It’s been another busy week here at the Longoria homestead. I tried no new recipes this week – we just ate grilled food and veggies all week long. I LOVE summer. It’s so much easier!!
How did we fill our evenings if we weren’t cooking elaborate meals, you may ask? Well, we swam again at Annie Wittenmeyer one evening. I’m super relieved to say that this swim went MUCH better than the first. My breathing remained under control, I was actually able to swim somewhat straight, and I finally started to actually enjoy swimming outside and seeing the beautiful blue sky and white clouds each time I took a breath.
We also did something we’ve never done before. We joined a group ride at a local bicycle shop, Healthy Habits. We met up with a group of 5 other people and rode north up Devil’s Glen and then headed out east on Forest Grove. We biked through Pleasant Valley, past Argo, past the Davenport Country Club, and then back to Healthy Habits. It was a stunningly beautiful ride with lots of hills and lots of interesting conversation. We met 3 other triathletes as well as another couple devoted to cycling. After the ride we retired to Governors for supper and got to know the other riders even better.
As a result of the evening and getting out of our comfort zone, we now know about some beautiful bicycle-friendly roads, we found out about 2 good restaurants in the QC, and we met some potential training partners. Even though I ended up staying up an hour past my bedtime, it was so worth it. Tim and I had a great time.
We also did some running and another new ride this weekend. We rode out west to Wisconsin, but instead of heading south like we usually do, we headed north and biked all the way to I-80. It was another pretty ride, but my legs were toast for some reason. They were toast all weekend, in point of fact. When we went out to jog this morning I found I didn’t have the strength for it in my hamstrings, so instead I walked and did sprints. I’m hoping they return to normal soon because the triathlon is SATURDAY!!
I also finished a book this weekend – The Year of Magical Thinking. This book has appeared on so many “must read” lists, that I finally figured that I must read it! But, I have to say, while I’m not disappointed that I did read it, I was not a huge fan of the book. The author repeats several phrases throughout the book (“I shall not live two days,” “I love you more than one more day,” “You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends”), and for some reason it annoyed me. I also had a hard time identifying with her and her lifestyle. Her and her husband, both writers, traveled all over the world and had houses and pools in beautiful places everywhere. For some reason, I got hung up on that and couldn’t focus on the author’s exploration of grief. Maybe it’s jealousy? Impatience with trying to see life through eyes very foreign to my own? I’m not sure.
And that was our week. This week my brothers come in to town, and I am super excited about seeing them again. I’m super excited about getting this tri behind us as well. 🙂
