This is almost becoming just weekly updates. I think with the boy around I’m just spending less “free time” at the computer, and more of it on the bike or in good company. Which is just fine with me.
Thursday night was a pretty bad run, and I was just feeling tight and sore and not finding my rhythm. So after a call to the massage center at my gym Friday morning, I sadly had to tell my coworker around 10am that I had to leave to get in a quick swim and a massage, and that life is tough 
That helped a lot… I was feeling much more comfortable after it!
Then on Saturday Mike and I went swimming so that he could check me out. My stroke, that is… it was “Coach Mike” time. He told me that my stroke is pretty good — balanced, straight, no cross-over, etc. But that it lacks power and acceleration. And then he taught me a good drill for working on that (“heads up”, swimming with your head up and eyes on the far wall). I’ve been working it, and I think it’s helping a bunch! For example, my time always averages 50yds/min for swimming, and a bit slower with drills. Yesterday I was hitting 1 min on drill 50s! And I did 3 x 200 where the swim time for them was around 3:40!! I’m definitely pleased — maybe it was that it was night, or that I was doing good rest time, or that he helped me (or more likely a combo of all) but they felt comfortable and easy and I did it! Wooo! Yet another pool breakthrough story for the week
In more regular workout news I got in 85 miles on the bike riding to the beach and back Sunday. Mike took a slightly different trail on the way down, making it 94 for him (with one flat). I ended up waiting a few minutes for him at the 22 miles from home point and we finished together. We had headwinds BOTH DIRECTIONS — ug! And the 2 bottles of nuun and 2/3 of a cliff bar that I had were probably not quite enough. But as much as the ride kinda sucked (I also go to ride through a partially flooded undercrossing and ended up fairly wet and cold for a number of miles), I really do like riding with him. It’s going to do good things for my IM bike split I predict! He learned that I’ve once done a month over 400 miles, and was shocked, later admiting he would have been scared to go into an IM like that. I just didn’t know any better 
Oooh and I did beat him up one of the final mini-climbs! Nothing big, but it’s not often I can say that he saw me pull away from him and had found he had nothing to respond with. So I’ll take it.
We also watched Kona at the tri club IM party Saturday, which was pretty low key and mostly amounted to hanging out with Mike. And then went for a run… and then to the gym for triceps and core… and a swim (and that’s where Mike helped me with my swimming). I love having a guy who thinks it’s a great Saturday when we watch an IM, run, lift, swim, go out to dinner, and get to bed early for a ride the next day!
Oh and I got through the weekend without getting stung — one bee landed on me during the beach ride, and before he could figure out where he was, SMACK he was a bit flatter.