John and I are counting down to race day. Less than five weeks to go. We’ve been training long — three hour runs, five to six hour bike rides, one hour swims — and we’re feeling the St. Louis heat. Two weekends in a row, we rode in 101 degree weather; talk about wringing every ounce of fluid from your body… needless to say, we were crisp as toast when we were done.

The beautiful part of all this training is being outdoors — soaking in the sunshine, welcoming the breeze on your face, counting the wonders of nature. We ride this wonderful gravel trail by our place called the Katy trail – and last week we saw deer, a fox, three baby racoons, two turtles, and dozens of colorful birds. We ride through corn fields that were knee-high three weeks ago and over my shoulders this past weekend. There are rivers and lakes, old metal bridges, and acres of farmland. What more could we ask for?  

We get in the aero position and grind away the miles, and I let my mind float off to the scenes I need to work on later in the day. As the fresh air fills my lungs, I listen to the tires crunch against the gravel, and create my characters goals, motivations, and conflicts. I work out their dilemmas, bring them together, tear them apart — sometimes I even kill off a person or two. The creative juices flow as the blood pumps through my veins and the sweat pours from my body.

I wonder what will come to me during my fourteen-plus-hour-day in Lake Placid? Maybe another story will be born :o)