Tour of Southern California

Or at least that's what it felt like. This last weekend was my first on the new coach's plan. And what a plan it was. Thank God it called for all the work to be done with some great training partners. So on Friday afternoon I was headed south on the old familiar 405 for another weekend of pain and relaxation at Charisa and Stven's Bed & Breakfast. Luckily this time I was cutting the drive a little short for a dinner cooked by an awesomely talented chef. Being fully fueled on some insane grub, made the tasks that lay ahead of me on Saturday seem a bit more manageable... at least looking forward. The plan set forth a Mt. Palomar climb and we had a solid crew there for the outing. After some warm up, we hit the hill and the pack spread out. While our schedules all read "Palomar", we each had a little different variation. After some HARD work, we all made it and Steven enjoyed his first view from the top-o-Palomar.

After some down, followed by some up, some down, some more UP and some down (and a little detour Kevin and I took) we made it back to the car with 80mi & 5hrs in the bank. Back at the Wernick Resort, we proceeded to mow through the pantry and fridge, then flop on the floor in fear of the 2hr run that was fast approaching. The run was about what was to be expected. I made Kevin stop quite a few times (I disguised them as bathroom breaks but really I just wanted to stop). 2hrs and 16mi later it was time to eat again, watch Phelps put the suit debate to bed, and then put myself in the same place.

Sunday morning and the foam roller came to soon. The man behind the madness joined us for a portion of our ride. Lucky for us, we were supposed to "stay flat" but no matter how you looked at it, it was going to be a rough day. We had another solid crew joining in for the fun and set off about 6:15am heading north. Up to Laguna, back to Oceanside, and then we were left for the dogs. Those with some brain cells quickly decided that the Kevin, Charisa and Ian threesome needed some time to further bond. Only Dan decided that he wanted to see what the river trial looked like. An hour or so later he too came to his senses and realized he had seen enough. 6:20, 120mi, one SLASHED to hell tire, and about $15 at various refueling stops due to the heat, and we were back in Carlsbad. We fell a little short of the prescribed 7hrs, but we collectively agreed our shortcomings could be attacked another day.

All in all it was another great weekend. I missed the 6-man. I have seen the pictures and can tell some insane fun was had. I'm not gonna lie. I had a moment about 3hrs into the Sunday ride (when I realized 4 more lay ahead) where I had to contemplate why I was not sipping a mimosa in Manhattan Beach at that very moment. But my cooler head prevailed, and I got back on it. Without the group and the support of the awesome training partners I have, I would not have had such willpower. Bud Light and the Beach would have prevailed without a doubt.

After a restful day yesterday, it was back on the road this morning, in the company of another great friend and training partner. This week is big. I am holding out hope.