Weekend of the Longests

Longest ride ever, longest run ever!

The mileage is really picking up and, strange as it may sound, I'm loving it. Getting up early isn't fun, of course, but it's such a cool feeling to get a really long ride in and, when noon rolls around, I can say I've already rode 75 miles that day. Then I have the rest of the day to do things like hang out with our really cool Colorado guests who were in town for the big Kansas 70.3 race. I had a few moments in which I really, really wished I was racing it but I have a bigger fish to fry and need to be smart about my training.

Spectating was a lot of fun, though! Not only did I get to hang out with Pat and Linda (Tim and Trish's parents), I got to watch studs like Luke Bell, Tim O'Donnell (the pro), and triathlete phenomenon Chrissie Wellington race a local course. Then, I had the fun of cheering on all of our friends to fantastic finishes - Barry got a Clearwater spot, Brett and Todd broke 5 hours, Jenny broke 6 hours, Trish PR'd, and a ton of our KCM friends had great races as well.

Of course, waking up with everyone at 3am and not getting home until 3pm made for one of the longest days I've had in a while! It also made for a very tough 15mi run. Add the heat to that and I definitely put some time in the pain bank! The run went great overall, though. Even with being on my feet all day in the heat, I still averaged 10:30s. Right now, that's a great accomplisment for me!

From here on out, almost every weekend will be a weekend of the longests, and I can't wait to tackle each one! Next up, 16 miles in Idaho, then a rest day to watch Tim PR at IM Couer D'Alene!