What a week :)

The training deposits are in the bank (pretty much the only sort of banking nowadays, hehe), and this week I'll gradually start to taper. The week started out with me feeling kind of a like a train ran over me which I'm attributing to two things: 1) a sudden onset of PMS symptoms in my 20s, and 2) a shock to my body with mon-wed being fairly light days after the big weekend.
By Friday I was back to normal for the rest of the weekend but falling asleep when driving out for a long ride with Tarp in Ft. Worth. Since I decided not to go to San Antonio/Austin as the driving takes a lot out of me, I set up my 5.5 hr ride with Tarp and agreed to meet him at 8am at the Benbrook YMCA. It looked as if the Y had a swim team thing going on that morning so Aaron was kind enough to join me at the nearby 24hr Fitness for my prebike swim. Needless to say I had to be out of my house at just before 5 to make the 1hrish drive to Ft. Worth and had it not been for a Starbucks sent from heaven about halfway there, I likely would have fallen asleep behind the wheel! Not pretty. The coffee worked its magic though and the swim went well. I met Tarp and he had a wheel problem going on and was going to have to go home and get another rear wheel. So David, this guy I had just met, and I rode an hour before Tarp came back with a wheel.
We rode the awesome Weatherford loop and of course I had no idea where on earth I was EVER haha so I just followed Tarp's directions. About 5ish hrs in Tarp had some bonking issues and we were relatively close to the Y so I kept plugging along thinking I could make it back at 5.5 on my own....WRONG :) I did make it back but in 6:03 and after an exciting experience riding on the freeway, having to unclip and walk across the knee-high shrubs that separate the freeway from the axis road (that freeway was about to lead me onto a bridge as the only exit which led to another major freeway that would have taken me to the other end of the world). Back at the car I was feeling really good- the adrenaline from that little mishap sure helped hehe- and had a really good 30min t-run on the trail. Then back at home to eat half a farm for dinner!!
Finally my last adventure was on my long run yesterday. I forgot about the time change so when I woke up at 4am, it was actually 3- crap. So I ate breakfast, chilled for a while and left at 5am real time from my house out to White Rock. About 30min into the runa dog from some random house decides to join me- ugh! At first I was really pissed because he kept running around like crazy and in circles...really why do people with dogs not have them on a leash when they're out and keep them safe in their property at night?!?! 10min after realizing he was not going to part from me, I made the best of it and called it near me and ran with him at a great steady effort. In fact he actually made me feel extra safe as White Rock has definitely had its fair share of assaults/battery at dark hours with female runners :/
At an hour and a half in however, it got thirsty and tired (yes my unforgiving pace and stamina tired the dog haha right!) and I continued home on my own.
Well that's it in my little world for the week. Today is OFF day which I don't particularly enjoy when in the middle of such great training rythm but know I need. Friday I'll head out with Tarp again only for a ride of 5hrs very easy pace and Saturday a short brick s/b/r which I'll do on my own- Baylor masters, South Ride, and run at WR then one last long run and we'll be two weeks from the Tempe-tear-up! :)