Last weekend was a road trip to McCall with Chris, Marilyn, John, Jeff and Erin. The main reason for the trip was the Xterra race on Sunday morning, but there was still plenty of great training to be done before then combined with an outdoor music festival on Saturday night.

After a solid ride Saturday morning with Marilyn and John and having to deal with a nice head wind on the way home, we were all extremely hungry. Jeff suggested a great sandwich place and we were not disappointed! This is only half a sandwich. The rest was saved for later on. I have never seen so much meat between 2 pieces of bread!

After the adventures of Saturday night it was straight to bed in preparation for the big Xterra debut Sunday morning. Yes, I was in a team, swimming and running. No mountain biking for me!

Swimmers ready to start!

It was a perfect morning for racing and I was ready to go! But unfortunately the mind and the body had different ideas about how the day was going to eventuate. After a big week of training the fatigue had set in and I knew it was going to be a long 10km trail run! Thankfully for me Michael Tobin (former Xterra World Champion) had an awesome bike and although my run was slower than I would have hoped we were able to come away with the overall victory.

While I was racing John finally found out why Chris McDonald is called "Big Sexy"!!

A good Mexican feed and we were on our way back to Boise, around a 2 1/2 hr drive.

"Big Sexy" was exhausted after all the excitement!!

30 minutes from Boise and we had climbed out of Horseshoe Bend and on our way home we  noticed a cyclist on the side of the road who appeared to be in a little bit of bother!!

How many flats can you have in one ride??

It was Antonio! And it seemed like his luck had run out with a number of flats on his ride and no way to get home! What a coincidence! Although it seemed impossible in an already full car! We loaded up Antonio and his bike and all made the journey home.

A couple of recovery days early this week has been exactly what was needed as much as I hated to admit it. After a massage a lots of sleep I am ready to go again and another build starts tomorrow!

6 1/2 weeks to Kona! Still plenty of work to be done!

Just a quick update to let you know of what has been happening over the last 10 days. Actually someone asked me yesterday what I did last weekend and I was having trouble remembering that!

The best way to describe things would be train, eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep….you get the picture!             There have been some awesome trail runs, locally and at altitude at the top of Bogus Basin. Some EPIC compi sessions and somehow I have still been able to roll the arms over in the pool. It has been great!

There have been some other  memorable moments as well!  Last weekend I was quite convincingly beaten or what is referred to as “skunked” in an alternative form of triathlon designed by Clint. It included Horse Shoe throwing (Man, they were heavier than I thought) A game of Horse (shooting basketballs, or what we more commonly know as Bump) then Air Hockey at the local arcade. I lost all three and came away with sore arms for some reason! But it was a lot of fun with plenty of laughs!

Yesterday after a huge day of training it was time for the movies with Erin and “Eat, Pray, Love” with Julia Roberts. Although I hadn’t read the book I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it was perfect timing that dinner post movie with Bill and Jeff was at an amazing French Restaurant and my first experience at the delicious cuisine.

I loved it!!

Now it is time to pack! I am off to McCall for another first! An Xterra Race! Now don’t get excited, the truth is I am doing it in a team! I am swimming and running so a good work out for me, but no, not getting on a mountain bike. The pressure it on though! I am teaming up with the one and only Michael Tobin! Former World Xterra Champion and inductee into the Hall of Fame! I had better swim and run mighty fast!

Chris and Marilyn McDonald are back from there European adventures so there will be a great crew making the trip to McCall.

Looking forward to some fun times ahead, there will be plenty of pictures to post after the weekend!

And if you are in Aussie….don’t forget to vote!! We could have our 3rd Prime Minister for 2010 very soon!

What a great combination! Celebrating a birthday then racing!

Last week it was time to get back into the training but not before I got to celebrate the big 33 with some fantastic friends and adopted family in Boise!

The Margarita Maker was used for the first time!

Jeff and Erin again opened there home for a Aussie Birthday Party with plenty of food, drinks and most important lots of laughter!!

Fun for all!!

I love Icecream Cake!!

Yes, I am have a huge weak spot for Ice cream! Lets be honest who doesn’t and these Ice Cream cakes were delicious! Cookies and Cream, yum yum yum! Thank god for the training session the next day!

More training buddies in Boise! Casey and Tom! They kept telling me to stand up!!

Saturday morning was Emmett’s Most Excellent Triathlon, an Olympic Distance race which also doubles as the Idaho State Championships. For me it was the perfect start to my Kona build. After winning last year I wanted the opportunity to defend my title.

I was happy with my swim and bike and must admit for the first half of the run all was good, but the second lap was definitely a bit of a struggle, the normal strong finish was not there but having established a bit of a lead off the bike I was able keep it going and finish first. Another great race put on by Ken and his team!

Emmett's Most Excellent Triathlon - The Champion Men!

Kevin Everett dominated the men with Kyle and Tom finishing 2nd and third.

8 1/2 weeks to go!! But who is counting!! Sleep has already become my best friend followed closely by a massage!

Spending some time on the cruiser!

It is fantastic when I have visitors especially those from Perth! Last weekend good friend Neil just happened to be passing by for work and it was a flying visit to Boise. But with little sleep we were able to fit a lot in!

Riding the cruisers around was on top of the list and is a must to get the full Boise experience.

After dinner with Antonio and Kelly white water rafting is another must especially on a 100 degree summers day!

White Water Rafting!

There was never a dull moment in our raft with such a diverse range of personalities and our guide was exceptional at not only his skills but keeping us entertained during the easier sections of the river.

Perfect hot day!

Gorgeous location!

The water was a little bit chilly but that still didn’t stop us from jumping of Boulders and Neil floating down stream with some of the other guys (Nat, you will remember all of this, I actually jumped this time!!)

Fun in the sun!

It was a whirlwind trip and full of lots of fun and laughs. Perfect timing for me post Ironman Lake Placid.                    I feel like I have recovered well from the Ironman and this weeks plan involves some easy cycling, swimming and running with the 9 week Kona countdown beginning next week! Time to dig deep and work hard!