Weekend Recap........

Well, let's see, where shall I begin?

1) I had all good intentions of contacting Jen H this weekend to hook up for some training sessions, but my schedule of ride/run/swim didn't jive with hers and I had to work, so Jen H, in the bloggy blog world I sincerely apologize for not connecting yet again! Looks like we are destined for a internet friendship that revolves around messages and emails only!!?!?!? Bummer!!! (only kidding, but seriously, when you are out here for longer than 2 days, look me up!:)

2) The monsoons were killer this weekend.....so gorgeous!! Lightning nearly every night, with lots of wonderful torrential downpour that has turned our ugly brown hillside into a beautiful rainbow of color. The mountains are a brilliant green and many of the flowers are blooming yet again!? You would think it was spring here! One of my favorite things: Falling asleep to the rain pitter-pattering on my rooftop........

3) Good Friends: What would we ever do without them!?

Fri: Christina and I enjoyed a nice afternoon spin ride up to Oro Valley. She was particularly ghetto-fab in her Specialized T-shirt- (she had forgotten her cycling jersey and met me after work!) Fun! It was great to catch up with her, chat about life, work, school, men, etc! Good times to be had.

BONUS: She had a recovery ride so I didn't feel bad having her wait up for me. Old Lady Mere hasn't had much saddle time since last Sunday? :0

Sat: Carolyn and I connected for a 40 mile ride on Sat am, and again, a really great chance to ride, chat and catch up with a good friend. Its amazing how you can go weeks without seeing your usual training crew and how MUCH you have to fill each other in on.....(i.e, recent break ups (both of us!), races, training, vacations, work, men who suck, chamois butter, saddle sores, bike adjustments, Tour de France updates, Carolyn's cute hairstyle, current grocery list at Trader Joes'...I mean, seriously, how MANY things can you talk about on a ride?)

Sat night Carolyn, Pat and I headed out for a filling meal of sushi, sake, and late night conversation, all while witnessing more extravagant lightning and monsoon action occurring just outside the door. Meanwhile, Carolyn is trying to convince both of us to ditch work for the next few days and join her in the Grand Canyon on a hike and raft tour in the Colorado. Damn work!!!!!!

Sun: I dragged Pat out to be my partner in crime on a "long" run- I am half kidding because 8 miles really didn't seem like a long run. But when all you have been doing is cycling for the better part of last year, 8 miles is indeed a long run. (Not to mention, we started at 730, which is much too humid! Yikes!) I survived and he was happy I forced him into it! Kept the pace just under 9:00min/miles. UGHH!!!

Sidebar: This frustrates me so much right now! I am used to running much faster than this and I know, its just going to take time and patience! For the first time in my life, I may actually follow this marathon training plan to a T. I am one of those "bad" people who push, push, push, and end up injured when running a) too fast b) too often c) without enough recovery! Can somebody help this girl?

You can learn a lot about yourself with training. I heart speed. Fast swim sets, fast little roller hills to climb, track workouts, criteriums, short distance road races. Change is good. Its been 3/+ years since my last marathon. I am ready to tackle this challenge. And I will surely welcome back the bike training once I have conquered this quest! Rock on!

I am going to enjoy my coffee, pamper my toes with a home pedi, and enjoy the rest of my Sunday with highlights from the TDF ceremony!

Peace and Health,
Mere:)