Since Vineman, I’ve been…

Working. It was nice of my job not to go crazy until after the race — but boy, did it ever go crazy. My current project centers on international meetings, so I’ve been working on Europe time or Australia time or Japan time or all three simultaneously. Thank heavens for a) my sweet work-from-home usability testing set-up (I had no idea how much I would value an office with a door until I had one) and b) my AeroPress.

Recovering. I did nothing resembling training for the whole week after Vineman — not on purpose, at first, but I kept having early meetings or other work events scheduled at awkward times, and after my third failed attempt at swimming, I decided to take a zero for the week. I was sore on Monday and Tuesday, but I made myself walk a couple of miles each day, and by Wednesday, I felt fairly normal. Weirdly, later in the week my lower legs and feet started feeling tight — but that’s subsided as I’ve returned to a more standard activity level. I’m staying conscious of it, but I think it’s finally safe to say I — I! — managed to train for and race a 70.3 injury-free.

Captain-ing. After having an absolute blast as assistant captain for TAG to Wildflower in the spring, I’m back to help with the Santa Cruz training group. This group is smaller than the Wildflower one, and we’re training for a smaller and less logistically complicated race, so I think it will help me get my legs under me as a group leader. I have so much to learn in this role — about when it’s right to give advice or tell my story, when it’s better to step back and let people try things for themselves, how to be an authority and a friend — but it also feels exactly like where I should be. It’s also been a great way for me to ease back into training, with totally manageable workouts that get me moving on a regular schedule.

Vacation scheming. Thanks to the magic of the internet and its many clever tutorials on maximizing air miles, we booked flights for two trips in the second half of 2013: Vermont in October and Chicago/Michigan/Pennsylvania in December. We’re also going to be in Portland for a previously scheduled weekend in September. There are still some details to be ironed out — like exactly how we’re getting from Michigan to Pennsylvania — but mostly we’ve turned our attention to craft brew tour planning.

Dreaming. What’s next? I loved the 70.3 distance, but I’m not longing to do another one immediately; sleeping in on Saturdays has been delightful. Ironman? Someday, maybe, but not in 2014. Instead, I’m thinking about some goals for shorter races. The Santa Cruz race TAG is training for looks like a PR-able course, and I’m curious to see what I can do in an Olympic-distance race when it’s the endpoint of a training cycle and not a stepping stone to something else. I’d also be curious to run a stand-alone 10K, because the last time I ran one that wasn’t preceded by a swim and a bike ride was August 2011. There’s also new 10-miler in Berkeley in November where I could finally tackle the goal of racing 10 miles that I set two years ago. I was toying with the idea of doing a century ride — or a least a metric century — but organized rides seem to dry up by October (which makes sense, as that’s when the rain usually starts), so that probably won’t happen this year. Basically, I’m waiting to see if any races call to me, with the only certainty being September 29 in Santa Cruz.

Posting my Vineman pictures all over social media. Yeah, I know. But come on. I’ve had a “D Goal” of getting a good race picture at every race I’ve entered since 2010, and this is the first time I’ve made it.

I have to get my money’s worth somehow.