Preview
The summer if officially here, I successfully completed my “A” race and now its time for a little variety (see below) before ramping things back up for Silverman in the fall.

Recovery from SD100
It’s been two weeks since my "A" race and I’m happy to say that I experienced little to no soreness from the effort--testimony to proper training and conditioning. On the flip side of that, I’ve been totally drained of energy. It’s been tough waking up in the mornings and by mid-afternoon, my eyes feel heavy and it’s a struggle to stick-out the day.

I’m starting to do stuff again which is a good sign and this past weekend was the perfect summer weekend to be outside. Friday after work, I joined a group of friends and colleagues for a 1-mile swim out of La Jolla Cove sans wetsuit--68 degree water. The water was clear and it was the perfect way to start the weekend.



Marie’s training
Marie and I met Mindy at Mission Trails at 6am Saturday morning and I only made it 8 miles before my legs had enough. The girls went on, through the triple-digit heat, for 20 miles.

Marie and her girlfriends are registered for the Headlands 50 on August 9, so they have been dialing in their training. For Rebekah and Mindy, this is their first 50-mile ultra run with 50K being their longest effort to date. Marie’s debut 50 was in January at the Avalon 50 and she did great so she is excited for more technical terrain and to share the experience with her ultra running buddies.



New book
While I was waiting for Marie to pick me up after her run and head to the beach, I started reading Racing the Sunset: An Athlete's Quest for Life After Sport by Scott Tinley. I breezed through the first 100 pages and I’m really into Tinley’s writing style and the introspective nature of someone who was so passionate and dedicated to reaching their potential in the sport of triathlon when the sport itself was in its infancy. There’s a much deeper message that Tinley is offering as he recounts his struggle with the transition from athlete to the next stage in his life. I’m excited to dive back into this one again soon.

Summer training, travel and races
Sunday morning I joined Jesse and Emmy for a few hours on the bike. He rode north to Del Mar and climbed our way back south through Torrey Pines and over Mount Soledad. It was another hot day so length and effort of our Sunday scenic spin was perfect. Emmy is training for Vineman 70.3 and the three of us did an open-water swim tonight at La Jolla Shores.

Cross-training
Today was my first ActiveX Training workout since... last year? I’m really excited to be back out there and impressed with how many new folks have joined in the fun.

Today’s workout:

50/40/30/20/10 reps
• Double-jumps
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• 400 run

Travel
I’ve got a couple cool trips lined up in July starting with my birthday weekend getaway to Lone Pine, CA. Marie and I are going to camp at the base of the Sierra Nevada in the Alabama Hills, just two days before the start of the infamous, Badwater 135. The race travels from Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280 feet below sea level, to the finish at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360 feet. The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. The last 12 miles climb over 5700 feet and Marie and I are going to run this section while we’re in Lone Pine to pay tribute to these runners and also to preview this section of the course for the day I take on the challenge

Badwater 135

Cruise
At the end of July, I’m joining my family for a week-long cruise from NYC to King's Wharf, Bermuda. I’ve never done anything like this so I’m stoked and I’m thrilled to have an entire week with my family in such a unique setting.

Race
My next race is the Accenture Chicago Triathlon (Olympic distance) on August 24. I’m excited for this event, the chance to travel to a new city and the opportunity to finally meet my teammate, Trish, whom I’ve been working with for a year and a half.

Recap
The summer is already off to a great start and I'm excited to shares these fun adventures with you all along the way.

All the best,
~Toby