Goofy, Queen of the Desert

My laundry-folding skills are on par with my triathlon-packing skills: non-existent. I don't know what's up with the mental block I have around these tasks. I can analyze spreadsheets. I can manage my bosses' lives. I can navigate my way through the twisty streets of LA. But ask me to pick up a pair of cycle shoes and put them in a bag? All of a sudden I'm a confused and mute lump of a person.

This weekend almost all of our team is heading out to the Palm Springs area for Sunday's Desert Triathlon. We'll be training on Saturday around the course, and then Sunday the group will complete the Olympic distance race. I'll be training/coaching on Saturday and cheering on Sunday with a few other spectators. There will be dancing and costumes, provided I remember to pack them. Last night was a blur of throwing things in bags, taking them back out, and then putting them back in. I have to revisit the mess of clothes, lotion-y things, and nutrition that are taking up the majority of space. I probably should also remember to pack my bike. And wetsuit.

To make it more confusing, we have to pack our own lunches for Saturday. Again - I can do long division fine, but plan a meal a day or two in advance? Improbable. I think I'll be leaning heavily on some Trader Joe's salad goodness to get me through. If I remember to pack it.

It's been a long week in the space that exists between my ears. Life has gotten a little bit busier than I am used to, and therefore I've done some scrambling to stick to the training schedule, attend to my other projects, and still take a moment to relax. Well, that last one has gotten the shaft. I haven't made time to do as much reading and writing as I would like, but sometimes we have to pick and choose where we put our energy. This week I'm grateful that I have kept up on my day job, got in all ironman workouts, had a good coach committee meeting, did an ab-load of crunches, passed my run coach certification test and have almost prepped for training/cheer-squad this weekend.

Snoopy looks so comfortable
I'm really, really looking forward to escaping from here for a short weekend. It's not a long trip, but it's just far enough that I can turn off 'normal brain' and focus solely on our Team and our journey. This will be the first triathlon for many teammates - major step! They deserve those medals big time for all of the work they have done since November. And hopefully we see our team's total fundraising tally cross the $200,000 mark while we are out on the course on Sunday. Giant leaps of life being taken this weekend! Fingers crossed for good weather, great performances, and unforgettable fun.

Race report, and a list of things I forget to pack, when I return.