Here we are in sunny Florida. It’s 50 degrees and the rain is coming down sideways. We waited to start our Sunday run after it let up but it never did so we went anyway. The wind and rain made it a miserable run. We weren’t as uncomfortable as zero degrees and 6 inches of snow in Michigan but all the streets here flood (it’s so flat there’s nowhere for the rain to go). I lagged a block or two behind Jean as I felt a nature call at 4 miles. I knew if I went back to the condo I wouldn’t go back out so I waited for a bathroom at mile 8 (city streets with no vegetation to hide behind). It’s hard to run with your legs crossed.

We went to Clermont Thursday for our triathlon testing. It felt like college all over again as we spent the night before the big test at a beach bar with brother Bob, Jean’s son Robert and one of his friends. We intended to have an oxygen uptake test, lactate threshold test, swim stroke force analysis, bike fit and muscle limiter analysis. When we got there (it’s about an hour and a half away, so we left 2 hrs 15 minutes before we were supposed to be there–sound like me doesn’t it?) we had to fill out some paperwork. Chuck Wolf (the director) talked us out of the VO2 max test because, unless we are elite athletes, the number doesn’t mean much. Also the swim force analysis couldn’t be done because the tech’s father had passed away.

We both got the lactate threshold test. You run on a treadmill and every 2:30 they take a blood sample, record heart rate, ask your perceived exertion (6-20 scale) and increase the speed. As soon as your blood level of lactic acid increases over the previous reading by more than 1.0 you have reached your lactate threshold. When the girl said she may have to prick our fingers up to ten times I was reminded of the junior high joke where the patient is running out of his room followed by a nurse carrying a pan of boiling water followed by the doctor saying “No nurse Ratchett, I told you to prick his boil”, but I digress. My lactate threshold is 168 and shows a fairly classic pattern. Jean’s is 175 and also shows a normal pattern. They felt my cramping was a training issue as I do mostly endurance training and little or no lactate threshold training (20-60 minutes at 163-173) and never any VO2 max intervals (30 sec to 5 minutes at 180 with equal rest intervals).

After that we had muscle analysis and found out what we already knew; that our muscles (especially hips) are tight and they gave us both stretching exercises to do. Although the swim force analysis couldn’t be done, we spent some time with the swim coach for the USA Triathlon National Training Center. He had some good tips and drills for both of us. He had me bilateral breathing (for you non-swimmers “going both ways” is not a bad thing) in a short time. I only swallowed 4 gallons of pool water and they didn’t charge extra for that.

The bike fit was done by a young guy named Adam Baskin. He was about 5’6″ and weighed 135 (I asked). He is a Cat 1 road racer on one of the three Ford teams. He had been out riding with Shiela Taormina and had to cut it short to do the bike fit. It was 75 and sunny and we were inside all day. He moved our cleats (Village Bike had put them on backwards), moved both of our seats back and lowered our seats to compensate. Jean’s chain is stretched (I wonder how that happened) she needs a new chain, new cassette, new front rings and narrower handlebars. If any of you have Natasha’s e-mail Jean would like to see if she wanted to sell her used Cheetah. Adam asked me if my left butt cheek (he said glute) was tight because my right knee kicked out a little. That was the same thing Chuck had said during the muscle analysis so it definitely has some effect both biking and running. I’m looking for volunteers for massage therapy, preferably female but not too young as my heart couldn’t take it.

All in all the day was exhausting but well worth it (we started at 8:30 AM and walked out of the building at 2:45 with no lunch break). We’ll talk more about it when we get back. Sounds like Diane heard the same things.

We plan to be back Sat but the weather is supposed to be getting better so may delay until Monday.

Jack & Jean

 By now most of you know that I made it!!! I can call myself an Ironman!!! Jean’s leg was still too sore so she wisely didn’t do the race.

You probably also know I didn’t have the race I had hoped for or expected, but my goal was to finish and I did. Rather than rely on rumor, I thought I would give you the details straight from the horse’s mouth (although I have been mistaken for the other end).

I awoke on Saturday at 2:30 AM and never got back to sleep (I wasn’t excited was I?). At 4:30 or so I started getting my gear around and looked out at the gulf. The waves were hitting the shore pretty hard, a bit rougher than I had wanted but you take what the day gives you. (Did I tell you that I made it-I’m an Ironman?)

I was very calm before the start of the race but it was lonely without the tri team there. The mass swim start wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. People didn’t run into the water thrashing and kicking, at least not in the back where I was. I knew it would be tough when I was wading out. I stepped in and the water got thigh deep, then came up on a sandbar calf deep and then got deep again. I was in knee deep water when a wave came in and broke right under my chin. I found out later that the waves were 1-2 feet (if you know waves, they are measured from the original waterline–from the bottom of the trough to the top of the crest of a 2 foot wave is more than two feet). From the bottom of the swells I couldn’t see anything and sighting was difficult. Then the masses of people closed in. It was wall to wall bodies with no open water to swim in. I got kicked in the shoulder (yes, the one that I separated at Iceman 2 years ago), whacked in the head as well as most other parts of my body and pushed all over the gulf. One guy was on my back so long I thought we were engaged. I got out of the water on the first loop in 39 minutes (I crossed the pad at around 40 minutes as people were walking and it was crowded) and got back in the water. The second loop angled over to meet the line we took on the first loop. I was amazed that there wasn’t anyone in my way. It was great until I realized I was way off course. I was swimming up the middle and would have ended up between the two lines of buoys. As I realized and corrected my line, a jet ski came over and said I was going the wrong way and should be swimming toward shore. I told the guy I was going out, not in! The second loop took longer than the first but I was still out of the water in around 1:26 (I could be off–I haven’t checked the official times yet). (Did I tell you that I made it-I’m an Ironman?)

The transition went smooth (I took my time but didn’t dawdle).  I got on the bike and kept it in an easy gear the first few miles. At mile 6 I came across an accident. The guy was laying on the pavement in a fetal position not moving at all. A few bikes were there so I kept going. I later heard that the guy was 55 and was in critical condition. I don’t know the details but the rumor was that he was hit by a car. The first 20 miles or so were flat. The first 7 were downwind and the next 13 were crosswind. When we turned on highway 20 it was directly into the wind (not strong but 10 mph or so) and the terrain was slightly rolling. I checked my time at mile 37 (a third of the way) and I was at 2:05–on pace for a 6:15 bike which was what I expected. Then it happened! We got our bike special needs bags at 50 miles and I spent less than 2 minutes switching camelback bags. I had eaten a couple of power bars, 2 bananas, drank 50 oz of G-Push, two partial bottles of water and a partial bottle of Gatorade. Within 5 miles (almost exactly the halfway point) I felt the first twinges of cramps in my quads. Those of you on the tri team know that I’ve had the same problems in all my long races (both Iceman mountain bike races, the Pineman half-ironman and the Great Buckeye Challenge half-ironman) but never in training. I had hoped they would go away but they didn’t. Within 10 miles I knew I was in trouble and went into survival mode. I dropped a couple of gears and began to spin hoping he cramps wouldn’t get any worse. They didn’t, but they didn’t get any better either. I was so zoned out that I didn’t see Jean and my mother at mile 60. I only saw my brother Bob because he crossed the street to get a picture. To add insult to injury it started raining hard for about 45 minutes. The roads at that part of the bike were chunky and full of water puddles which made it all the harder. I finally finished the bike, but my 6:15 turned into 7:30 or so (again I haven’t checked the times so I could be off a little). (Did I tell you that I made it-I’m an Ironman?)

I went to the changing tent and got into my running clothes. I didn’t think I could run at all, but I ran out of the transition area and felt decent the first 4 miles. Then the cramps got bad again and I had to walk. The next 22 miles were pure torture. It was a combination of jog 300 yards or so until the cramps got too bad, then walk 300 yards or so until the cramps went away, then repeat the same process. That worked alright until the walking caused blisters on the pads of my feet (50 cent piece size on the right foot, quarter size on the left foot) and I couldn’t run at all. Again to add insult to injury it rained hard for about twenty minutes. I had hoped for around 14 hours but with an hour lost on the bike and at least an hour on the run I was 16 hours plus. When I ran up the chute (in a lot of pain but I didn’t show it) I expected the crowds to be gone and the sweepers to be cleaning up the area, but the bleachers were full and the people were all cheering. It was an emotional experience that can’t be explained-it can only be felt. (Did I tell you that I made it-I’m an Ironman?)

That’s the story. I’m not proud of my times but I am proud of my perseverance. There are lots of details that I will pass on as time goes on so just tell me when you get tired of hearing about it and I will stop. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I made it and that’s all I really intended to do. Feel sorry for the guy laying on the pavement in the sixth mile of the bike–feel sorry for the people they picked up in the water on jet skis because they couldn’t go on–feel sorry for the people who quit the swim after the first loop because the water was too rough–feel sorry for the people that had bike problems and couldn’t continue–feel especially sorry for the people that did the whole race but didn’t make it by the midnight cutoff. (Did I tell you that I made it-I’m an Ironman?)

Jack

PS-Travel note. We started home Sunday morning after breakfast and came up through Alabama. We would normally drive until 6 or 7 but we were both tired so we stopped at 5 in northern Alabama. When we got in the room, we saw on the news there were tornado warnings in Alabama and Tennessee and one of them was crossing I-65 right where we would have been. Many people were killed both North and South of where we stayed but we were safe. Someone up there is watching over us (Thanks Dad).

P.S.S.-(Did I tell you that I made it-I’m an Ironman?)

 This will be the last report before the race. Tomorrow we will clean our way out the door (it still won’t be clean enough for my mother but we will get the high stuff) and take off for Hudson. We’ll spend the night at my mother’s place and will take off for Panama City Beach Thursday morning.

Jean is talking about doing the swim and the bike and then dropping out before the run so she doesn’t hurt her leg any more than it already is. Somehow I can’t see her quitting so it will remain to be seen. I could see her doing the swim and bike and then trying the run with a run/walk. She still will probably beat me.

I am strangely calm. Last week I felt a little jittery but this week I am anxious to get to the race site and do it. I am looking forward to it. I know it will be a tough day but I plan to relax and have fun. We’ll see about that too.

We went to Brother Bob’s last weekend. Rode the Withlacoochie again on Friday (no animals other than a vulture on the side of the trail) and went shelling at Calidisi Island on Saturday. After two hours of beach walking Jean found two shells she liked so we left. There were signs on the island saying stay on the boardwalks (from the marina to the beach) because rattlesnakes are common on the island.

I went off my diet last week to prepare for the race. I told Jean I craved pizza. She couldn’t remember the name of the pizza joint on Tamiami Trail that she Jon, Laura and the kids went to so we didn’t get any. The next day she bought two frozen pizzas (which, to me, are not pizzas). One was a Taco Pizza. We had the conversation about how pizza is pizza and tacos are tacos and never the twain shall meet. This after a bout several months ago with a pizza (and I use the term very loosely) with broccoli, cauliflower and a cream sauce which to me is a big flat quiche and we all know real men don’t eat quiche. Anyway I digress. She put the second pizza in the oven which she said was a “Supreme”. She commented on how all the ingredients seemed to have slidden to one side (is it slid, slided or slidden-I never get that one right either?). When I took it out of the oven she was right. I got in the trash and took out the wrapper which said in letters about three inches high and the entire pizza wide “HALF AND HALF” which she claims she didn’t see. I would like to spend just one day in her mind. Who needs drugs anyway?

Ran a quick (for me) 3+ miles yesterday and will do a short 15+/- mile bike ride today just to loosen my legs and that will be it until race day. We should be back home late on Monday or mid-day Tuesday depending on how soon we get out of Panama City Beach on Sunday. We are looking forward to seeing all of you.

Jack & Jean

 Just a quick note to say I saw the Bald Eagle again. I did a 6 and 2/3 mile easy run yesterday morning. The eagle was sitting on a utility pole at Caspersen Beach. I saw him when I ran South at first. When I came back the sun was shining on him. He was breathtaking.

A couple of minutes later I was going by the water treatment plant and saw a small tree with 5 wild Parrots perched in the branches. There are quite a few around town but I am still amazed when I see them.

Good luck to the “Icemen” for this year this weekend (Harry Doele, Jon Anderson and Tim Etter-is Jack Wiswell doing it? Paul?) Anyway, good luck to them. Keep the wheels on the ground. You can’t out-do Diane’s endo on our first trail ride for form nor my endo at last year’s Iceman for rough landing so don’t even try.

I hope I’m not tapering too much. Two days off a week-run between 6 and 2/3 and 9; bike between 30 and 40; swim a couple of days a week 1/2 hour to 1 hour. I will cut back to little or nothing after Saturday (just enough to keep these old joints lubed up). Larry/Jon-does that sound OK?

Jean lifted weights and swam yesterday and is at a Pilates class this morning. Class was at 7 and she still isn’t back (9:45) so she must have stayed for an aerobics class. Each day looks a little worse for her trying the race. We’ll see when the time comes.

We’ll be on the road after Wednesday (will drive to Panama City Beach Thursday morning – 7 hours or so) so reports will dry up. Brother Bob is talking about coming up to the race and may bring my mother-no pressure there!!! I’m not sure mothers should see their kids (no matter how old they are) in pain. We are hearing about the weather up North. The talk down here is about the coming cold front. Will dip daytime temperatures into the mid 70s for highs and overnight temps near 60-may have to wear the nip guards.

Jack

 I’m at that point when the intensity and duration of workouts is less, and I’ve been doing the long stuff for so long I don’t quite know what to do with myself, so Jean thought it would be great if we went to St. Armand’s Circle shopping. I hate to shop like all real men. She bribed me by offering to buy lunch but I told her it would cost more than that (I don’t know what yet but I’ll think of something). The funny thing is that I bought more than she did. Books, mostly, including a Caribbean cookbook/bartenders guide and three John McDonald mysteries. I call them airplane books because they are easy reading and you can finish a whole book on a flight to Florida.

Did nothing Saturday but lay on the beach in the sun. Sunday did a short run (6 and 2/3 miles) and layed (is it layed or laid, I never get that one right? Is it I layed or I got laid?) on the beach. Am getting rid of my Michigan farmers tan but still have tan lines (Venice isn’t the Mecca for nude sunbathing). Besides, even though the nude body is a thing of beauty, it doesn’t include 55+ year old men.

Saw a typical Florida driving move at brother Bob’s this weekend. It was a one way street around a circle drive with a motel and restaurant in the middle with two traffic lanes. On the right was a parking lot with an in-drive way and an out drive way a block down the road. A woman (and it doesn’t need to be a woman down here, men are worse) went 50 feet past the in-drive way to the parking lot before she decided she wanted to park there. So she went to the out drive way, obviously angled the wrong way, and tried to turn in. She couldn’t make the tight turn so she backed up blocking both lanes of traffic. She went forward, ran into the curb and stopped abruptly. She backed up again blocking both lanes of traffic and pulled into the parking lot scrubbing her tires on the same curb she ran into. When she got in the lot, all the parking spots were angled the wrong way so she spent 10 minutes jockeying the car back and forth before she finally parked. It would have been easier to go around the circle and pull into the in-drive way.

We stopped at Sharky’s on our way home from St. Armand’s for Bait Buckets and on the way home from there saw another typical Florida move. We came to the first intersection and the driver, a man, didn’t even look our way. We couldn’t have been more than 20 yards from the intersection when he ran through the stop sign and pulled out right in front of us. He figured it was his turn and he was going no matter what. 

I did an easy 32.5 miles on the bike this morning. It was windy going south but good practice. I again resisted the urge to do intervals but instead practiced getting into the aero position and finding the right gears to spin. As I made the turn at Caspersen Beach I saw Jean riding the other way. A minute later I saw a mature Bald Eagle rising from the beach and coming over the Palmetto and dunes. He couldn’t have been more than thirty feet directly over my head. I have seen Bald Eagles several times before but I am still in awe every time I see them. It’s just like “Animal Planet” down here between the birds, the fish, the dolphins and the manatees.

Better close as it’s time for dinner.

Jack and Jean

PS – Jean ran short yesterday but leg still doesn’t feel good. Says she won’t do the race but I’ll believe it when I see it. 

 We rode the Withlacoochie Bike Trail yesterday with Brother Bob. I was impressed. We picked up the trail about five miles from its southern end at State Highway 50 about five miles East of Brooksville and thirty miles or so West of Clermont.

The trail is about ten feet wide and is made from asphalt and pulverized tires. When we finished the ride we had tiny pieces of black dust on our legs that smelled like rubber. The trail is flat but you could feel slight upgrades and slight downgrades. There are roads every few miles you have to cross but they are clearly marked and are lightly traveled country roads.

The trail goes through swampy river bottoms and, later, horse farms and fields. It is well shaded and smooth. There are no broken bottles, beer cans, plastic bottles, papers, etc. I never saw any litter at all. Every mile or so there is a bench to rest at or a picnic table to eat a lunch or snack. There are stores at some of the road crossings and even a bike shop adjacent to the trail. We rode from highway 50 to Floral City, about twenty miles, and back. It was an easy spin and a good taper ride.

Jean rode with Bob for a while then rode next to me (you know she must have been uneasy since she never rides with me). When we would meet other riders she would stay next to me and not go single file (I guess she figured since we were the only true bikers out there we deserved two thirds of the road). It’s kind of like riding with Big John, huh Becky?

There were some other riders out there but we never felt crowded. About half were two wheeled recumbents. Most of the riders were men. My theory is that they were trying to damage their prostates so the widows down here would stop chasing them.

We saw a several squirrels (one of them bounded out and did a pirouette under my tire while I was in the aero position-I held on tight but didn’t hit him-I don’t know how I missed because he was right under my tire), two turtles (I think they were Gopher Tortoises) and a snake about six feet long. The snake was on the left edge of the trail and Jean was riding in the center. Her reaction was to shriek (not scream which would have been tolerable) which scared the heck out of her riding partner (me), then swerve over toward me and almost run me off the right side of the trail (apparently the snake snarled at her which frightened her into this behavior). Now I know why I like to ride alone.

We may make a bike rider out of Brother Bob but it’s going to take some work. First of all he won’t wear a helmet. He says it goes back to the days when he rode motorcycle. The bike was old and, if he wore a helmet, he couldn’t hear the parts fall off. Sometimes he would have to backtrack miles to pick them up off the road. Secondly, he rides quite slowly. I think it’s because it’s too hard to keep his cigarette lit while riding fast. And thirdly, his pre-ride energy meal consisted of two hot dogs from the weenie machine at a Speedway gas station at 8:30 AM. I think he’ll come around but we may have to spend a lot of time here in Florida to check his progress.

I’ll sign off now. We are down to two weeks and counting. I’m starting to feel the pre-race jitters. Why did I sign up for this race anyway?

Jack & Jean

PS – Jean still hasn’t run (three weeks tomorrow). Not looking good

 We picked Becky up at the airport at around three on Friday. By five we had her at Sharky’s trying frozen drink samples. She wanted a Deck Runner but the machine was down so she had to settle for a Bait Bucket to wash down the seafood nachos. We all went fishing with brother Bob (aka Bobbie Butane) on Saturday. Caught several Blue Runners, a Lizardfish (don’t know the actual name), and a Pinfish (which I used for bait). Becky hooked a 28 or 29 inch Cobia. Bob helped bring it in and let it go (they have to be 33 inches to keep). Becky was afraid she may have to stop by Betty Ford Clinic when she got back home after all the Margaritas. We took her back to the airport Monday at 2:30 P.M., went on to Avon Park to see Mom and then drove back home (long day on the road).

I was so happy that, with all the miles of training, my toe nails still looked fine. Not any more. Two turned black so I will have to deal with them over the next few months. I did a taper down to thirteen and a third miles on Sunday and apparently jammed my middle toe. Nail is all red underneath and will soon be black. No Jon, Jim and Larry-I will not be painting my toenails for the race. It may help save the nails during an Ironman but I don’t think I could stand the looks in the men’s locker room at the fitness center.

We looked at four condo units on the beach yesterday and still like ours best. Jean wants to continue looking but I am content. She may have to get her own checkbook out.

We will continue to taper. I took today off. Will run an easy ten miles tomorrow and will go to Hudson and ride the Withlacoochie Trail on Friday with Bob (an easy thirty or forty miles). I’ve been doing thirty flat on the bike in wind and have resisted the temptation to turn the ride into an interval session. Obviously it takes more effort when you are in the wind but am gearing down and spinning more than I would normally do. Jean still hasn’t run (two and a half weeks now) but says the legs feel better and may run a short two or three miles tomorrow.

We are getting acclimated to the heat and humidity. We stopped at a Publix for a couple of things Monday evening and almost froze in the air conditioning. We are looking forward to seeing all of you but are thinking it would be better if we stayed the winter here and you all came down.

Jack & Jean

 We took the weekend off for family obligations. I went fishing with my mother and brothers on Saturday. We caught fifty White Grunts (sounds like a medical condition, doesn’t it?) and a Spanish mackerel. We cleaned them all and have them here at the condo. We went to Avon Park (about two hours away) for church on Sunday. The congregation had a farewell luncheon for my mother (she is moving to Hudson) and she wanted us there. I had to drive to Avon Park yesterday and be with my mother at the closing on the sale of her duplex. I’m tired of being on the road without my bike.

I ran twenty miles on Monday ALONE!!!! That is a boring run!! I started at 6:40 A.M. in the dark. By the time I got to the turnaround at Caspersen Beach, it was light enough to see. I started early because it gets so hot. After the second loop (each is six and two third miles) it was warm. I took an extra water bottle and found three beach showers where I could wet my head. (No, not similar to wetting my pants-I’m not double jointed). The people at the beach thought I was nuts, and so did I. It gave me enough relief to make it back to the condo without melting into a puddle, but I suffered the rest of the day from dehydration. We had to make some Margaritas to get some fluids back into my system.

I did a short ride on Tuesday (forty miles flat) and felt good. I ran seven and a half miles yesterday and my legs were tired so I decided to back off today. There was another flat tire last night when I checked the bike so on went the new tires (Continental foldups). I was going to wait until ten days before the race but I can’t afford the tubes (between Jean and I we have gone through four so far). I rode seven miles just to see how they worked. Went to the YMCA to lift weights and swim about fifty minutes.

We could be going to the beach but Jean made an appointment to look at a condo down the beach (ugh!!!). I don’ know why. We have renters coming in two months and I wouldn’t make a move until after spring anyway. I would rather keep the place we have and open up the kitchen. Since she isn’t running I think she is antsy, but I’m trying to train and relax. Thankfully Becky is coming down to Florida and can play with Jean so I can get some rest.

We found a good Mexican restaurant with smooth Margaritas Monday night. I tried the Deck Runner the other day at Sharky’s but I like the Bait Buckets better. We’ll take Becky there and let her decide. Will need to be careful because there are lots of single men at Sharky’s (marriage licenses are only good in the state that issues them, right?). I’ll keep an eye on her but will not report anything I see.

Better close and get to the realtor’s office.

Jack

By the way, I ran into Michelle Skedgell’s in-laws the day after she e-mailed and said they were here. They are from Hastings too. It was quite a coincidence. 

 Training continues in the hot sun. We did a 100 mile bike on Wednesday. We started at dawn before the heat got too bad and did a two loop ride on the same road we had been riding all along. Highway 776 goes to Port Charlotte and meets up again with US-41. We crossed over US-41 and the bike lane disappeared so we turned around and went back the same way we came. Due to horrendous traffic at the intersection of Highway 776 and US-41, we decided to turn around before we got there on the next loop.

On the second loop I told Jean I would probably slow down. She smirked and said “That’s ok. If I have trouble I know you’ll be along shortly”. I’ve learned that what you hear is only a small part of what is actually being said. So I interpret that as, “Jack, if you have trouble, tough s—“! The other, more likely interpretation is “You’re slower than I am, so you’ll never get past me”. I think I have three choices. One is that I could ride faster and get ahead of her, but if I could do that, I would be already. It’s a man thing, you know. The other choice is, if I do come upon her with bike trouble, I could ride right on by. Or I could just keep my mouth shut. It’s quite a dilemma since I don’t think I am ready to give up sex yet at age 55.

So on the second loop, I saw Jean ahead of me by about a half mile on the last straight stretch from El Jobean to Port Charlotte. I lost sight of her when the road turned slightly, but then at the turn around, I looked and she was only a block ahead of me. Apparently, her blonde hair took hold and she crossed US-41. After all it had been nearly two hours since the first time we were there and we had already decided that wasn’t the best choice. She didn’t go very far across but had to wait for two or three lights before getting back. It only pays to be the lead dog when you know where you are going!

There were several instances of people pulling out in front of us or turning and cutting us off. Lest you think it’s all geezers, my closest call was with a late twenties or early thirties construction worker who never even looked at me and rolled through a stop sign. An older couple cut Jean off turning into a strip mall. I thought she gave them the “you’re number one salute” but she said she just waved. Becky, would you check in your engineering books and see if there is any physical reason turn signals won’t work south of the Georgia-Florida border? Maybe it’s a temperature thing!

We found another restaurant downtown with excellent food. This time I strayed from my diet of fish and went with chicken portabella, a baked sweet potato and, of course, a Miller Lite. Jean had the blackened prime rib to satisfy her craving for red meat. She isn’t the fish eater I am! We were impressed by the food and service. We have yet to find a restaurant that has bad food.

I ran seven and a half miles yesterday and everything still feels good and yes, I’m knocking on wood. Jean hasn’t run since the thirteen and a third miles she ran on Sunday. She may try running tomorrow if her foot feels better. I’m going fishing for grouper with my brother Bill, Mom and my brother Bob, also known as Bobbie Butane. We went to the YMCA and lifted weights for a couple of hours and swam forty five minutes. This morning we both went for a forty mile recovery bike. Jean had a flat tire before we ever got out of the parking lot. She is using up my spare tubes like candy, or in her case, her favorite evening snack, popcorn. I can see it all now. At the race, she won’t have a problem and I’ll be the one sitting on the curb out of spare tubes like Jim Everett at The Great Floridian last year.

I’m being beckoned to the beach. We will walk down to the Jetty, at the harbor of Venice, which is about a mile. I could be talked into a stop at Sharky’s later. I may try the deck runner this time. It’s similar to a rum runner with rum, blackberry brandy and banana liqueur. I’m sure that’s on the training table of all good triathletes.

Ta Ta,

Jack & Jean