Saturdays rock!

I think Saturday has become the focal point of my week. On some levels I suppose that's sad, but I would counter that I don't neglect opportunities in other days; I simply celebrate Saturday for the glory that it is. Now, before I jump off into a Cure-esqe breakdown of the days of the week (yeah Marcy, you know that song I'm sure), each day has their own special purpose and I have tried to build some periodic joy into the weekdays also. It's just that Saturday is like the 80's WWF cage match of the days o' the week: No rules, lots of spandex, some chest pounding, and lots of sweat. I wake up when I'm darn well good and ready (read: no later than Grace is ready to get up), and leisurely prepare for my AM blast to torture the asphalt for existing where I decide to ride (or rather: negotiate a long ride to fit into the day's plans of Mendy's schedule and what we need to accomplish). Then the day is mine! (to go shopping, figure out somewhere to eat, possibly shop more, and make a futile attempt to watch a movie in the evening).

Doesn't sound that spectacular, does it? The big advantage Saturday has over M-F: Saturday has lots of flexibility in scheduling, there's time for a long ride/run/swim (or some combination, thereof), Mendy and I get to spend all of the non-exercise moments together, and we get a whole day with Grace. So, Saturday is like a like a little birthday/Christmas/Father's Day, once every week. My lovely wife plays a huge part in the success of my Saturdays, and I'm terribly grateful for her in that. Grace, though challenging at (many) times, is really a sweetheart with lots of love and personality. These ladies are such a blessing to me. Anyway, before I go all soft:

Friday I wasn't feeling it, but I swam after work. It was cut short due to lightning, though. Drat! It was shaping up to be a good swim:

675.00 yards in 11:05 @ 1:38/100yds

I fully intended to join the group ride at 8 AM this morning, but I stayed up watching Hannibal Rising (awesome flick, BTW!) and really enjoyed sleeping in with Grace this morning. So, I got up at 9 and got my stuff together to go for a ride (and possibly brick run). Lots of drama on the road with inconsiderate drivers and such, but it was a decent ride overall. Seems I had some brake rub, but at least my seatpost didn't shrink into the frame like last week. I barely made it back in time for Mendy to go meet a friend for a swim/bike workout, however. I expected a faster pace, given the race wheelset choice and aero helmet. I even got a 46mph top speed at one point. I must have just gotten lazy a few too many times and let my pace drop:

44.17 miles in 2:07:45 @ 20.75 mph average

So now I'm watching Coming to America after SNL has ended. I guess I'll get up to bed soon to get a start on Sunday. I am looking forward to church, and some family fun afterwards. I hope to get a long run in tomorrow, but we'll see. But, bottom line, I would like to thank Mendy for being such a trooper, so supportive, and such an ideal companion in the journey through life. She's pretty cool, understands what drives me, and puts up with an awful lot of car karaoke, but above all she shows that she loves me and would never take advantage of me. I hope you all have the same experience and joy. Thanks, Mendy!