Live and Learn

Today I was back out on my racing bike going for a nice evening training ride in the scenic wine country south of Vienna. So far, so idyllic. When suddenly my ride seemed a little bumpy, and much to my chagrin, I had a flat tire. And no repair tools. And no cell phone. And no money. Oops.
Fortunately, I was only about a mile away from a nearby train station, so I was able to walk the bike there. And even more fortunately, I was able to catch a train back to the district of Vienna in which I am living within about twenty minutes. And best of all, there was no conductor on board, thus I managed yet another one of my patented close escapes.
Tomorrow, however, I will go to the repair shop and learn how to fix a flat and figure out a way to attach the necessary tools to my bike. It's not quite the same as the rest of the grueling training that I'm putting myself through in a frantic effort to get to the point where I can finish an Ironman Triathlon within the allotted time. But it very well may be the most important thing I can do in order to assure that I finish.
In a related story, a couple of my muscles that I use in running have been giving me a hard time lately, so I've decided to hold off on any more run training until the end of July. But having done a few marathons, and knowing that if it comes to it I can walk a bit during the last leg of the Ironman, the run is the least of my concerns. Swimming is a bit more of a concern, but I'll take a few lessons within the month, and the weather here (not to mention the numerous topless sunbathing Fräuleins) is incentive enough to get to the pool on a regular basis.
Which leaves the bike. Hours and hours and hours on the bike between now and early September. But once I move into my new apartment within a week or two, I'll get a TV and an exercise bike, and training will become much more user friendly.
And in the meantime, I keep on doing my upper body training at the gym on a regular basis. All in all, I'm in the best physical shape of my life and it promises only to get better. Which is always nice to be able to say.