And bam!

Maybe my speed is back. Haha, my speed. It's all relative, folks. Last night's group run went well - 5 miles in just over 51 minutes. That's 10:13-minute miles. I'm aiming for 10-minute miles for next Wednesday's group run. I had half of a Balance bar last night before the run, and I definitely think it helped. Next week, I think I'll go for the full bar.

Tomorrow is an easy 4-miler before work. (Easy? Whatever.) I have a plan, though. See, normally for my pre-work runs, I don't have time to eat anything, so tomorrow morning, I'm going to take a caffeinated gel as soon as I wake up. Maybe that'll give me more of a boost.

In non-running news, I think there's a Gremlin in the garage.

(old picture, but this post is too text-heavy)

First, the Stella fouls a plug (running well now, though, thanks to my mad mechanics skills... or thanks to me changing the plug and Aaron dialing back the mixture). Then there's the smallie that continues to be noisy, but is running okay. Now it's the Triumph, my ever-reliable Speed Four.

Last week, the Triumph developed a misfire off idle. I didn't quite understand what was happening, although now I hear it, no problem. I just knew it was stuttering at low RPM. Yesterday I ran some high-end injector cleaner (in case it's a fuel injector problem), but after some internet research (thanks, TriumphRat.com!), I am more convinced that it's a spark plug issue. I tried to buy new plugs last night, but the auto parts store didn't have them. I ordered them and they're probably already at the store, so after work, I'll pick them up. Unfortunately, it's going to be a bit before Aaron has a chance to install them. Turns out replacing spark plugs in bikes isn't as easy as replacing them in scooters. I'll be patient - I have two other running bikes.

This weekend should be fun. Tomorrow night is a cookout with friends, but early to bed. We're running 9 miles on Saturday morning, and then hooking up with other friends in Cleveland. We have a derby bout and an after-party and an after-after-party to attend. Sunday, I hope to be riding since our long run will be done.

I don't think I ever recapped last week's workouts, but everything went well. One rest day, two cross-training days and a lot of miles! Thus far in July, we've run 39 miles. THIRTY-NINE. Amazing.