SMALL BRICK

I had no great plan for tonight's workout. Probably a run. I really was having a problem getting out the door. I decided to do a brick for some thing different. It gave me the motivation that I needed to do a change up in my routine.

On the bike part, I decided to ride Ole' Yellar(MTB). After Sunday's crash, I was nervous going on the road. As I was riding down a busier street-a car whizzed by. I was ok but it bothered me more than what I thought it would have.

After the bike, I grabbed a quick drink and off the a 2 mile run. My legs felt crappy but the always do for the first .5 miles.

I got out the door and felt great about the workout.

Bike : 6 miles / MTB
Run : 2 miles

Waddling with more motivation.................

HICK-UPS

Tonight , I did hot & humid pick-ups so renamed Hick-ups. They weren't smooth by any means. They weren't exact distances. But they were faster sections of my run. I felt a difference in my form and stride. Dakota (my golden) wasn't exactly sure what we were doing but he hung in there.

Run: 4 miles = 1mi. w/u + 2 miles of pickups(11:00pace) + 1 mi c/d

Waddling to watch the Tour climb the mountains............

BACK IN THE SADDLE

I got back in the saddle tonight. Not on the road but in spin class. I was disappointed to see Mary not there but it was still a good workout. We did hills in and out of the saddle. Then 10 minutes of accelerations. I actually gave me a chance to recover a bit from my ride and crash ont the weekend.

This week-end looks to be a long run of 10 on Saturday then a bike of 30-40 on Sunday. I thi k the weather looks good if you get out early.

SPIN : 1 hour // ave HR = 148

TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS..

This weekend began with no set training plans. I was on call for work and had to go in on Saturday do I was limited on time. So when I got up, I ran 6.5 miles and set my sight on a long bike on Sunday. I was slow during the run. I think my diet cutback is filtering into my training.

On Sunday , I heard Naperville Bicycle Club was sponsoring the Metrice Melon Ride. Quite a few other riders were not riding because of the Jommy Buffet concert last night but I decided to go rather than ride alone. The distance options we 15, 35, 68, or 100 miles. I was hoping to ride 40-50. Decisions , decisions. As I was riding along, some guy came up beside of me, who was hitting on me. He was riding 35. Easy choice go for the 68. I had never gone more than 62 and that was 20 years ago. What the hell!!!

The scenery was all soy bean fields and corn fields. The land was so flat that you could see for miles. The temperature at 7am was a perfect 54. I had absolutely no time goal just to ride and enjoy.

The miles clicked by. The rest stops were an oasis of food. Fresh cut watermelon was a highlight. As I was approaching the final stop, a car sped by me. There was no shoulder to the road and my tires skidded off. I flew over my handbars hit my head and skidded to a stop. I layed there for a minute then regrouped to the side of the road. My chain had come off. But the bigger problem was the sick feeling in my stomach from hitting my head. All the riders that passed by did offer to help by I just needed to get it together by myself. There were still 18 miles to ride. I got the chain back on and made it to the rest area.

I took a look at my helmet. It was cracked. There is no doubt in my mind now of how important it is to wear one. That could have been my melon cracked.

I felt better and finished the last 18 miles. This is the longest ride that I have ever done. My legs felt great. My shoulders did ache along with my neck. I averaged 14 mph including my crash. I finshed and in one piece. Only 3 weeks until the mideast regional -the bike is solid.

Bike 5:01 / 68 miles

DISAPPOINTED

A couple of months ago, I was so excited by buying a Garmin 305. Being a geek- I was so excited by the technology and info that I could gain. Now I feel a bit let down.

• I bought the 305 instead of the 205 to get the heart rate monitor. The heart rate reading is so small that I can't see it without my glasses.
• In the last 2 duathlons , I had problems on the bike portion after the transition.
• There are time when running that I know the pace is incorrect. For example, I am running smooth and check my watch which reads and 18:00 pace?
• The distance is off almost .1 per mile.
• When doing the trail part of a run in the woods-I totally lost any data.
• I thought that I would prefer it over my RS200 by Polar but I don't .
• I have no patience for locating satellites.
• The interval for doing a run / walk is challenging to use.

I know there are alot of at advantages but for me I'm switching back to my Polar.

Run : 3.0 miles / ave pave 13:30

Waddling to pay some bills (ugh)......................

QUIET NIGHT

Not a creature was stirring -not even a mouse......

Everyone was out tonight when I came home fromspin. It was a strange but nice kind of quiet in the house. I took my shower and turned the Tour de France on the DVR.

Yesterday, I added a new element to my training. Everyday at lunch, our fitness center where I work offer a 30 minute strength work. I decided to try it and see how it goes. Monday and Thurs. the focus is arms. Tuesday and Friday the focus is legs. Wednesday is core. I hope I can try to fit it in.

Tonight's spin class focused on accelerations followed by hills. My legs were burning. Mary's goal was to get us to the point of sucking wind. She did a great job!

This weekend ,I was planning a 10 mile run Sat followed by a 30 mile bike on Sunday. Some friends are doing a 62 mile organized ride Sunday. I'm not sure what to do. When training for a marathon ,I've always understood increasing miles. but this multi-sport thing is not so straight forward. If I bike long on Sunday-what would a good run be for Saturday? Maybe 6?

Monday: Elliptical - 30 min. Strength : 30 min.- arms
Tuesday: Spinning - 60min. Strength : 30 min. - legs

Waddling to watch the powerful climbers on the Tour................

MISSION : MICHIGAN

The Challenge : Waterloo Duathlon

The Distance : 2 mile run / 15 mile bike / 7 mile run

The Reward should I choose to accept it: A special lunch on the way home.

I drove to Michigan on Saturday evening. Everyone in my family was busy so I went by myself. After a good night's sleep , I got up early and headed toPortage Lake. It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was a cool 50. While waiting to start, I met an awesome group to talk to. All very positive. Two were spin teachers. Another doing her first duathlon.

Run #1-( 18:38= 9:19 pace) It started from the beach and went uphill on the grass. It was a tough start. Then across the parking lot , up another hill, and into the woods on a trail. I am not a fan of trail runs because I shuffle when I run. The course was very scenic. I know the run time is incorrect. I wasn't running that fast. The early runners results were running 4 minute miles. I know they weren't that faste either.

T1= 1:49 It would have been faster but almost started without my helment.

Bike - (57:34 = 16.7 mph ave) I felt good. The course was rolling hills. I lost my focus twice. Once when my evil garmin went wacky and I was messing with it to work. The second time when the spongey thing popped up and out of my aero-bottle into my face when I hit a bump. I am disappointed my time wasn't faster. When I came in , I heard my name called - the was Vickie my blogger friend cheering me on.

T2 = 1:43 Nothing exciting.

Run 2 - (1:09:17= 13:52 pace) . I totally agree with the time on this part. The run started uphill then turned on to a dirt country road for 3 miles. In the first mile, my stomach began rumbling. I lost time due to an emergency pit stop in the woods. It was hard to settle in to a pace after that. The last 2 mile were back into the wood on a trail that was mainly sand. I did trip on a tree root and almost fell down a steep hill. I tried to be careful. When I finished the awards had already began. I felt happy with my effort.

I grabbed a plate of food and hooked up again with Vickie. During th awards we chatted. It was so cool to finally meet her in person. I felt like I already knew her and she was so easy to talk with. Check out her blog as there are photos of us posted. I won 2nd in my age group (there were only 2) They ran out of trophies - look for it in the mail. Now it was time to pack it up and head for home and my reward.

The Reward = Frisch's Big Boy

We do not have these in Chicago and I love their Big Boy Sandwich! It wasn't on my diet for sure.

I hoped to break 2:30 and My time was 2:29.

Waddling after my Big Boy......................