Morning Music…
Posted in Morning Music, Music
James – Laid
What are the odds?
Posted in Chicago
When I parked my car (on the street) last night after work, my keys were in my workout bag. Rather than get them out to lock the car, I thought, “What are the odds that something will happen if I leave it unlocked one night?”
Pretty high, apparently. You wouldn’t think I’d be the guy who underestimates how shitty Chicago is.
When I got in the car this morning, it had been ransacked. Joke’s on them, I don’t have anything of value, and certainly not in my car. They just rifled through the console and glove box. They didn’t bother taking the napkins or Chick-fil-A sauce packets.
So this leaves me with two thoughts:
- It is the craziest of odds that the ONE night I leave my car unlocked is the ONE night someone is going down the block trying doors or;
- Someone comes down the block every night trying doors.
TBH, I actually think #2 is more likely in Chicago.
In two years, my wife and I can retire and move out of Illinois. It’s a dream. All three of my kids want to live here, so I’ll never be able to leave completely. If I had my druthers, I would leave and never return. Alas, I will be born and die here. Something about Thoreau and most men living lives of quiet desperation.
Morning Music….
Posted in Morning Music, Music
Gut punch….
I was reading the Wall Street Journal this morning and saw a quick review for an upcoming sci-fi series:
Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Clarke Peters, and Bill Pullman star in a sci-fi series about a group of scrappy seniors who band together to fight an evil force….
And there it was.
Geena Davis is now being described as a “senior.”
Not “veteran actor,” “seasoned star,” or “beloved Hollywood legend.”
Senior.
That one landed like a punch to the kidneys.
To be fair, she is a senior citizen. She’s also 10 years older than me, but still, she was one of the “it” girls when I was growing up. The Fly, Beetlejuice, and so on. Now she’s basically this generation’s version of that old lady who they can’t believe used to be hot. My Lauren Bacall. We have officially reached the point where my generation is starring in our own version of Cocoon. (but THOSE people were OLD!!!!) That can’t be right.
Anyway, I’m going to ice my knees and yell at clouds while Geena Davis and the gang save the galaxy with her AARP card.
Morning Music…
Posted in Morning Music, Music
This Week in Training…Week 13 – Very Solid!
This was one of the best weeks of the entire cycle so far. Strong workouts, good energy, and – most importantly – I’m feeling fit instead of just feeling tired.
I still missed a swim, but honestly, I’m okay with that.
Swim 🏊
- Workouts: 2
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Distance: 4,025 yards
I’d still like to hit that third swim each week consistently, but I’m not panicking over it. My 70.3 swim is downstream in a river, so I’ll survive until summer break gives me more flexibility.
Bike 🚴
- Workouts: 5 (though two were commute rides)
- Total Time: 5 hours 9 minutes
- Total Distance: 76.2 miles
Very happy with this week’s riding. Saturday especially felt like a win. It was raining, and I was leaning toward delaying the team ride… until I saw a rider from the team ride past my house and got publicly shamed by my own conscience into going.
I rode out with them but came back solo, which actually worked perfectly. Ended up with a really solid 3-hour ride. Pace was good, though the overall average looks slower because of the lights and stop signs. City riding reality.
Run 🏃
- Workouts: 4 (including the brick run)
- Total Time: 3 hours 17 minutes
- Total Distance: 20.7 miles
The highlight was Sunday’s 90-minute run, which turned into 9.51 miles.
The first mile felt a little tight, but after that the whole thing felt… easy? Mentally and physically easy. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever described a 9-mile run that way before.
Then I uploaded it and realized I was only supposed to do 7 miles. So: bonus miles!
Total Training Time 🧮
- Total Duration: 9 hours 41 minutes
Big week.
TrainingPeaks Metrics 📈
- Fitness: 114
- Fatigue: 192
- Form: -49
The numbers continue to scream, “You are training hard,” but I’m handling it well.
Reflections ✍️
This week gave me a real confidence boost. The long bike felt controlled. The long run felt easy. Recovery seems to be improving too—I slept great last night and genuinely look forward to taking today completely off.
Next week will require a little schedule Tetris because I’ve got something on Saturday. I may push the long bike to Sunday and move the long run to Monday since I’m off work. We’ll see how it all fits together. Or, just long run later in the day Saturday and long ride on Sunday (more likely…might head up to Rockford and ride the bike course)
But overall?
Feeling strong.
Morning Music…
Posted in Morning Music, Music
Morning Music…
Posted in Morning Music, Music