After much negotiations and work schedule tweaking, Kirk and I met up for our inaugural Wednesday IM-prep brick in CDA. I haven't trained much with Kirk this year, but last year I am convinced that all the miles I put in with (or more acurately 'near') him really helped make me faster. He never lets me slack off, but also never makes me feel bad for holding him up.
So we met up at 11am, and the weather for the afternoon looked cool, but dry. The wind was up a bit, and I was somewhat apprehensive about how I would handle it, since I knew I'd be riding most of the day on my own. We set out from CDA Oz on the same 42 mile loop I had ridden on Saturday, and settled into a nice pace (thank you, tailwinds!) It took awhile for my legs to come around, but once we started the climbing, I amazingly felt pretty good. As I hit the first big hill of the course, I decided to do a little test to see if yesterday's Death Hill round 2 experiences were a fluke or not. I successfully made it up that first big hill seated, which was a big-time confidence booster. I specifically remember last year at IM how I was passing people on this hill pretty easily on both loops, and how that really made me feel good about my day. Knowing that we were only doing 1 loop, I felt ok about pushing the hills a little harder, and I was very happy that I made most of the course seated. The only times I really got out of the saddle was for a break....I think I could have easily made the whole loop seated if I had to. Coming back into town, I got caught up by a few lights/intersections, so Kirk dropped me pretty good. But it was a good chance for me to test out my mental strength as I was left to battle the headwinds solo. Compared to past rides, I felt pretty good with how I managed the conditions. Maybe a positive sign for things to come?? We'll see......
Once we got back to Oz, we changed into our running gear, refueled a bit and headed out to run one modified loop of the course. I'm not sure what I was thinking at this point, but I was assuming that by cutting out the City Park/NIC out-and-back section, that our run would end up being somewhere in the 9 mile range. Fortunately, fear kept me from looking at my watch for distance or pace during the run, and its a good thing I did not, because we ended up logging 11.2 miles. Whoa!! Kirk and I ran together out to the turnaround, and then, as I knew he would, Kirk slowly pulled away until I could no longer see him around the corners. The pace felt fairly steady thru 6, but there was no way I could have gone any faster without totally blowing up. The last 4 were a big-time struggle, and it felt like I was crawling. In hindsight, it was probably a good dress rehearsal for managing the discomfort and mental hurdles I know I'm going to face on race day. But, I'm happy to say that I did not stop and walk, even though I was sorely tempted to on a number of occasions. I was sure that I was averaging somewhere in the mid- to high-9:00s, so I was absolutely shocked and ecstatic when I saw my pace was 8:31! Maybe there is hope for a fast IM marathon after all!! I can't wait until our next Wed brick, to see if there is any improvement.
It was a great day, and the end of the longest, toughest stretch I've had so far this year. And my body knew it. I ended up doing an easy 2000 meter pull-buoy swim on Thursday just to keep my body moving, but after that, my body was screaming for a break. So this weekend, I'm going to do an easy 2.5hr ride and then try and run a conservative race at the Spokane River Run. Oh yeah, and its supposed to snow this weekend. Nice. Its April. Late April. Oh well...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
BLT #2
Today was our second Bike Loop Tuesdays, and we hosted this one...which really came down to offering up our street for parking :) A really good group turned out, and I was happy to see some new faces (Kim, Jeff, Trevor) and some faces I hadn't seen in awhile (Kathi). I think there were about 16 or so of us out there. I always wonder what other people on the roads are thinking when they come around a corner and see 15-20 cyclists spinning down the road...what the heck, is the Tour de France in town or something??? Secretly, I always feel pretty darn cool being part of a group that gets weird or envious looks :)
The first 2/3 of the loops we took pretty easy, just chatting and (for me) spinning the legs out. I got a bit farther up Death Hill 1 in the saddle, which was nice because I always use my ability to climb Death Hills 1 and 2 seated vs. standing as a barometer of my overall fitness. Last week, my first time on them, I was up almost immediately after they started. This week...a little better! Once we hit AL White Parkway, the hammer dropped and I found myself hanging on for dear life to the back of the paceline. I made it, and while there was no way in heck I was going to be able to move up to do any pulling, it was still fun to be bombing along the road at those speeds.
After a quick rest stop back at the house, we headed out for loop 2. I was praying that we'd keep the pace easy again, knowing what was coming for tomorrow, and the group nicely obliged. Steve and I challenged eachother to see if we could make it up Death Hill 1 seated, and while it was a struggle, I made it. That made me pretty happy...second loop of the day, which means I should not be as fresh, but I did better that round 1. Just goes to show you what a little motivation does! As a side note, Steve again put me in my place, as he did the hill IN AERO!!! Damn...I've never been able to do that...ever. Death Hill 2 came around and here we went again...2 for 2 seated on the second loop! Sweet!! The hammer dropped again as we hit the golf course, and I managed it ok. I even pulled out to lead for a bit, but that extra effort meant I was unable to pull the group up to the lead 3. I almost got there, but one moment of hesitation, and it was all over. Still, once the rest of us got linked up, we didn't let them get too far away. I'm really enjoying riding in pacelines, and I can feel my confidence with tight-quarters riding increasing. Overall, it was a fun 32 miles.
After, Steve and I hung around for awhile deciding what post-ride food reward we had earned, and we decided on some ice cream at Maggie Moo's. Poor Steve had to ride up the hill home, so I scarfed down some quick dinner, then headed out to meet up w/ him. Andy joined us as I was finishing up a kick-ass milkshake, then it was crash-city when my head hit the pillow. All in all, a pretty darn good day!!
The first 2/3 of the loops we took pretty easy, just chatting and (for me) spinning the legs out. I got a bit farther up Death Hill 1 in the saddle, which was nice because I always use my ability to climb Death Hills 1 and 2 seated vs. standing as a barometer of my overall fitness. Last week, my first time on them, I was up almost immediately after they started. This week...a little better! Once we hit AL White Parkway, the hammer dropped and I found myself hanging on for dear life to the back of the paceline. I made it, and while there was no way in heck I was going to be able to move up to do any pulling, it was still fun to be bombing along the road at those speeds.
After a quick rest stop back at the house, we headed out for loop 2. I was praying that we'd keep the pace easy again, knowing what was coming for tomorrow, and the group nicely obliged. Steve and I challenged eachother to see if we could make it up Death Hill 1 seated, and while it was a struggle, I made it. That made me pretty happy...second loop of the day, which means I should not be as fresh, but I did better that round 1. Just goes to show you what a little motivation does! As a side note, Steve again put me in my place, as he did the hill IN AERO!!! Damn...I've never been able to do that...ever. Death Hill 2 came around and here we went again...2 for 2 seated on the second loop! Sweet!! The hammer dropped again as we hit the golf course, and I managed it ok. I even pulled out to lead for a bit, but that extra effort meant I was unable to pull the group up to the lead 3. I almost got there, but one moment of hesitation, and it was all over. Still, once the rest of us got linked up, we didn't let them get too far away. I'm really enjoying riding in pacelines, and I can feel my confidence with tight-quarters riding increasing. Overall, it was a fun 32 miles.
After, Steve and I hung around for awhile deciding what post-ride food reward we had earned, and we decided on some ice cream at Maggie Moo's. Poor Steve had to ride up the hill home, so I scarfed down some quick dinner, then headed out to meet up w/ him. Andy joined us as I was finishing up a kick-ass milkshake, then it was crash-city when my head hit the pillow. All in all, a pretty darn good day!!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Beautiful weekend!
This weekend was phenomenal, weather-wise, and I took full advantage.
Saturday, I woke up early, packed up my cycling gear and headed for my first ride on the IM CDA course since last year. My plan was to do 2x 40 mile loops, and fortunately I was able to coordinate with enough people so I wouldn't be out there suffering alone. Jen and Zach joined me for the first loop, and I felt really good. A little chilly (and snowy!) still in some spots, but the sun was out and I was lovin' it! I struggled a bit up some of the steeper pitches, but I'm used to that feeling in the early season, and I'm confident my climbing will come around pretty quick. I also felt pretty good with re-gaining my gearing edge on the course, which I consider to be a big-time advantage when race day hits, since this course is pretty technical.
I had planned to meet up with Steve at noon for a second loop, and Brian and Cary from EWU joined us, as did Matt Cusak. I only made it back 15 min late, and then hustled thru shedding a few layers since it was warming up nicely. Then the 5 of us set out again. Since I was the only one who had ever been on the course, I thought I had an advantage and they'd have to ride my pace :) Ha, how wrong I was!! I gave Steve and Matt the directions for the first 10 miles, and then they proceeded to drop the hammer. It felt pretty easy, probably because it was the easy (flat) part of the course! Once we hit the hills, I got dropped damn fast. But no worries, they all had to wait for me when they got to intersections. So, here comes Tim, huffing and puffing up the hills, while they all enjoy a picnic in the sun. All in all, I managed to hang in there pretty well, and I think my overall average actually went up over the second half of the ride. Having 83.75 miles under my belt is a great feeling, even if the speed wasn't where I'd like it to be.
Afterwards, we all had burgers and beers at the CDA Brewing Co., the thought of which pulled me up a few of the last hills on loop 2 :) It was a great day, except for the crazy idea we had of doing an ice bath by going down to the lake. Uh, yeah, I am praying that the water warms up significantly in the next 70 days!!! Thanks to all who rode with me, and huge props to Jen and Zach, who went out and did an unplanned second loop.
I was debating whether or not to get up early and do the first Spring Thaw Duathlon on Sunday, and since my legs were a little tired from Saturday, I decided that a long run would be more beneficial than trying to gut out a short, speed effort. So, we slept in a bit, then went up to cheer on the Tri-Fusion crew at the Du. Of course, we totally rocked the race. Steve had a great day, shaving something like 6 min off his time from last year. I'm kind of glad I didn't race, because it would have been another case of "Steve takes Tim out behind the woodshed and kicks his ass" days.
Andy graciously volunteered to get on her bike and ride with me while I attempted to do a 10 mile run, which I think we did at about the "hottest" part of the day. I put quotes around that word, because, well, mid-70s shouldn't really qualify as hot, but with the long winter we've had, it actually did feel pretty warm. I even had to put sunscreen on!!! Anyway, I knew it was going to be a tough run from the first mile, because my legs felt dead. If Andy hadn't been out there, there is no way I would have gone the whole 10. She's a great motivator, and an awesome mobile aid station! :) I felt like I was running so slow, and I felt every little upward pitch of the road. Reminded me alot of the IM run. In fact, I wasn't 2 miles in, and I was thinking, ok, this will be a perfect practice for IM. Just slog thru a bunch of slow miles, but just keep going. Well, I made it thru, and my watch said I averaged 8:30s. Whoa! It felt so much slower than that, but hey, I'll take it. I then proceeded to suffer thru my first ice bath of the season...ouch, but good.
So, even though I didn't race, and missed being able to swim with the club (racing season is here!), I'm pretty happy w/ 84 on the bike and 10 foot-pain-free miles running. 9 weeks to go.....
Saturday, I woke up early, packed up my cycling gear and headed for my first ride on the IM CDA course since last year. My plan was to do 2x 40 mile loops, and fortunately I was able to coordinate with enough people so I wouldn't be out there suffering alone. Jen and Zach joined me for the first loop, and I felt really good. A little chilly (and snowy!) still in some spots, but the sun was out and I was lovin' it! I struggled a bit up some of the steeper pitches, but I'm used to that feeling in the early season, and I'm confident my climbing will come around pretty quick. I also felt pretty good with re-gaining my gearing edge on the course, which I consider to be a big-time advantage when race day hits, since this course is pretty technical.
I had planned to meet up with Steve at noon for a second loop, and Brian and Cary from EWU joined us, as did Matt Cusak. I only made it back 15 min late, and then hustled thru shedding a few layers since it was warming up nicely. Then the 5 of us set out again. Since I was the only one who had ever been on the course, I thought I had an advantage and they'd have to ride my pace :) Ha, how wrong I was!! I gave Steve and Matt the directions for the first 10 miles, and then they proceeded to drop the hammer. It felt pretty easy, probably because it was the easy (flat) part of the course! Once we hit the hills, I got dropped damn fast. But no worries, they all had to wait for me when they got to intersections. So, here comes Tim, huffing and puffing up the hills, while they all enjoy a picnic in the sun. All in all, I managed to hang in there pretty well, and I think my overall average actually went up over the second half of the ride. Having 83.75 miles under my belt is a great feeling, even if the speed wasn't where I'd like it to be.
Afterwards, we all had burgers and beers at the CDA Brewing Co., the thought of which pulled me up a few of the last hills on loop 2 :) It was a great day, except for the crazy idea we had of doing an ice bath by going down to the lake. Uh, yeah, I am praying that the water warms up significantly in the next 70 days!!! Thanks to all who rode with me, and huge props to Jen and Zach, who went out and did an unplanned second loop.
I was debating whether or not to get up early and do the first Spring Thaw Duathlon on Sunday, and since my legs were a little tired from Saturday, I decided that a long run would be more beneficial than trying to gut out a short, speed effort. So, we slept in a bit, then went up to cheer on the Tri-Fusion crew at the Du. Of course, we totally rocked the race. Steve had a great day, shaving something like 6 min off his time from last year. I'm kind of glad I didn't race, because it would have been another case of "Steve takes Tim out behind the woodshed and kicks his ass" days.
Andy graciously volunteered to get on her bike and ride with me while I attempted to do a 10 mile run, which I think we did at about the "hottest" part of the day. I put quotes around that word, because, well, mid-70s shouldn't really qualify as hot, but with the long winter we've had, it actually did feel pretty warm. I even had to put sunscreen on!!! Anyway, I knew it was going to be a tough run from the first mile, because my legs felt dead. If Andy hadn't been out there, there is no way I would have gone the whole 10. She's a great motivator, and an awesome mobile aid station! :) I felt like I was running so slow, and I felt every little upward pitch of the road. Reminded me alot of the IM run. In fact, I wasn't 2 miles in, and I was thinking, ok, this will be a perfect practice for IM. Just slog thru a bunch of slow miles, but just keep going. Well, I made it thru, and my watch said I averaged 8:30s. Whoa! It felt so much slower than that, but hey, I'll take it. I then proceeded to suffer thru my first ice bath of the season...ouch, but good.
So, even though I didn't race, and missed being able to swim with the club (racing season is here!), I'm pretty happy w/ 84 on the bike and 10 foot-pain-free miles running. 9 weeks to go.....
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