Cheesecake

I racked up 350 miles over the past two days driving to visit the extended family and share the Christmas experience with the people I love. I packed my wife and progeny and a few presents in the family truckster then hit the road, participating in the Christmas eve travel experience with drivers of both persuasions, gruntled and disgruntled. Why does everybody honk at me on Christmas eve? Its a mystery.

We got to my Sister's house, went to her Christmas eve party then spent the night in the barn. At least, its sort of a barn. Its really an apartment with a bedroom, kitchen and bath that is attached to her barn, so when you stay there, everybody says 'Did you stay in the barn?' Yes I did. Now, I don't know the technical difference between a barn and a manger, but I slept in one of them, and it being Christmas eve and all, I feel really pious.

On Christmas morning, we stopped at Starbucks on the way home to get some legal stimulants, but they were closed for the holiday. Apparently, during the holiday season, Starbucks employees spend the day with family. I chauffeur.

I start my training cycle for Kona on January second. Until then, I am eating as much cheesecake as I can jamb down my trap. I don't know why. I think I read somewhere that cheesecake is workout power food. This time around, I am planning on doing more weight lifting, more yoga and more running than my past training cycles. I have a small hope that this gets me ready to show up in Kona and not embarrass myself. Its a pipe dream, but it's my pipe dream and it's all I have.

Do you ever watch those shows on the Discovery Channel showing how the icecap is melting and a mommy polar bear stands on a tiny chunk of ice and cant feed her baby polar bears and they play sad music and ask you to send money? I watched about four seconds of one of those and changed the channel. I don't need more depression. I ran today and that is enough depression for a whole herd of polar bears. When I ran, it was cold and it was raining and I ran slow. And my knee hurt. My knee hasn't hurt in a year and it sucked to run today.

 I think I am in purgatory. If I lost some weight I would be OK or if I ate more cheesecake power food, my knee would feel better, but I am stuck in this middle ground and that isn't good for anybody.  Lose weight or eat more cheescake power food?  What to do? What to do?

For Christmas, I ordered some new 2XU compression shorts.  For me. Then , I ordered new, guaranteed to make you faster Brooks size 13EE. Again, for me. And my cycling bibs were worn down, so I ordered up some of those too. Beat that.

I am doing the Kona half and I am 90% sure I am going to sign up for the Lake Stevens half. Its gonna be a big year.