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:)