Well Deserved Rest

Sometimes, training just goes differently than planned. Stormy weather forces distances to be shortened, or scrapped altogether. Heat and humidity make it impossible (okay, really unpleasant in a "not going to happen" sort of way) to complete the planned training. Or family committments call upon the flexibility for which triathletes are known.

And sometimes, everything goes perfectly, all the training is completed, and Sunday night finds us looking forward to Monday, and a much needed day of rest. But it's a good tired. It's the tired of someone who knows they busted their butts over two or three days of tough training.

That is the kind of weekend I am just wrapping up. Knowing the level of training I had scheduled, Friday was pasta dinner at a wonderful local restaurant known for their generous portions. Toddler Pol loved it because we park in the parking garage (first floor, Trimama) and walk (run) the several blocks to the restaurant. There were two minor casualties on the trip. Toddler Pol tripped over his own feet and scraped his elbow. His desire to be held by daddy while NOT having the blood cleaned by mom resulted in several blood stains on my shirt (GB half marathon).

Saturday was scheduled for a long bike. Seventy miles, with a target pace somewhere around 17 mph. Starting out just after 5 a.m. helped me avoid the heat of the day, and there was little to no wind. It was a beautiful day, and I complete the trip in 3hrs 45m, for an average pace of 18.7 mph. Since I still felt strong at the end, it was a successful training ride.

My LSD run was scheduled for Sunday, a shorter 12 miles on this step back week. Done later in the day, the temps ranged from 77F (Weather Channel) to 85F (banks). I'm unsure of where The Weather Channel was getting their information, but most people weren't in air conditioning while outside. I think the banks were closer to accurate. Still, there was a slight breeze, and the humidity was lower, so it wasn't too bad. That trip took 1hr 49m for an average pace of 8:59 per mile. I'll take that for a long run, though I'm not yet comfortable about maintaining that pace for the full 26.2 miles. That is what is required to run a four hour marathon (with a bit of buffer).

Finally, some very important news. Veeg crushed her competition in the friendly throwdown at the Racine Triathlon, this weekend. She had another great experience completing the sprint distance race in 1:41:27. Most importantly, she improved both her bike and run portions. Stop by and congratulate her on the awesome performance.

Bolder also set a PR when he completed his first Olympic distance triathlon. In addition to the strong showing, he picked up some awesome giveaways at the expo. Stop by and congratulate him, and check out the cool swag they give away in the triathlon capital.