SUMMER

(Splish racing suit)

....is almost gone here. But it has been FUN. I have been spending a ton of time at a pool I thought I would NEVER return too. Coleman pool is a 50 meter outdoor pool in my backyard of West Seattle. I grew up swimming and racing there a TON. I remember more how we were always trying to avoid the rain between events, setting up tents, having them leak, and seriously...how dry can you stay in a place where you are supposed to be wet. Oh, and it is a half a mile walk to and from, so I recall parents rushing me out immediately following my last event, soaking wet, running down a pathway with a swim bag bigger than myself holding 4+ soaking wet towels to catch the ferry. Now I actually enjoying running up and down the pathway, jumping in for the full lap swimming time and then watching kids play and the ferry dock as I return to my car.

In case you were sleeping Seattle hit the record high for temps and it was HOT! With only 4% of Seattlelites with AC the hotels were sold out, AC adapters sold out and all we could do was SWIM. You could FEEL the heat from the computer, from the lights, from your breath....gosh it was practically miserably hot. Great training for Kona....but at least in Kona I can return to an air conditioned place. Ice baths were EASY to take. For the first time EVER I swam with out a wetsuit in the lake and did not even flinch.

Oh, and slurpees became my new best friend. I can not even recall the last time I had one. We had one a day for a week straight, Mark had all the flavor combos figured out that his would look like a beautiful rainboew. I, on the other hand, spaced that all that sugar and food coloring would only make my tongue look like smurfettes skin.

Biking has been easier too, not having to worry in the slightest about how many layers to put on and the miles just tick away when you are not thinking about numb toes and a frozen face. Yesterday topped of the last long ride for the Ironman Canada folks. It was quite humorous as my buddy Brent got two flats (which is an ongoing joke because it is a "given" with him-that is 2 flats at a minimum), buddy Darin lost his tooth for the second time in a month (veneers), and I decided to leave my Blue Seventy Helix sitting on the top of my car as we started our 1 hour adventure home. Thanks to Blue Seventy I will have another one in my possession tonight. Quick response, great customer service, great company, awesome wetsuit. Thanks guys.