aaaahhhhh!

what a great weekend finally. i swear it feels like it has been winter for a year at least. based on florida weather history, this has been the coldest winter in 25 years. with that said, i hope that we never experience this cold of a winter for another 25 years or more. i had a few not so good days last week, which i think the weather had a lot to do with, but after this weekends riding and running, i feel like a new person...a happier person. it does take a lot to get me in a funk and there were a few things last week that pushed me into an ugly place. thanks to my friends and blog friends who left me positive mojo's, emails, and comments; they helped bring my perspective back into 20/20 focus. i can see the light!

last week for whatever reason was not a good swim week for me. ended up with only 1 swim which was not that good and then the next scheduled swim didn't happen because it was too cold in the AM for the pool to open. sure i could have gone in the afternoon but the motivation was definitely not there and i was already pissed about how crappy i swim and that it isn't getting that much better...but that's history now.  i have to accept that we all, not just me, will have these kinds of runs, swims, and bikes. one's where you feel like you are an olympic athlete and one's where you feel like an amateur. thankfully, feeling like an amateur is few and far between...at least in the cycling and running department. i have a few ideas that i will start working on in march with regard to the swimming. i think i've exhausted what i can do on my own and need a little more direction and guidance. as for the half ironman i was going to do on march 21st, i've decided after last week's craziness, that there are too many things that i still need to get in order and not enough time to do it all without rushing into things. most of all, i would like to feel better about my swimming before tackling a half iron and think that the entry fee i would be paying to do that would better serve me working on the swim. see what a little good weather can do for your head? i'm thinking more rationally and clearer now.

saturday workout was a good one. i ran 5.5 miles on part trail, part road, came back and got on the bike and did 50.2 miles with gary and jc and then as soon as i got home, jumped off the bike and did a quick transition, headed out and did a 2 mile run in exactly 15 minutes. man my legs were toast and it sure didn't feel like i was running 7:30's. it felt more like a 9:00 minute miles to me. i felt alive again. then this morning, jc and i got in the same 50.2 mile ride with a challenging head wind but we were just happy to be riding without arm warmers, ear warmers, double socks, etc...i think i have some tan lines to prove it too. next weeks weather is looking so much better and should have no problem getting in 2-3 swims and some extra bike miles in the afternoon with jc. i also have a half marathon to do on sunday, so looking forward to that. my numbers for the week look like this:
ran: 23 miles
biked: 170 miles
swam: 2100 meters
weight trained twice
core work twice
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well, i finally got to test out the Sugoi velocity tri shorts yesterday that was sent to me by Scott at outsidepr recently. i have them on in the SMILE motivational picture above. these shorts are not like your typical lycra type of tri or bike short. that was the first thing i noticed when i pulled them out of the box. they are made of a very light material. nothing like i've ever felt or worn before. the body of the short is made of 80% nylon and 20% spandex as seen in the front view:

and 75% nylon and 25% mesh as seen on the white part of the short from the side view:

like i said, these shorts were different than any others i have worn and different was good. they don't have a lot of stretch like most tri or bike shorts you would normally buy that are made with more spandex. that's why i noted the blend of material. as i noted above, i did a run/bike/run in them yesterday and it felt like i wasn't wearing anything, but not like i was naked. in other words, they didn't creep up my legs and stayed in place. since they are so light, unlike most traditional tri/bike shorts, you didn't feel all yucky and gross once you started sweating. i remember back when it used to be hot here in florida, that my shorts felt like they weighed 5 pounds during a ride but these dry very quickly. i really like the blend of material that Sugoi used on these shorts. another plus, as they get more use, i can see how this material wouldn't develop the "see thru" spots like traditional tri/bike shorts made with spandex typically begin to form as they age. you know those see thru spots you see when you are riding behind someone who has shorts on that should have been retired a long time ago? i don't see that happening with these shorts and that's a huge plus to me because i don't want to be that person on the group ride with see thru shorts. these shorts come in the red that you see in the photos and in black. keep in mind since they are made with less spandex than typical shorts that there is no room for error on fit. for example, i usually wear a small in most tri or bike shorts but can get away with medium if push comes to shove. they aren't as snug as a small but are still rideable. the Sugoi velocity tri shorts in medium would absolutely not fit me...too loose. i learned this because sadly, the velocity tri suit in medium is perfect on top but too baggy for my non-j-lo-booty and a small would have fit perfect on my butt, but too tight up top. darn boobs! in a nutshell, i highly recommend these shorts. they are so comfy and look really sharp too. i felt like a speed demon in them yesterday!
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now for the answer to the mystery gu. i finally decided to take the packet of mystery gu flavor on my ride yesterday and then did a little hail mary prayer before eating it. my best guess on the flavor is raspberry and it was good. i also tried a seasonal flavor on today's ride called gingerbread and that was REALLY yummy. i would use that flavor all year round not just during the holiday season.

i hope everyone has a nice week ahead. much love and peace out!