So today was a doozy... weights and an interval swim this morning, and this afternoon a long bike ride followed immediately by a run (also called a "brick workout" in triathlon speak). I'm finding that I do better having hard days and easy days rather than several moderate-intensity days. When I rest, I rest. And when it's a training day -- it's ON!
So my goal today was a 30-mile bike ride followed by a 4-mile run. And I have everything planned out on an Excel spreadsheet for progressing towards the Big George distance of a 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. My bike ride felt AMAZING. I have been eating super, DUPER healthy lately (mostly vegan, in fact) to make sure I can train my best, and it is paying off. I had loads of energy and felt like I could go forever. That and I have a new "secret" recipe recovery drink that I've developed after lots of experimentation (I am like a mad nutritional scientist) and I feel great after it. I usually make a huge blender-full in the morning and split it out to drink after my morning and afternoon workouts, respectively.
Anyway, back to the bike ride. A HUGE accomplishment today (for me atleast) was I finally felt confident getting out of the saddle on hills. I have been having lots of balance issues on the bike and this was a great milestone today. I think alot of it had to due with just getting brave enough to try it. Then it "clicked" and I was out of the saddle like crazy, tearing up the hills and feeling unstoppable. I felt so good that I went an extra three miles, making a 33-mile ride total.
The one thing I noticed was that my stomach wanted some solid food about halfway through the bike. My nutritional strategy so far has been to eat a solid meal about two hours before my workout, an energy gel right before my workout, and then another energy gel each hour on the bike...then one more before my run -- with Gatorade in my waterbottle to sip throughout. My energy levels were okay, but I had that unpleasant empty-tummy feeling at the beginning of hour two. So next week I am going to try a Powerbar instead of gels on the bike and see if that helps.
So, the run was where everything fell apart. And it was my own doing. The runner in me was like "Oh, four-mile run. Cake." So I headed out without water or Gatorade. Big mistake. I started out strong and felt good -- was clocking a 7:45 pace with it feeling EASY. Around mile 1.5, I felt overheated in the sun and slowed my pace. By mile 2, I was at an 8:45 pace. By mile 3, I was doing walk/run intervals. By mile 4, I was walking. I still finished the four miles with an average pace of 9:00/mile, but I KNOW I can do better if I handle my hydration better on the run. I keep forgetting it's not just a run -- it's a run AFTER hours on the bike. Needless to say, I walked in the house and polished off most of a gallon jug of water (no lie).
Overall, I'm feeling good about my workout today. The problems I had were my own fault and can be easily solved with better planning. Off to cook up some whole grain pasta, veggies, and beans (YUM!). Hope you're enjoying the day too!
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