Training Log

Melissa planned a fun outing for those of us training (some even registered) for the Patriot Half today. We were expected to ride 50 miles, then run 3. Riding 50 in West Creek is brutal, so we met downtown and rode Route 5 instead. It was great! Many of the Patriot Halfers are also doing Eagleman tomorrow -

We take a break from this regularly scheduled training report to give a shout-out to both Deannas, Susie Q, Lynn, Cyndi, Carmen, Cheryl, Jonah, Molly, Kate, Anna, and I'm sorry I'm sure there are many other TriGirls entered that I don't know about, who are doing Eagleman Half Ironman tomorrow. Good luck! I'm hoping for cooler weather and a fantastic, enjoyable race for all of you. You are trained, you are ready, you will rock the course!

Now back to me. HA!

So Melissa, Teresa, Mary and I met this morning. It was already muggy at 7 a.m. so we knew it was going to be brutal. My typically stellar preparation included two pomegranate martinis last night at my friend Sharon's beautiful new home. (Thanks, Sharon!!!! What fun!) We headed out of the parking lot up a very steep hill. Mary and Teresa wisely walked their bikes up; Melissa and I charged forth on our bikes. I had to stop at the top, panting after 0.2 miles, to catch my breathe. And wait for the far wiser other ladies. Then we headed out towards route 5. The first mile or so was rough - very bad pavement and lots of potholes. Melissa hit one particularly deep pot hole and lost the contents of her bento box, cell phone and all. She collected her belongings and we headed forth to smoother pavement.

On the advice of Deanna L (thanks!) we took Osbourne Parkway instead of Rt. 5 for awhile and it was great! Very little traffic and pretty views. We even got to ride side by side a lot which is what I like most about TriGirls ~ the social aspect. When the road ended we were about 15 miles into the ride and weren't sure which way to turn but a big group of cyclists rode by and helped us out. Route 5 had more traffic and a huge flock of gnats that I rode right through. Melissa, my supportive friend, cracked up at all the dead bugs sticking to the sweat on my face. Yeah, I'm already really pretty when I work out. Add 50 dead gnats to my forhead and I'm ready for my close up.

The plan was to head down Rt. 5 for 10 miles to hit 25, turn around and come back. We stopped at the 25 mile point, re-grouped, had a snack, and headed off. I however couldn't get my right shoe to clip in so we stopped again quickly so I could dig some mud and two rocks out of it. Then we were off!

I've got to tell you the return trip was not quite as fun as the trip out. Several cars didn't give us an inch which was scary, some jackass flipped us off, we got beeped at a lot, and there was a brutal head wind for much of the last 10 miles. And my girl parts hurt from the saddle. That's what training's all about, right, pushing your limits and going farther than you have before. I've ridden 50+ miles before but that trip included a full lunch stop plus two other shorter supported stops.

Mary, a big thanks to you for sharing your water with me for the last 15 mile leg. You're awesome!

We made it back to our cars, thirsty, tired and sweaty, drank some water, laced up our running shoes and took off. I forgot my Garmin (again) so we went by watch time. Melissa and I ran 24 minutes which was not quite the 3 miles we were expected to do but was good enough for us today. The run felt a lot better today than it did last week. Isn't that odd? Race conditions I guess.

Overall, it was a great training day. Thanks ladies for letting me ride along!