I'm going to the Florida panhandle this weekend for a mini-vacation, although the weather isn't turning out quite as desired. Low 60s will be fine for running, but not for sunbathing. And any weather is great for shopping!

I'm going to try some beginner speedwork during my workouts. I seem to be stuck on an 8:10 to 8:15 mile pace for five mile distances, and I'd like to begin moving that down to 7:30.

My bicycle is not coming with me this time. Everyone I ride with thinks that four days off the bike is a horrible travesty beknownst only to those poor, starving Ethiopians who have been denied their Powerbars by corrupt government officials. (That sounded totally wrong. Please forgive me.) Frame of reference here, folks. I can assure you that if I take four days off the bike, my race performance for the upcoming season is not shot all to hell. We must not forget that we are cyclists by choice, and not by trade.

My other best friend, however, will be coming with me. My laptop's presence is required in case I go through internet withdrawal symptoms, since there are TWO whole places with free wi-fi in the Destin area. That makes sense, though. It's a vacation spot, not a target destination for LAN geeks.

Also, I shall slap myself on the hand for deprioritizing important tasks such as filing my tax returns such that the only thing left to do before Tax Day is to forcibly remove myself from my home environment and its accompanying distractions (particularly, J) so that I will SIT down and DO the work. Since, as we know, cycling (and boy) are WAY more important than what the IRS requests of me.