Last week of adaptation!

Of course the recovery week timing would have been much better this week, when I have TWO authors in town, instead of next week, when I have nothing, but nevertheless, I'm feeling pretty good and confident about the next phase ahead.  My biking is feeling strong, and my runs off the bike are feeling great, too.  It's funny,but I actually never did any real brick workouts prior to starting this IronMan training plan.  For all of my Olympic distance races, I would just wing it.   Not that I wasn't in shape running-wise (it's probably where I am strongest/most dedicated training wise, in large part because it is the easiest of the three disciplines to fit in to a busy schedule), but I had never trained off the bike in any fashion. 

Now that I've started doing it quite a bit, I am actually REALLY excited for the NYC Triathlon in July and Age Group Nationals in August!  I don't know if I'm neccessarily feeling confident about the Iron Man....looking ahead to the longer workouts still gives me nervous gut and sweaty hands...but at least I'll nail my summer races!

My sister and I had our last turo sprint trainer session this week, and from here on out as I look ahead in our training grid, all the bike workouts from here are just long, longer, and longer still, and always followed by a run.  Fine by me as the weather is finally warming up (my bike last Saturday was COLD...thank goodness for my thick cycling gloves and shoe booties to keep me warm), and I think I have finally crossed the threshold of being intimidated/nervous about my Cervelo.  Amanda and I are both so chicken shit about our bikes, I don't know why.  I am sure a good bit of it is because these P2's are the most expensive things either of us own (unless you count my wedding dress, but I don't plan on spending countless hours on that fighting crowds and traffic this summer). 

Nevertheless, I finally don't feel so hunched/crunched in aero and my legs have finally adjusted to the new position...it still amazes me how differently the pedal stroke feels, strength wise, once I'm in aero.  I am even able to now build up some speed without feeling wobbly and scared and feel that it's about comprable, if not faster, than what I was doing in the standard position before, too. And my neck isn't quite so sore anymore, either. Progress!

Next on my list!

Now all I need to do is finally get my butt out of bed in time to make a ride with the NYAC group out to 9W on Saturday mornings! I have been getting up early for my rides, of course, to beat the crows in Central Park, but to make the group ride start time coming from Brooklyn has been a bit more than these lazy bones has been able to handle.  Thankfully, the warmer weather should help.  Last time I tried, it was 30 degrees! No way! Much easier to snuggle up with sweet little Sasha for another hour, who is always so warm and cute.  Maybe a dawn squirrel hunt pre-ride will be in order to assuage my guilt!

A tale of two bikes

So pretty!

Now that Amanda and I have stuffed ourselves up to our eyeballs with food, we figured that some sort of aerobic activity might be in order.  After two short, but high intensity trail runs near our parent's home, a nice fall ride sounds like just the thing.

We both have had rather fraught relationships with our bikes, myself more than my sister.  For some reason, swimmers always seem to struggle with the bike the most.  Perhaps it is because so many of us have bird legs (myself included) and a mediocre sense of balance.  After many years with my trusty Scott road bike, one race spill included, I took the plunge and purchased a beeeeaaautiful Cervelo P2 two months ago with this IronMan in mind.  I am 100% certain I am not using to its full potential yet, but I'll get there.  I rode it in a late season Olympic and Sprint race in September, but now the real bonding time shall begin!

Upon the purchase of this new bike, the Scott was thusly shipped to my parent's home where I can go on rides with my sister whenever I am home visiting.  In my current food induced coma, I realized that it is still sitting it its box this morning, so off we go to get it reassembled and to purchase shoes and a helmet, both of which I neglected to send back down from NYC, oops.

When I first started triathlon, it took me a full season to really warm up to my road bike.  First it was getting used to clips, then it was figuring out how to have a bike in New York City without feeling like you are going to die via bus, taxi cab or clueless pedestrian tourist 99.9% of the time.    Everytime I would bike out to the West Side Highway Greenway, I would be so frizzled from the 2 mile city-ride across town that my hands and wrists would be sore!   A bike messenger (those guys are ballsy to the point of insanity) once took pity on me and helped me navigate through a traffic jam, no doubt after noticing the frightened expression on my face and seeing me sweaty with fear on an otherwise chilly day!

Thankfully, after moving to Brooklyn, I am now very close to Prospect Park (no cars, hooray!) and also procured a coveted bike locker at the New York Athletic Club upon joining the tri club, which gives me easy access to Central Park as well as reasonably safe passage to 9W. 

I still don't feel confident, comfortable, or even safe riding in aero in Central Park yet.  Perhaps if I go at 4 a.m. when there are no cabs, pedi cabs, horses, or careless pedestrians....guess that's the price I pay to live in that fair city.  I'll be seeing a lot of 9W in the coming months for long rides! Glad I get down to DC often enough to mix it up on the W&O trail.