Milestone Weekend

Two significant firsts this weekend- first time going over-distance on the bike, and my first 20-mile run.

I was lined up to ride with a guy I had met on a group ride a few weeks ago who is also doing CDA, which was great news since everyone else I know is training for short-course races right now. I know it's important to get a lot of solo riding time to simulate race conditions, but I really just couldn't imagine doing my scheduled 110-miler on Saturday all by myself. I think in the race it'll be different too- I won't be riding *with* anyone per se, but there will be people all around, for most of it anyway. And it's not advisable safety-wise to ride alone on the route I take either. I did do my 100-miler alone and it went well, so I do have that.

Anyway, even though we had made plans to ride together, I was worried it wouldn't end up happening. He was scheduled to be on call for his job so the possibility was there that he wouldn't show up. So when the group was getting ready to roll out at a few minutes to 7 on Saturday morning and I didn't see him, I was bummed but not totally surprised. We started out, the group promptly dropped me as I knew they would since they do their shorter ride much faster than my long-distance pace, so there I was 10 miles into it and looking at 100 more miles of solitude. That also meant I probably had to stay on the 25-mile Hayne Blvd loop, since getting on and off I-510 (to get to the rest of the loop) is something I wouldn't do alone.

Then up ahead, I see a bike coming back down the road towards me. It's Shannon, my riding buddy! He said he started off with the group, figuring I was with them (it's a big group), then Coach Kevin told him I had been looking for him and was probably a little way behind. So he doubled back to find me. Awesome! I was really relieved. We settled into a steady rhythm and got to chatting. At first I felt a little awkward thinking about the fact that I was about to spend 7 hours of one-on-one time with someone I'd only met once. But it worked out really well- he likes to talk, and I like to listen :) (OK so maybe I like talking a little bit too, hehe) He was really considerate about going my pace and not pushing it, which I really appreciated. 110 miles of that would have been annoying, to say the least.

We made a gas station stop at 100.9 miles for some MUCH NEEDED ice cold water.

If that ice maker hadn't been padlocked I think we both would've hopped into it at that point. It was HOT out. I tried to lay up against it while Shannon was inside buying the water, but it was too well insulated so it wasn't cold on the outside. Bummer.

The cold water was amazing and really reenergized me. I joked with Shannon that hey, I'm feeling great, why don't we do another loop while we're at it?? Then when we were a few miles from the parking lot he said, "hey, let's go run a marathon!" Even though we laughed about it, part of me was thinking, holy crap I AM going to do that, and not too long from now!!

The best part about the ride though was that the thunderstorms that had been threatening all day started coming down JUST as we were pulling into the parking lot to finish the ride. I got Stella packed up and got in the truck before it got too bad, and then drove home in crazy torrential rain. Perfect timing! The other best part of the ride? Our 110-miler ended up being 114! I guess four miles isn't too big of a difference at that point, but knowing that I covered more than the IM race distance is a huge mental boost!

Saturday night and Sunday morning were AWESOME. Since I was instructed to do my long run later in the afternoon to simulate race conditions and to give me more time to recover from the ride, I actually got to SLEEP IN on Sunday morning! I can't even remember the last time I did that! It also meant I got to go out to dinner, at a real restaurant, like a real normal person, on Saturday night! Add that to the list of "Things I Didn't Realize I Would Appreciate So Much Before I Started Training For Ironman".

Sunday's run was another milestone- my first time doing 20 miles. I figured out a 5-mile loop route so I'd be able to refuel often enough at the truck. I was halfway through my first loop when I remembered why my legs were feeling kind of tired- "Oh right, I biked yesterday!" I got really lucky on the run with the weather. I just missed the thunderstorms again- I started after they were over this time. Usually that would mean that I'd be running in the post-summer-rain steam bath, but it cooled off quite a bit after the rain so the weather was actually kind of nice. The best part of this workout was that I conned one of my friends into meeting me out there to run the last loop with me. I was feeling pretty good, but having the company was still a definite boost.

When we were in the last mile, I started thinking about the progression of my long runs. I remember back when my long run was 12 miles, that miles 11 and 12 had been pretty painful. But that as the distance had gotten longer, it was still just the last two that were tough. So yesterday, it was 19 and 20 that were a little tough and 11 and 12 were no sweat. Isn't it cool how the body adapts? And this morning, I do feel a little bit creaky and sore, but way better than I remember feeling after that first 12-miler. So not only am I able to go longer, but it seems like I'm recovering faster. I'm fascinated by this, in a science-project kind of way.

(Speaking of science project, you should have seen my kitchen when I was trying to prepare my nutrition for this weekend! "OK if I want 600-800 mg of sodium per hour, 150 cal from my drink and 100 from solids, 32 oz of fluid per hour, and I'm going to be out there this long...." Mad scientist territory, for sure!)

So one more big weekend is in the books. Two more left. And because these last two are the biggest, I get TWO days off this week and next! Woot! After anxiously anticipating this month of workouts for so long, it feels really good to be in the middle of it and actually making it.

Week's totals (5/11 - 5/17):
Swim- 8600 yards
Bike- ~145 miles
Run- 30.6 miles
Total Time- 17:06