If only every day could be a taper day

*Sigh* Today feels so peaceful and relaxing. Well, besides the vaccination shot I got just after lunch. Mendy and I are at the reserve center today, catching up on some administrative things and whatnot. She had to to her PRT run, and I got to be her pacer/motivator/coach/running partner for it. This is good, because if she weren't here I would likely have gone and done something silly like a long ride or run. With only 2 days until the Festival of Flowers Olympic Triathlon, I can't afford to be off my game. I'll let her talk in detail about the run, but I clocked my run at

1.5 miles in 12:08 at 8:08/mile

It was good to go out and stretch the legs a bit. We came back and decided to keep the fitness train rolling, so we jumped on our bikes and did a lap of Donaldson Center. I wanted to help Mendy focus on shifting and technique to become more efficient, and while she was concentrating on that she wouldn't get to worry so much about traffic...and I get to check out her booty in the bike shots. Yummy!

7.14 miles in 33:55 @ 12.63mph average

Then Mendy surprised me by wanting to do a brick run immediately after. She confirmed right at the end of the ride, so I had my stopwatch ready. As soon as the bikes stop, we were in transition. in a scant 1:51, we were running. Not a world record transition time, but not bad for changing shoes, stowing the helmet and gloves, and getting the running hat and Garmin on. Way to go, Mendy! We had a very short run, but it was just to get a feel for the brick workout. It ended on a pretty good uphill grade, and I could tell the pre-ride banana Mendy ate wasn't working with her. She finished strong, and we had a lot of fun. And we got paid, like pro athletes! (thanks taxpayers ;-) )

.79 mile in 8:49 @ 11:09/mile

Last night I did a tri clinic group ride, which was a lot of fun. I rode there, did a quick run, then went on the ride in sort of a mentor/example/herder role, but got some great feedback on my form, technique, and abilities. The guy leading the ride is a Pro 1/2 racer, and he took me out for a quick lap to see my position and technique. He told me afterwards that I've improved tremendously over the last year, and looked great on the bike, but was a little cramped on the bars. I thanked him, and said I just didn't want to be boring for him. He laughed and said I had actually pushed him much harder than he wanted to go. Cool!

Stats: bike computer error (stupid rider) so no accurate data. ~27 miles in 1:27:54 combined time, with brick run in the middle @ 18.43mph average

It was a good time, and I look forward to helping out with the tri clinic that both Mendy and Scott will attend. Having just started this year, I hope to impart some "newbie" experiences and learning points to the clinic that perhaps more seasoned athletes have forgotten. Anyway, caught a ride home and went through the evening routine with Grace and preps for today. She was a little bear last night, but we survived and hopefully she'll be good for Grandma this weekend.