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Nik and I started training for the upcoming Sports Bar sprint triathlon with some running and swimming at the Chickamauga reservior recreational area. The event consists of a 1/4 mile swim, a 9 mile bike ride and a 2.5 mile run. Last years event was the spark the ignited the fire for me to compete in these types of events that led up to a 10K run on my last birthday and a 1.2 marathon in April. This event is going to be the springboard to the Sequatie Valley Century, a 100 mile bike ride this fall that I plan on completing.

Last year I finished the event but this year I want to really go for it. In the 1/4 swim I did mostly breaststroke and this year I would like to be able to swim the entire length freestyle. In the running section I had to walk a little bit and this time I plan on running the entire distance. Wish me luck.

Summer is finally here and the temperatures are here to match it. I have not been running much as of late due to the heat but I did get out for 3 miles this Saturday before it got to hot. I picked up a great accessory for running and hydrating. I plan on focusing more on long distance riding this summer but keeping myself able to run a 10K so that this fall I can be ready for a 15K or a 10 mile of race.

As I mentioned a few posts back I was going on a vacation to Indianapolis to witness the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. I promised some pictures and those will be posted at a later date. The race itself was excellent with Mercedes Mclaren taking Pole position and finishing the race 1 and 2 followed by Ferrari 3 and 4. The Mclaren team is dominating this years Constructors Championship as well as the Drivers Championship. At the moment a your rookie driver from the UK, Lewis Hamilton, is leading the Drivers Championship over 2 time defending champion Fernando Alonso.

Today I am planning a training ride at Moccasin Bend with a few people. I should be riding about 25 miles total.

Went for a 3 mile run and I did not get wet. Hooray!

Went for a run Friday evening and it poured buckets. Got in 3 miles through puddles, water drainage and heavy rain. My running shoes felt like sand bags but I kept up my pace of 10 minutes per mile (that is fast for me) even with the extra water weight.

Tonight I went for a bike ride at Moccasin Bend and as soon as we got to the top of Stringers Ridge we were hit by yet another downpour. This time I was stuck in the back of the getting hit by the rooster tail of the 2 riders ahead of me. I was in the back due to me riding with cyclocross tires which kick off an even larger rooster tail than the road tires of my riding partners.

So it seems if I exercise now it is going to rain. I plan on running tomorrow after work so if it rains then it will be official.

After 3 weeks off from running I picked it up again today with a short 2.5 mile run over the bridges. I am primarily wanting to focus my training on cycling over the next few months while working on my running pace (I hope to get my miles per minute time down to below 10 minute miles) and keeping my distance in the 10k range.

I have decided I will ride my first linear century this year as my next big goal by entering the Sequatchie Valley Century sponsored by the Chattanooga Bike Club. After work tomorrow I plan on joining the bike club for the Tuesday ride through Red Bank if I can get there in time and if my friend Bill does not want to ride some other route.

There are some other things I need as well. First is a good tree removal company to drop a big dead oak in my backyard as well as some other trees that I want gone. Another skilled laborer I am looking for is a mason who can build me a nice wall in front of my house and give me some ideas for a wall behind my house. If anybody knows any of the above laborers please have them contact me.

It is also getting close to the time when I will have my house paid off. I expect in a few months I should be sending in my final payment and I will be free and clear of any debt other than local taxes. I expect that I will be putting in a new bathroom and kitchen very soon with the money I am saving with no house payment so if you know any reliable and skilled general contractors that are looking for some work please have them contact me as I am in the market for some quotes.

This weekend my wife and I did a practice run for the 1/2 marathon we are doing in Nashville next weekend. We ran 10 1/2 miles of the 13.1 miles and walked the rest. While walking out the last 2+ miles I realized that the walking hurt more than the running and have decided to try and run the entire event despite the pain. Now if I start to experience real pain and not muscle fatigue I will call it quits and try again next year but if the only pain I experience is musle fatigue I plan to run until I collapse or finish.

I also went to Rock City this weekend with my 7 year old nephew and I must admit it’s kind of a cool place despite the cheesy touristy crap they have put there. I can only imagine the amazement of the first people to stumble upon that place. It’s quite a natural wonder. If you have never been there you should at least check it out one time. You will be sickened by the fat tourists there but the natural rock formations are fascinating. And if you can see 7 states with all the pollution in the air you are on some serious drugs or you got very lucky.

I left work early yesterday to watch the final descent of stage 3 of the Tour de Georgia as it came off Lookout Mountain down Ochs Hwy. into St. Elmo. I was at the bottom of Ochs Hwy. as the cyclists came by and they were hauling major ass. There was a breakaway group in the lead that was about 30 minutes ahead of the peleton. I don’t know how fast they were going but I have heard it was around 60mph. If that number is correct then I am truly impressed.

My friend TD was in town tonight and we met up at Pisa Pizza, a hip little pizza joint in my neighborhood that is managed by my brother. Before this I ran 2.5 miles, a short little distance but it was nice to get out in the fine weather and get some exercise. Any good I did with the running I am sure was undone by the 4 slices of pizza I ate but what the hell.

The tour de Georgia comes to town tomorrow. The events web site seems to be suffering a bit but there is a nice BLOG site that will keep you up to date on the results.

To all those effected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech University I can’t imagine the sorrow you feel so I send you my condolences. It is times like this when I wonder why we allow the purchasing of handguns to just about anybody.

Friday evening a friend of mine Mark Bradley Shoup had an art opening at the Tanner Hill Gallery on Broad Street in South Chattanooga. This is a very nice gallery in a great location. I ran into a number of my friends there and I drank a bit to much free wine but enjoyed a great dinner at the St. John’s Meeting Place afterwards.

Saturday I went over to the river walk in between rain storms and ran 5 miles. I love running on the River Walk in the rain for 2 reasons, first there are no people there and second there are no major hills. During this rainy run I passed about 5 people. The great news for me during this run was that I upped my usual slow running pace by about 1 minute per mile. I came in on this run at a few seconds over 50 minutes for 5 miles which almost cuts 5 minutes off my average times at this distance. This is good news as far as my 1/2 marathon is concerned. I still will not be running the entire distance but my plan is to run 5 miles walk 3 and then run out the remaining 5.1 miles to the finish line.

Sunday I went to the theater and saw the Grindhouse double feature. The length of the film was a bit much as my ass was hurting by the end but the films were campy and amusing and it was nice to get 2 for the price of one.

The 1/2 Marathon I signed up for is fast approaching and I am not ready for it. I was fully intending to train hard for it and run the entire event but it looks like I have just run out of time and will not make it. I will finish but I expect it will require some walking. My new goal is to run 10 of the 13.1 miles. I have trained up to 7 miles so I expect I can add on 3 more in the next 2 weeks. If I can run 10 miles I will still be pleased with myself.