Fuel for the Body, Food for the Soul and Picking up the Tri Commune Pieces

Oversleeping and Undereating This is one of those RARE Monday mornings that I actually slept in. Usually I manage on about 5-7 hours of sleep. But not today. Try TEN HOURS. I was soooo tired I just decided to take a well deserved rest break. I felt not so well today. Part of the reason may have to do with the fact that I am not sleeping enough. Part of the reason might be that I'm not eating enough. So right now I am fueling my body with Star Pizza. Lycopenes, carbs, cheese. Leftovers. Yum. I am guessing the other reason I feel so crappy today is because yesterday Kelly and I took the .... Chappel Hill Challenge We digressed from our usual country ride and instead, headed northwest, upon the urging on my roomie Liam. We followed him. He went for a 2 1/2 hour ride while we went 6 1/2. hours. Surprisingly it was not as hilly as I imagined. I snapped off a shot into our ride. In fact it was a near replication of the Ironman Wisconsin ride, sans the dairy farms. This is Wisconsin. Notice the resemblance. But for the heat and humidity. MAN ITS BALLS HOT (TAKE 2)! So last weekend I bonked after 60 miles. This week I toughed it out. Kelly and I did 100 miles. It was balls hot AGAIN. I was delirious. I ran out of water. I need to get my nutrition down. Plus my body doesn't take so well to electrolyte pills. Plus it's probably not a great idea to drink four beers the prior night. Plus I probably need more rest than 5 hours of sleep. All these things likely contributed to my bike blur. But I made it. And we recovered. And Kelly and I had a few margaritas in the pool when we got to my house. I'm glad we begin the taper portion of Ironman training this week. One more century ride. And that will be in Madison for the biggie race. We need to reclaim our lives. This getting up at 5am on Sunday morning thing is wearing on me. I can't wait to sleep in on a Sunday like everyone else....sip coffee, read my New Yorker and go to brunch. Plus I need to get rid of my ever worsening bike tan. Okay, so I admit, in a sick sort of twisted way, I like it. It's like a battle wound.

Sucking it up Another one of my many quarks is that I LOVE to clean house. It's actually a strange obsession. Whether it be doing the dishes or wiping down the countertops, I really enjoy it. Maybe I was a maid in a former life. After THIRTEEN years, my vacuum finally broke. It's an ORECK, and I attest it's the BEST. So today I went out and bought a new one. Inflation: my $300 Oreck of years past has now shot up to $750 ! And I still bought it. Now you might think: "Who in their right mind would pay this much for a freaking vacuum?" Because there's a 21 YEAR warranty. Because it sucked up every Jasper and Ally dog hair. Because cleaning is an obsession. That means I'll still own this thing in my mid-fifties. It will become a family heirloom. Jessica was over and I let her take my new Oreck for a test spin on the floors. Even she was was amazed. Just ask her. Then I took my Oreck away from her and vacuumed the entire home. Not a dog hair to speak of. Now everyone in the tri commune can sleep well. And once you go Oreck you never go back..... Kindred Tri Commune spirits Even as Hurricane Dean comes "barrelling through the Carribean" with its "cone of uncertainty" , taking aim at the Mexican Yucatan, (local news weather cliches...so obligatory) ...

A storm of stomach aching laughter was erupting in the tri commune. Thanks to Terry for tracking the serpent. And to Mike for muscling in. To Liam for doing his best serpent impression And Kudos to Mark for being the brunt of the serpent hysteria. You're probably regretting you wiggled your way into this inane group. There must be something in the water we drink inside the commune. Never a dull night. Always good times. Cheers and happy training! “Think where man's glory most begins and ends, And say my glory was I had such friends.” William Butler Yeats