August recap

Been a while. Been busy. Been vacating.

Work. Promoted to business editor.

Flew to Colorado. Drank green chile ale. Ate awesome sushi. Best manned for Chad. Enjoyed Oskar Blues. Visited Mike and Mac and Grayson and Stella. Flight home messed up. Hang out in Atlanta (airport).

Work. Worry about who will buy VP. Watch Olympics.

Ellie: soccer tournament. Scores two, one assist. 1-2.

Drive north. Cape May-Lewes Ferry. See Cape May and Wildwood. Overnight in Absecon. Drive on to Wolfeboro and Dad & Sal’s.

Hang out at lake. Race expert MTB at Gunstock. 2nd. Small field. $1 and a can of Clif Shot Recovery. Watch Olympics. Drive to Conway. Ride Conway Scenic Railroad. Race expert MTB at Cranmore. Big field. Climb ski slope. Bomb granite. 4th ex vet, 8th overall. Swim in lake. Visit with Kathy and boys. Climb Tumbledown Dick on MTB as family hikes. Swim in lake.

Road ride. 35mph downhill. Crash. Nothing broken. Blood. Road rash. Bent seat stay. Need new frame? Relieved anyway.

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. A merlin. Cool kid’s barn. Dancing bear? Daring chipmunks. Hanging with Dad. Next day, Knight’s Pond. Virtually primeval. Beautiful. 2.5 mile hike. Boulder scrambles. Carry Audrey last bit.

Drive home. Audrey fussing, all day. Worcester: Major Taylor monument. Cool, black, turn-of-century track sprinting world champion. EZPass issues. Eat at McD’s twice. Ugh. 14.5 hours. Home, finally, late.

Sleep. Back to work. Just two days.

Friday: first day back on bike. CX bike. Lucky Cat alley cat. Liz home. Nice crowd, nice race. By Wes. Planned easy. Competitiveness kicked in. Fun night riding Norfolk. Fixie 30 miles next AM. Pool party. Beers. Football blowout. Good night’s sleep.

The end

(pics to come)

Ellie rocks and sets two records

My girl Ellie rocks (even though she does a lousy job of keeping up her blog). This morning was the all-star swim meet featuring 12 swimmers with the best times in every event from each of the Virginia Beach Swim League’s six divisions. Ellie was the 6th seed in 25 free, swimming in the second, faster heat.

Earlier this week, Ellie’s coaches noticed that she’s been leaning to the left before she dives, which pushed her too deep into the water, and worked to correct it. Her Nonnie (my mom) also talked to her about uncorking something extra toward the end of races. Between the technical and inspirational advice, it worked. Ellie jammed in her heat, diving well and going hard all the way into the wall to take 3rd place.

She carved three-quarters of a second off her previous best time to swim in 16.17, which also broke our swim club record for 10-and-under girls. (And in the very last meet she could do it.) Ellie had been gunning for that record and finally got it. You should have seen the smile on her face.

She also swam strongly in the 100-free girls relay, which finished second as seeded. The quartet lowered the record they’ve broken four times this year by more than a second to 1:07.43. How cool is that?