G’Day from Down Under

My teammate Mary and I completed the 25+ hour journey together from Boulder to the Gold Coast of Australia. It was pretty uneventful except for a few fun details like when my bike trainer was confiscated at the gate because it was clearly a deadly weapon. The manager of ticket agents grabbed the offending trainer out of my hands and proceeded to lunge aggressively at me with the trainer to exhibit how it could easily be utilized to strike anyone on the airplane. Mary and I were both shocked by his display and despite my objections that I would not be using the trainer to hit anyone over the head he still insisted upon confiscating it. Another highlight of the trip was our continuous trips to the bathroom….we were amazed that our seat mate went only once on the 13 hour flight vs. our 5 or 6 trips. The trip was going swimmingly until Mary’s bike did not arrive in Brisbane, turns out it decided to stay in Colorado instead of traveling down here. It finally arrived a few days late but was missing a seat post bolt, clearly a sacrifice to the bike box gods. After getting a bolt, she’s now up and running. But we’ve both been plagued by some gastric issues….Mary has been struck my some bug from the plane while I seem to have gotten a case of food poisoning. Luckily, we are both recovering and should be a 100% imminently.
Now to the destination, Australia is an beautiful scenic country, and the weather has been amazing. The Super Sports Center in Runaway Bay is a great facility with a 50M swimming pool, running track, cycling crit, weight & cardio machines, sports med., and more. (I have been battling an injury to my hip joint capsule and unable to run so the pool is also excellent for water jogging in the interim. Much improved over Flatirons where I have only a 10 meter stretch to use.)
And our team is all looking forward to Siri’s arrival here so that we can really get to work.

The Joy of Riding Outside!

Finally, after weeks of snow, ice, and cold temps....I made it outside for a long ride. Don't get me wrong, I actually like riding my trainer. But after 5 weeks of long rides inside, it was a treat to get outside on a moving bicycle. Even 2 flat tires and freezing digits, fingers and toes, on the downhill couldn't dampen my mood....well maybe for a nanosecond but not for too long.
And less than a week until I leave for Australia. I am nervous, excited, and can't wait to get in some great training; I am sure there will be some awesome sessions and a few horrible suffer-fests. It's a bummer that I won't have my new custom Elite Bicycle before I leave, but it also gives me an extra incentive to hurry back to Colorado in April. And if I can ride well on my old bike, imagine how fast I'll be on the new one!
On another note, I am officially a resident of Thornton. The move went very smoothly - fast and efficient like a well-oiled machine. I am not sure about the 'hood but my two new roommates couldn't be better.

4 Shots A Day...Keeps the Doc Away

I am officially unemployed!
Kind of crazy...luckily I haven't gotten bored yet. Actually, the last two days have been a whirlwind of tedious errands and appointments...and today's highlight 4 shots at the doctor's office. The shots were to prepare for a continental cup race I am planning to do in Thailand, a remote area of Thailand on the Laos border. Hopefully the shots along with the malaria pills will protect me from typhoid, polio, malaria, and any other diseases. If not, I guess I'm SOL. The CDC also had a warning about any exposure to fresh water due to Schistosomiasis, an incurable parasitic infection caused by infected snails that release large numbers of larvae (mmm...) that can permeate any mucous membrane exposed to the water.... does that include the Mekong River where I'll be swimming for the race? Could I swim in a full-body dry suit? Maybe a few ITU points aren't worth it.
On another note, the shots in the arms certainly did not help my swimming tonight. It was a pitiful sight, but at least I didn't drown in the pool. Our coach, Siri, warned us that once we get to Australia, she's gonna really put the hurt on us. I kind of though I was already feeling it, but I am sure all my definitions of pain and suffering are soon to be rewritten.
One of my other big tasks for this week is packing up for the big move this weekend. A big shout out to my FCC, Jeff, who will be helping to supervise the loading of my 10 ft, not 10 inch as the Budget rental agent clarified for me, moving tuck. It's funny, I started packing in January and did a great job for the first few days but haven't made much, or any, progress since oh about January 6th. Maybe I'll get back to it now or maybe wait till Friday night. Who doesn't work well under pressure?
Well, the boxes are calling or is that MTV with another bad reality show?