Metric Century & Maui Marathon

The Giro Bello metric century last Saturday was FANTASTIC.  Rode with two awesome ladies, one of my Triple A training partners, Blondie & the Mighty J.  Left from Analy high school, less than a mile or so from my front door.  7AM we rolled out, it was perfect weather, absolutely perfect.  The course was amazing, all along the back country wine roads of Sonoma County, I feel so blessed.  Passed so many gorgeous wineries and estates, it made the hill climbs that much more bearable.  Lots of rolling hills but no killer hills (like Table Mtn on Wildflower Century in Chico).  I LOVE being in the saddle, I think this every single time I get back on the bike after a few days, a short rest stop or stretch break.  As soon as I settle my body in the saddle I am so incredibly happy.  I have visions of doing some rad ultra rides across the gorgeous US in the next few years.

The day was long but the metric century was very do-able and I felt great....until I had to literally crawl out of bed the following morning.  SORE!  Wow!  Walked 4 miles after the century and then another 3 miles the next morning and I think that really helped but wow, my body sure felt the workout from those rolling gentle hills.  Took a 4.5 mile run through Spring Lake on Monday and after the first 5 min of working out the kinks felt great.  Thank you body for doing such a great job, I will continue to take care of you & push you to do more...and do my stretching & Fonda!

Next up on the goal list after a summer & fall of half marathons and triathlons is....MAUI MARATHON in January!  WOWZERS!  A girlfriend asked me last week over a chat, if I would at all consider doing the marathon with her as part of a mini girl vacation...as she was asking, I heard the words Marathon & Maui & January and although my brain was saying things like "I will need to ask husband of course and coordinate kiddo care and ....OMG the training"  I heard my mouth blurt out " I am SO there!"  ..... I love that I am in a place in my life & personal happiness & confidence that I find myself saying something like that.  While my motto for 2011 has been "why not me?" in reference to pushing myself to bike farther, run stronger & swim with sharks & zombies, "I am SO there!' is apparently my motto for 2012 and I like it.  It's a feeling that is hard to describe: pure joy, peace, centered-ness... strength & happiness in both mind & body.

Check out the course map below.  Three things I love about it: that the route is all along the ocean (YAHOO), the dancing palm trees at the top, and the fact that there is no longer a 20-miler course offered?  Dude, if you were going to do 20 miles, just do 26.2 already!

Course map of goodness, so excited:
Maui Marathon 2012