Beer shelf... even found some Leinenkugel in the back!
I hauled my bike down to Austin in a borrowed case from my bike shop, Davis Wheelworks. It was quite a workout hauling the 50 lb case around along with the rest of my luggage. Luckily, in return for lugging the bike down, I was able to have some decent rides.
Tuesday I swam in the morning with Karla and the master's group at the Rollingwood pool. Wednesday I did a short run around the neighborhood and 2 Mopac/45 loops + 1 Veloway cooldown lap with Nick and Casey after work. I can suddenly hold 19-20 mph on the loop compared to 16 mph back in 2008, and it was windy as hell, though for that route, that is the norm. Thursday I swam again, and got made fun of for talking too much. It also rained on Thursday and thus sadly, the after work bike ride was shot down. Friday I ran on Town Lake after work. Fastest 7-mile loop time that I can remember, clocking in at 55 minutes. Yes I realize that's not that fast for many people, but hey, it used to take me 1:05-1:10 to do the loop. It is deceivingly not flat. But I love that trail, and no matter how many times I run it, it never gets old. And then my sneakers become awesome-ly red-orange from the dirt.
Saturday I swam again, and the coach decided to do some open water drills that day. I realized that is my only open water practice leading up to Wildflower, as I don't intend to jump in the water Thursday or Friday. Afterwards, Karla and I lunched at Beet's and Gourdough's. Coming from an area full of chain restaurants, I really appreciate the one-of-a-kind restaurants and trailers that Austin has around the city. Airstream trailers are the shit. And then I had to run off the donut by doing the Town Lake loop again. That afternoon was so clear, you could see the Austin skyline perfectly.
Mock tuna nori rolls
Sunday I did TWO rides, coming in at 77 miles total. Okay, maybe not the brightest idea seeing as Wildflower is Saturday and then the Urban Assault ride is on Sunday, but it was beautiful out and I wanted to make use of my bike. In the morning, I parked at the mall on 360 and headed north and west on Bee Caves to meet up with a friend from work. We rode the length of Bee Caves, around, up, and down 360, and back around Bee Caves. Somewhere along Bee Caves I noticed my seat sliding, and it was definitely all the way down on 360. The guy suggested asking someone along the way if they had a tool, and luckily I found a nice couple who were willing to stop and lend me their wrench! Note to self, start carrying tools, especially when riding after having assembled a bike yourself. 360 and Bee Caves are definitely popular cycling routes, and there were lots around enjoying the blue skies and gusts of wind. I have no recollection of how fast i used to ride those roads, but somehow came in at 17mph this time. But the climbing there isn't anything compared to here, although the wind is much worse. The best part, I felt really good the entire time. So, slightly more confident for Saturday.
In the afternoon, Nick and I rode to Olga's house and then up Barton Creek Road to Bee Caves. It was supposed to be an easy ride, but I forgot the golden rule of cycling: if there is wind, then it will not be easy. Let's just say we were pretty tired by the time we got to her house. And then we decided to ride up Barton Creek, which actually rivals the area around here, particularly the last hill. I am proud to say I felt decent the entire time... and luckily Ann saved us from having to ride home by coming and picking us up.
The 60 hours starting from after work Friday almost made up for the crappy workweek, almost. But, even though the work sucked, I got to see a lot of old friends and coworkers. I still can't believe it's been two years since I lived in Austin. In the grand scheme of things, time flies, though day-to-day life is pretty rough. The conclusion of the trip is even though all of my friends in Austin are married, the potential for making new friends is much higher than in Folsom, so that regardless, I would still be better off there than I am here. Unless of course, the Bay Area suddenly got a LOT closer to here. I think that would be okay too, however being 2+ hours away prevents potential fun-ness.
Time to do something about it...
