Austin Recap!

Well, so much for my trip “updates”…Gregory and I returned to Boulder today, so I am writing a “big” update.

What a wonderful 2 weeks!! It was so awesome to have the chance to visit some of our best friends and enjoy the warm weather down in Texas. However, I know that Boulder gave TX a run for its money. Apparently it has been a stellar 2 weeks up here too….I swear when Gregory and I got back today, we felt like it was summer!!

As for my update, I will start off from where I last left off…the ½ marathon. Well, a cool front had blown in on Saturday, so the temperatures were not stellar over the weekend nor on Monday (I mean by TX standards…it still was between 55-60 degrees!). On Monday, Gregory and I met up with Mitch at Barton Springs for a short swim and breakfast before Mitch had to head home to Houston. Barton Springs is an amazing spring fed body of water that you can swim in!! for free! However, it is a bit on the cooler side. The air was breezy and cool, so I figured getting into water 65-68 degrees would be no big deal…I was wrong! Mitch lasted about 30 minutes before deciding he was an ice-cube and since I was a little late getting into the water-, it took me 10 minutes to get the guts to submerge myself, I swam a bit extra, but not much!! We ended off the morning at the SUPER WHOLE FOODS! That place is amazing! Gregory and I would be broke if we lived in Austin for that simple reason!

…the Whole Foods has a dessert bar!

Tuesday was my “planned” long-ride day. I woke up to rain and fog, I started biking in rain and fog, I lasted 4 hours in rain and fog before deciding I was a friggin lunatic! As much as I love Austin, it’s riding terrain and nice people, it will always be hard to get used to the “zooming cars” go by you as the routes are mostly highways. I figured 4 hours riding in the cold rain would sum up to a 5 hour ride (I am so used to making excuses for myself:)

On Wednesday, Gregory decided to go for a ride with me. It was really nice!! However, I think that he decided it was not so nice after an hour when he got a flat tire….then another…and then I had to time-trial back to our place and then pick him up. The bikes went into Jack and Adams for a “tune-up” after that experience. BTW, Jack and Adams is a phenomenal bike shop! I cannot say enough good things about them, so if you are in the Austin area, or will be soon, make sure to check them out!

On recommendation, I checked out a pool in the South Side of Austin, called Stacy Pool. It is 33 yrds in length, outdoor and pristine! The lifeguards are younger in age, but very helpful, polite and just nice people! I went too late in the day on Wednesday to get a solid swim in with all the kiddo’s enjoying the pool and sun so I decided to do some technique and then take advantage of the pool over the next few mornings.

Thursday started out with a swim at Stacey pool and then I picked up my bike from J&A’s. I ventured out into hill country for a 3 hour “hilly” ride…nothing is flat is Austin, and I love it!! The weather was beautiful! And although it was very windy, it was a consistent wind, which made me much more comfortable riding than in Boulder when the winds are “gusting” and you never know if you will be eating ashphalt:)

Friday was supposed to be the “big” day…a swim followed by a 6hour ride. Well, I made the swim, and I did “most” of the bike….It is amazing how we take our bodies for granted and how we figure that “I did that last season” so it shouldn’t be hard right now…wrong!! I made it just under 5 hours with ~6000 ft of climbs…I was TOAST!! Absolutely fried! But very pleased with the amount that I got to see and the quality riding I got in.

I seem to be dwelling on the “workouts” throughout the week, but there was much, much more going on…First and foremost is work; I finished up most of my project with UC Davis and started some new branding projects. Gregory and I also spent some good quality time with Jeff (our awesome host!) that included good meals and good wine! Our last night in Austin we went out for dinner with Jeff and Jen to an awesome steak and seafood place; the food was excellent!! The night was capped off with champagne and watching the final stage of the Tour of California on the big screen TV.

Saturday we headed to our friends in Dallas to spend the weekend. Emmanuel made a FEAST for us and a few other friends which consisted of a bunch of appetizers (my favorite was the shrimps!), a double whammy of salads; the first was asparagus with goat cheese, second an arugula and endive salad. The main dish was a veal and ham stew. Finally the meal was completed with crepes….so French!! And yes, if you are wondering, yes, I am spoiled.

Oh, did I forget to mention there was wine with this meal too??:)

Sunday it was back to business with a long run around White Rock Lake followed by an afternoon of work. The day was capped off with Gregory’s and my last Tex-Mex dinner…so sad….

Monday we hit the road back to Boulder. We made it to Hay’s Kansas before calling it a day…..I wanted to keep going to CO, but I think Gregory would have gone cookoo. To be honest, the sign’s on the side of the roads dictating “abortion is sin” and “Jesus rules all” is kind of creepy. For some reason, billboard signs promoting “religion” does not seem too religious to me…but each to their own, who am I to judge??

We did find an awesome hotel with 2, yes 2, treadmills..both in functioning order!! So this morning I was up to do “intervals” on the tready (I had to take advantage of the low-altitude for my intervals:) It was great! If only I could run like that in Boulder:)

5 hours later we arrived in Boulder (+ a Costco trip) got unpacked and now I am trying to write an update blog. I know I left soooo much out, but as I free up some time and reflect upon the trip I am sure there will be much, much more to write!