My Olympic tri is in less than 2 months... and I've got a silly duathlon on Feb 28th I haven't touched my bike since IronStar in November and I haven't run (other than to catch a flight last weekend) since the Houston Half Marathon on Jan 17th: gulp : So, with that, I need to get training!
Part of the deal with resting was to let my legs heal. I have a weird muscle pull (tear?) in my right inner thigh from IronStar, which apparently made me limp a but during running and then caused my IT band on my left leg go wonky. Three weeks of no running/biking was intended to heal things..... Plus, I've been training for something pretty much since Jan 2009, so a three week break was welcome. Sleeping in until 6:20 AM during the week, sleeping in late both Saturdays and Sundays (a true luxury), not having to nap away the weekend because my long workouts wore me out.
But now here I am with an Oly tri and HIM looming.... Looming!
Saturday was an easy 5 mile run at the park. Hard part was motivating myself out of the house, since it was 37 degrees. Brrrr. But I also had places to be in the afternoon, so I was out on the trail by 11 AM. Funny how 37 degrees seems cold but I always somehow manage to overheat (in capri tights, a long-sleeve drifit shirt and a fleece vest). Funny, I'm rarely happy with temperatures... always wanting it colder or warmer than it actually is. The run was at a decent pace (around 10:15 for my run portions) and felt good for 4 miles. Then my thigh started to feel a bit wonky, so I slowed things down a bit and walked the itty bitty hills. IT band felt ok, though (probably because I did preventative KT taping). So overall, the run was ok, but not spectacular. But, full discolosure, I'm dissapointed that after 3 weeks of rest, my dang leg still hurt. :/
Sunday I met a coworker at the park for a ~30 mile bike ride. My first ride since November..... and I was expecting the worst. Buzz (my bike) is a year old now, but I've got a bunch of new things that make it feel different. New cassette (with different gearing), new saddle (Adamo ISM Road - funky!), new shoes (Sidi Genius 5s) I remember the first time last year that I cycled this far. From my truck its 3.5 miles through twisty heavy pedestrian pavement to George Bush Park, then ~7 miles to the gun range, then 4 miles to the turn around. I don't know if it was because it was hot or what, but going to the turn-around seemed so very far away. Not to mention coming back. And so tiring! But this quickly became my 30-mile ride of choice (its 100% paved trail with no roads to cross). And yesterday, I was very surprised to find that this ride (even with a 4 month break from the bike) was no problem at all. Even road at similar speeds to last year. And it was FUN. After weeks of gloom and rain, yesterday morning was sunny and 50 degrees. Timed the ride just perfect, as the clouds started showing up when we got back to the parking lot. Legs felt good, saddle felt good (a bit sore, but nothing I wouldn't expect after a 4 month break), energy level good (no afternoon nap needed). And I have 2 bruises on my upper thighs that I have no idea where they came from! Bruises are always a good sign of successful tri training :)
I'm also going to hit up 2 supported rides in March, so I can get in some longer distance. Its boooring to do the same 30 mile route each week, and even more booring to do it twice in the same day. So, I'm doing these 2 rides:
March 7th: Continental Express (hey look, its basically the IronStar course... good test for my new gears!)
March 28th: Bluebonnet Express
Probably do ~50-60 miles for each of those rides. That should set me up nicely for my April races.
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