Seven weeks off. Between Rock n Roll Chicago and Rock n Roll Montreal, we haven't been idle. A week after Chicago, I took advantage of the down time to get surgical work done to fix a nagging injury and get back up to speed. With modern laproscopic procedures, the recovery was surprisingly quick. Three weeks after surgery, I was up to 12 miles, albeit in two six mile segments. The following week we were up to 14 miles, half with Team Remo in the morning at Heather Farms and the rest on the Alameda Creek Trail in the afternoon.
Week 4: The best part about not having races is not having to worry about a lot of details. Things are open to you that you wouldn't usually do, like having rich food, doing excess mileage the day before, trying new things and wearing new clothes.
Oh. And costumes. Susan was getting dressed and said "it feels like Halloween and I'm dressing up as Ann Wessling!" I debuted an Ann original at TriRock Austin - Swim Cap Chaps.
What can you do when you don't worry about your own race? Sleep in. Get a big breakfast. Have more coffee. Wander around the race venue. This was the prize we 'won' at the LLS Gala auction. We couldn't think of a better prize than a day with our friend Ann. We even had a bonus treat of an early training run with two time Ironman World champ Chris "Macca" McCormack. I use the conjunction "with" loosely.
Week 5: It's always a treat to train with other TNT teams and our favorite is the East Bay Run team. Coach Al, Coach Rudy, Coach Karen and Coach Tim along with Captain Robin and dozens of familiar faces joined us on a last minute change of route from the Berkeley Marina to the newly opened eastern span of the Bay Bridge. We still haven't driven across it, but we've walked it as far as we can go.
Week 7: Susan's company flew us out to beautiful Mackinaw Island for their 25th Anniversary celebration. IPM was once again named as one of the top 25 small companies to work for in 2013. Their CEO Rich Panico was gracious in inviting all of the spouses as well. The island was a perfect training ground for our Double Live training, exactly 8 miles around so we could do one lap in the morning and one in the afternoon.
During the second lap, I stopped a few times to talk to the bikers taking the scenic path. One had a relative who was a racewalk judge and asked me what kind of pace I was keeping. She was impressed, I hope. I stopped to help an elderly lady fix the brakes on her rented bike. She thanked me, as as I walked away, she asked if I'm able to fit my calves into a pair of jeans. Heh.
It's week 8. We're on our way to Montreal as I finish this. I put some pictures on Facebook already but can't add them through an iPad easliy. I'm watching our friend Caryn's progress with great interest. Her Double will effectively be her first full marathon. Al is starting to get over a nagging infection and is getting his lap splits into times I could only dream of. It's going to be a great two months to San Antonio/Las Vegas.
I was glad to make the quick recovery. Skippng a few weeks of walking really made me appreciate how blessed I am that we can continue to do this. Getting back up to race speed on vacation was a really liberating experience.
Coming back to put in on the course for Rock n Roll number 8 this year?
Priceless.
