Today was the first BRICK workout (Bike/Run) and I must say it was very successful. Let me begin by saying I woke up at 5:30am to drive to Morehead City to watch Tyler get a new PR in the Crystal Coast Half Marathon. He is a faster runner than me and I will never have his speed, but I can kick his butt on the bike so I guess that's ok :-) Tyler ran his half marathon in 1:19:36. My PR is like 2:11:something. Tyler is a beast! The race was cold but sunny, which isn't normal weather for that race. Perhaps it's because Justus and I graced the town with our presence. Ahh, yes! That's it! At 11:15am Justus and I departed the waterfront town and headed back to the Emerald City. That's right, I said it: Greenville.
Let me backtrack for oneeeeee second. Many people know that last February, Tyler and I adopted a shelter dog named Bear. He had a lot of health issues, and his former owner turned him in because "He don't hunt no more." (Bad grammar + hateful = You shouldn't be allowed to own a dog) We took him in and loved him for the rest of his days... He loved us back until his last breath..... He is missed every day and I still tear up when I think about him. He was a goofball and made us appreciate the little things in life. Since his passing, we have seen him in different places. Usually these spottings are places like where he always slept, or where he liked to play. Sometimes we hear his dog tags jingle and we know he is still with us. Today was no different. As Tyler's race was going on, I walked around the waterfront looking at the boats before returning to the car. I got to my car and turned around and saw that the boat directly across the street from me was called "Beagle". I stopped for a moment and aloud said, "Bear??" I blinked a few times and kept looking at it, waiting for it to change to something else since I am dyslexic. I took a picture of it with my camera, looked at it on the screen and it still said "Beagle". Okay, this is real. I shook my head and wondered if I was just reading into it. At the end of the race I talked to Tyler and told him, "Look over your shoulder and tell me what you see." He looked across the road and said, "Beagle.....wow..... really? I run around this area all the time and have never seen that boat docked here." We ended up going over and taking pictures of the boat and smiling and giggling about how the boat had the word "Beagle" all over it. We then snapped the pictures you see here with the shark jaws and "Beagle" written in the middle. It seemed so out of place but at the same time it seemed to have been put there magically for only us to truly appreciate. I beleive that Bear was with Tyler as he ran his PR. Tyler has been chasing sub 1:20 for some time now and it seemed fitting that it was in the presence of Bear, in a spiritual sense. Here at home I have a necklace and ring that have paw prints on them and they say, "You will never walk alone." Apparently you will never run alone either.
Okay so where was I.... Oh yeah, I had arrived in the Emerald City!
I checked my training plan and saw my workout today consisted of a 50 minute bike ride followed by a 20 minute run. I find that I am liking the idea of time training over distance training. When given a distance goal, you can run or ride faster in order to get done faster, however the goal is time on your feel (or butt) so really time is a better indicator... after all, you can't speed up time!
I checked my training plan and saw my workout today consisted of a 50 minute bike ride followed by a 20 minute run. I find that I am liking the idea of time training over distance training. When given a distance goal, you can run or ride faster in order to get done faster, however the goal is time on your feel (or butt) so really time is a better indicator... after all, you can't speed up time!
Speedplay pedal My bike ride took me through Tucker Estates, Quail Ridge, and Brook Valley. The part of the ride that stresses me out the most is the ride on 14th from Tucker Estates to Quail Ridge because there is NO shoulder and a pretty significant drop off to hit the grass and then the ditch. Not a good thought passing through your mind as you are literally attached to your bike at the pedals.
I have the "fancy" shoes and pedals where you clip in (oddly enough called "clip-less pedals") and instantly become a more efficient rider. Not only are you pushing down on the pedal with your forefoot like your normally would, but you also have the advantage of pulling up on the reverse side of the rotation, working not only your quad but your hamstrings. This makes your stroke more efficient by not tiring out your legs as quickly by engaging more muscles. Unfortunately this new found efficiency can come at a price: your dignity. If I had a nickle for every time I have had my stomach jump into my throat as I panic to unclip for traffic, I would have retired a year ago. I have successfully fallen at numerous stop signs with plenty of witnesses. I just pray it's never recorded and uploaded on YouTube. I have heard horror stories of people remaining attached to their bikes as they fall and sometimes the outcomes are not pretty. So when I am face to face with the white line on the road, a drop off, AND a ditch I get into panic mode and pedal faster until I get to the next turn. Note to self..... I really need to consider new routes to avoid this.
I have the "fancy" shoes and pedals where you clip in (oddly enough called "clip-less pedals") and instantly become a more efficient rider. Not only are you pushing down on the pedal with your forefoot like your normally would, but you also have the advantage of pulling up on the reverse side of the rotation, working not only your quad but your hamstrings. This makes your stroke more efficient by not tiring out your legs as quickly by engaging more muscles. Unfortunately this new found efficiency can come at a price: your dignity. If I had a nickle for every time I have had my stomach jump into my throat as I panic to unclip for traffic, I would have retired a year ago. I have successfully fallen at numerous stop signs with plenty of witnesses. I just pray it's never recorded and uploaded on YouTube. I have heard horror stories of people remaining attached to their bikes as they fall and sometimes the outcomes are not pretty. So when I am face to face with the white line on the road, a drop off, AND a ditch I get into panic mode and pedal faster until I get to the next turn. Note to self..... I really need to consider new routes to avoid this.
Okay moving along... The ride was cold and windy and I am still trying to find a method of how to keep my big toes from falling asleep/going numb. I'm not sure if it's a circulation problem or heat loss, but this happens quit often. The problem really presents itself later when I try to start running. I arrived back at the apartment after a relatively uneventful ride.
My dream pace! I picked up my 25+ pound bike and hauled it up the stairs and quickly transitioned to my running shoes and visor. I also had to switch my Garmin watch. My bike stuff is on one watch (My OLD Garmin 305) and my run stuff is done on my NEW FANCY Garmin 220 that Tyler gave me for Christmas. I had to wait an extra minute or two while waiting for satellite which is the biggest downfall of these watches. I don't care what anyone says, they are not fast at getting signal. The age of technology is sometimes overrated. Although even when I complain, I find it hard to live without. I finally got signal and I was off! Although the distance didn't matter (again, running for time!) I was still wanting to track it. I started running and my first thought was "Do I still have big toes??" I could sort of feel them but they felt like they were not a part of my body. It was like they wouldn't bend and I was not able to "toe off" and push through and get a good stride going.
Transitioning from the bike the run is hard enough because your muscles are going from one extreme to another. First they are shortened by riding on the bike and then they quickly have to lengthen in order to run. This is why it is important to "spin" the last couple minutes on the bike in order to flush out lactic acid build up in your legs in order to get going on the run.
I always wonder what I must look like when I start running after being on the bike. "Do I look like a little old woman? Do I look like I ate too many cookies? Do I look like I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING???" In a race, you can ask volunteers on the course if you look like you are moving. In training you have to hope you are moving at what looks like an okay pace, even through in your head you wish you looked like a smooth running stallion!
Transitioning from the bike the run is hard enough because your muscles are going from one extreme to another. First they are shortened by riding on the bike and then they quickly have to lengthen in order to run. This is why it is important to "spin" the last couple minutes on the bike in order to flush out lactic acid build up in your legs in order to get going on the run.
I always wonder what I must look like when I start running after being on the bike. "Do I look like a little old woman? Do I look like I ate too many cookies? Do I look like I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING???" In a race, you can ask volunteers on the course if you look like you are moving. In training you have to hope you are moving at what looks like an okay pace, even through in your head you wish you looked like a smooth running stallion!
The first ten minutes of the run I was supposed to run hard, followed by ten minutes of running easy. I kept the watch on "time only" for the first fifteen minutes of the workout. I looked down and clicked over to distance and thought, "Wait, am I running a ten minute pace??" It felt like at least a twelve, if not worse. I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome of the effort. Even though it took nearly seven minutes to get feeling in my toes and loosened up a bit, I was shocked with my time. At the end, I averaged a 10:13 for two miles and I felt awesome. Perhaps Bear was not only at Tyler's race today, but he followed me on my training run too.
Workout Summary:
Bike Distance 10.72
Bike Time: 51:41 minutes
Bike Average: 12.4 mph 21.3 mph max
Run Distance: 2.0 miles
Run Time: 20:28
Run Average: 10:13
Today's Mantra: You will never ride or run alone. (Woof!)
Bike Distance 10.72
Bike Time: 51:41 minutes
Bike Average: 12.4 mph 21.3 mph max
Run Distance: 2.0 miles
Run Time: 20:28
Run Average: 10:13
Today's Mantra: You will never ride or run alone. (Woof!)
The Garmin looks like it didn't stick to the roads, but I assure you the distance is legit!
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