I spent most of the day at home today. A couple of my friends txt’d me for bike rides and happy hours but I declined them to rest at home. I woke up with body-ache. My sore throat continues to nag me. I lazed around almost all day. Some would call it a waste of a day, but lazy days are essential for recovery. Of course, I was looking at the next big race in late 2014 or 2015. Ironman Cozumel in November? Ironman 70.3 in Putrajaya, Malaysia in April, 2015? Ironman Brasil in Florianopolis in May, 2015? Of course, there are tons of options in Europe too. It felt good to dream; but of course the reality is that I have not even recovered from Ironman Cabo and am somewhat frustrated with my physical conditioning.
The snakes are out in Arizona. I have seen a few while biking in the past month or so (although none have been rattlers this year). They typically come out in the morning to heat their bodies in the sun, or late in the evening after the sun sets to feel the heat radiating from the still-hot black-top tar on the roads. This one was hanging out on the side of the road this evening. You can see his eyes shining in the flash of my iPhone camera. No, he is not a rattler; he’s just a gopher snake.