Driftin' & Dreamin'

"Compass card is spinning, helm is swinging to and fro. Oh, where is the dog star, oh, where's the moon. You're a lost sailor, been away too long at sea." Lost Sailor - The Grateful Dead

With the decision to forgo Ironman Coeur d'Alene, I've become adrift in my training. I never realized how much I depend on scheduled events to dictate my workouts and training until I had nothing on the books. My next scheduled event is Austin 70.3 on October 23; but that's it, and that's a long way off. It's getting a bit too toasty here in South Florida to go too long if you don't have an event forcing you to go long. Thus, I've kept my weekend long rides under 40 miles and my long runs under 10 miles. Meanwhile, a good number of my friends are training for marathons, Ironman events, or ultra events. While I feel a little guilty that I'm not training long, I don't feel guilty enough to train long in the heat.

After a couple of weeks adrift, the wandering mind starts to ponder the summer and fall possibilities. Our local summer triathlon series of sprint & Olympic distance events sponsored by Mack Cycle announced that they are moving the series from Crandon Park on Key Biscayne to Miami Marine Stadium. While the bike ride is essentially the same, I consider this a brilliant move. Miami Marine Stadium's swim area is in a protected bay, which keeps the water fairly calm even on a rough surf day. Also, the run is on a tree shaded trail. Thus, I think I'll sign up for one or two of these events to give me a focus for the Summer.

The mind then turns to the fall. Should I sign up for a fall marathon? NYC and Marine Corps sold out, but Philly in late November is still open. My doctor would like to see me give up marathons completely, but I'm not sure I'm ready to hang up the running shoes just yet.

Then the mind turns to the spring of 2012. I've had the Rome Marathon in mid-March penciled in for the last couple of years. However, as registration for going with Marathon Tours is now open, I'm not sure how long of a trip to plan. My wife, Salome, has never been to Rome. Do I plan a week trip including a side trip to Florence? Or do I make it a longer trip and include the Amalfi coast and maybe Venice? Any of my running friends have an interest in coordinating a trip? Let me know.