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| Must...Get...Monkey...Off...Back... |
A big weight, if only a self imposed one, has been lifted. I CAN run with some work... at least at a non-embarrassing level.
Monday morning of course I was reminded (somewhat comically) that I'm supposedly a triathlete. Of course you wouldn't know it by the miserable bike ride I had. To say I'm a little out of shape on the bike is possibly the biggest understatement so far this year! (It's still early though.) I'm sure riding at 5:30 in the morning isn't the best time for setting power records or anything but bleh! Monday was nasty.
Tuesday went a little better. Another ride, this time in the afternoon. Feel and power were again closer to normal (well, normal for the fitness I've currently got) and the world was right once more. Swimming has been going pretty well also, and now hitting 7:30 / 500m sets feels like a pretty leisurely pace. Shorter sets are holding well under 1:20 / 100's.
The start of the season for me always revolves around doom and gloom. I am always invaded by those negative thoughts like " I haven't done enough this winter" "I'm fat and out of shape" "I'm losing it" and other helpful inner dialogue. Hitting my goal time at the Knoxville 1/2 certainly helped, but until I've gotten a couple of races under my belt I won't have the eased feeling of normality that I usually have for the latter part of a season.
My first tri of the year, and my first reverse tri ever is this weekend. The Trideltathon will be Run, Bike, Swim... something I'm not sure I agree with (seems like a lot of opportunity for a mess in the pool towards the middle or back of the pack) but something I'm eager to try out. Heck, I might even beat my side stitches at this race if I start off running. (fingers crossed.) At the very least it will be a good gauge of how much my cycling really has dropped off and how much my swimming / running has improved. I will be doing this race on my Cannondale I believe... the hills around UT campus (and the twisty nature of the course) mixed with it being two laps makes me want to have a little better access to my brakes and shifters. (Having a compact crank might also be a good thing)
Sadly, the next weekends tri in Panama City has been canceled. No chance at redemption after nearly freezing to death (and throwing up...and pulling the plug) this year. I'm trying to find a 5k or something else to do that Saturday so that the extra days I paid for aren't a total loss. (Well.. I'm going to be at the beach... so it can't really be a TOTAL loss...right :D )
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| pre-drowning last year. |
- Check tubes and tires for the race wheels. For some reason, if my latex is going to have a problem it's always at the beginning of the season.
- Clean that chain and cassette. I'm guilty of it. Also, upgrade to rock & roll gold lube, it should save a couple of watts.
- Check your brake pads, and upgrade to something good in wet and dry if you haven't already. (I run Salmon pads on my bikes - that's not carbon surface braking though.)
- New Cables and possibly housing. Be a cheap skate... learn to do your own tune ups.
- PRACTICE YOUR TRANSITIONS. If you haven't doing a flying squirrel since last September... maybe you should warm back up to it before the first race.
- Make a checklist for race day. First race of the year I almost always forget something... even with a list. I imagine I'd show up naked without one.
- Oh yeah... HAVE FUN! That's why we do it.
So next week I'll have a race report (hopefully a happy one with butterflies and rainbows.) and then I'll likely be MIA the next week, since oh yeah... VACATION!
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| Oh how I miss the surf and sunburn. |
Until next time, be safe and keep the rubber side down.
-Christopher Morelock
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