Tri Tuesday

Tuesday's for me usually consist of a swim in the morning and then riding the Providence Bicycle Time Trial / Brick Run that evening.  Since I like to try and keep my training schedule as consistent as possible I did something similar here out on SJI.  The only difference being I did everything this morning.  So heres how my day went....

I was at the pool at 7am to get some laps in.  I had a productive session today.  I did 20x50 meter repeats with a strict no more than 30 seconds rest between laps.  Actually really I did 18 repeats and then a 1x100 meter.  For a total of 20 laps.  Which is just over the half mile I'll need to be able to swim for the tri.  I think I should ideally get that up to a total of 1500 meters per swim and then try and start to reduce the resting intervals at the same time I try and change as many of the 50's to 100's as I can.  So I think thats my strategy going forwards.  I had to share a lane today in the pool which in the past had made me a bit nervous I'd smack into the person but I did really well today and kept to my half of the lane I'm happy to say.  Here's a shot of the small fitness center on the island. 

After my swim I made a quick stop for coffee and then headed back to the house to go and get changed.  Which is precisely the point when it started to rain.  So I got all prepped for my bike/run brick workout and then waited a bit to see if the rain would stop.  Not so much because I didn't want to ride in it, but mostly as I didn't want to have to deal with getting my freshly cleaned and lubed bike all wet again.  I gave it a half hour and the rain let up to a drizzle so I headed out to brave the elements.  It was cold, windy, and wet!  Lovely.  I headed out towards the less populated side of the island today thinking that there would be less traffic and no intersections to deal with so I could ride as fast as I wanted to.  And I chose a great route.  The problem with the route however is that within about two miles into it it started to rain much heavier.  And there were a lot of descents.  Many of which I could see the whole length of, but due to the rain, the rough pavement here, and the fact I don't feel like injuring myself uneccesarily I took no risks today and kept my speed on the descents to 25 max.  I felt safer that way.  Had it been dry and had I have ridden the course before I would have been braver, but today I played it safe.  There were a lot of descents on the way out, which means there were going to be a lot of climbs on the way back!  I hit the 7 mile mark fairly quickly and then turned back towards the hills.  I went as hard and fast as I could on the hills.  They were tough!  Granny gear standing on the pedals the whole way up some of them tough.  But I fought my way back up them and managed a fairly speedy transition into my running gear that I was pretty pleased with.  I rode 14.5 miles on the bike, and I managed a 17.5 mph average for that.  Considering the reduced speed descents and the large amount of hills on the way back (way worse than the TT course) I was pleased with that.

Then I started out on the run.  The run was a route that I have run here the last time I came to visit.  That particular run was one of the runs I went on where I really fell in love with this place.  Its a pretty magical route that has about .5 miles of pavement, and then about 2 miles of trails through the woods, and the rest is on a gravel road/trail that goes arounda  small marsh/pond thats surrounded by small farms.  The only way I can describe it is it's like running through a forrest and then coming out in the Shire from the Hobbit.  Its so beautifull and the farms are so small with a few horses here and there, and its so quiet and the birds are singing and there is tall grass and flowers and lillypads on the pond and its all so beautifull.  It makes the miles fly by with a smile on your face.  Even when its cold and raining.  All in all the run was 5 hilly miles long.  I managed an average of 7'40s for the 5 miler which I was also happy with.  So it was a good brick day.  Actually really it was sort of a rehearsal for the larger of the two tri's I'm doing.  I may try and do the same thing next week and figure out a way to do the whole thing as a race rehearsal with both transitions in it.  We'll see logistically how that works now.  Oh I'll try and get some pictures of this running route.  I'll probably walk it again later this week with a camera.

Speaking of logistics...   my friend Andrew is now here as well.  So we have all sorts of touristy outings planned.  So now I'll need to juggle that and my training as well.  Which I can do, I'm just going to have to be smart about it.  For instance tomorrow morning is a swim day.  Technically its also supposed to be a strength training day.  But I don't know if I can fit that in as well as once I get back from the swim we'll probably head out to go and do stuff.  So I'm not sure if I'll have time to get back to the gym and I can't swim and go right into strength training.  My shoulders will fall off.  So I'll have to play that one by ear.  I guess if I skip the strength work for a week or two it won't kill me, but I'm really enjoying it and its benefits so I'd like to keep it going.

And while were on the subject of logistics...   heres a pic of the floor of my bedroom all laid out with all the gak I had to pack to train for three sports at once while on vacation.  Amazing how quickly it all adds up!

And here's a shot of the view out my bedroom window.

Most mornings and evenings I can see several deer out back grazing on the grass.  Speaking of which the wildlife out here is amazing.  I've already seen foxes, deer, bald eagles, and soon I'm sure I'll add some Orcas, Seals, and Minke Wales to that list too.  Oh and incidentally...  this picture was taken at 9pm.  Yep.  Its that light out here at 9pm.  Sunset is pretty late around here this time of year, probably around 10 or 11pm, and sunrise is around 3am.  Not a lot of darkness to be had!  But fortunately for me all this training keeps me pretty damn tired so I'm sleeping like a rock.  Speaking of which...  its time for me to go to bed!