a sweet new tire and a loaner iPod courtesy of Paul for my jaunt up Lemmon later that morning!! Lots of Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, and ol' school country and rap/gospel to make my cruise a lot more fun!!!!

My whole goal in the past few months has been to load my quads and lungs with obscene amounts of climbing to gear up for the state hill climb on Sept 23rd! I have been fortunate enough to get lots of quality riding in the past few weeks...Labor Day weekend allowed for 210 miles and 15,000 ft of climbing in western NM and eastern AZ! A total blast, and a complete energy drainer once I got to Monday of that weekend! My legs were complete junk, and loving every ounce of the energy I had expended....My legs have really taking a beating this season, racing nearly 2-3x's per month March-May.......I have developed some true muscle memory, and I am really hoping that it can carry over into this end of the season where I have a few key races left to prove to myself that I am ready to upgrade by next season!! It has been such a whirlwind, and I am very happy with my own progression in cycling, as well as that of my closest teammates who are also steadfastily improving...

Off to catch some zzz's and prepare for another day of work and training!

Cheers
Mere:)