My training has continued to be inconsistent, but heading in the right direction. Because of the girls' camp schedules, I've had to drive to work every day, which badly cuts into my available biking time. I have been able to run a decent amount. I am up to about 17 miles/week on a consistent basis, and believe I can increase that to 20 without too much pain. My standard run is slightly under 4 miles, but very very hilly. I think it's time to increase it to slightly over 4 miles, and see what happens.

The opportunity to swim regularly while on vacation was fantastic. Last night Amanda and I biked to a nearby lake and did a 662 yard swim, then biked home. I definitely could have gone further than that if she had wanted to keep going.* I was slow, but not ridiculously so. I do need to learn freestyle if I'm going to keep competing, but for this first one, the breast stroke will get me where I want to be just fine.

*I still have the same damn problem with psyching myself out at the end. I wasn't wiped out, but as we got near shore, my stroke started falling apart, I did some back stroke and some side stroke, and I generally stopped doing a good job on the swim. I do the same thing at the end of my runs. Once I can see the end point, I lose energy and motivation. It wasn't simply tiredness: if the swim had been 800 yards, I would have run out of steam at the same point on the way back to shore. When I should be pushing myself to pour on the last of my energy, instead I decide emotionally that I'm done, and lose my energy.