Tour de Houston 09, etc.

The last several weeks have been very productive for me. I've gotten back to a regular 6-day a week workout schedule that seems to be working. The week after Stubblefield, it was 3 days of HART training, 2 days of swimming, basketball with the SES folk, and then running with the Warship during the Texas Independence Relay. I did the 5.6 mile section from downtown to Mason Park on the east side. It was a bit tougher running back (I did a trail ride beforehand and rode downtown, so I had to run back to get my bike) as the temps were a bit warmer. It was really good training tho. It was funny because some of the runners thought they were going the wrong way once they saw me backtracking. I reassured them...or did I?

Next week was more HART training and swimming and an hour session in the sevy with Scottie. It started off as a nice leisurely paddle down the Bayou until we had to turn around and paddle upstream. The current was kickin and then, just minutes away from our takeout, the skies opened! Thats when I said, "now, this is adventure racing!" It got cold quick, so we tried to get out as quickly as possible. I say "tried" because our legs no longer worked due to the fact that we were sitting in a cramped sevy for over an hour! That training session reminded me why I HATE SPRINTS! Anyway, we got out of the deluge and retreated home. Mo and I were able to inject a little fun that week by seeing a preview screening of "The Last House on the Left" and then my first Houston Rodeo. I really don't know why its taken me this long to actually go to the rodeo--that was tons o fun!

Last week was much of the same with HART training and swimming. Sunday was the Tour de Houston, where the HART team rode as a team. It was a bit foggy at first, but the day turned out spectacular after a while. I had ridden from home at about 5:30am, so that would make it a 80 miler day for me. For the most part it was a great ride, except for the road rash that EMo had to endure because of poor planning by the organizers. Right by White Oak Bayou, at a blind turn, there was a small median that had no orange cones or signage to warn anyone about it. We were in a line and Frank had ridden over it and I barely missed it. EMo was not so lucky as he hit it square and seconds later hit the deck. I heard the carnage and knew it was nothing good. Thankfully he only got road rash--nothing was broken. The best part was when we were tending to his wounds and he said, "lets get to ridin!" Awesome.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, but the route was a lot better than the first year. We got to ride through the Heights, along TC Jester, down to Rice, along Brays Bayou, and then back downtown to Discovery Green. It was a huge turnout! At the end, we all regrouped and rode in as a team and the announcer got all excited, "ah, a racing team, now that's cool!" We then just chilled on a patch of grass and ate our lunch. After a while longer, we all parted ways and I rode back home. It was a good day.

So, we're caught up to this week. Nothing special this week, except I think Mo and I will be heading to the Miller Outdoor Theatre on Saturday and cleaning the house all weekend to get ready for Amy's arrival--next week is gonna be crazy! Until then, mash hard!