Day 10 of my training trip arrived with some chilly temps. This is about as cold as it gets in Austin: 33 degrees with drizzle, fog and wind. Hmmm... I chose to sleep in rather than join T and B for the start of the half.

I dragged myself out of bed at 8:00am for a 9:00am start to my long run. My goal was to trek down to the course, follow it in reverse (not backwards!) to see as much of the action as I could.

I quickly realized that a lot of dreams and goals were not to be accomplished that morning. I saw many a runner--from elite to back-of-the-packer--suffering through these tough conditions. I was thankful that I was just training that morning.

I found an athlete that I coach around the mile 17 mark, and she was in the process of freezing her way off pace. She just missed her goal of qualifying for Boston, but finished despite the nasty morning temps.

I finished up a really nice long run: 21 miles with enough roads and trails, and ups and downs to keep my happy. It felt very good to get that final bit of sea level mileage in the legs.

I fueled up with about a gallon of Ultragen (best recovery drink ever!) and headed out for day three of the same ride. I somehow found myself in an enjoyable little rut/ patttern, and the ride suited me just fine. I did have to wait a little bit for Todd this time (he had notched a solid 20miler that moring as well). Ah well, it was great to have his company, except on the hills. Come on. Ha!

The trip was nearing its end, and I was pretty much done. I had met all of my training goals, in fact, had exceeded many of them. I had eaten at all my favorite restaurants, and visited with all my good friends. All that was left was one final visit to Jack and Adam's Austin bikes: really the best tri shop I've seen.

We capped the day off with a trip out to Jon and Nancy's place, also known as Casa Hill, or Rancho de Hill. (At least I know it this way.) We pounded back a few glasses of red wine, ate way too much, and laughed quite a bit. It was really a nice end to a great trip.

Bright and early Monday morning, Todd dropped me at the Austin airport where I boarded a flight for Colorado. I'm now back in Boulder, planning my next block of training to ramp myself up for Ironman Arizona.

Check in for more later...