Life As It Comes 
Austin Tri Race Report3 Comments
I accomplished one of my goals for this year, a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to share about it with you. I competed in an Olympic-distance triathlon on September 1, here in Austin, Texas. Here is my recap of the race:
Best-Of List7 Comments
Some friends who are new to town emailed asking for a “best-of” list for the Austin area. I absolutely love playing tour guide around Austin (and pride myself on the largest and most thorough mental-map of the area of anyone I know), so I really enjoyed filling out the list. I thought I would share several of my picks here with all of you, though this will likely be less interesting/meaningful for the out-of-town readers. Interestingly, all of my choices for the selections below are local-only spots.
Ice Cream - Amy’s Ice Cream
Movie Theatre - Alamo Drafthouse
Burger - Moonie’s Burger House, Boathouse Grill, Ski Shores
Pizza - Austin’s Pizza
Coffee Shop - Mozart’s Coffee
Date-Night Restaurant - Hill Country Pasta House, Bellagio Italian Bistro, Reed’s Jazz Club
Park - Jones Brothers Park, Zilker Park
Bookstore - Book People
What are your favorites?
Heading into Race Weekend5 Comments
Well, it’s nearly here. This weekend (actually on Monday), I’ll compete in The Austin Triathlon.
Almost three months ago, I began training with T3, and what a ride, it’s been! I remember looking at the training periodization that Chrissie gave me during my first spin class and thinking “there’s no way, I’ll get up to maxing out at 40-50 miles on a Saturday.” Here I am, on the other side of that. T3 has been huge in encouraging me, getting me prepared, and making me confident going into this race, and today it’s hitting me — I can’t wait!
4:30 AM wake-up times for Courtyard swims.
Running hills behind O Henry.
Circuit training at Zilker.
Biking from Kiker through Kyle and Buda and from South 360 well up Parmer.
Spin at PTC.
Two-a-day Wednesdays.
Track work-outs.
Core.
Bricks.
Two sprint-tris.
I’m psyched. I’m ready. Bring it.
Weekend Update5 Comments
Let me tell you about my weekend:
Friday night, I watched the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies with some people from my small group. It was a stunning display and an amazing coordination of over 15,000 performers. Then, during the parade of nations, the broadcast became a powerful reminder of the “wondrous variety” we all are.
Saturday morning, I woke up and did my nearly half-century ride (47.02 miles actually), peaking the bike part of my training, as scheduled. I still have some work to do on the run.
Saturday afternoon I watched some Olympic coverage and had a power nap.
Saturday evening, I went to watch the ZHT’s production of Beauty and the Beast and witnessed a large tree branch crush eight cars and a person. The show was well-done; my thoughts and prayers are with the man injured by the tree.
Sunday was 7:30 AM setup again for Crossroads, then church and tear-down. I went home to take a nap and woke up at 6:30, too late to make it to The Concert of Praise at HCBCNW.
I spent the evening watching more Olympic coverage, including the unbelievable men’s 4×100m free relay.
A full couple of days, no?
Defend Austin Race Culture2 Comments
Are you ready for a bit of activism from yours truly?
The Austin race culture is in trouble. There are many speaking up to complain about the street closures and other inconveniences associated with the frequent races our city hosts. A city council task force has been created to address the issue, and you have a chance to speak up about it, if you have the desire:
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