Summer Equilibrium

I don't think it's news to anyone that this summer has been hot and dry.  The fire danger continues to grow and even though Utah only has a couple active forest fires, our air is thick with haze as fires burn across the Western United States.  Our backyard and all the trails are crackly and the weaker trees are quickly turning brown and dying.  We had a burst of rain last Friday but the only difference on Saturday as the temps once again reached mid 90F was the added humidity.  Thankfully everyone is listening to Smokey the Bear, learning to plan the day around the heat, and patiently waiting for more rain or even the 1st snow.

Dinner Out Last Friday - Storm on its way!

We don't have AC and our bedroom is on the 3rd floor so temperature management is crucial.  For the past several weeks, it has been 97F+ as we leave work in SLC and 85F+ when we arrive home.  We watch the indoor/outdoor thermometer throughout the evening waiting for that magic moment.  Once the outside temp cools off to meet the inside or within 2 degrees, the person to catch it yells "equilibrium" and we open up all the windows and doors and crank on the fans.  Tonight, equilibrium was at 77F.  We leave most of the windows open in the evening on the 2nd floor, but close the bedroom windows to shut out loud highway and dog noise.  There have been several nights this summer, the 1st in 5yrs, I've had to move downstairs in order to get a good night's sleep.  We make the rounds each morning before leaving the house to close up the windows and blinds.  We usually don't have to play "equilibrium" this many times in one summer, but hopefully we are close to the end and I will be able to complain about cold weather and looking forward to next summer.

Working out has required more motivation knowing that the trails are dusty, the air is hazy, and the temps are high but we've adjusted.  Terry's back injury from early July is starting to heal and he is slowly building up mileage on the road bike.  I've tried to concentrate on marathon training, but have chosen cycling a few too many times in favor of trail shoes thus falling behind on long runs.  I have my longest run yet planned for tomorrow morning and then 2 more weekends to prepare before the big day.  I'll be glad it is over and I can go back to mountain and road biking as my primary workouts.

It's been 3 weeks since my last blog about our activities, so here's a quick rundown.

July 28-29 : Jenny and Kelly attend Dirt Series Mountain Bike Camp from 8am-6pm 

We signed up not too long after returning from Moab and having to do more hike-a-bike than we wanted.  It was a great experience and challenged me beyond anything I'll probably ever do again on a bike, but I'll definitely be able to use all the skills on future rides.  I can now ride a drop, jump, wheelie, teeter-totter, bridge, and many more.  I wore full protection gear both days and thankfully had my hydration pack on when one of my wheelies went better than expected and I landed flat on my back.  I was sore for several days the next week due to the fall and using new core and arm muscles.  Link to professional photography.

Mtn Bike Camp

Aug 4-5 : After laying low on the workout scene all week trying to recover from camp, I felt guilty about marathon training and did an 11mile run on Saturday morning.  Terry rode up Royal Street to say hi as I finished.  After lunch, we went out for a recovery spin on the road bikes before heading to Joe's 40th birthday party.  We had a great dinner and then hung out and christened their new backyard fire-pit.  On Sunday, Corrie and I did the last 8miles of the marathon.  My longest weekend of running to date and other than some swollen feet, I felt reasonably okay.

Dusty Trail Run

Aug 6-12 : The Tour of Utah started on Tuesday, but unfortunately I had a conference room full of consultants for a design workshop and couldn't break away.  It was frustrating since I had hoped to volunteer all week as a Course Marshal and even had an offer to drive one of the vans.  Looking at the course, I don't think I would have enjoyed driving a 14 passenger van at peloton speeds but I sure would have loved to be involved all week instead of stuck inside.  We did go into full spectator mode on Saturday and Sunday and had a blast.  Too many details for this blog, so I'll have to work on that one next.

Needless to say, my workouts all that week and weekend were secondary to the Tour but we did get a nice road ride in on Sunday morning before the Start in addition to all the time on our feet.  I'm counting some of it toward marathon training.

One of my favorites - Hanging with Dave Z

Aug 13-17 : I had another busy week in the conference room with consultants, but got in 2 good runs and feel rested for tomorrow morning's endeavor.  The best thing about this last week was a fundraiser we attended for Play Well Play Safe which just happened to include a handful of Pro Cyclists and Olympians in a beautiful setting in Park City.  It was an amazing experience and we look forward to staying involved with the Foundation for years to come.  I also won new skate skis in the silent auction, so another reason for winter to arrive early this year!  Until then, the game of "equilibrium" continues...