Burning Stuff and Making Noise

The last few days have reminded me: No matter how far in the bucket our economy appears to be there always seems to be enough disposable income - and in the case of Independence Day, I do mean disposable income - to burn, in order to say we had a good time. If you had a Sam's Club membership, the fireworks & family-friendly pyro were there in bulk. If you didn't, you could go to the tents near the malls (someone once told me the New Years' and Independence Day holidays brought in enough income for some fireworks vendors they did not have to work the remainder of the year).
First visit to the scales in a very long time this morning, approximately two months into my training for IM FL. Usually I avoid the scales for the same reason I should have this morning; the numbers didn't lie as well as the waistband of my slacks have for a while. Sure, I've had a few fat days, but it's been a while since I've weighed this much. Blame it on the swimming focus. Blame it on the french fried potatoes. Blame it on the beer, of which I have cut back about 25-30%, closer to two a day, & zero on a few days. Of course, as my perspective-holding friends would say, this, too, shall pass. I bet it will.

Our climate provides nothing new to really talk about. We get six months of hot, four months of pretty darned warm, a month of rainy & a month of Northerners calling us a bunch of wimps. However, we ignore them, mock them until they place their pasty, white legs into a pair of long tights, and then go out for a long run. However, we do enjoy kvetching about the infernality in which we live. Some of us even enjoy training in it...as long as the effort is easy enough & we have fluids nearby.

So, I took the first longer mid-week run of my training this week, doing 7.3 miles in a sliver under an hour. No, that's not terribly fast; it's close to what I would need to run a marathon in to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Trouble is that I'll have hopefully finished the swim & and a long bicycle before it. Steven & I use these long runs to compare notes on our training; how he's getting specific workouts done, how I'm getting specific workouts in, level of technology, and stuff like that. Sometimes it amazes us to read the Facebook postings of our contemporaries, especially when they talk about the epic training volume levels they're at right now, four months out from our target event.

I don't know if there's such an animal as gamesmanship among age-group athletes; that smoke-and-mirrors kind of stuff that makes you sit back & give an 'Oh? Really?' response. But, I don't think I need to do a 72-mile ride, followed by a 13-mile run. Not yet. For me it's still burning off the puppy fat, cheese, chicken skin, whatever term you want to use for excess poundage. 'Cause, Lord knows, I would rather not have to carry it with me for nearly 211 miles this autumn.

And it gets old when I have to explain my goal. Steven decided to set a time goal; he even has a wager tied into it. I believe he'll make it, too. Me...all I want to do is finish standing, preferably smiling, bypassing medical, still married & gainfully-employed. That might take me an extra hour-to-two beyond Steven's goal, but then I can provide some sort of barbaric yawp of victory at the finish line. A joyful noise, of sorts.

Wow...that was a long nod. It's going to be nice to not be in the office for a couple of days. No big plans for the holiday, though. Cheaper that way, and it keeps the dog happy. Maybe we'll just hang out on the (covered) back porch and watch people burn up their money while we save a couple of our bucks. Not that we haven't been invited anywhere, though. But traveling (even in town) during the holiday weekend is painful & a tad dangerous.

I was driving down Langley Avenue yesterday afternoon & saw three motorcycle units of the local constabulary, equipped in full battle array, radar equipment at the ready. Made me very grateful I was only about three miles per hour over the speed limit. They were looking for bigger fish, not that they wouldn't have nailed me if I were above the trend.

Once the holiday is over it will be time to start making tight(er) plans for training in the Breeze & in town. One guy has been running with us on the mid-week group, also showing up to train on Sunday with the Mere Mortals. Got to love people with personality. Got to love people with personality who show up.