So what happened? How did I go from doing a half-ironman in November 2010 to not riding my bike at all? To put it simply, it was work. I was an auditor and my client's year end was March 31st. Typically, we are done by May 15th or so. Unfortunately, due to some struggles on their part, a new methodology on our part, and a mini-audit within an audit that got thrown in at the tale end, I was working til 9 or so January-March and til 10 or 11 (with a couple of midnight-2am nights!) from April until June 15th. When the weekend came during that time, I was working usually one day and I ran the other since my goal race for the year was the Marine Corps Marathon. When busy season finally ended, I was very sleep deprived and the summer heat was intense. I couldn't get myself to get up early BOTH Saturday and Sunday to run one day and bike the other. So biking took a backseat to sleep. And now, it will have to be a focus if I plan on biking 112 miles September 9th because I have confidence in my ability to run. (We won't mention swimming this post). Another confession, the longest I ever rode my bike on bike and build was 99.7 miles so I have never done a century (I was sick during our longest rides).
With this complete lack of biking (other than spin classes which while they are good, are not the same), I went to this morning's bike ride a little apprehensive. First, yes it was FREEZING cold and I rode my bike. I luckily found a great sale on fleece-lined bike pants yesterday and a new team member (new to me) lent me a beanie for my head so my ears wouldn't freeze (which was a LIFE SAVER). Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my toes which were FROZEN the entire time as the front of my cycling shoes have small vents. When they warmed up in my car after the ride the pain was pretty intense. I will need to get some booties for the next ride.
The ride this morning was a time trial in Prince William Forest Park (PWFP). For those that don't know, a time trial is where you ride by yourself (no drafting) over a set distance and you just see what you can do. Some people work on pushing it to their limit, other people will not go as hard as possible but will rather try to keep a consistent speed. PWFP has a BEAUTIFUL 7 mile loop that is perfect for this (once you get through the incredibly hilly 2.5 mile ride to the start of the loop). It is a false flat the first 3.5 miles, then beautiful road you can pick up the pace on for 2.5 miles or so, and then a series of hills that really test you to get to the end. Team Z had 75 people out in the freezing cold this morning and people did anywhere from 1-3 loops. (The beauty of being on a triathlon team is everyone around you is crazy too so you feel a little more normal). Based on my lack of time with my bike, I was expecting a bit of a disaster. I thought I would be super slow, getting passed left and right. I wanted to do 3 loops but I told myself I would be okay with two.
When I started and throughout the ride, I surprised myself. I went out hard and I kept it up for 3 loops. My splits were ~28 minutes (15mph) for each of the three loops and I never felt like I wouldn't make it or was in too much trouble, other than the hills of course. I was thrilled with both the speed AND the consistency! I also only got passed by about 10 people the entire time, which was NOT what I was expecting at all. This ride gave me so much confidence in my biking ability! While I think I was about 10 minutes slower than the last time I did this ride, the last time I had an ENTIRE summer of biking behind me. I am really excited to see this time only improve as I pick up the training (including through the rest of the winter...brrr). It was also nice to be back with Team Z after taking a year off. I met new people, said hello to the old, and was reminded how nice it was to be surrounded by people who's hobby is triathlon.
This year is going to be a great one.
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