Whew, I'm cooked. I did my longest run and longest ride of the season yesterday and today.
The Run:
The forecast on Saturday gave the impression that it was basically going to be raining on and off all day, so I started my run after I got up in the morning when it was during an "off" time. Not being sure how the run would go with a chance of a thunderstorm and my right Achilles tendon teasing to be an issue, I took on a course that would provide me with the option of cutting it short on several occasions.
About 3/4 of a mile into the run I could feel the drizzle on my arms and by two miles a calm, steady rain fell...and fell...and fell. It kept me cool, it kept me company, and in its own way it was beautiful to see and hear. I kept a steady pace and although there were hints of discomfort in my Achilles, it remained as only hints, not suggestions, and the rain kept falling down.
Before every "out" I had to determine my course of action and had to ask myself if it made sense to carry on or cut it short. I asked myself two critical and related questions, "Are you hurt? Are you going to be hurt?" The answer was no to both, so I continued on my longer option.
I was concerned earlier in the week about whether or not doing 14 miles was a good idea or if I should simply go 8-10 miles. Because of the course I chose, as I've mentioned numerously, I had options, but fortunately my body was telling me to move forward with caution. So, I continued to monitor my body and stayed the course to complete 14 miles.
With two miles to go I was tempted to pick up the pace and I felt like I could...a little. However, I had been blessed with such a good run so far it was clear to me that I shouldn't be greedy. I held my pace.
When I walked through the front door I was dripping like I had jumped in the lake. I took nearly all of my wet clothes off, grabbed a towel and then enjoyed a well deserved bowl of Life ceral.
The Bike:
I headed out at 7:00 a.m. in hopes of getting back around 11:00-11:30 a.m. There was a north wind that was supposed to have been around 5 mph, but when I was facing it, it seemed like more. The course was quite varied and offered many challenging hills. I felt steady and strong most of the time, but toward the end of the ride, doubts starting creeping in.
With about 10 miles to go I could feel my body start to protest and fatigue was setting in. I had eaten a Clif Bar around 25 miles or so, and I'd been consuming GU Brew, but it was time to call on reinforcements. I took in a Mandrin Orange GU and my spirits were raised, but I knew by the condition I was in that it would be short lived.
With about four miles to go I took a Vanilla Bean GU and hoped it would bring me home. However, I had a feeling it wasn't just about taking another GU...but I took yet another; this time a Lemon Sublime GU. Normally I don't take this much GU in such a short period of time, nor do I generally need to, but I was getting desparate while feeling the impending bonk.
I wanted to average 20 mph and saw on my computer that I was averaging 20.1 mph at the time. Previously in the ride I was doing 20.6 and I knew the average could plummet if I didn't press on. GU and determination assisted me in taking on this challenge and I hit 80 miles still averaging 20.1 mph.
Mission accomplished.
Peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment