Update: Training, Italian, planning, packing.

Training
After 2 less than successful training sessions this week I'm in despair..whatever I had before has gone.  Will I ever find it? Hmm..not sure.  Will I keep trying? yup..well at least until the end of this year, although I'm not really sure now that going to the Masters Track Worlds in October will be worth the time and money.  I think I might have to ditch the pursuit or accept a pathetic time.  Too early for 100% decisions of course but the signs are not good.  Need to HTFU +++++

I've got the front wheel trued and re-glued and hopefully I'll have the rear wheel back in time for Sunday's race.  


Since I was going to race the Footscray club TT champs on Sunday and also had to do a 5km  TT effort during the week and 'cos there just isn't a safe 5km  uninterrupted stretch of road  anywhere close,  I decided to ride their circuit out at Little River.

not sure if that's the right circuit, although there aint too many options(!) but that's what i rode.

This hamlet is on the way to the You Yangs and so I was very familiar with the place from my Orienteering, MTB racing and also rock climbing days and bugger me but the almost-built boat in the back yard is STILL there, looking exactly the same as it did 20 years ago!  The guy with the small dog in a basket at the back of his treadlie was new -  sadly I couldn't get the phone out in time for a pix.

The weather was fantastic..blue skies low temp and no wind- it was so cold my teeth ached, my nose ran and I had numb fingers and toes.  The course..flat to mild undulation with a dead road but what a ripper and I wish I'd thought of it before.  It took about an hour to get there, so too far for a regular training area.. but great for occasional long TT sessions.

Driving back I was appalled to see a pall of yellow ish haze over Melbourne..when you live in its midst you just don't realise what crap air you're breathing.  I had a mega nervy turn on the freeway though when, cruising along at 100kph, I came across a sign which said..end of roadworks......O..M..G.  how did I miss that?   With the speed limit at roadworks of 40, 60 or 80kph,  I might be deep in the proverbial.

Italian
Getting there very slowly.  I've rented a coupla vids and had planned to watch first with then without subtitles..only prob is one doesn't have subtitles.

Planning and packing
Bought the sandals, not bothering trying to find any shorts..wrong season+++.

I've downloaded a zillion audiobooks from the library into my iPod but having discovered that having earphones on while driving is illegal in some countries and since I'm going to be doing 4 solo mega trips across Europe I've unearthed my old iTrip.

  Next stop is to see if it still works and to research what sort of frequency it will need to work on in Europe...with the huge amount of different broadcast stations over there and with me driving through 4 countries, a scanning one might be the way to go.

I've also bought a mini  travel MP3 speaker set...not for travelling of course, but for use when listening while in bed...I'm not keen on sleeping the night away with ear buds stuck in my ears and I do have the tendency to fall asleep while listening...!