140 Days

As the title says, I am now 140 days (20 weeks) from my next Half-Ironman, which is going to held in Miami. After reading stories about the Ironman 70.3 Kansas all day, I am very excited to get back on my rigid training structure.

Today's workout called for swimming and running, but unfortunately, I do not have a good swimming situation. My best option at the moment is to go to the beach and swim in the ocean, but that unfortunately means my possessions would be unprotected from whoever is down there. It's not like I would take any cash or credit cards but I could easily see someone walking off with my towel, shirt and shorts. I think what I may end up doing is finding some Americans (there are plenty of them) and seeing if they would mind watching my things. And then I can buy them a beer when I get back. Who would turn that offer down?

I did manage to get my run in. I kept a 8:15 min/mile pace throughout but it was quite a struggle. The amount of food I ate last night and what I drank probably contributed to this end result but more on that later. Tomorrow is an hour run early, followed by a 30 min bike sometime following. It should be a nice time to be outside. The country is on holiday tomorrow so hopefully the roads will not be too busy in the late morning for my quick ride. I am looking to run 8:05 min/mi, with my fourth one at 7:00 min to incorporate some speed. the ride will probably be at a 20-22 mph pace.

Onto some more exciting things for those who are not too worried about my training. I survived my first week on class (please hold your applause), went to a rooftop party and spent some time on the beach.

The first week of class showed me just how much catching up is necessary for me to be on par with a couple of my classmates. It is mainly vocabulary issues and they should work themselves out as I continue to speak more. 

FC Barcelona jersey for Charlie

 

They call it 'art'...I call it wasted materials

All sidewalks are scooter parking lots

Public fountains but mainly places for dogs to drink

Piadina! The italian street food that is so good!

Gelado

El Otro

My school

My street...Saragossa

My building. I am on the top floor.

Last night my roommate Icar had a party/bbq up on the terrace of the apartment. He invited over 15 or so friends and was kind enough to invite me as well. I had already made plans to go out with Andres so I called and invited him over as well. We cooked out steak, chicken, pork, lamb and rabbit, not to mention the baked potatoes and other side dishes. It was quite the fun time and I was able to meet some new people. Following that, Andres and I wandered to El Otro for a series of Darts. Unfortunately, he pulled out the last game to win 4-3 which means I have to buy the Octopus we plan on making for dinner sometime soon.

The beer of Barcelona

How the Spanish get a cork out a wine bottle

Round 1 of 3 in cooking meat

Coffee before beer...we got made fun of for this!

Triple bulls-eye to win the game!

Two 70-year-old men out at 2 am...Perfectly normal here.

Today, following my morning run and some tinkering on my computer, I headed to the beach to walk around and enjoy the afternoon. The place was swarming with people. This city isn't so bad when it is actually sunny for an entire day. It seemed like we were never going to get a cloud free day. I strolled along the boardwalk for a mile or two and then sat down and took in the sun. It was very refreshing.

Waiting in the Metro Station

Transfer tunnel in Passeig de Gracia

Barceloneta

Near the beach

I finally took the trip to where Alli will be staying when she arrives in less than two weeks. It is just over 20 mins away but in a very nice part of town. It should not be a problem to see her during her time here. In addition, she is my training partner for some days so it is a good thing she is so close!

That is just about everything I have for now. I will probably post again tomorrow. Spent the day on the beach and had a great workout. If you couldn't tell, this post has been written over the last two days. No worries, I will try not to confuse my older readers like Barry.

Adios!