The weather here in Texas has been crappy lately. One day it's sunny and 75 degrees and then it's storming and 50 degrees the next. Needless to say, thunderstorms and cycling don't mix (at least not for me). I have no desire to be struck by lightening or bust my ass on a slick road!
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| See, not a good idea! |
Since we've had such bad weather I haven't ridden on the road at all this tri season, it's been all trainer. I do a spin class with my training group during the week, which is actually fun. But, it's when our weekend long rides get cancelled (3 times now, ugh) that I have to spend 1 1/2 hours (or more) sitting on the trainer. I do not enjoy straight spinning! It could be likened to mental and physical torture.
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| Training tool or torture device, hmm? |
So, when I got an email yesterday morning at 5:15 a.m. saying that the group ride had been cancelled (again) I decided to go out on my own. The bad weather had not reached my area of town yet and it looked like a had a 4 hour window to get my ride done. I had a 40 mile ride and 2 mile run on my schedule. I was determined to get as much done as possible. I wasn't so sure I could do the whole ride since I've never ridden further than 30 miles and I haven't been on the road this season.
Because I haven't been on the road in a while and because of the threat of thunder storms I opted to ride at
Dwight D. Eisenhower park. The park has a 1.6 loop of paved road surrounded by woods, a fishing pond and nature trails. If you tack on the entry and exit roads you can make it a 3.5 mile loop. Another nice thing is that there is little to no traffic! You do have to watch for deer standing in the road though. I came across eight of them yesterday!
Aside from the deer and the gusting winds my ride was pretty damn boring. At mile 20 I was kind of over it. But I rode on. At mile 25 I wanted to quit. I rode on. At mile 30 I tried to convince myself to go back to my car and put on my running shoes. I rode on. At mile 32 I really wanted to be off my bike, but then I realized that I had ridden past my longest ever and I was in new territory. At mile 35 I was hurting and wanted to quit but I only had 5 miles left. I rode on. Finally, at mile 38, it was time to head back to the car! I ended up riding 40.6 miles because I miscalculated just a bit. Riding around a small loop umpteen times will do that to you! Click
here if you'd like to see me go around and around and around :)
When I was finally done with my ride I loaded up my bike and put on my trusty
Saucony Kinvara 2s and ran the prescribed two miles. I was surprised to run it at a 10:15 pace. I was expecting to hobble along. I guess all this training is paying off.
I'm becoming more confident and really starting to look forward to race day!
Memorial Hermann
Ironman 70.3 Texas, here I come!!!
