Long run in the books! 11.75 miles in 1:50. And the running mojo must be contagious. The MP interval, which felt awful last week, was fantastic. And LRP is starting to feel way more like 9s than 9:15s. Better weather, a little more training, and s-caps worked out nicely.
Is anyone else looking forward to ONLY swimming tomorrow!!! Woooohoooo!
Oh, yeah!!!! The legs especially are. Clawed my way OOB this morning and headed out by 5:20. Like most of you, it was cooler and I was thrilled. I mentally broke the run up into 2 runs and that helps a great deal. Funny thing, I have rarely run with my ipod now. Turned it on this morning for about 30 seconds and then turned it off. Really enjoying just the sound of my movement and the morning.
Did as Coach P recommended and immediately fixed my smoothie, then got my legs up for 10 min.
I can tell the training is ramping up, I am down 2# this week already. What's to eat NEXT??
Huh? I don't see the contradiction. That second THursday is the week AFTER camp .
Note- this is general for everyone kinda guidance. Yes- for those Chica's that are already in Madison, we're talking about swimming Thurs AM and doing a shake down ride in the afternoon- but that's not a problem. Point here is that if you do the camp, you'll be doing the LR next week on Sunday (not Thursday) and all of that still fits with the Chica plans.
As always- your own plans based on travel and such might need to re-arange this- but this is the basic guidance for us all.
Hit the paces or actually a touch fast for the Z3 and Z2 sections but just kind of plodded along for the rest. Hot, humid, windy and high UV index. Did end up swimming last night but not the workout, did 40 min open water.
Nice to get the long run done early in the cooler temps. 15 miles in 1:55:00. Running legs are starting to come back. I think my body and mind actually likes the HMP/MP better than the zone 1 pace. I tend to focus more and maintain form better.
Body is very much looking forward to a nice swim tomorrow at noon, but will also do a Bikram yoga class at 6:00 am. Wish I had more time to do these classes, they are so helpful, just very time consuming.
Swim only day!!! (But I came home to do core work after. I keep meaning to do it after work, but either life gets in the way like this week or I just forget until I am too tired and then it's too late!) 55 degrees and no humidity. It was chilly! Once I got out in the middle of the lake and had the sun on me, I was better. Just glorious moring. Then quick out of the water, wrap up and run to my car. Too cold to stand around. Everyone else?
Today was going to be a recovery day, but wearing my recovery tights all day yesterday seemed to do the trick as my legs felt great this morning and I felt like running. Went out to just run by feel and 3 miles in had a little bit of a kick so I did a few mile repeats. Ended up going 5:26, 5:21, 5:20 and they felt smooth and controlled, not forced at all. I'm pretty sure I could have nailed a 4th one but decided that was enough for today and ran easy back home.
It was nice that the intervals felt good as my run for has felt off the last week or so. I started paying more attention to my run cadence and form again and sure enough the speed came back as well. Todays intervals were at 101, 102, and 101 steps per minutes...entire run was at 97. earlier this week I was in the upper 80s/low 90s and just didn't feel right.
I'm about to sneak out of work for a lunch break swim.
I swam in the indoor pool this AM- the ocean isn't safe in the early morning and it's down to 60 degrees right now too. It's soooooooooo beautiful outside right now, it seemed a shame to waste it indoors at the office! So I took a lunch break and walked to the GNC to pick up my multi. Aaaaaah, a little Vit D for the day sure felt good!
9 of us, four guys, 5 girls. and the lake water felt good, really!! 1.5 laps. = 3600 yards est.
on the way home, stopped in at Bale Honda to get my car oil changed and to check on brake pad recall (driving to wI next week!)... it also needed 60k service and come to find out tire alignment and one new tire!!! how long = 3 hours... so if you know me>>>>> texted hubby for the all clear....which was a yes. I looked down in my car seat and with a green speedo swimsuit top on, grabbed a peach running Hind singlet cuz that was all I had in there, and some purple/black Voler bike shorts, that I had worn yesterday and forgot to unload, a banana nothing else was in the car cooler, some water and headed out on my bike!!! down a country road and stopped in to get a forgotten straw for my aero bottle and a Snickers!!! and had a wonderful ride on my new saddle (Bontrager) from my local bike store. finally!!! I went just as slow or as fast as I wanted too for some time in the saddle (3rd ride on it)! and sheer bliss at one point going down a hill with zero watts but at 30.6 mph!!! on the way back stopped in for chocolate milk!!! what a fab ride! had a great prayer out on my bike just riding up and down with horsepastures on the side... pretty, a "free ride" all the while while those poor souls waited in the waiting room on their car!! Dot on, 3 hours later.. my car was ready!!! kudos goes to Bale Honda and that is where I take my car for oil changes and everything else.. so I know the peeps... I got back, and the salesperson had a cold coke and a cup of coke, and yes I reached out my hand and got offered a nice icy Coke!!! God is Good!!! wow. Then I went to the bike store who are also great to me and got my Bike Retuhl bike check. I had one done in the Fall and went back today for tweaking.... so now I am on a new saddle, wearing new shoes and new helmet with a Powertap!!! gear is good to go and thanks to hubby for buying me some great birthday presents!!! I just kept on celebrating the whole month of june!! lol. and NO I am not counting a new tire for the car as a present!!! ouch. that oil change was my most expensive yet!! smile.
anyways, it all started with some great people at the lake this morning!!! Thanks to my son who "babysat" while I was spontaneously gone and to hubby for supporting me and then to the great salespeople who take care of me keeping me safe on the road!!! Thanks to all of y'all figuring out my gear!! and now I hope to ride successfully this weekend. oh yeah, did 40 miles today!! after the 1 hour swim. just think if I had "planned" a "Big Day", I probably woulda suffered.. but the spontaneity and sheer pleasant surprise of the morning putting me back in touch with some great prayer, why I was tickled to be out riding!!
Getting back into the swing of things with the IM training. I did a long really hilly ride today with DH. I am working at the hospital the next three days so I had to shuffle my schedule. The important thing is I got my long run done on Wednesday. Thursday swim, bike and run. This weekend I will do shorter workouts after my 12.5 hour shifts. Next week I will be back on schedule. Sounds like everyone is doing well with the training. Have a great July 4th weekend!
On a funny schedule this week so that we could sneak to Jersey over the holiday. That meant all of the biking had to be done pre-weekend.
Mon + Tues = swim + easy run days
Wed = FTP day. Only had time for 60' but did the TT loop @ .95 IF. skipped the brick.
Thu = 2 hour ABP ride at .84 IF.
Fri = 4 hour long ride. Nailed the intervals and pushed for the remainder. 78 miles in 3:54 @ .84 IF. embarrassed to say this butcrashed in the last 10 miles. no idea what I even hit but I was over the bars and down before I knew it. nothing major and very lucky. just banged up and lots of road rash. upper body took the brunt of it and my shoulder/elbow/neck are trashed today but in light of everything else that's been happening in the haus, very fortunate.first time I've ever broken my helmet in half.
Sat = wanted to get out and move to try and get the blood moving. easy 60 min trail run. legs feel fine, albeit tired and stiff from the rest of the week and the 5+ hour drive to Jersey last night. Looking forward to a day by the pool and family bbq!!
Sun= Goal is get the long run done. gonna be toasty!
Oh my Leigh, I hope you recover quickly! And go get a new helmet too! I'm gonna say this one last time, NO MORE CRASHES PEOPLE!!!!!
And on that note, I had a great 4 hour ride this morning. Rode from my house 30 min north to meet up with the "5:30 Crew" (local roadies who have a daily ride at 5:30am- very fast!) I managed to hook onto the train and rode with them to the official start of the Saturday ride. We had about 20 folks riding and it was awesome. After 90 min the Sat group was done and I rode with one sole survivor for another hour before he dropped off, then I was on my own to get home. My legs are absolutely trashed!!!
But the biggest thing I learned/decided today was that for as long as I live here in Nags Head, this is the LAST time I'll train for a fall Ironman. The traffic getting on/off the beach this morning was just nutty. I swear tourists forgot to pack their brains. We had one car drive by us (20 of us riding single file) and then made a right hand turn RIGHT IN FRONT of our first rider!!! WTF? Did you not see the 20 bikes you just rode by? Another guy pulled through an intersection with plenty of time to clear us but then made a U-Turn in the intersection. Thank God we had riders up front who saw it, called it, and no one was hurt (although if a car had been coming up behind us someone would have been hit 'cause we had to scatter to keep from crashing. Finally, on my solo ride home there were several drivers who pulled into their cottage driveway only to realize they made a wrong turn and immediately backed out again WITHOUT LOOKING!!!
My big lesson learned today. Weekend rides have to start and end really early- or I gotta leave the beach to ride. I'm better off training for IMCDA in the future- I'd rather take my chances riding 5 hours in the 25-40mph winds of March than risk getting hit by one of these tourons.
Nemo - I am with ya on the early morning rides. I was on the bike at 7:18 today and other than other bikers, runners, and an assortment of bunnies the roads were quiet. The quiet of the morning is also something I enjoy immensely.
Leigh...are u kidding me????? another crash, I'm thinking this crashing stuff has got to stop!! Hope you are doing ok Sounds like you got up dusted yourself off and back to business...you are one tough chicka!
Yep, yep...Gina and Nemo, totally agree...best time is early morning to beat the traffic. I was out the driveway this am by 7 and the roads were fairly quiet. My boys and I were having a discussion the other day about biking in traffic. They bike home from swim practice most days. I was telling them I always give the car the right of way and I always try to make eye contact to make sure the driver sees me. I know that the car can do major damage to me and my bike, so I treat them with the utmost respect. Better to be safe than sorry. I'm with you Nemo, people driving vehicles just don't think sometimes, especially to watch out for bikers. We have to be the thinkers and take care of ourselves out there! Be safe and ride smart everyone!
5:30 a.m. I head out when it is daylight.... nice quiet roads so took the main drag .... out of town and down 12 miles to meeting point for a 50 miler with other friends. my husband drove to the start.. and off we cycled for 50 hilly miles, garmin says 2300 feet of climbing.. sorta diff route so we had the group leader,a guy I had never met before tell us directions... I had my eye on him!! and some new GFs too and some tri geeks and my husband and my mt biking sponsor and friend.. a merry group of people wearing colorful jerseys. and it was cooler here so very nice!!! up and down and all around and I seemed to have some energy!! Hallelulah, maybe the iron was kicking in or the cooler temps!! or my prayer on the way out there, but I was delighted to ride my bike and let out a whoop on a grand downhill! got back to the car and then hubby rode home the 12.. and I did my brick run, on a new road so always nice to go exploring and I went back up the same road I had just come barreling down on a fast descent.. now running/// why? cuz it was there and I got inspired to run up this whopper of a hill!! shady and with some good ipod music I climbed it and ran downhill and that ended up being 5 miles.. now not swift so don't get all excited,, but I did chug up that hill!!! 309 feet of climbing on the run.... oohh I had some great music on and cloud cover, why I felt like I could run more!!!! really. so I put my hands up in the air as I got to my car in a Victory! yes. this is so gonna work out!!! great time out there on my run just marveling at the wooded road,shade and God's glory that I could see.... nobody else out but a few pick up trucks passing me! it totally rocked!! and I never actually look to see how many calories I actually burn but 3600!!! total. wow. new saddle ached like the dickens as I had to ride paceline part of the way..... and volunteered to pull many times for some relief!!! anyways. just a great time out on the road!!! m
Holy crap, Leigh! Cracked a helmet in half---not even I have done that...Yikes! Glad to hear nothing is broken, sprained. Take care of yourself, girlfriend.
This week has been a half bust for me...Just feeling tired, sore throat, swollen glands, stuffy nose and completely unmotivated mentally. I took 3 days completely off, drank alot of OJ, and switched my allergy med to Zyrtec which I've been hesitant to do because it can make one more drowsy than Claritin. Well, Kitima + Zyrtec = Zyrtec ZOMBIE! I'm quite sure my IQ dropped 50 points on it. My DH called me a "Zyrtard" and said,"It's like date rape drug to you." Lovely. So given that the long run and the Sat ride are the most important workouts of the week, I did my long run today. I got a late start cuz I was lazy and slept in then got sucked into watching the TdF. The combination of the heat and whatever allergen is floating around out there resulted in shortness of breath and a really, really rapid heart rate at even MP. So I limped along and just got it done. Pffft! One good thing is that I tried out my DH's hydration pack (Northface) which worked wonderfully---much better than the Fuelbelt with it's bottles bouncing around.
Holy sh*t, Leigh! Cracked helmet is crazy! I'm glad you are okay. And, um, love that you got in your whole workout, too.
Living in the major urban area, I have to be part of the early morning crew. I could've been out another hour earlier this morning -- as I was coming it at nine, the path belonged to the tourists, not the cyclists. Biking at 100 watts = not fun. And so many of them not wearing helmets on their rental bikes! Don't you know there are crazy triathletes with horn-like things sticking out of their bikes, flying at you at 20 mph?
Since last weekend's thunderstorms cut Sunday's ride short, this was my first weekend of real EN Ironman riding. Wowsas that four-hour Saturday ride is a bear. But I had fun. And accidentally did an extra 15' zone three interval. Because that workout makes counting hard. I worked hard and that is the first ride I did that seriously trashed my legs.
Today's ride? For the first half hour, I thought I had a bike hangover. No snap. Lots of suffering. Lots of whining in my head. Once I finished the warm-up and hit ABP, legs were happy. I think eight months in outseason land turned my legs into monsters who only know how to go fast.
I will also admit I thought all this crazy ice bath, compression tights stuff most of you do was over-the-top nonsense. I stand corrected. EN bike weekends require serious recovery! (Goes off to shop for compression tights.)
Sorry to hear about your fall Leigh, you know as well as anyone that soreness can manifest itself days to weeks later so be careful getting back at it. I keep my broken helmt with the glass imbedded in it around to remind me to always keep an eye out for those cars coming out of side streets and driveways.
Did 84 miles yesterday, could have been the best I felt on a solo ride in a lomg, long time. Did 64 today, didn't feel nearly as well, legs were very tired, felt like it took about an hour and 1/2 to loosen up. Got a lot of climbing in both days so very pleased with that.
I think my body is starting to adapt to the volume, big difference in how I felt from last week to this. Will be doing a little juggling with the schedule this week with a local sprint tri on Sat. Would much rather be going to the camp with you guys, but I could'nt make it work.
Can't wait to hear about your thoughts and experience of the course. Have a great time !!!
20 miles on my bike and me and my new saddle parted ways for a bit... 160 miles since last WED? means I am breaking it in. before camp!! think we will make it but today I couldnt sit up on the thing just stay aero!!! which yeah you are supposed to do but still!! anyways... didn't push anymore and used the extra time to come home and stretch outside in the sun while DH finished up riding home.... no run and no swim today... and festivities and the kids are hyper for nightfall. anyways. talk at ya later!! m
OMG Leigh! So glad to hear it is just road rash and soreness. Please take care and be careful. I am getting spooked!
I intend to post a thread about riding "with" The Halligan. Mid week, the Halligan posted an offer for anyone to come along on his race rehearsal for Placid. DH had just announced he was going out of town for the weekend. I knew Carly was struggling to find a route to do her Placid RR, but being new in town and no car were making it hard. Plus, for me, getting mojo going for 3 and 4 hour solos rides is harder this time around.
Offered to pick Carly up Friday night to leave at 5 am Saturday to get to Dave's place in time for a 6 am start. Just a note- I was ready to ride at 6 am. We left around 6:15. We headed basically up the coast. My TT bike is enroute to Madison, so I was on my road bike and powerless. Did my intervals by feel. I got a bit lost and Carly kept reminding me to check my phone GPS. I hope I can get the hang of that eventually. At one point, all of a sudden, Dave was next to me. He'd been doing back roads and just happened to meet up. It was perfect- he became the rabbit that I chased. Yes he disappeared, but I worked hard to keep him in sight as long as possible.
Over the border in New Hampshire, I struck up a conversation with a woman on a hybrid. Basically I wanted to tell her that she needed to raise her seat. But before I said anything, she told me the bike was new and not properly adjusted and the low seat was driving her crazy. So we stopped and she used my tools to fix things. Then we just pedaled along chatting. She is doing a tri race at Lake Winnepesaukee this summer. It was nice.
At 2 hours I hung a u-turn and immediately got a flat. I was right next to the only, lovely patch of grass around. 1 tube and 1 CO2 cartridge. Used my arm warmers to wipe down the rim as well as the inside and outside of the tread since I couldn't find a reason for the flat. It was my first time using the CO2 system, so I sat and carefully read the instructions so as not to waste any. I am sure I looked like an idiot, but I don't care. Back on the road I became completely paranoid that I would get another flat. All that stopping had allowed me to digest the Infint and my stomach was growling, which is unusual for me. Stopped for water and Fig Newtons.
Felt like a long, lonely ride back. Way more traffic on the return, going through beach communities, and as Nemo mentioned, lots of tourons. Cars making left turns across my front. It was scary at times. Also felt like an unrelenting head wind. 67.5 miles in 4 hours.
My butt was so sore. I'd never been on my new road bike for this long. Very happy to get off. Did the brick run with paces and I was happy.
Slept 10 hours and a slow start today meant I didn't get on the road until almost 7:30. Immediately my sit bones were screaming to get off the bike. But then they went numb and I did my usual Sunday route. I must be getting faster, I knew I needed to add real estate so that I wasn't too far below 3 hours. Ended with 3:15 and 54 miles.
Went to the beach. I was reading, and then I was waking up having drooled all over my stuff. Stealth napping! Too much fun.
Sounds like an amazing ride Michele! Two things jumped out at me:
Please take care and be careful. I am getting spooked!
Yeah- I agree! I'm ready to go outside and purposely fall off my bike just to get the jinx over with!! Anyone ever see that horror movie "Final Destination"? Yeah, I kinda feel like I'm living through that this year!!
Used my arm warmers to wipe down the rim as well as the inside and outside of the tread
Comments
Long run done
That is always a good feeling. 11.2 in 1.54. Felt good and was even on time to pick up son from swimming, so I'm happy 
Long run in the books! 11.75 miles in 1:50. And the running mojo must be contagious. The MP interval, which felt awful last week, was fantastic. And LRP is starting to feel way more like 9s than 9:15s. Better weather, a little more training, and s-caps worked out nicely.
TRAINING PLAN ADJUSTMENT FOR CAMPERS!
Marianne & I hopped on the Coaches Chat today with Rich and asked him for advice on how to modify the plan with Camp next week. Here's what he said:
next week:
Mon-Wed normal
Thurs = likely travel for most
Fri-Sun = camp
Mon, Tues off
Wed = back to normal schedule
Thurs= LR, that's the priority, ie, be prepared to cut the Wed stuff short in order to preserve the Thurs long run
Note- this is general for everyone kinda guidance. Yes- for those Chica's that are already in Madison, we're talking about swimming Thurs AM and doing a shake down ride in the afternoon- but that's not a problem. Point here is that if you do the camp, you'll be doing the LR next week on Sunday (not Thursday) and all of that still fits with the Chica plans.
As always- your own plans based on travel and such might need to re-arange this- but this is the basic guidance for us all.
Whatta a dumb a** I am sometimes. Mea culpa. I will be doing LR this coming Tues since next Sun will be travel day for me.
That would be me!!
Hit the paces or actually a touch fast for the Z3 and Z2 sections but just kind of plodded along for the rest. Hot, humid, windy and high UV index. Did end up swimming last night but not the workout, did 40 min open water.
Nice to get the long run done early in the cooler temps. 15 miles in 1:55:00. Running legs are starting to come back. I think my body and mind actually likes the HMP/MP better than the zone 1 pace. I tend to focus more and maintain form better.
Body is very much looking forward to a nice swim tomorrow at noon, but will also do a Bikram yoga class at 6:00 am. Wish I had more time to do these classes, they are so helpful, just very time consuming.
Bob -- I love the yoga. I'm lucky that my gym at one-hour yoga after work on Fridays. I've been looking forward to it all week!
55 degrees and no humidity. It was chilly! Once I got out in the middle of the lake and had the sun on me, I was better. Just glorious moring. Then quick out of the water, wrap up and run to my car. Too cold to stand around.
Everyone else?
It was nice that the intervals felt good as my run for has felt off the last week or so. I started paying more attention to my run cadence and form again and sure enough the speed came back as well. Todays intervals were at 101, 102, and 101 steps per minutes...entire run was at 97. earlier this week I was in the upper 80s/low 90s and just didn't feel right.
I'm about to sneak out of work for a lunch break swim.
9 of us, four guys, 5 girls. and the lake water felt good, really!! 1.5 laps. = 3600 yards est.
on the way home, stopped in at Bale Honda to get my car oil changed and to check on brake pad recall (driving to wI next week!)... it also needed 60k service and come to find out tire alignment and one new tire!!! how long = 3 hours... so if you know me>>>>> texted hubby for the all clear....which was a yes. I looked down in my car seat and with a green speedo swimsuit top on, grabbed a peach running Hind singlet cuz that was all I had in there, and some purple/black Voler bike shorts, that I had worn yesterday and forgot to unload, a banana nothing else was in the car cooler, some water and headed out on my bike!!! down a country road and stopped in to get a forgotten straw for my aero bottle and a Snickers!!! and had a wonderful ride on my new saddle (Bontrager) from my local bike store. finally!!! I went just as slow or as fast as I wanted too for some time in the saddle (3rd ride on it)! and sheer bliss at one point going down a hill with zero watts but at 30.6 mph!!! on the way back stopped in for chocolate milk!!! what a fab ride! had a great prayer out on my bike just riding up and down with horsepastures on the side... pretty, a "free ride" all the while while those poor souls waited in the waiting room on their car!! Dot on, 3 hours later.. my car was ready!!! kudos goes to Bale Honda and that is where I take my car for oil changes and everything else.. so I know the peeps... I got back, and the salesperson had a cold coke and a cup of coke, and yes I reached out my hand and got offered a nice icy Coke!!! God is Good!!! wow. Then I went to the bike store who are also great to me and got my Bike Retuhl bike check. I had one done in the Fall and went back today for tweaking.... so now I am on a new saddle, wearing new shoes and new helmet with a Powertap!!! gear is good to go and thanks to hubby for buying me some great birthday presents!!! I just kept on celebrating the whole month of june!! lol. and NO I am not counting a new tire for the car as a present!!! ouch. that oil change was my most expensive yet!! smile.
anyways, it all started with some great people at the lake this morning!!! Thanks to my son who "babysat" while I was spontaneously gone and to hubby for supporting me and then to the great salespeople who take care of me keeping me safe on the road!!! Thanks to all of y'all figuring out my gear!! and now I hope to ride successfully this weekend. oh yeah, did 40 miles today!! after the 1 hour swim. just think if I had "planned" a "Big Day", I probably woulda suffered.. but the spontaneity and sheer pleasant surprise of the morning putting me back in touch with some great prayer, why I was tickled to be out riding!!
***
I hope you have a great day!!! m
On a funny schedule this week so that we could sneak to Jersey over the holiday.
That meant all of the biking had to be done pre-weekend.
Mon + Tues = swim + easy run days
Wed = FTP day. Only had time for 60' but did the TT loop @ .95 IF. skipped the brick.
Thu = 2 hour ABP ride at .84 IF.
Fri = 4 hour long ride. Nailed the intervals and pushed for the remainder. 78 miles in 3:54 @ .84 IF. embarrassed to say this but crashed in the last 10 miles. no idea what I even hit but I was over the bars and down before I knew it. nothing major and very lucky. just banged up and lots of road rash. upper body took the brunt of it and my shoulder/elbow/neck are trashed today but in light of everything else that's been happening in the haus, very fortunate. first time I've ever broken my helmet in half.
Sat = wanted to get out and move to try and get the blood moving. easy 60 min trail run. legs feel fine, albeit tired and stiff from the rest of the week and the 5+ hour drive to Jersey last night. Looking forward to a day by the pool and family bbq!!
Sun= Goal is get the long run done. gonna be toasty!
Have a great 4th everyone. Be careful out there.
And on that note, I had a great 4 hour ride this morning. Rode from my house 30 min north to meet up with the "5:30 Crew" (local roadies who have a daily ride at 5:30am- very fast!) I managed to hook onto the train and rode with them to the official start of the Saturday ride. We had about 20 folks riding and it was awesome. After 90 min the Sat group was done and I rode with one sole survivor for another hour before he dropped off, then I was on my own to get home. My legs are absolutely trashed!!!
But the biggest thing I learned/decided today was that for as long as I live here in Nags Head, this is the LAST time I'll train for a fall Ironman. The traffic getting on/off the beach this morning was just nutty. I swear tourists forgot to pack their brains. We had one car drive by us (20 of us riding single file) and then made a right hand turn RIGHT IN FRONT of our first rider!!! WTF? Did you not see the 20 bikes you just rode by? Another guy pulled through an intersection with plenty of time to clear us but then made a U-Turn in the intersection. Thank God we had riders up front who saw it, called it, and no one was hurt (although if a car had been coming up behind us someone would have been hit 'cause we had to scatter to keep from crashing. Finally, on my solo ride home there were several drivers who pulled into their cottage driveway only to realize they made a wrong turn and immediately backed out again WITHOUT LOOKING!!!
My big lesson learned today. Weekend rides have to start and end really early- or I gotta leave the beach to ride. I'm better off training for IMCDA in the future- I'd rather take my chances riding 5 hours in the 25-40mph winds of March than risk getting hit by one of these tourons.
OK- I feel better- I just had to vent a little.
Nemo - I am with ya on the early morning rides. I was on the bike at 7:18 today and other than other bikers, runners, and an assortment of bunnies the roads were quiet. The quiet of the morning is also something I enjoy immensely.
Leigh...are u kidding me????? another crash, I'm thinking this crashing stuff has got to stop!! Hope you are doing ok
Sounds like you got up dusted yourself off and back to business...you are one tough chicka!
Yep, yep...Gina and Nemo, totally agree...best time is early morning to beat the traffic. I was out the driveway this am by 7 and the roads were fairly quiet. My boys and I were having a discussion the other day about biking in traffic. They bike home from swim practice most days. I was telling them I always give the car the right of way and I always try to make eye contact to make sure the driver sees me. I know that the car can do major damage to me and my bike, so I treat them with the utmost respect. Better to be safe than sorry. I'm with you Nemo, people driving vehicles just don't think sometimes, especially to watch out for bikers. We have to be the thinkers and take care of ourselves out there! Be safe and ride smart everyone!
5:30 a.m. I head out when it is daylight.... nice quiet roads so took the main drag .... out of town and down 12 miles to meeting point for a 50 miler with other friends. my husband drove to the start.. and off we cycled for 50 hilly miles, garmin says 2300 feet of climbing.. sorta diff route so we had the group leader,a guy I had never met before tell us directions... I had my eye on him!! and some new GFs too and some tri geeks and my husband and my mt biking sponsor and friend.. a merry group of people wearing colorful jerseys. and it was cooler here so very nice!!! up and down and all around and I seemed to have some energy!! Hallelulah, maybe the iron was kicking in or the cooler temps!! or my prayer on the way out there, but I was delighted to ride my bike and let out a whoop on a grand downhill! got back to the car and then hubby rode home the 12.. and I did my brick run, on a new road so always nice to go exploring and I went back up the same road I had just come barreling down on a fast descent.. now running/// why? cuz it was there and I got inspired to run up this whopper of a hill!! shady and with some good ipod music I climbed it and ran downhill and that ended up being 5 miles.. now not swift so don't get all excited,, but I did chug up that hill!!! 309 feet of climbing on the run.... oohh I had some great music on and cloud cover, why I felt like I could run more!!!! really. so I put my hands up in the air as I got to my car in a Victory! yes. this is so gonna work out!!! great time out there on my run just marveling at the wooded road,shade and God's glory that I could see.... nobody else out but a few pick up trucks passing me! it totally rocked!! and I never actually look to see how many calories I actually burn but 3600!!! total. wow. new saddle ached like the dickens as I had to ride paceline part of the way..... and volunteered to pull many times for some relief!!! anyways. just a great time out on the road!!! m
This week has been a half bust for me...Just feeling tired, sore throat, swollen glands, stuffy nose and completely unmotivated mentally. I took 3 days completely off, drank alot of OJ, and switched my allergy med to Zyrtec which I've been hesitant to do because it can make one more drowsy than Claritin. Well, Kitima + Zyrtec = Zyrtec ZOMBIE! I'm quite sure my IQ dropped 50 points on it. My DH called me a "Zyrtard" and said,"It's like date rape drug to you." Lovely.
So given that the long run and the Sat ride are the most important workouts of the week, I did my long run today. I got a late start cuz I was lazy and slept in then got sucked into watching the TdF. The combination of the heat and whatever allergen is floating around out there resulted in shortness of breath and a really, really rapid heart rate at even MP. So I limped along and just got it done. Pffft! One good thing is that I tried out my DH's hydration pack (Northface) which worked wonderfully---much better than the Fuelbelt with it's bottles bouncing around.
Sat's ride tomorrow but this time AOB early!
Happy July 4th, gang!
Holy sh*t, Leigh! Cracked helmet is crazy! I'm glad you are okay. And, um, love that you got in your whole workout, too.
Living in the major urban area, I have to be part of the early morning crew. I could've been out another hour earlier this morning -- as I was coming it at nine, the path belonged to the tourists, not the cyclists. Biking at 100 watts = not fun. And so many of them not wearing helmets on their rental bikes! Don't you know there are crazy triathletes with horn-like things sticking out of their bikes, flying at you at 20 mph?
Since last weekend's thunderstorms cut Sunday's ride short, this was my first weekend of real EN Ironman riding. Wowsas that four-hour Saturday ride is a bear. But I had fun. And accidentally did an extra 15' zone three interval. Because that workout makes counting hard. I worked hard and that is the first ride I did that seriously trashed my legs.
Today's ride? For the first half hour, I thought I had a bike hangover. No snap. Lots of suffering. Lots of whining in my head. Once I finished the warm-up and hit ABP, legs were happy. I think eight months in outseason land turned my legs into monsters who only know how to go fast.
I will also admit I thought all this crazy ice bath, compression tights stuff most of you do was over-the-top nonsense. I stand corrected. EN bike weekends require serious recovery! (Goes off to shop for compression tights.)
Sorry to hear about your fall Leigh, you know as well as anyone that soreness can manifest itself days to weeks later so be careful getting back at it. I keep my broken helmt with the glass imbedded in it around to remind me to always keep an eye out for those cars coming out of side streets and driveways.
Did 84 miles yesterday, could have been the best I felt on a solo ride in a lomg, long time. Did 64 today, didn't feel nearly as well, legs were very tired, felt like it took about an hour and 1/2 to loosen up. Got a lot of climbing in both days so very pleased with that.
I think my body is starting to adapt to the volume, big difference in how I felt from last week to this. Will be doing a little juggling with the schedule this week with a local sprint tri on Sat. Would much rather be going to the camp with you guys, but I could'nt make it work.
Can't wait to hear about your thoughts and experience of the course. Have a great time !!!
20 miles on my bike and me and my new saddle parted ways for a bit... 160 miles since last WED? means I am breaking it in. before camp!! think we will make it but today I couldnt sit up on the thing just stay aero!!! which yeah you are supposed to do but still!! anyways... didn't push anymore and used the extra time to come home and stretch outside in the sun while DH finished up riding home.... no run and no swim today... and festivities and the kids are hyper for nightfall. anyways. talk at ya later!! m
I intend to post a thread about riding "with" The Halligan. Mid week, the Halligan posted an offer for anyone to come along on his race rehearsal for Placid. DH had just announced he was going out of town for the weekend. I knew Carly was struggling to find a route to do her Placid RR, but being new in town and no car were making it hard. Plus, for me, getting mojo going for 3 and 4 hour solos rides is harder this time around.
Offered to pick Carly up Friday night to leave at 5 am Saturday to get to Dave's place in time for a 6 am start. Just a note- I was ready to ride at 6 am. We left around 6:15. We headed basically up the coast. My TT bike is enroute to Madison, so I was on my road bike and powerless. Did my intervals by feel. I got a bit lost and Carly kept reminding me to check my phone GPS. I hope I can get the hang of that eventually. At one point, all of a sudden, Dave was next to me. He'd been doing back roads and just happened to meet up. It was perfect- he became the rabbit that I chased. Yes he disappeared, but I worked hard to keep him in sight as long as possible.
Over the border in New Hampshire, I struck up a conversation with a woman on a hybrid. Basically I wanted to tell her that she needed to raise her seat. But before I said anything, she told me the bike was new and not properly adjusted and the low seat was driving her crazy. So we stopped and she used my tools to fix things. Then we just pedaled along chatting. She is doing a tri race at Lake Winnepesaukee this summer. It was nice.
At 2 hours I hung a u-turn and immediately got a flat. I was right next to the only, lovely patch of grass around. 1 tube and 1 CO2 cartridge. Used my arm warmers to wipe down the rim as well as the inside and outside of the tread since I couldn't find a reason for the flat. It was my first time using the CO2 system, so I sat and carefully read the instructions so as not to waste any. I am sure I looked like an idiot, but I don't care. Back on the road I became completely paranoid that I would get another flat. All that stopping had allowed me to digest the Infint and my stomach was growling, which is unusual for me. Stopped for water and Fig Newtons.
Felt like a long, lonely ride back. Way more traffic on the return, going through beach communities, and as Nemo mentioned, lots of tourons. Cars making left turns across my front. It was scary at times. Also felt like an unrelenting head wind. 67.5 miles in 4 hours.
My butt was so sore. I'd never been on my new road bike for this long. Very happy to get off. Did the brick run with paces and I was happy.
Slept 10 hours and a slow start today meant I didn't get on the road until almost 7:30. Immediately my sit bones were screaming to get off the bike. But then they went numb and I did my usual Sunday route. I must be getting faster, I knew I needed to add real estate so that I wasn't too far below 3 hours. Ended with 3:15 and 54 miles.
Went to the beach. I was reading, and then I was waking up having drooled all over my stuff. Stealth napping! Too much fun.
Yeah- I agree! I'm ready to go outside and purposely fall off my bike just to get the jinx over with!! Anyone ever see that horror movie "Final Destination"? Yeah, I kinda feel like I'm living through that this year!!
ARM WARMERS????????