86 Days of Training

She's a brick -- house. The lady's stacked and that's a fact,
ain't holding nothing back. 

Ok, so I am nowhere close to being a brick house, but I can dream. Today was my first brick workout of my training, and I am pretty pleased how well it went. During last season's training, the first mile of the run was more about convincing myself that I am not a big fat old slow loser, which is exactly how I would feel as I began each run, but today's run segment was awesome. I changed my shoes, put on my hat, grabbed my water bottle, and ran 3.1 miles in just over 31 minutes. Nothing hurt, I breathed easily, and my legs didn't feel like they were filled with cream of mushroom soup. Some days, for no particular reason, you just nail your workout - that was today. 

It wasn't long, but it was good.

I tried to find a relatively flat 10-mile loop, and this is what I came up with.

Only one hill around mile 6 that gave me a bit of grief. Oh, and the deer that decided to run in front of me on my 32 mph descent.

The run was completely shaded along a babbling brook -- very nice.

...and it was flat!

  

88 Days of Training

Hamstring Horror

Ok, "horror" is a bit over-dramatic, but I was shooting for alliteration.  I woke up on Wednesday with a VERY sore hamstring. I do not remember pulling it while I was running last Monday or Tuesday, but it sure did hurt. I stuck to riding and core work until it felt better. So, here we are almost a week later and pain free. Super! I'm about 2 miles into my run and it starts to hurt again. grrrrr.... All the experts (none of whom I have met nor checked their credentials) warn that these injuries can be chronic and worsen over time. Piss off, experts!!  I stopped running at 2 1/2 miles, stretched, and I am now icing and blogging. The good news is that riding does not seem to hurt my hamstring at all. My next race isn't until September, so worse case scenario, I kick but on the bike and hobble in the 10k.

Training Schedule Check-up

I am happy to announce that my bike and run training is pretty much on track with my training plan from beginnertriathlete.com. In fact, my cycling is well ahead of schedule. The swim training, on the other hand, has been non-existent this Summer. As soon as I return to Florida with my warm Atlantic Ocean, indoor pool at Bally's, and my own backyard pool, this will all change.

Eating & Sleeping

As much as I will miss Vince, and Kitty, and Ithaca, I must admit that I am looking forward to returning to my old eating and sleeping habits. Large dinners at 9:00 pm followed by sitting on the couch and watching TV until 11:00  is not the evening habits of a triathlete -- not even a back-of-the-packer like me. 

Weekend Pictures

 We did two rides this weekend: a 45 mile loop around Lake Keuka and a 36 mile ride around Lake Scaneateles (pronounced Skinny Atlas.) Holy Moly, the Finger Lakes are positively gorgeous, and I will miss this place dearly.

 This is Lake Keuka. It is shaped like a Y, and it is absolutely beautiful. The homes around this lake appear to be mostly Summer getaways. On this particular ride, the lake was full of sailboats and the air was full of children's laughter and the smell of bbq.

Vince and I at the tail end of the Keuka Ride.

This is at the top of Nunnery road on the East side of Lake Skaneateles. This ride was only 36 miles, but it was far more challenging than I had anticipated. Two hills I had to walk up, and one of our roads turned out to be 1 1/2 miles of uphill gravel, so we were both forced to walk that part. 

Vince walking his bike up Bacon Hill Rd. --I did not smell any bacon whatsoever!

                    
                 

Just another picture of me in front of a gorgeous lake.

The village of Skaneateles was founded in the mid 1800s as a Utopian experiment community. The town existed for a little over three years and consisted of several hundred liberal progressive abolitionists, all of whom tended to the operations of a large and profitable farm.   Geez, seriously? Look at this guy's pad!