Fall 2014: Week 5

My kids spent most of the week at my parent's house this week, which of course meant more time to train! Woo! So much easier to fit things in when we don't have to schedule everything around someone taking care of the kids.

Kid 1 went to circus camp - how fun is that?

I missed the little mess-making machines, though. I'm glad to have them home.

Monday: 35k evening bike ride. It was a sort of a tempo bike ride. I set out with the goal to push myself, but there's an interesting difference between a tempo on the run and a tempo on the bike - it's a hell of a lot easier to zone out and slack off on the bike. I kept catching myself coasting along. Still, though, it went pretty well and my legs were definitely tired afterwards!

When I got home I put the bike away, tossed on my runners, and did a quick 2k run just to see what it would feel like. Like running on wet noodles. Weirdest thing ever. I'm told it will get easier with practice, so I suppose practice is what I will do. Since my race at the end of August is a duathlon I'll also have to practice going from the run to the bike, although I suspect that will be more straightforward other than the shoe changing bit.

Tuesday: Easy morning 10k run that I somehow misjudged the route and ended up being 9k. Oh well.

Then I biked 20k to work, and then 20k home. Soooooo much easier on the road bike compared to the hybrid I used last time.

I also got my first flat tire. I was about 1k from the university when I realized it, and I was tempted to do the walk of shame over to the cycling co-op on campus. Especially because it was the rear wheel and I'd never taken the rear wheel off before. But why did I take the MEC class and get all the repair stuff and watch a million YouTube demonstrations if I was going to bail out and ask for help? So I womaned up, got out my repair stuff, and changed the tube myself. Granted it took a ridiculously long time, but I did it successfully. GO ME.

The staple was the culprit in the flat. And, um, I think I'm overdue to clean my chain...

It's worth knowing how to do this, those of you out there who I know are worried about being out for a ride and getting a flat. You don't need much stuff, and it's really pretty easy. Take the MEC class, put together a repair kit (seriously, none of the repair stuff is expensive), and you'll have peace of mind knowing you can get yourself home when you do get that first flat tire.

Co2 pump, canisters (the # I carry depends if I'm riding alone and how far I'm riding), pump instructions. A couple of spare tubes, tire levers, and a patch kit. Personally patching a tire on the side of the road sounds horrible, so I'd rather just replace the tube, take the damaged tube home, and then repair it at my leisure. I carry the patch kit more in case I come across a cyclist who needs one. If you don't have quick release wheels you'll also need the appropriate tool to take the wheels off.

Wednesday: Easy early 8k run. It was what it was. Went past the closest track to check the lay of the land for Thursday's speed work and found it locked up. Bah.

Look at that pretty track, all lonely and empty.

After dinner, I took Foxy out for a 47 km cruise around North Burlington. Just lovely.

Mount Nemo yet again, only from farther away! Sorry, it does kind of dominate the landscape.

Thursday: Quality run workout for the week - intervals. Went to the next closest track and found it was locked up too (although I have since learned there may be an open gate, I just didn't look hard enough). So I ran on a relatively flat and uninterrupted stretch of road instead. I pulled off 4x1k intervals at a slower pace than they should have been, but given the 125 km on the bike over M/T/W I think a slower interval pace was to be expected. 5:15/5:05/5:07/5:12. Ideally those should be more like 4:45. Hopefully next week when I'm not doing All the Miles!! on the bike. Total distance was 11k.

Fulfilling my watch shot/selfie quota.

A nice summer evening with no kids? As much as I wanted another ride, I couldn't say no to a dinner out with my hubbie.

I mean, would you turn down dinner on a patio with a view like that? Plus The Beaver & Bulldog makes a fantastic burger. 

Friday: Rest day and retrieving the kids from their week at granny and grandpa's house. This was kind of a tough rest day - I was working at home on a glorious perfect morning, a cleaned and lubed up bike waiting in the garage, and the escarpment hills calling my name.

I resisted, though. Rest is important.

Saturday: Oakville half route with Patty and Sam. I hadn't run that long since May, so my legs were all HELL NO once we hit 16k or so. But I got through it, and hopefully the next few 20k+ runs will feel better as my legs readjust to running long.

I spent about 90% of the last 5k thinking about frozen raspberry lemonade. Man that was good, even if I did give myself a brain freeze drinking it.

Later Saturday morning I loaded Foxy into the car and took her back to the bike shop for her first check up (it's like having a baby again!). The shifting had been feeling a bit rough, which they had warned me would happen. They did a tune up and pronounced her good to go.

Saturday night I fell asleep on the couch at 7. It's a wild and crazy life I'm leading over here! I slept for 12 hours, so I think the week's training was catching up to me.

Sunday: 49k on the bike. I was going to follow it up with a brick run, but then my husband wanted to go get his hair cut and I was glad to have the excuse to skip the run, because it was damn hot out.

The highlight of the ride was the middle aged bald guy I saw picking up his morning newspaper wearing a full length white silk bathrobe and clear plastic stripper heels. Not a typical sight for rural Burlington, but hey, you do you, bathrobe & heels guy.

Sunday night I snuck out and got in the 6k I'd missed earlier. Why the hell not.

Post-run standing in the rain. 

Weekly stats
Bike: 172.4 km
Run: 57.9 km
Total: 230.3 km (!!) in 12 hours, 27 minutes

I think I get a gold star for that week.

So that was a really fun week, and I'm glad I took full advantage of having some extra time! Now that the kids are home, though, I won't be able to get out on the bike as much, so it's back to focusing on the run for a while and fitting in rides when I can.