A Sign of Fall

We have had our first REAL cool-down here in Austin, and it is October 22, and it is currently 55 and overcast. As I check Manitou Springs to see how it compares:

MANITOU SPRINGS:
Monday: 44° F 27° F
Tuesday: 60° F 37° F
Wednesday: 61° F 41° F C
Thursday: 61° F 38° F
Friday: 60° F 33° F

Hmmm...maybe it isnt' so bad here in Austin. Granted, if I were in Manitou I'd be in heaven because in these temperatures, there is a good chance you can wake up to a dusting of snow and there is nothing like seeing the Incline all covered in snow. One of the most beautiful sights you can wake up to.

I have decided that being here in a warm climate is a very good thing as long as I am chasing this whole triathlon thing. If I were in Colorado right now, I would be struggling to do my long rides (especially on those 40-something degree Saturday mornings) and I know my motivation would be waning highly for this race on November 10th. I'd be itching to start skiing, and make good dinners accompanied by a good bottle o' vino rojo. I'd still be wanting to be active, but it would be trail running and yoga classes. So, seeing that here in Austin we are looking at a week of:

AUSTIN:
Monday 59° F 46° F
Tuesday 70° F 47° F
Wednesday 71° F 46° F
Thursday 73° F 50° F
Friday 78° F 56° F

...then I'll take my current situation and be very satisfied with it. I actually did an awesome long ride on Saturday of about 3 hrs 45 minutes, even felt like I was pushing the pace (and power numbers) at the end of it. This is a good sign! I am only about 2.5 weeks out from Clearwater (1/2 Ironman World Champs) at this point, so I am really trying to be disciplined on sticking to my workouts, sticking to my recovery (ie. wanting to ride today but keeping myself only at a swim workout and some core work) and staying healthy with a lot of rest. Bla Bla Bla, boring boring boring, eh? Not really, I still carve out the time for a good beer in the evenings, and a bit of socializing on the weekends, just try to be in bed before 11 or so and steer clear of that 'one extra drink'. Plenty of time for that after the long season comes to an end...and plenty of time to rest, recover and do all those fun thing I cannot do from March-November like Bikram Yoga classes, climbing and YES...skiing! We'll head to Santa Fe and Taos over New Years to test out old ski legs, and maybe even try a bit of cross-country skiing...yet something else I want to get into once I graduate from triathlon-ing and move back to the mountains.

That is about all here today, I am off after a few hours of sitting (computing) to do some core work. And then probably baking these amazing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies that I made last week. Quite the Betty Crocker I am these days...

Hope ya'll are well and thanks for reading!