Well this is my last big weekend, then I am thinking I will taper things back a bit so that I am hopefully rested and ready for the race. It's odd because I feel pretty darn good right now, no aches no pains aside from my normal issues. The ankle is believe it or not still mildly stiff but it is basically healed, I am not sure that it will ever be right, to many issues with it from High School to the present.

Yesterday I went for a beautiful 1 hour ride over lunch and loved every second of it. I am not sure, but I think I might be falling for my bike. I mean we had a rocky relationship at the beginning but over time I have grown to appreciate her more and more every day. If she treats me well in a couple of weeks we just might be in for a very long road together, I am very loyal. But here is the deal, I think one of her best attributes is she seems to be a very adept fat removal tool. I have trained for a marathon and other road races and never lost a pound, at times even gaining weight. But with my increased cycling I have been leaning out and losing weight. I am solidly down under 170 lbs right now and feeling lithe, well at least by my standards. I credit all of this weight loss to the increased cycling. Ah my little Kestrel, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.

This weekend I am doing run club Saturday morning, 10 miles at my FIRST program long run pace of 8:00 miles. This pace has been going ok for me, a little tough but I have managed runs of 6 and 8 thus far holding pace so I will press on. The plan calls for no specific pace this week but I think I will push the pace this week and go easier next week during the race taper. I have to admit I have been a bit of a cheater on the FIRST program, I fear injury running the intervals to hard so I have been cutting them back, doing maybe half or 2/3 of them before stopping when I feel my legs straining. The tempos have been fine, I actually for the most part enjoy tempo running, sort of strange and twisted I know. It's hard because I have not really focused on a fall race yet and committed mentally, I was leaning towards keeping it simple and just doing tri's all summer and then the Fox Cities Half in the fall. But I have been getting the bug to run a full marathon, NY did not pan out again, but Lakefront still interests me. I have mentally committed to it as my future course for an attempt to run a qualifying time for Boston. So it might not be a bad idea to experience the course. I am really up in the air with all of this, hopefully I will sort it out in a few weeks.   

Sunday I want to go for a simple three hour ride, no distance requirements. Just spend three hours on the bike and keep it all easy, zone 2 and 3. Get out early and get home early to enjoy Sunday with my family.

Looking forward to cutting back a bit for two weeks and really looking forward to my first 70.3 triathlon. Did I mention I purchased a wetsuit?? I comes in next week FINALLY and I plan on a few open water swims to get used to it and the murky vision, choppy water breathing and sighting required of open water swimming.

Next post will be my race day plan. Yea I have actually been thinking quite a bit about it lately, especially after reading about a few brutal "bonks" people have had lately.