Since I'm allegedly in my off season, I don't have so much to write about just now, but will soon. This weekend I am heading up to Madison to do a little training and then spectate for the Ironman. I have a few friends racing, and I will get to hang with a few more. It is odd that I have not been up that way since May. Usually I am up there riding 2 or 3 more times during the summer, so it will be special for me.
Next week I will be in a training class for work for most of the week, and then on that Sunday, I'm doing a NothingMan. If the weather was good for IMWI, it means the weather will suck for NothingMan, but I hope this year is an exception and that the weather is good BOTH weekends. In 2007, weather was good for IMWI and then it was in the 30's the morning of NothingMan. In 2008, weather was good for IMWI and then we had torrential rains the weekend of NothingMan. In 2009 for PirateMan, which was before IMWI, it was cold AND rainy! So I'm hoping for 70's and dry this year for both IMWI and NothingMan.
Right after NothingMan, I begin my new position at work. I am so excited about it for a number of reasons. First, many of the people in that group already know what a crazed endurance freak I am, and some of them are, too! Second, I hope this means I will earn a few trips out to Colorado Springs to work and hang with some of them! When I do, I will use that time as a run focus, because I just love the Santa Fe Trail. Also I hope to once again run part way up Pike's Peak on the Barr Trail. The last time I was there was in 2007, and I totally enjoyed myself as you can read here.
After NothingMan, I am going to do a little run focus to prepare for the CheaterMan (aka IMFL) marathon. I am looking forward to the running, as I will begin visiting my big hill at Greene Valley. I still remember last year thinking that it was going to be so hard for me to run up the hill and that I would have to just hike it; but I found out that I could run the entire thing and it really gave my running a boost. And I remember 3 years ago going there to ride my MTB and going up the hill on the bike and thinking it was crazy that people were running up it! But hey, I had run part way up Pike's Peak, which is way worse, so I don't know why I thought I would have trouble. My how my perspective on things has changed!
Meanwhile, I have been training too much for someone who is supposed to be "taking it easy." The thing is, I feel so not stressed out right now that the hours don't bother me. But I am doing a proper taper for NothingMan which is sorely needed. Look at my weekly training hours and weekly bike and run miles since May 17:
| Week Beg. | Training Hours | Bike Miles | Run Miles |
| 5/17/2010 | 20.34 | 177 | 34 |
| 5/24/2010 | 14.83 | 125 | 27 |
| 5/31/2010 | 8.43 | 37 | 12 |
| 6/7/2010 | 19.64 | 170 | 37 |
| 6/14/2010 | 16.37 | 121 | 26 |
| 6/21/2010 | 15.94 | 171 | 31 |
| 6/28/2010 | 18.23 | 152 | 36 |
| 7/5/2010 | 18.60 | 176 | 41 |
| 7/12/2010 | 17.72 | 154 | 27 |
| 7/19/2010 | 13.09 | 94 | 26 |
| 7/26/2010 | 26.48 | 291 | 10 |
| 8/2/2010 | 17.17 | 74 | 52 |
| 8/9/2010 | 17.00 | 173 | 25 |
| 8/16/2010 | 17.93 | 172 | 28 |
| 8/23/2010 | 19.50 | 172 | 33 |
| 8/30/2010 | 18.09 | 168 | 24 |
Now, UMC was the week of 7/26 and the run kicked off the following week, in which I did no running at all. But still...I guess that is why my metabolism has been in high gear since UMC. It may also be, combined with my lack of other stress, why I am getting by on less sleep than I think I need. Maybe, though, I only need 7.5-8 hours of sleep when I'm not feeling stressed!
Meanwhile, I am slowly chipping away at my non-athletic to do list, and that is a good feeling. While picking up fallen twigs and branches from my former neighbor's tree yesterday, a woman 2 doors away that I have never seen nor spoken to yells, "Did you see what happened?" And I turned around and a huge tree was down in the lot next to mine taking the power line to the house with it. The young couple who had lived there left a few months ago, and the house, which was owned by the guy's Dad, is in foreclosure. The day the couple packed up a truck and left, I asked whether they had turned off the utilities. They assured me they had. More on that in a bit.
So I begin talking to this neighbor and ask her if she knew when it happened, and she said she heard the crash the night before. So I next asked her if she'd called ComEd (our electric company) to report the downed power line, and she said no. I asked her if she was planning on making the call, and she said I was being mean. WTF????? Another person who won't take action. I called ComEd within minutes, and when they arrived later in the day, they severed the power line and said that it HAD BEEN LIVE!!! Wow, nice, that could have caused a fire. But they didn't remove the downed tree, and I was chatting with the workman, and he pointed out that in fact the gas is still on (although not being used). So guess what? I am making it MY priority to find out what bank owns the house and get after them and the city to first clear the tree, and next to take the fucking house down. The reason it's in foreclosure is that the owner let the mortgage lapse when they discovered how damaged the house structure was (which if they had asked before they bought the dump I would have gladly told them), and because it sits on a lot with a creek running alongside it, the house cannot be improved upon structurally. The house will not be sold, and so I am going to make it MY business to get it dealt with. Once it's down, the creek drainage will be improved again, and if I can get my neighbor across the street to give the city easement, the creek can be dredged and widened along a significant portion which will be good for much of the surrounding area. But my main concern is eliminating a fire threat, and next to obliterate the pile of weeds that has grown next to my lot in my front yard. I have lived next to the eyesore for too long, and it's time to take action. I'm pissed the former occupants lied about the utilities, but they were horrible neighbors, so it doesn't surprise me they would lie. The guy's Mom was there yesterday to take some stuff out of the house, and I asked her if she would provide the name of the bank. One way or the other, I will find out and get it dispensed with. It will be nice to have an open lot next door!
So lots of things going on in my life, but it's all manageable at this point. I'm still working on my ATP (Annual Training Plan), and have most of it set through February of next year except for the actual workouts, which I am beginning to fill in. Since it's no big deal for me to swim 2 hours, I'm going to try and retain that level of swim fitness at a minimum, but also since I've committed on paper to doing a 10K swim on New Year's Day like I did last year. Only this time it won't be the big unknown--it will be, ho hum, been there done that and I am hoping to get a few other friends to do it with me. Also, instead of my traditional Thanksgiving weekend 1/2 NothingMan, I will be doing a 2x2x2 (2 hours each of SBR), which I think will be more fun. That about carries me through the end of 2010, but the best part will be when my great niece or nephew is born in November! I am still hoping for niece, but nephew will be fine. I am sure his/her Mom and Dad is already wondering when Great Aunt Sheila will start buying the little one sports equipment. As soon as possible!
That's it for today's update, so since I am going to be very busy for a few weeks, if I don't blog, don't worry!
Life is AWESOME!
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