Less than 100 days to go...
As the "100 days till race day" passed this week I reflected on my progress so far. By this point I honestly expected to feel nervous or overwhelmed when thinking about where I was and where I needed to be. I'm pleased to say that I truly feel like I'm right where I should be in the process that is Ironman training. My long runs are only a challenge to slow down and stay within the right heart rate zone. My swims are not especially draining, just boring when in the pool. And my bike is surpassing new distance milestones each week with no drop in average speed and no increase in heart rate.
Longest Ride Yet
Once again, the only workout to report on was my long bike on Saturday. The goal this time 69 miles from the Bud Plant in Cartersville. I was riding with a group of mostly new people, but it seems that the more new people I meet the more knowledge I gain. This ride was no different.
We headed out of the parking lot at 8:20am with a group of 7. I only knew one of them, Reiko, from previous rides, but I was eager to use the new crowd to help push me past my previous limits. We took off at a little faster pace than the previous week. This ride was going to be a little faster as I realized from the start. The ride was fairly uneventful as we kept pedaling down the road. Once we reached the turn off for the 48mi route and kept going straight I got a little excited. This was new territory for me both in the route and knowing the final distance we would cover. We stopped off at the gas station about 2 miles up the road to refill on water, take in a small snack (salt & vinegar chips to replenish sodium) and wait for the rest of our group to catch up.
We headed back out and I found that the scenery for this stretch was really beautiful. We passed creeks, farms, and horses over the next 20 miles. The terrain was largely rolling hills, but still contained a lot of flat, fast stretches to help keep the speed up. We stopped once again when we joined back up with the 48mi route at a Dollar General. We had gone 47mi by the time we stopped there, and I refilled my water bottles as it was getting very hot and I knew I would need to drink more over the remainder of the ride to stay hydrated. My legs were feeling a little tired as we had really pushed the pace in a few sections to that point. I was determined to keep up with the group and was prepared to ignore my legs feelings until we reached the parking lot at the end of the ride.
I was familiar with the route for the rest of the ride as I have covered those roads multiple times over the past 3 years. We kept pushing on until we reached the split for the 100mi route where we parted ways with 3 riders of our group who were going longer than my plan called for that day. I was happy that I was only 8 miles from the parking lot as I was definitely feeling the effects of being on my bike saddle for almost 4 hours. That's the only main upgrade left to do to my bike, and I need to take care of it soon because it won't get any better as the miles keep growing. We cruised past Sosbee Cycling Park and while I was tempted to tell Reiko that I wanted to stop, I knew that I was a mere 5 miles from the end so I decided to push through and toughen up.
I pulled back in the parking lot realizing that it was definitely hotter than the forecast has called for (91 degrees at the finish). When I stopped I knew I needed to continue to hydrate as I had a brief chill come over me and I realized I was soaked in sweat from head to toe. As I loaded my bike up, opened my protein recovery drink, and headed back home I thought back on the ride, how I felt, and what I learned from the new folks I got the privilege of sharing the road with that day. The resume of a couple of these riders (who were 60+ years old) included multiple trips to race in and finish Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. The others, with the exception of myself and Reiko, were all multiple Ironman finishers and were much stronger on the bike than me. I've always heard that if you want to be a better cyclist, ride with cyclists who are stronger, faster, and more experienced than yourself, and that was my plan for the day.
All in all, I was pleased to see another distance milestone fall. I know that I won't be pushing a 17mph on race day, but it can help make me stronger for the pace I will hold that day. Here's my Garmin track from the ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/525438433 • 68.48 miles - 16.9 mph average.
Weekly Totals: Swim - 4000m • Bike - 107.48mi • Run - 18.28mi
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