Ahh, recovery week, you have treated me well. I am pretty sure I ate most of the Vegan cookies produced in Southern California last week, and dove deep into a few flavors of Athletic Brewing (Near) Beer, which is actually pretty good! I also started watching Billions from the beginning, (I love that show), and read two books, one on recovery, a re-read of Good To Go, and one on enjoying every present moment and giving up on being able to do it all, Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management For Mortals.

I swam quite a bit, rode some, and ran a little, too, (in fact, I ran better last week than I have for months, which was hilarious and awesome), but I slept, laid down, and sat down the majority of the week. It was lovely.

**The end of a super-fun recovery run.**

Miraculously, I didn't let my mind spin too out of control with the results of IM St. George. Mostly because there is so much tragedy and upheaval going on in our country right now (the horrific shooting in Buffalo, the crumbling of women's rights) that it seems silly to give such credence to an athletic endeavor, (especially one so elite and insulated as an Ironman triathlon), but also because I was pleased with how I performed on the day, I just would’ve liked that performance to have landed me further up the rankings, but hey, those ladies were faster than me, so good for them!

Furthermore, I can honestly report that I haven't felt the usual post Ironman blues because I truly enjoyed the training leading up to the race, I had a blast during the race itself, plus I gained a ton of knowledge and experience that I can pass on to my athletes, and I have plenty of racing and endurance challenges left on the calendar to pursue in 2022.

*BONUS* It feels like Summer!

**Book haul from the library! #allthefiction**

Therefore, over the next few days I am going to enjoy some more recovery activities, (lots of fiction reading, but no more cookies), take full advantage of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” week of training, and top off the week with a girl’s trip with my two best friends, Emily and Hadara, to Nashville, TN!

**Claremont High School Senior Year Track photo, 1997, from left: Yours truly, Emily Tweten, and Hadara Katarski.**

This is the first trip in over a decade that I would put in the Vacation column, and I am so proud of the three of us for making it happen! And although I consider myself a rapper, first and foremost, I might come home with a signed Country music contract, TBD.:)

In the meantime, I am going to head to the pool, and leave you all with a song and video that I promise will fire you up to GO TO THE MOVIES this Summer!!

Here’s a hint: “You’re dangerous.”