Weather Its Good Or Weather Its Bad

Run
time- 1:18
distance- 7.08mi

I am conflicted on the subject of weather. You know, the subject everyone supposedly automatically reverts to whenever there is nothing else to talk about. Yeah, on that topic I experience cognitive dissonance.
It's not the weather's fault, per say. I would never blame Thor. He's James Tiberius Kirk's daddy. He is above complaint.

SAME DUDE! Kirk's dad is the God of Thunder!

My conflict stems from challenge vs training. You see, storms are blowing in again over my part of Oahu and temperatures are dropping. Running is so much easier when it's cool out. The heat sucks your will to live faster than any planned distance and more effectively than any climb. I feel better, faster, smoother when it's a little overcast, maybe even sprinkling. It's great. Plus, that means more opportunities to skip through mud. A Dirtbag never passes up a chance like that.
BUT, the Honu will NOT be cold. It will NOT be cool. Odds are very high it will NOT be overcast. It is going to be life-suckingly hot. That side of Big Island in June? Life. Suckingly. Hot. There are no trees over there, the lava destroyed them and they never grew back because Kona gets half an inch of rain a decade*.
What that means is, while I'm getting in good runs and I'm feeling strong for the most part during them, my training is only half complete. I am not really being heat trained right now. Oh, I have an advantage over those triathletes flying in from the mainland for the race. The humidity alone is going to draw their souls from their skins. And I'm well aware that melting will occur on the run, its unavoidable. But I'd like to get a little time under the hot hot sun in.
...That felt like a really stupid thing to ask for. Please tune back in two weeks from now when I'm bitching and moaning about how hot it is.
As for today's run, it went really well up until half a mile from home. A mile from home I decided I was feeling strong and I wanted to pick up the pace a little, see if I could stir it up for a mile. And after half a mile my left calf said, "I have had enough of this," and POOF like magic turned into a softball. Which is ok, I guess, since my right AT was also beginning to whine. So I limped home, hoping for the ominous clouds to hold their water for just a few more minutes.
Foam roller- I love you, I hate you, please keep fixing this knot.
(*all numbers approximate)

The Cult of the Foam Roller and Missing Workouts

Swim
1 x 200- Warm-up
2 x 500- 7:30
1 x 50- easy
5 x 200- 3:00
1 x 50- easy
1 x 500- Hard (7:11)
1 x 100- Cool down
total- 2900 yd

At this point last year I had maybe missed two workouts during my strictly regimented plan for the Honolulu Olympic Triathlon. I was nailing it and nothing was getting in the way.
This year couldn't be more different. For a variety of reasons I keep missing workouts. My alarm doesn't go off. I'm nursing a sickness or injury. Life pops up and says, "Hi, you're dealing with me today instead of getting two hours on your bike. Suck it." I haven't had more than two real solid nine workout weeks since the cycle started. It is really bothering me. I know I'll be prepared for the Honu, I'll be able to get through it, but I won't be as prepared as I could be, as I want to be. I guess that is an ideal though, and it doesn't do me any good to be unhappy about past missed opportunities. I sat out all of last week save Monday because of my Achilles, which I'll get to in a minute, and because I was head cold knocked down. And yesterday I didn't get to ride, even on the trainer, because my landlady insisted that the lawn get mowed and weed-whacked RIGHT NOW, after which other stuff needed to happen.
Grrr. Grumble. Grrrr.
Every Monday morning I think, This is the week where I put it all together. Everything is going to happen. I'm going to hurt all week and it's going to be awesome. Strong will happen. And so far I've failed more than I've  succeeded. The workouts I am getting are good. But they aren't consistent enough. (Also, I don't have a child yet and Super Awesome Wife is not gestating a Super Awesome Dirtbag Baby yet, but I would appreciate it if no one saves this post and waves it back in my face when I'm trying to teach, train, be husband, and be dad.)
As far as my little injury goes, I think I'm just about healed. I hope so, the Hapalua is Sunday and I want to have a halfway decent run. I don't expect anything significant, but I do want some distance confidence to be built without any injury aggravation. I've been massaging it with an ice-filled Dixie cup (Fill the Dixie Cup with water, throw it in the freezer, then you can peel and ice and you have something to hold on to.). And Friday I finally took another step towards runnerhood and bought a foam roller. Took it home, threw my calf up on it, and immediately became a convert to the Cult of the Foam Roller.

Rooooooll it out!

Hurt so good

Holy crap, Dirtbag friends. This thing is fantastic. Hurts so good. I prop my right leg up on it, cross my left over, hoist my butt off the ground, and roll back and forth from mid-calf to my heel and back. Four sets of 12. The next day I was feeling it. Such a big release of tension. I really like. I'm going to start using it on my hammys and back too. That, plus the ice and I think I'm ready to get back out on the road for some runs again. And Sister Dirtbag, Official Trainer of Team Dirtbag, sent me some Rock Tape to put on my leg. Which means there needs to be some sheering going on. The product information video makes some really big claims, but Sister Dirtbag assures me they, for once, actually know what they are talking about. So expect a picture of a naked Dirtbag leg adorned with a very special color tape in the near future. I know, you can barely stand the suspense. I'll give you a color clue. It's like red, but not quite.