Not that far from this angle

Managed to get in a bit of a sleep-in.... no need to be up and attem (at them) so dang early. I decided to see if my natural clock would wake me up and lo and behold there I was awake at 6:00 a.m. Now that may come as no big surprise, but alas, I was hoping for something a little more on the 7 ish side of the day.... them's the breaks.

After wondering about the house seemingly unable to make any decision on my own, I opened the fridge and pondered what to eat as my stomach reminded me that it had been a few hours since last nights feast of taco salad and ice cream for dessert.

It's kinda like this.....

You don't want your legs to wobble when you play......

So in an interest to keep my three viewers glued to the blog, I decided to head out on my bike towards Summerland. A new route... which means new photos for all of you.

As I made my way out of the city beside all four lanes of screaming traffic along highway 97, I passed my favorite two buoys floating in the water on my right. I used a 24x zoom and through the magic of 2 dimesional photography, I was able to take this shot of the 1800m return section of the swim leg.

I certainly does not look that far from this angle.... you could almost reach out and touch "the Peach" from the buoy.

Now I think my luck has run out as today might very well be the last of the truly beautiful days before the race. As of 6:45 p.m. P.S.T. Here is the forecast for the rest of the week...

That's right folks.... all that training in the heat of the day.... and it is going to be rainy and a high of 19˚C. Last week, it didn't even cool down at night to 19˚C. Sigh.

Anyhoo today was beautiful......

The sun was up and in full strength as I came around the corner on the highway. I thought that the light added some real solid shadows to create a neat contrast amongst the clay cliffs and hoodoos.

Life is a highway and I'm gonna ride it all night long... or at least for another hour.

Then behind me was the edge of one of the tiny sandy secluded beaches.

Mimi on the beach, Mimi on the beach... me, me and me.

Then once you reach the climb to Summerland, you simply duck to the right and enjoy an extremely scenic tour of the lake as you dart in and out of hidden alcoves and beaches far away from the tourists and the hustle and bustle of Ironman.

Down on the corner,

Howdy in the street!

Willy and Poor boys are Playin'

Bring a nickel, tap your feet.

I am soooooo misunderstood.... there is like three guys I know who are keeping up to me.... Rob, John and Colin.. as mentioned before... none of them read this so I guess you will all have to continue wondering what the heck is Tri-Guy on today..... maybe that tape worm got to his head.

Actually around the corner was this neat looking park. The most amazing place that no one has ever heard of.

I'm getting bugged driving up and down the same old strip

I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip.

Then the road just stretches away as you cruise along the lake.... I could ride this part forever, as long as the weather stays like this.

The long an winding road

that leads to your door

will never disappear......

Hope you have enjoyed my tangental rock lyric subtitles today. If not.. you really should get out and get some music in your life.

After a nice little sojourn on the bike, Lori and I tackled what I now affectionately call "Lori's route." This leg warmer takes you twice around the block here and the elevation changes are enough to make the most hardened runner cringe as each loop brings a wicked ascent and an equally wicked descent. Loads of fun and deep and steady breathing... gasping followed by hyperventilating. If you drop by, bring your own paper bag.

Seeing that it may be the last great day..... there is really only one place to spend it....

Tri-Guy tells Blake....

"When I was a young boy, I wanted to sail 'round the world.

That's the life for me... livin' on the sea." Just don't get split enz....