Triaspirational Saturday

OK, it was a mental triumph--the serious long-distance triathletes will be slightly laughing as I say it, because really there was absolutely nothing epic about it (except the epic procrastination leading up to it, and the epic internal struggle that preceded me making it out the door with the bike), but I really had a good bike ride this afternoon...

All round it was a seriously triaspirational day. This week of spring break has been guilt-inducingly useless as far as either work or real relaxation goes, I am still completely exhausted and stressed out, but I feel fully back on track with training, and in fact I am now confident I can do this race in May. It might indeed be that I am the least confident bike rider in the whole thing, but probably there will be some others who are not very confident either, and it seems to me beyond a reasonable doubt that I will not be the slowest runner or the most fearful swimmer, so I will count my blessings...

A lovely run this morning with training partners L. and S. I'm still not back up to long ones, but that's fine, there's quite a bit of time still to add miles on the long one. 6.43 miles (the lower five loop in the park, plus an extra bit en route to brunch!), 10:00 average pace, average HR 150, max HR 164.

(I must make sure to run with S. at every opportunity, since he is moving back to the UK at the beginning of the summer! He is a great fast runner--he hasn't been running regularly, business travel has disrupted his training, but he is just naturally enough faster than me that all my training works nicely as an equalizer! Ditto I.'s baby stroller--she is a phenomenal athlete, she'd never be running with me otherwise!)

And after much hemming and hawing and fretting I did indeed make it out for my bike ride this afternoon. I walked my bike over to the park, then changed into bike shoes and rode four loops--25 miles. It was very slow, more because of nerves than of any fitness-related issues, but it was quite enjoyable other than the aching hands, wrists and upper back from tense death-grip! I really feel the benefit of the trainer rides--I'm comfortable on the bike and my leg muscles are very strong.

2:02:28, 25 miles, avg HR 131, max 160

(Somewhat hilly, and fairly windy--but really it's the brake-clutching and excessive caution on even mild downhill inclines that is making me so slow! I will be able to go a lot faster than that when I'm even a bit more comfortable. Cycling friend R. is confident I should be able to do 16-17mph almost right away, on current fitness, but really he is just making that number up out of thin air!)

Oh, and though it was almost 7:30 by the time I was finished and leaving the park on foot, I found that the LBS was indeed still open, and have dropped the bike off for a tune-up and to get the computer fixed. I can pick it up on Monday at three o'clock. I must confess that as well as feeling a rare sense of triumph at having made myself do this slightly nerve-racking thing that I've been putting off, I do also have a strong sense of relief at the bicycle being out of the house--now I really can take tomorrow guiltlessly off!