Fourth and Counting

So, what do the Fourth of July and triathlons have in common? Let me tell you. It's bricks. Independence Day (okay, let's be real here, it's more like Independence Month) is filled with people burning through the many bricks of fireworks in their possession. It's been going on around here for weeks. The slow crescendo of detonations that builds to the climax on July 4th. Then, as July continues, the occassional report identifies another individual who either located some long lost stash or has incredible willpower to have held on to a few items for later use.

The long weekend provides opportunity for triathletes to work through a few bricks of their own. Family plans called for a bit of adjustment to the training schedules, and I used those changes to get through a swim/bike brick on Saturday and a bike/run brick on Tuesday. Sunday, normally used for long runs, was a rest day so we could have family friends over for a cookout. And Monday was a long (1.2 mile) swim since the YMCA was closed Tuesday.

Both bricks went well. On Saturday, it was 1.2 miles swimming with a 41 mile bike. I put together a new bike route that works out to be a long, shallow triangle. As luck would have it, the wind was blowing across that triangle, so it was 36 miles of cross-wind. That was only topped by Tuesday, with the same cross wind, only the remaining 5 was into the wind, rather than a tailwind. The route includes a decent two mile climb that somehow never results in a good downhill. Oh well, nobody really needs to train for down. It's up that takes all the preparation.

Finishing this holiday weekend puts me less than six weeks away from the Olympic distance triathlon. There is still a lot of open water time needed. I am, however, hoping that the extended distances in the pool will help. Only time will tell. The bike and the run aren't too big a concern. I do hope to get one 50 mile bike/10 mile run brick completed prior to the race. I'm slowly building up the bike and run mileage while trying to gain confidence in the water.

And while I haven't had a definite committment, it appears that Veeg has held up her end of the challenge and signed up for the same Olympic distance triathlon that I am running. It will also be her first time racing that distance, and she is starting to cover the same swim distances. Stop by her site and share whatever helpful hints you have. It will be wonderful getting to meet another member of the blog force, and knowing more people helps boost morale and confidence.

Six weeks. It's a short time, and things are getting serious. Between work, family, and training, just about every spare moment I have is taken. So, forgive me if the posts are a bit sparse for a while. You'll know I'm there by the comments I do manage to post.

And, just for Veeg, here is Silent Lucidity by Queensryche.