The weekend started on Friday night with a run up at the Gallaghers. Notice that nobody had headlamps, and Roger even had shorts on...which means, more daylight and warmer temps! Woo hoo!
My new training buddy Steve and I headed out for an "easy" 5 or so. I've training and racing with Steve quite a bit this year, and our paces both on the bike and run have been very close. Well, tonight I discovered another thing we have in common....I think we are both a bit on the competitive side and don't mind pushing the pace. Our "easy 5" turned into a great tempo run, and the last 2 miles we were averaging high 6s and low 7s. Part of that was because it started raining and hailing pretty good, so we wanted to get back quick, but I suspect it was the competitive juices flowing! All in all, it was probably my best run of the year...thanks Steve!
Saturday dawned with snow in the air and on the ground. So much for my long ride that I had planned, right? Uh, how about not! After a few text messages back and forth with Steve, I found out the ride was still on, and not wanting to look like a wimp, there I was, ready to ride. Chalk it up to the club folks yet again getting my butt out the door for a workout. And of course, once it was over, I was so glad I got out there.
Here is the crew pre-ride....notice the wet streets, cloudy skies, and all of us bundled up, but clean....
Once we got out on the rural roads, Rog and Jessi dropped the hammer, and amazingly I was able to keep up. Part of me was scared about getting dropped so early, and since I was 3rd wheel, I assumed that the rest of the group was right behind me. At the first stop, I pulled up breathless, but buoyed by the fact that it was just the three of us. I actually felt pretty good at this point...oh, if I had only known what was coming! :) We cruised back toward Highway 2, and then north until we hit Riverside. Uh, as in, the road over to Deer Park. What?!?! I'm riding all the way to Deer Park??? Whoa. Amazingly, I was still feeling pretty good, but I let Rog and Jessi go, and was very thankful when Steve and Jeff caught up and I had a wheel to get on. Speaking of being on wheels, remember those wet roads? Uh, yeah, lets just say that I was reveling in getting dirty. Bike, face, helmet, jacket. Everything was wicked dirty! Pretty fun, though. Anyway, the hill out of Riverside pretty much sapped me, and from Deer Park back to Wandermere, I was in full-on suffer mode. Steve dropped me like a rock, but I actually felt good about how I managed the mental side of the solo, tough riding. As I rounded the corner and caught sight of Twigs, my heart leapt out in joy! 45 miles in 2:21, averaging over 19mph. Totally psyched to see that at this point in the season. 19 is my goal average for IM CDA, so the more long rides I can do at that pace, the better!Here's me and two of my 2008 training saviors.....a little grit for your teeth anyone?!?
The crew....notice how clean Roger's jersey is!
After I limped in, I saw Jessi putting on her running gear, and mindlessly followed suit. Whoa again! Matt Cusack joined Jessi and I as we took off running, for what was supposed to be an easy 3m loop. After the first mile, my legs finally loosened up and I was able to find my stride. Amazingly, the middle part of the run didn't feel too bad. That is, until I crested the last hill. After that, my legs were dead. Jessi went zooming by me and pretty much pulled me in the last half mile. Overall, I felt good about getting in a long workout, but I realized that I have a long way to go to get into the shape I want for IM CDA. I think its my speed that needs some help. That, and smarter expending of effort. Or, stop going out so darn fast!! Other than that, I learned today that Jessi and Steve are in amazing shape right now, and they are going to have awesome seasons. Roger and Jeff...well, we all know they are on different levels anyway, and boy did they show it today!
Sunday meant back to our club swim, which I was nervous about, since I hadn't swum since my wonderful Bellevue swim a week prior. The layoff held me back a bit, but I made it thru pretty well. Looking back, I probably could have held on and made it thru the entire workout as written, but because our lane was so crowded, a few of us at the back decided to sit out a few 50s, which I certainly didn't complain about. After, Steve guilted me into swimming one last 200 to make up for the stuff we sat out...so I ended up getting in the whole 3500yds.
After the swim, I changed into my running gear and, after waiting for it to start raining, headed out with Steve, Rog, Jessi and Vicki for a 90 min run. It was a great run, as Rog lead us all over Mead. The rain quickly ended, and we even had a few peeks of sunshine. My legs started dying as we approached the Mill Rd hill, and I hung on for dear life up to the top, where Jessi and I shared some tired, but well-earned high-fives. From then, it was survival the last 15 min, but I made it in one piece. The damage: 9.8miles in 1:26. At the tail end of a long, hard weekend of workouts, I'll take it!!
Many thanks to Steve and Jessi, for encouraging me to get out there and push the pace. I definitely wouldn't have done it without you!!
3 comments:
Wow! Nice work this weekend! I'm really happy for you that you have found some people at your pace who can push you and that you can do the same for them. That's priceless! Keep up the good work, A+!
Awesome weekend man! That was one of the most difficult weekends I have endured. Thanks for pushing me on the run Friday. It is always exciting to get out and run. The saturday ride was freakin long. I am pretty sure I will be hanging on to your wheel for dear life in the next few months. Mill hill was brutual. Great job and heres to the next.
Timmers,
It was an awesome weekend and full of killer workouts. We really rallied with the weather. Nice! You're really pushing yourself during these workouts. Thanks for pushing me, especially on those runs where I need it most), and for all the celebration and support. You have a great attitude about all of this and are so much fun to train with!!!
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