Guys and Girls can't be friends...

S - 4,500 yards :(
B - 241.4 miles
R - 63.8 miles

Time - 21.18 hours

I happened to watch "When Harry met Sally" this evening and one particular scene got me to thinking.  No, it wasn't THAT scene (but that does make you think...)

It was a scene where Billy Crystal (Harry) had done a lot of walking around and thinking in an attempt to figure out how he really felt about Sally.  That made me think about one of my favorite parts about triathlon: the loneliness of the endurance athlete.

I don't mean that in a sad way at all and by no means would consider myself lonely but I love training by myself (most of the time, but I'm really hating swimming by myself lately).  It gives me so much time to just THINK.  Not about anything in particular; over the course of a 3 hour ride or a long run pretty much every topic runs through my head.  Most of the time it isn't particularly focused but I get a clearer idea of my thoughts and desires after a long, solo session.

The longest, straightest, flattest road.  Ever!

But I guess it's not really all that bad...

I've really had some good training lately, it just feels like it's been a bit inconsistent but I think it's mainly because I'm REALLY slacking on my swimming.  Something needs to change in my head because I'm just not loving it right now.  I think it's a combination of being out of shape, swimming in an unfamiliar pool (that's also hot), wearing a drag suit (but I'm not giving that up because it's sexy), and being solo on almost all swims.  It's making it hard to WANT to go to the pool.

Other than that I've had some STELLAR running and my biking is improving pretty quickly.  I'm a completely different athlete than I was a year ago.  Yes, I'm still relatively out of shape but I'm out of shape compared to what I was at the peak of 2011; compared to Dec/Jan of 2010/2011 I'm a horse of a different color.  I've been logging some serious run miles the past 4-5 weeks (with one week of a missed run or two), this week being no exception.  It's easy when you're out of shape this time of year to feel like you have an insurmountable task ahead of you to get back to what you call "in shape" but I forget that I have around 800 hours of swim/bike/run that's lying dormant in my body right now, just waiting for the right time to come out and play.  That's a lot of training.  It's exciting to think about this year (finally).  I think my run is going to be a pretty serious weapon next year and adding that to a bike split that is typically the best or very close to the best (although when Kenneth and James Duff race it'll be a more interesting test) is a great combination.

Also something that's been in the works for a while (and is still being fully fleshed out) is a new racing team that will be making its official debut sometime in the near future.  I.C.E. Racing will be a small team sponsored primarily by Inside Out Sports and Blue Seventy with support from each team member's coaches, PTs, Chiros, printer (thanks Paul!) and others.  Exciting stuff from this team fo sho.  No holds barred, self deprecating, astonishingly good looking, spectacularly powerful, HTFU type team members.  I only fulfill one of those characteristics.  Just kidding all of them! Bahaha