Sunday, February 15, 2009

Drenched

In sharp contrast to the previous 7+ weeks of winter, Northern California is now being drenched by rainstorms. It's rained at least once every day since I returned from Florida a week ago.

We did make it out in a break in the rain for obedience class and a short bike yesterday.

Stanley's heeling is coming along so nicely - he can sustain eye contact and move with me for quite a long period of time, as well as stick with me on the about-turns. His stays, however, require a lot more work. He is impatiant and wants his treats and is willing to come to me for them, whether I've called him or not.

Jenn and Melissa and I had a nice ride too - very different from riding with the guys. We're looking forward to pushing Melissa once she gets her road bike.

This morning I got out for an hourlong run in pouring rain and high winds. Despite adverse weather conditions, the run felt great! I got home soaking wet but with a big grin for my effort. I was disappointed though, when we arrived at Tomato Thyme for my long-awaited (or at least since Friday) brunch of chilaquiles and mimosas, only to discover they weren't doing brunch this weekend because of Valentines.

Speaking of which, we had a very nice Valentine's Day - lunch out with the dogs and then a quiet evening at home with a roaring fireplace. I cooked salmon (thanks to Kate for the recipe), Jeff fooled me again with his trick of a small gift in a big heavy box (tubs of spackle and water bottles added for weight), and the dogs let us sleep in until 8am.

Week 8 was a major rest week - large drop in volume. Two short swims, two short runs, and one bike.

Training totals for week 8 (February 9-15):
Swim: 3250 yards
Bike: 9.72 miles
Run: 11.2 miles
Strength: ~0.5 hours
Total time: 5 hours

But never fear, the coming week is a BIG training week (and *sob* a big work week) so I've been trying to rest up for it. I wonder if it's normal to feel more tired and sore during a rest week than the heavy training weeks? My goal is to take every workout seriously, nail my targets, and work hard - this is the time of year to put in the efforts that will pay off later!

It appears the rain will continue for the time being. I guess there is no hope of dry dogs anytime soon. With any luck though, we won't have a repeat of this Stanley gem from last winter.

10 comments:

LittleRachet said...

OMG what a mess!!! Yet another reason I don't let the fur kids on the bed. Good luck with your upcoming big week, and way to be weather agnostic!! :)

Jen said...

Holy Moly! That is quite the mess! :)

Liz Waterstraat said...

AH! What a mess! I'm sorry I didn't realize you had a big work week. Please do not sacrifice sleep or good nutrition or rest to get in workouts this week. Balance the stress and stay healthy, ok?

Eileen Swanson said...

I LOVE THIS PIC ;-) Ok, soon we'll head up to the snow again....

Stef0115 said...

That picture is hilarious! I can relate!

You'll do great at fitting everything in this week. Glad you had a good run today and a good rest week after camp. :-)

ShirleyPerly said...

Oh my, someone's in trouble!!

Good luck with all you've got going this week. Sometimes it seems that we get busy on all fronts at the same time :-(

beardies3 said...

That was baby Stanley. Teenaged Stanley would never do that. Ok, perhaps he would. (I know his sister would do it.)

Clarese said...

It is probably a good think Stanly is so cute! Great picture :)

Melissa said...

Oh, Stanley looks so sweet and innocent in that photo.

Way to go on the long run in the crappy weather. Good luck with your coming week!

Diamond Girl said...

That picture should have been the last picture of that dog! He should have taken out to the desert and left to fend for himself!

JOKING! Just joking! But what a hilarious picture.

Enjoying your blog - you are amazing!