First/last long training ride for the Trek Tri
I am doing my first triathlon on May 17--the Trek Women's Tri. The distances are wee: 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. So I was feeling quite plucky about it. Until last weekend.
I went out to Decker Lake on Saturday for a swim clinic to get introduced to open water siwmming. I have been in open water--lakes and such--but only swam in a random, recreational fashion. Not trying to get anywhere in particular, and usually ending up on a floatie of some kind, all reclined and relaxed. Trying to actually GET somewhere specific, as quickly as possible, in cold water with a decent current, is a whole and woefully different story. I was fairly demoralized, although it was comforting to hear the other women in the group express the same concerns afterward.
While I was there, I decided to go drive the bike course, so I knew what to expect. Here's what I did not expect: it is the very same course I ran last December for the Decker Challenge Half-Marathon. Why is it called the Decker Challenge? The HILLS, the big fucking HILLS. I trained all season last fall on hills for the Decker, and had a blast--I even PRed. Now, I knew we were doing a 12-mile bike in the same vicinity as the Decker Challenge but had conveniently decided it could not possibly be the same course. The Trek Women's is supposed to be a beginner's triathlon--surely they wouldn't expect us to bike up those fucking hills? OH BUT THEY DO. I love tackling a hill on foot but avoid them on my bike. Just don't see how I would be able to keep from rolling backwards.
Also, I have not gone on any 12-mile rides in prep for this event. Stupid, I know, but there it is. Been counting on bike commuting a couple times a week to prepare me (and that's only a 6-mile ride). l live in a super-hilly neighborhood but plan my route to bus/drive past the hills before I hop on the bike.
So I was freaking out pretty bad and decided this morning to call in sick (I said I had a case of rickets, but it should clear up by noon) and go for a long ride. Did 14.2 miles in all, and tried to corner and downhill more aggressively. (I'm a total wienie on the bike, riding the brakes on downhills and around corners.) I kept thinking of that scene in Bring It On where the smartass cheerleader tells her brother (in cheer-speak) to "Be. Agressive. B. E. Aggressive" in pursuing Kirsten Dunst's character. That helped, a lot, actually. It also helped that I had XTC's "Life Begins at the Hop" in my head, because how can you be tense with that song in your head?
Actually feeling fairly fantastic right now. I did have to walk my bike up one of the hills on my home but made it up another nasty one. Most of the ride (10.2 miles) was on the Hike&Bike Trail, so I was riding through gravel quite a bit, requiring greater exertion. Today's really the last day I have to work out HARD before I start next week's taper, and I'm quite pleased with today's ride. Nothing like doing a lot of sweating to feel lighter and cleaner, somehow.
I have some photos of the Decker route I took during last December's half-marathon. What a blast that was! I PRed to the tune of 12 minutes faster than any previous half-marathon time. AWESOMENESS.
My kindly boyfriend brought me a bag of ice afterward, so I could take the customary post-endurance-event ice bath. It IS as unpleasant as it sounds, yes, but it is also helps prevent soreness to a miraculous extent. The boyfriend stayed downstairs while I took my bath (evidently, wanting to see me naked does not include "and also shivering and griping about the self-inflicted cold") but Steve The Cat wandered in and kept me company during the required 15 minutes.
