The scenic route

Just to close the loop, Saturday's ride was absolutely fantastic. It started very early and involved lots and lots of climbing; I basically climbed up to Four Corners or Pan Toll as many was as I could. Route 1 along the coast was especially gorgeous, especially while the sun was rising.

The past two weekends have really been fantastic. It seems like the Bay Area is trying to build up some good will before the summer fog settles in.

Get busy

I can't put it off any longer, folks. It's time for me to start riding long on weekends. If all goes well, Saturday will be my first ride of over 70 miles since January 1.

I'm thrilled to have kept my saddle time under control this far into the year. Last season, I started riding long and strong MUCH earlier. It was mostly okay, though, because my big race was in July. This year, that race is in September... so I've had to restrain myself. Fewer miles now mean fresher legs later, or so I hope!

The next few weeks are going to be busy ones. The Tour of California is passing through San Francisco this weekend. Next weekend, my bike and I are flying home to Ohio for some humidity training. The weekend after is an absolute beast of a ride: the Sequoia 200K. (Do I have the fitness to tackle a 124-mile ride right now? That remains to be seen!)

After June 2, the focus will be on mileage until a short, two-week prep period before Vineman 70.3 in mid-July. That's not to say that things will quiet down, though! Kristine and I have a camping trip planned, her marathon weekend, and I'd love to get up to Sonoma (to pre-ride Vineman) and Tahoe (to pre-ride IMLT again) some time in June.

Is your head spinning yet? Mine is!

Halfway hair!

I stopped cutting my hair this past December in anticipation of the 2013 triathlon season and the intent is not to cut it again until IMLT in late September. That means we're halfway between haircuts. And judging by this photo, taken just before the start of Wildflower this past Sunday, it's going to be AWESOME by the time the big race rolls around. And by awesome, I mean very, very long.