A little slice o' heaven

One of my absolute favorite places in Montana is Flathead Lake - the largest natural lake in the Western US. There is nothing else like it: clean & clear water, fresh mountain air, Glacier National Park as a backdrop, Flathead cherries in the summer, vacant roads waiting to be ridden.

I have so many fond memories up here. I will say, it is kind of funny how those memories have metamorphed over time: from partying it up in college with my dear friend Emily on late summer nights at the cabin to memories built in the last 5 years with the Seeley family. Matt Seeley is Montana's gold standard when it comes to triathlon. He has paved the way for me, and many other triathletes teaching us all that we know.

On tap this weekend was more Ironman training. Needing some inspiration and a change of scenery I summoned up some of my great friends. and we headed up to this little slice o' heaven to get the job done.

First task at hand was a dip in the lake at sunset, of course! Next up was late night snacks with the Seeley clan (thanks Tana for feeding me the last 5 years of my life!!). Sunday morning was an early wake-up call for open water swimming in Flathead Lake. We saw a point 1+ miles away, dove off the dock with not a care in the world, and swam. We swam some more keeping our eye on the prize: 4 trees at the point. Swim, swim, swim, swim. Turn around. Swim, swim, swim. The water was crystal clear and calm and the motor boats weren't awake yet. An hour later and it was time to eat some more. We fueled on zucchini and huckleberry pancakes and then it was time to tackle a big day in the saddle. Off we went on our bikes to the towns of: Big Arm, Elmo, Hot Springs, Perma. We weaved our way through the Big Sky Country sharing tales of torture (hard training days) and working hard. We finished the day off with a run to the track and then it was off into the sunset back to the Zoo: Missoula.

Have I mentioned that I love my job and my friends? Here's to a great week.