T2 - Run and Bike -Racing the Rain

Gainesville

Trevor says I can't keep this up past ten days. We shall see, Trevor, we shall see. Started the day with a bagel, then hit up Subway for a footlong "chicken" Teriyaki and a bag of Doritos. I don't know why, but for some reason the chicken at Subway has gone significantly downhill in the past few years. It now tastes like chicken fat and rubber with some Teriyaki sauce on it. But the lunch worked well for training purposes. Hit the road about 4:40 PM.


Run: 45 minutes at easy pace, RPE 2-3
2 Lipodrene.
I started the run and immediately my left knee was hurting. I obviously need to give it a little more time to heal than I have, as it seems the meniscus is still torn, despite not feeling like it. 2 years, the shit still acts up. Anyway, maybe 3/4 of a mile in it stopped hurting and just felt tight. Though it was still hot out, I made it through the run ok.

I realized my stride, especially when my knee is hurting, is REALLY lumbering. Not that I'm poetry in fucking motion when I run anyway, but I seriously plod a little more than is healthy. And over 26 miles, that's gonna kill me. Losing weight should help, but I want to work on my stride during training as well as increasing distance. Nonetheless, I have opted to switch the training days around this week so I don't have to run again until Sunday. It also allows me to not bring my bike to Miami, which is typically a considerable pain in the ass given your average Miamian's propensity to steal anything out of your car, even if they have no use for it.

As I was running, I noticed some black clouds in the distance and thought "Ya know, maybe I should start out earlier on days like this so I don't get caught on the bike in a thunderstorm. I better make my transition short so I don't end up in that rain."


Bike: 60 minutes
Somehow, I failed to listen to myself. I got back in the apartment about 5:40, and didn't get out on the bike until 6. This wasn't a brick workout, so I wasn't overly upset. Plus, I have realized that I need serious motivation to get on the bike every day. I just do not enjoy it for whatever reason, and today was trying to rationalize skipping it. But I didn't. That's the difference between this training cycle and the last. At any rate, had a gel and hit the road.

I got out on Hawthorne trail and was just straight doggin it. Like I did not want to be there, and was just coasting my way through it. Maybe it's because my spedometer is still broken, or maybe it's because I'm just that fucking sick of Hawthorne, but I didn't even make it to Nigbridge in half an hour. Usually I make it there in 25 minutes or less.

As I was "biking" out there, I noticed serious black clouds approaching, and started praying they would hold off another 36 minutes. This motivation to beat the rain allowed me to bike back a full 3 minutes faster than I biked out, which is rare on Hawthorne since it's uphill on the return. Nonetheless, I ended up on the road for 57 minutes, as I had to go by the clock on my bike computer. That's the only part that's still working. I was pretty disappointed in the first half of my ride, but the second half felt strong. This is not atypical on 1-hour, post-workout rides. There's just not much motivation.

So I have decided that on days with two separate workouts (not bricked), if one is biking I will do it first thing that day. This way I have that fresh motivation to keep going. Swimming and running for some reason I can do with less enthusiasm. The bike requires me to be excited.