Rain, rain

For a day that started out with a 40% chance of rain, it's been 100% since about mid-afternoon and it's still coming down. Good thing I took today off from riding and running. Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot done and should have been more involved in a few projects. I just couldn't get motivated enough. Maybe it'll be better tomorrow.

I've decided not to do the Tour de Louisiane stage race in Covington, LA this weekend. After adding up all the costs for Jonnene and me to go, it would have worked out to almost $400 for the whole weekend and I couldn't see spending that kind of money to have my butt kicked around over three race stages. The cheapest hotel I could find in the area was at the Best Western at $180 total for two nights...otherwise it was $109/night w/o taxes or more anywhere else! You add in food, gas, etc., and it's a cost that's better spent on a pleasurable weekend, not one where I'm trying to stay upright on my bike and keep up with a few (or more) superior athletes. Plus we'd have to drop off the dogs at a friend's house, so there's the time involved in dropping off and picking up.

Trust me, I'd love to go...it'd be fun...but the financial cost is too high for this trip. Both of us have things going on the following two weekends so maybe this time we should stay home and enjoy some time together. I'll knock out a long ride both Saturday and Sunday, but we'll go to a movie or two and putter around the house. If Jonnene wasn't working yet, we could go down on Friday morning and have time to make a quick jaunt into New Orleans. That would have worked pretty well.

Anyway, I guess my next race will be the Texas state road championships in Tyler on July 21st, or the Texas state time trials in Houston on August 4th, or a time trial in Monroe on September 9th. I better start spreading my riding out a bit so I don't get burned out in the meantime. I'm really aiming at the LA/MISS district time trials on September 16th 'cause my main cycling goal this year is to break an hour in the 40K, which I've never done. I intend to work really hard thru August and most of September to prepare for that.