Down Dog

You hear a lot of that in our house with the new puppy but it is not always directed at her, actually I think I am hearing it more than Islay, followed by UP DOG.  Like Islay, I am thinking make up your mind and where is my treat?  Every year I tell myself I will focus more on stretching and strength training.  And every year someone tells me I am too tight (or uptight as may be the case) and I need to work on my flexibility.  This happened when I was doing my bike fit three days before Timberman when Clovis at Freshbikes tells me my hips are too tight and it impacts my pedal stroke.  Yes, bike fits can be a bit intimate but what happens in the fitting room, stays in the fitting room and when we are finished Clovis tells me I need to do yoga.  Ok, I get it but it seems like there are more types of yoga then there are flavored vodka and if you know me you know I am not really a fan of either with one exception, Square One. 

I have done yoga in the past but never on a regular basis, primarily because I have not felt any real benefits from it and struggled with a lot of the poses.  Jen convinced me to start doing some yoga sessions with her using some DVDs she has been using for years.  A bit different than my previous experiences but this time I think I may be on to something with the help of this dude.  Sure I would rather be watching Walking Dead but I am surprised at how much I am enjoying the sessions and how I feel the next day. I am sold on this and plan to keep it as part of the regular training rotation.  Hopefully Clovis notices a difference next time as well.

Speaking of new experiences, Jen and I hosted our first dinner party in our new place with our coach and a couple of teammates.  Jen whippped up a tasty batch of enchiladas while I focused on crafting the perfect margarita.  Great company and Ironman conversation made for a fun night.  I judge a party successful when someone loses themselves in the moment and pees on the floor.  Some remember the night  differently than others but it ended late and we were happy to have a holiday the next day.  We celebrated in traditional Columbus Day fashion by making a trip to a gardending center and planting mums.  Unfortunately we did not have enough time to hit Bed, Bath, and Beyond but there is always next weekend.

Big ride on the horizon with the MoCo Epic this weekend, the weather should be beautiful and one of our teammates is going to join us on the metric.  It is his first time on a mountain bike in several years so this should be interesting.   I will be sure to pack the Hoo Ha cream.......