Lake Placid

The ironman is coming up. Fundraising is not as easy as last time. Many are hurting because of the poor economy. I also suspect things will get worse before they get better. That does not bode well. I have received tons of messages citing the economy as a reason for not contributing.

My ironman training is going well, although I did not get in as much volume as I normally do. I am a bit worried about it, especially since Lake Placid is a pretty tough course. But what worries me even more is the poor weather (rain, cold, etc.) that has been battering the place. I do not care much for racing 10+ hours in freezing rain. I like sunshine.

No more time to add volume either. I am tapering now. If worse comes to worse Lake Placid will be a training session for Ironman Canada in August.

On Friday I rode 42 miles to Castro Valley and back. On Saturday I ran 8.5 miles along the backside trail and through Roberts park. On Sunday I swam for an hour, working on my technique a bit more, and on Monday I rode 31 miles with Alistair (to the top of Redwoood Rd.)

I have also been watching the tour. One thing I know for sure is that I would not want to be Alberto Contador! Talk about a no-win situation! It kind of reminds me of those early Indurain years, when Miguel had to forgo wins to help Pedro Delgado. But Alberto is in a much worse trap than Miguel was. How do you ever get out of the Lance shadow? He should have switched teams earlier in the year when he was offered a deal by Caisse d'Epargne.

I suspect all of Astana is a snake pit from top to bottom. The sponsors are unhappy, Bruyneel is trapped, the team has divided loyalties and everyone tries to keep up appearances and smile in the cameras. It is amazing how Disney it has become. The happiest team on Earth!