The weekend before last could best be described with me as a sweaty nasty disgusting mess! Saturday I had got lucky enough to pull together a last minute group ride and we rode 62 miles with our share of bike issues (2 flats, derailer issues and broke chain...thankfully none mine) and some rain. I kept having issues with burning eyes as it was so humid I was just having sweat pour down my face and into my eyes! Yeeeouch!
Then, Sunday I whinced as I hopped on the bike seat (yes, still dealing with major seat issues and back to back days kill me...another new seat coming). That Sunday was another 72 mile group ride with some of my BAFF teammies out from Brecksville out to Grafton and back at 20mph+. I was just melting and rather uncomfortable (seat/back) but was trying my best to suck it up while my eyes burned from more sweat again! Then around noon, we pulled back into Breckville for what was supposed to be a 13 mile run. Only now it was SOOOO HAWT and humid! I switched into my shoes and knew it was going to be a toughie! Then as usual I headed out too fast trying to keep up with ES (who is just going to have a kick a$$ day at REV3). We were averaging 7:30 pace and I think all the heat and humidity was just trapped down there in the valley and we were in full sun. While we were chatting, I could feel the HR drifting uncomfortably high and I was counting the minutes down as to when we would be done with the first 4 miles and I could hit the bathroom. Wow, I was a dripping mess after the stop and encouraged ES to go on without me as I could just not keep up that pace and did not want to slow him down. I started back out on the towpath but fizzled fast and cut the run at not even half the scheduled distance....hot, tired and mentally checked out. I ran /walked back, changed right outside my car not caring who saw what as the bathroom 150 yards away was just too far. I got in my car and hit the gas station, so excited for cold drinks which included a chocolate milk and fountain diet pepsi over ice....oh the joy! Later in the day, I got frustrated with myself thinking I know I could have finished the run but mentally I had been too checked out between the heat and my leg anxiety (my leg just has felt borderline with tenderness and I am paranoid about my tibia stress fracture coming back so continue to err on cautious side).
The past week was just more of the normal training regiman...included some swimming, a great tempo, some biking and work of course! There are way more details I am intentionally leaving out but suffice it to say, I have been incredibly busy and stressed with a few things, that certain other things such as logging the workouts and blogging keep falling by the wayside. Just trying to stay on top of the workouts and everything else as best I can!
After another long work week, reprieve came in the form of another weekend! Friday, the husband and I headed up to Sandusky and stayed with some friends, ate some Mexican and had some beers catching up...good times! Saturday morning came early and we headed over to Sawmill Creek for the official REV3 training day. Again it was another great turnout of probably over 100 people, with lots of different people than the July date.
It was another whirlwind morning, helping out with CTC responsibilities, heading down to the swim with Leah and Liquid Lifestyles and taking in some pointers. Water temp was supposedly around 76 so all REV3 people can safely assume we will have no issues with a wetsuit legal swim! Thank goodness for me!
Then I rushed to meet up with a bunch of BAFF riding buddies to head out onto the REV3 course. My plan was to ride 100, run 3. We had a decent sized group of about 15-20 of us for most the first loop. I was feeling pretty good and was just letting some of the strong guys at the front do the work, knowing most of them were riding 59 miles and I would still have another 41 to go. This time I actually did the 1.5 mile section in Milan. Cute town---this will be a great cheering area! Then it was full speed ahead on 113, the ~12-13mile section of nicely paved road that we always fly down. I should mention for those of you that want to know more about the bike course that since the July date, much of the course has been chip and sealed. It will be important to take extra care heading into corners and clearly it seemed as tho the extra rolling resistance of chip and seal slowed things down a bit. This course is pretty flat for the most part but there are plenty of rollers and false flats that grind on ya a bit. Also, the roads can only get better as the fresh chip and seal settles in more, but my guess is that I would say about a third of the course is chip and seal (so prepare mentally for that!). The REV3 gang is doing whatever they can to make it better but it is not all that bad. For the first 48 miles or so with the larger group we had averaged 22.5 and then at the turn, our now 10 person group became 2.
The 2 was ES and I. ES is also training for REV3 full and was my coach's star student last year. It has been sooo nice to have a few other people doing similiar workouts as me so that we can do them together. (This weekend I have another 70/14 on tap and I love that other people will be around....don't see a lot of takers wanting in on that workout!) Not only that ES, is stronger than me and the local group is packed with lots of other talented guys and one very well rounded female that recently won Cleveland Tri, so it has been good to push myself to keep up with this gang! I know I would not typically push myself as hard on my own as what I do with them! As I have heard many times, train with faster people if you want to get faster!
OK back to loop two of the rev3 course....we took our first and only stop at mile 65 in Florence at the gas station. Mmmm, cold water. (We missed the stop accidentally in Berlin Hts ~43m and decided we did not need it the second time around (~80m). I picked ES' mind some about pacing and it started to sprinkle a bit. Yet, the miles just kind of went by quickly and 4hrs36min later we called it a day with 99.3 miles at a 21.6 avg. I changed into my running shoes and took off with ES. He was trying to get done and I was trying to hang on for dear life. First 2 miles were sub 7 and I said I was taking the last mile easy (which still ended up 7:20 pace) and we wrapped up the 3 mile tempo at 7:07 avg. The bike had felt so good with a nice 151 HR avg (pretty low aerobic end for me) and then that run just killed me! I was hot, had to hit RR and was sooo glad to be done! Then it was time for the fun at the Post Preview Day wrap up at Sawmill where I ate, drank, socialized and watched the giveaways go out! I did get up and give a brief talk about Trakkers and gave out a bunch of visors they had sent....surprisingly quite a few guys wanted pink ones!
Sunday morning I woke up and drove out the CVNP to meet my gal ET for a 16 mile towpath run. Planned pace was 7:45-8:15. I was a little sore from Saturday, yet with company this good I was just lost in conversation and miles effortlessly clicked by. Actually I had to slow myself down quite a few times to stay in the range and finished right with a 8:02 avg. This was a fabulous run for ET who is just getting back at her long run training. Then we headed to Fishers for some refueling and laughs with my HS friend, GT. It was just one of those super awesome mornings in my book that I felt great, ran comfortably where I wanted to and just had a blast....friends make everything bettter!
So all and all things seem to be coming together. Monday was swimming, yesterday was a moderate/hard 55 m bike, today was a 8 mi run including 3 at tempo (~6:40), tomorrow will be a focus bike, easy day friday with some swimming and then one more good hard weekend before the main taper. I am excited and feel strong. I have been watching the diet a little better and am down a bit on the scale. I will try to cut a bit more of the BS (beer/fried foods/mexican) out the next couple of weeks....oh I am just not as behaved as I know I should be sometimes! I have been fine tuning my nutrition and really coming to appreciate the First Endurance products and actually fueling my body more appropriately....now to just keep putting it altogether!
3 comments:
Holy crap. You are a beast Janet!
Seems that all your hours are really paying off with your speeds and splits lately!
We did the MS 150 Pedal to the Point. Most of the roads in Berlin/Sandusky were the Rev3 route as we saw the painted markings on the road. The chip and seal had to be done the week prior and it was HORRIBLE! There was so much gravel that it was mounded like slush in the winter time.
Good luck, I am not sure what Rev3 can do about this if anything. Just exercise caution thats all. Oh yeah, got some AWESOME chips in my bike frame from that ride... pretty pissed about that.
Sorry on the bike seat issues. H and I going through the same ordeals. She got fitted for a seat and things are better for her lately... I am being stubborn and hoping that I form calluses or something to diminish the pain.
Loving the bike course tips! Thanks for the heads up on the road conditions too.
Wow! You are just doing so well with your training. Keep it up. Focus on all the good stuff, leave the bad sh#t behind.
And if you figure out the seat thing let me know (I feel your pain).
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