35 minutes

its been raining in austin all week due to the hurricane. there has been lots of flooding and some very high water levels. apparently a couple suvs got picked up and taken down stream in the "creek" i run along most mornings. fortunately this morning was clear so i biked to work again. it took 35 minutes including having to back track a little bit when i discovered that a bit of bike path i normally take for 0.25 miles was covered in thick mud (i was on a road bike). while i might be getting a little faster just getting used to the commute, i also seem to be confirming that it is in fact faster to ride my bike 8 miles or so to campus than it is to drive. traffic is that bad here. i love bike lanes.

mid-way through my run this morning (prior to the commute) i crested a rather large hill and ran into a bunch of the austinites who ran leadville this year. i believe they run repeats on the big hills in my neighborhood once or twice a week, and one of the women who didn't finish leadville signed herself up for another 100 miler that's happening in a couple weeks. i'm already on the email list for next years group. training starts october 2. for the next 11 months and 3 weeks, be prepared to hear a lot about running...

and food...i am loving having a kitchen of my own that is stocked with things i actually eat. last night i found a great recipe for rice and beans that was easily modified (i didn't exactly have all the ingredients but substitutions worked out well), tasty, required one pot, was quick to make and yielded leftovers for lunch today for both eric and i. there is something immensely satisfying to me about being able to make things from scratch particularly when i can do it during the week when i don't have all day to commit to the endeavor.

happy cycling, running and eating everyone!