It is 10:40pm.

I got up at 6:45am to begin the day.

Since I have been home, I have taken a shower, started a load of smelly laundry, and had a delicious diet Coke. 

Otherwise, I have been training all day.  (Disclaimer – 3+ hours of driving to and from Natchez Trace, dinner at Applebees)

The Natchez Trace is an historic Indian trail that reaches from Nashville to Tupelo (about 460 miles).  It takes a bit to get there, but it’s a fabulous road for training.  I’m sure the high season is the fall when the leaves are colorful, but this time of year it is seldom used.  It’s a well-maintained 2-lane road; the terrain varies from gentle undulations to rollers to serious granny-gear ups and downs.  We chose to ride the section south of Nashville to the turnaround just south of the Meriwether Lewis monument (site of his death and burial).

very important piece of equipment in the seat bag....
...and using that equipment before getting on the bike...
...and my pleasure of Jesse being in charge of the camera.

Over the course of our 120k round trip, we saw all three types of terrain I mentioned.  However, we had a head wind, and the particular section we chose included an elevation gain on the outbound leg.  So the trip that took us 3.5 hours out took us only 2.5 hours coming back in.  We spent a half-hour at the monument and got back to the truck just before dark. 

Meriwether's monument: Was he killed? Did he commit suicide? Just ask Grandpa Jay...

At about this point, Jesse took a little detour off the Trace toward a town for a treat run:

I'm not telling if he ate all of them...you'll have to ask him

So, back at the truck, off came the bike shoes, on went the running shoes, and off I went, with Jesse behind me in the truck for my 14k’s of running.

bad pic - he said he wasn't as tired as this looks
my quick break before running
me hatin the Gu flavor - blueberry pomegranate I think
practicing for running in the dark at the Ironman!

The bike ride was tough with the hills and the headwind, but the run was pretty strong, considering.  I had a strong rhythm though about 11k, then hit the proverbial wall.  I walked a bit and attempted to recover, but I was so lightheaded and dizzy and it was so late, I chose to bail.  It makes me feel guilty to do that, but I know better than to push myself too far.

So here I am, vegging on the couch, attempting to recover, before tomorrow’s strength training and DELICIOUS massage from my girl Janet at the MAC (THE premier reason for owning a massage therapy practice!).

Favorite shuffle:  All This Joy, John Denver, which I heard in the dark while watching deer off the road by truck headlights.

I ate ONE of the Snickers.

Thanks for reading!