Swimming, Biking and Running

Century Ride 

I did my longest bike ride ever a couple weeks ago (102 miles) in the smoky, hazy air.  Going into the ride I was nervous – 100 miles is a long way to go on a bike!  Once we got started I settled in and just pedaled.  There were hills, wind and smoke on this course.  I rode most of it by myself – there was a stretch of about 15 miles where I didn’t see anybody else on the course except the support car.  I finished in 6 hours and felt great afterwards!  It was a confidence-booster.

About 13 miles left.  I rode with that guy behind me for this last stretch.  He was a good wind break.

He's always with me!

 

Jen!  It was a nice surprise to see her and Mom in Three Forks.

 
Long Day (mock triathlon) 

Four days after that ride, I had another long day on the plan – 1 hour swim, 6 hour bike and 20 minute run.  I got to the pond for my swim at 7:00 a.m.   The air temperature was cool so getting in the water actually felt warmer.  I started getting cold about 30 minutes into the swim – my feet and hands were numb.  A few minutes later my arms started getting really heavy and stiff.  I got back to my starting point by the shore at 49 minutes and decided that was enough for the day (10 minutes shy of plan but, I was too cold).   I had a change of clothes in the truck because I knew it would be a cool morning and didn’t want to start riding in wet clothes.

The bike ride included some climbs (Jackson Creek and Bozeman Pass), and very windy conditions.  The wind started blowing about 90 minutes into my ride and became stronger and gustier throughout the day, 15-20 miles an hour.  I altered my course because of the wind and took out some of the hills I had planned to do.  Overall, this was a good ride.  In a “past life” :) the wind would have gotten to me mentally but, it didn’t bother me - I just kept pedaling.  My 20 minute transition run was uneventful and legs felt good.  It was a great day and I was pleased with the effort especially with the cool morning and windy conditions.


Running 

I am done with my PT and have been running for a couple weeks now.  All of my runs are run/walk combos.  I don’t have any stress fracture pain but, my left hip gets really fatigued after about 45 minutes.  It’s so fatigued that I worry about my form deteriorating too much (causing another injury) so I am really concentrating on form during my runs.  We have a plan to build me up gradually for the next month and I’m hoping the hip fatigue starts fading away as I get stronger.

Keep that knee from collapsing inward - harder than it looks!

Same thing - don't let that knee collapse inward

Lighter side of things 

I have spent so much time by myself these past couple months that I sometimes wonder if I am going a little loony.  During my workouts, I start thinking about grandparents, aunts, uncles and in-laws who are no longer with us.  Sometimes I have conversations with them, and then ask them to help get me through a tough stretch of a workout.  Other times, I find myself having so much fun that I start smiling and laughing out loud!  I don’t really think I’m crazy but, I’m sure anybody else watching me might think so. ;)


Lastly... 

“I’m not tired, I don’t need a nap.”  I say this all the time. :)

Fell asleep at the table while reading.