You're not meant to take your own into cricket grounds but miraculously a can of stella fits into a tube of pringles with some pringles then put on top to snack on! And a bottle of rose wine looks like pre-made apple and blackcurrant squash. just saying...

On the beer front I tried a lemon radler last night:

Northern Monk x Queer Brewing Project West Coast Routes Lemon Radler Patrons Project 20.01 2.8% 

A radler-style super - sessionable light IPA blended out with the great zesty character of comminuted lemons.

There's a place in Birmingham that serves food and has a blackboard with 25 or so ales on it to try from. Definitely going back there! How is everybody else doing? Weekend plans?

Hey, everyone.  Just finished up a recovery week that started in Cancun and ended with a 20' time trial on the bike Saturday.  Sort of an FTP test - held 245W for the 20' which is about what I expected given a bunch of turns and slowdowns where my reading would be zero.  Aquabike next weekend - this will be the biggest training week in over five years this week then I'll taper pretty hard.  The weather here has finally cooled off a bit (which is good because I'd really like a wetsuit legal swim).

Hey all from this side of the pond. I was in Wales for the weekend so got to swim in the sea (cold and wavey but managed about 15 minutes!) and try this from a local brewery

 Sunrise 3.8% – A pale, refreshing ale with good citrus flavours and a crisp, grapefruit bitterness.

Any Gretchen news???

My first "triathlon" was an indoor one that Lifetime Fitness did way back in 2007.  You would swim 10 minutes in the pool, bike 30 minutes on a spin bike, and then run 20 minutes on a treadmill with a 10 minute "T1" and a 5 minute "T2" to change and move to the next stations.  I trained a total of two days for it LOL and only got in 350 yards of swimming in those 10 minutes.  I placed really high in the bike as weight didn't matter, just revolutions, and then did OK on the treadmill.  It was fun and really well organized.  I think I still have the t-shirt somewhere.  That would really suck to have part of a tri cancelled like that, but weather happens and Lake Michigan is no joke when the wind is coming off the lake in Chicago.

Really nice running and great pacing.  Your long run paces and tempo paces seemed a little too close (mine were about 2'/mile apart, based on Daniels Running Formula), but if you're comfortable running at 8:40 forever then I guess keep at what works.

Now that's how to handle the situation!

That was a wild race - wow! 

Ah! that sounds a nightmare! Glad you are now stocked up on spare tubes! been a low volume amount of commuting this week, but did get to try this ale last night whilst at a cricket match.

MARSTON'S 61 DEEP

61 Deep. Newest brew on the Burton block. 61 metres. That’s the depth of the well at the Brewery that gives this refreshing pale ale its name. The five American and Australian hops give it its fresh, zesty aroma, whilst the tropical fruit and citrus notes make it extremely drinkable. Dive in. - 3.8% abv.

You're having quite a time of it cycling, aren't you?  Yikes!  I've had those days...I once flatted in the driveway.  I've also crashed in the driveway. 

Just finished my biggest training week and month, maybe all-time but definitely in the last five years.  Got in a wetsuit-aided 1K pool time trial (16:57...very pleased with that) and 40 miles on the bike yesterday with some Strava KOM chasing (1 out of 3, 3rd on the other two).  Bikram yoga this morning which was awful I was so toast.  Taper starts now; daughter and I are going to get in some OWS practice tomorrow and a short ride.  Looking forward to letting it rip next Sunday - haven't swam "in anger" in over five years or raced the bike in over four.  That's a lot of pent up energy!!!    

Following the same tapering plan as I sit here eating cookies. 

Yesterday was 45' on the bike with some 3' intervals at 105-105% and a 1K swim, today a shorter bike with 10' at race pace (97%) and will get in a swim this afternoon.  We're headed up to Troy, NY, tomorrow to visit a college (Rensselear Polytech - the engineering school my friends in high school and I wanted to go to but had NO chance to get in), so I'm done biking.  Our hotel has a little indoor pool so I'll get in a quick WU swim in Saturday morning and then we fly back home.  Race is Sunday about an hour from here so 4 AM wake-up.

I'm probably a little short on my taper as I killed myself last week, but this race was kind of a last minute decision anyway.  I'm just hoping to break 30' on the swim (assuming it's wetsuit legal) and push an hour on the bike for the 23 miles.  I just hope it's not windy.

Life must involve cookies!