Wednesday bike-run

OK, that was great, I had a really good workout just now...

(I actually felt like I might be able to become a totally competent triathlete...)

(Slept more than adequately though not perhaps enough last night, had a big lunch once I was done with teaching and office hours and then slept again for a couple hours in the afternoon--I'm so knackered by the time I get home on Wednesdays that there is no other option than total crash. A bit groggy when I woke up, but clearly conditions were subsequently right for exercise. Interesting. In my work life I am used to totally disregarding the problem of rest!)

Another round of Spinervals 5.0, that is a great workout. Looking forward to trying one of the longer ones this weekend!

And then I went out and just did two miles only of running. It does not seem to me sensible to do more than that in the winter after dark, too crazy, but it's very easy to go downstairs (hmmm, not really a run-straight-off-the-bike brick, it was probably about ten minutes between getting off the bike and actually starting running, but it's still good) and run along the sidewalk at the edge of the park down to 96th St. and back. I believe the advice about trying to run often off the bike--good mental practice as well as physical, I think. Leg muscles certainly rather odd for first half mile, but good after that (there's a nice downhill that warmed me up properly in mile .5 to 1.0--then of course good going back up the hill for the first half of the second mile!).

I will do some further tweaking of the projected training schedule, this week has been rather illuminating to me as to what will and won't work. On the other hand--implausibly, I do not usually travel that much!--I have three trips in the next four weeks, so it will all be a bit of a mess. Main thing is to stay calm and keep training!

(It was strongly present to me as I did the bike workout this evening that if I do four hours a week of trainer riding plus a couple outdoor rides each week once the weather is better, and make sure that my long ride is a proper one on the hills of Central Park, there is every reason that I will have an enjoyable race in May. I do not have really any experience on the bike, this is a pity, but I am very consistent in my training and that will potentially make up for it. Had a reassuring exchange with one of the other swimmers on Friday where she said that for her first half-iron-distance triathlon she had literally never run more than eight miles, she had had a knee injury that made her limit long runs--that is more daunting, I would say, than figuring I will just have to go rather slowly and steadily on the bike...)

Cycling: 1:25:22 (avg HR 135, max 157)
Running: 20:38 (avg HR 152, max 161), 2 miles