W18 Sunday

Well, my phone alarm already rang, reminding me to go to bed. And here I am, at the end of a long, very busy day. It started at 7 am with a phone call that woke me up (never a good thing). My husband hurt his back and wasn't able to compete in the regatta today. He is having difficulty walking and isn't quite sure what caused this pinched nerve or something. He's especially bummed because his team withdrew in the hopes of saving what's left of his back for the championships next weekend.

So, today I:

walked the dog

fixed breakfast and lunch for the boys while doing laundry and nagging them to pick up their stuff.

swam +1250 m (62 laps - 40 of them were 3/4 length due to the kiddy section) (TI drills and freestyle swim. I still suck at left side breathing. But I now understand breathing is rolling, not lifting my head). Immediately after changing, rode my bike (after trying to put my tri-suit on backwards)

cycled: 70 minutes. Blinding hailstorm for the last 20 minutes. Thunder, gusting winds. I asked myself, what would Lance do? granted, it wasn't the Alps, but I did zip up my jacket.

got home, dried off, read stories by the fire, then made dinner - new recipe: curried coconut sweet potato chicken soup. It was really delicious. I needed to try something new, and this is now a favorite. The pressure cooker takes all of four minutes to cook (with leftover chicken breast already cooked). Fabulous. Did I mention I liked it?

After dinner I took Odie down to the beach for a 50 minute tempo run. The wind was gusting. Sea foam flying. Gorgeous wild weather.

I got all my workouts in except for one weight lifting session. I dawdled this morning folding laundry and taking care of the house. The gym closes at 14:00 which has routinely foiled my attempts to lift. Besides I was having fun with my kids.

I registered for another half marathon race - in November - the Dunes in my neighborhood. Actually the distance is 25 km, the last four are a bonus!

W18 Saturday

busy day "single-parenting" -

It started at 4 am correcting the stinky teenagers who broke curfew and stayed up waaaay too late playing video games.  They had been told lights out by 2.  Stinky boys!

Then, Nathaniel  asked to be woken at 7 a.m. so he and his friend could go for a hike and have breakfast in the dunes. I made crepes for them to take on their journey.  Off they went. Me? clean kitchen, start laundry.

Then I walked the dog and cleaned the dining room. Stinky teenagers slept in.

Then off to the pool with Nathaniel and his friend. TI drills. I've got the hang of left side switch and breathing. I have to say it's much easier with my zoomer fins on.  1000m laps.  Then lunch in the canteen. Patat and "uitsmijter" - (egg sandwich).  

Then it was time for Orchestra (at 4:00).  I put on my bike clothes and rode the boys over to their practice and then I enjoyed a 90 minute easy spin in the city, which meant that I stopped at a lot of stop lights. I got home just as it started to rain. Pulled in laundry, cushions, started dinner.  Nice to have a half hour by myself.

Then the boys got home and I fed them lots of food. Me? Shrimp and sweet potato.  We're watching an old western (Once Upon a Time  In The West).

So, I'm taking my tea over to the couch.  See you tomorrow.

I found this interesting checklist vs why you're not getting results.

W18 Friday

I think growth happens when I go  outside my comfort zone. I certainly learned a lot swimming in the North Sea this week.  Taking risks, pushing a bit, stretching. I am growing inside and out while training for this lovely prize in September.  I count out the # of Long Runs, tempo Rides, etc. remaining.  I unveiled the remainder of the training program with Mark Allen and "holy crap" I'm going to be One Fit Athena Goddess come September.

I took an easy day of it today so far (it's only 8:45 pm).  My husband's left for the weekend for a sailing competition, so no car = no lake swim tonight. Just as well, I think. I'd rather battle sea water than lake water. Blech!

I strained a muscle in my neck lifting last night. Not sure exactly how I did it, but it hurts to turn my head. It was overcast and cloudy this morning, so I skipped my planned ride. I have time in my schedule for it this weekend, or I'll drop it.   I've caught my breath. My weight's down two  pounds unexpectedly. I don't feel under the gun for each workout. It helped to have Monday and Tuesday off from work, and to have swapped my long workouts away from the weekend.

I hammered through some grungy paperwork at the office today and gave my assistant LOADS of work for him to help me with.  I also  had an important conversation with my husband about our household, and started planning our Home Leave trip to the US in July.  I'm challenging myself to find a bike, water and a gym in every place we visit.

I also figured out how to set up an online grocery account for home delivery. Next I will translate my meal plan into a decent shopping list and have my food delivered for 5 or 6 euro.  I LIKE THIS IDEA!

I also got authorisation from Vibram Five Fingers to return my shoes for a new pair (the strap has unraveled).  Very quick response from customer service. I'm impressed. Unfortunately I can't send them to Italy - I bought them from the States.  Stay tuned.

I'm finding that trying to set up my own business makes me very uncomfortable, and I'm moving through that discomfort and growing.

So, that's my update for this Friday. I'm signing off to take the big pup out for a short spin. He'll like it and I will too!

Chris

W18 Thursday motivation

5:47  bizzzzz. vibrating phone alarm knocks the phone off the night table, hitting snooze without my help.

6:01 I think, what's my phone doing on the floor? Where's my alarm? Nex thought, Today is a scheduled moderate ride. Scan self. Sore knuckles and elbows. Need some more sleep. I don't feel like a bike ride this morning.   Snooze a bit. Then Wide awake. Get up. Okay. You can have a second rest day if you want.  Make latte. Yum. Read email, look at forum.  Thinking this is a waste of time - I want to run.  Find photo below & post to today's entry. I am motivated to do better with myself.

7:07 done with latte. Done with morning internet surf.   Still loads of time before having to go to work.  Legs say, let's go for a run. There's plenty of time for and value in a 30-min run.  Dress, gather happy dog & go.  I'm still outward bound after 25 minutes, and loving it.   Total run a perfect 50 minutes. 

9:02 At work, having showered, eaten and commuted.  Fired up for a great day and committed to being the best I can be.

Today's motivation  - Nell Stephenson Ironman Hawaii 2007

W18 Wednesday Rest

Rest.

On Monday and Tuesday  I completed my long run, bike and a swim.  Not surprisingly, I felt a little tired. So this morning I slept in (until 7) and this evening I had dinner with my family and read for a couple hours. Very relaxing and restorative.  The point is to train only as much as my body can absorb.

I'm working on an on-line business plan and took some steps to open  accounts, laying ground work for test marketing my ideas. I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  Just like on the race course, it's all about confronting my fears.

Training Rule No. 1: control your thoughts!   

W18 Tuesday

What a great day today.  I walked the dog early and checked the surf. Looking good. Ate breakfast and gathered my courage, swam in the North Sea for at least a 1000 m. Wetsuit worked fine. Eventually I realised I wasn't that cold.  Wind was out of the north and picked up the surf quite a bit.

Afterwards I wrote about the swim  in my journal on the beach, which I enjoyed.

Then Lunch and hanging with the kids.  Then a 41 km 2.5 hr cycle into the North wind. Flew on the way back.

Now for stories for the little guy and sleep for me.

One major thought  in the North Sea - apart from don't panic - you're safe - was "if Judy can do it, so can I."  I am the luckiest person on Earth to have such a strong training partner.  I had a lot of vertigo every time I looked at the bottom. So I stopped. Swimming was more like floating while kicking.  I'll get the hang of this. Wow did I have fun.

And I crashed my bike. Not bad. Just couldn't unclip in time and tipped over, since I needed to brake to avoid a car.  Tipping was the better choice, compared to running into the car.  I'm fine. Broke the skin on my knee. But no big deal.

Onwards! 

W18 Monday Long Run

I did my planned long run today - 90 minutes + 10 minutes warm up. I went up through the dunes and then along the beach.  The tide was unusually high, forcing me to run through soft sand or newly-wet sand, which has the foundational characteristics of quick sand.  The North Sea Regatta put scores of sailboats all over the sea.   I needed to walk a lot to stay within the heart rate limit. Speeding up, then slowing down. Odie swam and played with other dogs. It was nearly perfect. As soon as I was back on the brick or roadway I could run easily within the target range.  That restored my confidence a little. I try to remind myself I am recruiting specific changes in my energy system, and that's the point right now. Not to build speed. That comes later.  And I am already seeing improvement in my pace on the bike.

I am enjoying time-based training sessions. I know how long they'll take - something I couldn't predict as easily when going out for a 15 k run.   I have some concern that I am not getting in the distance I need to build back up to 30 km, which is the over-distance Jeff Galloway recommended to me - (I think - I have to go back and look.)  I will put this question to Mark and see what his recommendation is - whether I should walk to increase the distances if my "running" remains at such a slow pace.

W18 planning - the devil is in the details

Putting together week 18, having in mind what I've learned the last two weeks:

Opportunities: Monday and Tuesday are brilliant windows of opportunity - off work Tuesday, Monday holiday.

Weekend: Jeff's away sailing, so I have the kids by myself. Royal 10k on Sunday - kids want to run the 5k. So I will too, since I can't leave my younger son by himself.  To be more available to them on the weekend, I will see whether it works to do my longer Recreation sessions (training!) on Monday and Tuesday.  Tempo run will be the 5k - slow enough to run with my younger son - I think it will take 50 minutes for him to do the 5k - it will be okay if it's shorter than that.

Pool: No more Fri nite RTC.  Replace with a morning swim.  Located a noon-time lap swim too. Try that out Wednesday and see whether it wreaks havoc with work or French class.  Consider swimming Tuesday in the day time and skipping Tuesday night.

I measured how to swim 1500m in the sea - from the pier to the naturist club. I can do that!

Getting to the gym - I need to make an appointment with myself, or else the days float away. This week, I will go Tuesday and Thursday (or Friday).

I don't like swimming two days in a row - probably a little ambitious. If I don't swim today, I'll pop it into Saturday and my sons will be glad to go to the pool, I think.

Sleep - Intention: by 10 every night.
Work hours: leave by 6:30 every night, except Wed French class.
Food: Eat well. Support this effort with good food.
Water: keep the joints lubricated! Water this plant. Thrive!
Coffee: skip it in the mornings. Only ONE at work. And skip the pastries! sugar, bread and caffeine are no substitutes for true nourishment to provide energy.

violins waiting for their students

W19 Friday

Tempo swim 1000 Meters HR124-134 100% complete

I got all the way to the pool tonight, and realised I left my swim suit at home.  Luckily, TWO  other women there offered me a spare. One was a bikini (size 40), that was very nice for sun bathing, but all agreed: TOO Small.  The other was a great racing suit that fit well.

My coach commented that my head position looked much better. I felt strong. I completed 1100 meters feeling really good. My average heart rate was 123 - I focused on technique and counting my strokes for one length - first 19, I got it down to 16 - easy, gliding, smooth.  I can swim faster than some of the people in my slow lane, especially if I draft behind them, nearly tickling their feet. Then I have to slow down.  My left side breathing is not comfortable, and I can't "skate" easily on the left (with my left shoulder up and my  right arm extended). I will work on that.

I almost didn't go this evening. It's tough to leave the house at 9 pm on a Friday, but I am so glad I went. It turns out this is the last Friday night at the pool until Sept.  Open water starts in a couple weeks.  So I will need to re-jig my swim schedule a bit. This gives me more flexibility.  Tuesday's will still be coached.

I hope everyone's had a great day! 

W19 Thursday

Moderate bike Done 1 hour 15 min  HR109-129 100% complete

I had an aha moment on my ride this morning. (Will post photo I took of another pheasant later). Garmin lets you add a category to any event you upload - training, race, recreation, etc.    I thought about how I feel when I add a recreational activity and compared it to a "training" event.      What's the difference? Intention? Purpose? Effort? Degree of enjoyment? Degree of physical benefit?

In my imagination, I can make the Bustinskin Event Bigger and Heavier with my thoughts.  I can make training an "obligation" - a grind.   I can make every morning a study in fear of falling behind. Or an exercise in joy and recreation.

This morning while riding, I played What if? What if I hadn't signed up for this exciting event in September? Would I still be riding in the bright sunshine listening to bird song, startling the deer? Would I see these new flowers? Witness the colour changes on the new leaves on the trees?  Spot the gaggle of goslings out for a morning swim.   Come upon clutches of new bunnies grazing in the morning sun? (they're really tiny!)

I've always wanted to exercise an hour a day - I read somewhere that an hour of daily exercise stimulates positive brain chemistry that lasts for 24 hours. To maintain the positive mental effect, you have to move your body daily.  Literally, we're designed to be moving beings, not sedentary.

I concluded that having a long-term goal is good to get me out of bed in the morning and to get moving. At the same time, I don't want to lose sight of the pleasure from the daily activities themselves.   The event in September will be one day.  Preparation will take days and days, strung together to condition and improve my body and mind to perform at a very high level. At a peak or flow state level.  That's exciting!

I decided all my training from now on will be Recreation and that part of my deliberate learning will be to practice the flow state, looking for beauty and expressing gratitude with every activity.  I can give myself a mini-vacation every morning, frequently during the day, in the evenings!  Whenever I want.


(edited to add book reference - I read about the body-brain chemstry relationship in Spark! The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain)

W19 Wednesday

I muddled through a very busy and productive work day, decided not to run out and try to swim during my lunch hour. I may try that next week.   I decided to skip a bar party with colleagues in favor of coming home, getting Odie and going for a run at the beach.  I recorded a podcast episode to play around with.

I completed my 45 minute run with a smaller variation in heart rate and within the Rx'd average.  Early out it was too high, then I settled and it was more difficult to keep it high enough.  I'm learning.  This can work for me.  Garmin report.

W19 Tuesday

I had a great bike ride before work - a 60 minute tempo workout.  I saw a beautiful pheasant in the woods.  And lots of bird song.  Here's the garmin report.   Compared to last week, I went 2 km further at a lower heart rate over 60 minutes (21 km vs 19 km).

Then an 11-hour day at the office doing paid stuff.

I'm going to bed rather than swimming tonight. I am simply too tired. And I need to honor that.  I'm not even going to stretch.  I'm de-caffeinating myself too.  Only one coffee at work. Decaf this morning, and decaf in the afternoon. and I'm out of regular coffee at home.

At the moment, I have some doubts whether I'm physically up to this. I will keep chugging though. I will figure out a makeup for the swim tonight.

I saw one that looked like this (I didn't take this picture though).

W19 Monday

5:47 a.m. alarm. Fumble. Off.
6: 12 a.m. "wake up. it's time to go outside."  Snooze.  Realize the joints in my hands feel inflamed. Brain says, your sister has R.A. You're suffering from inflammation too. Brain says, you forgot fish oil. You don't need to run this morning. You can run tonight.  Snooze 9 minutes x 3 reminders. Then up.

8:20 a.m. phone rings: Older son has wrecked my mountain bike on the way to school in a minor accident - sudden stop swings his bag into the front tire. Unfortunately, the bag contains my tripod, which busts the spokes. He's fine. Everything can be fixed.  He calls me for reassurance and instructions on what to do.

***
8:00 p.m. I'm at the office, having just finished the last of several unscheduled meetings. I hate meetings called without advance notice.  Brain: it's too late, you've been tired all day. You can get home on the tram.  Then I see that Judy's trained in the pool, and I say Can Do. Can Do Too.  Change clothes. I try to run, bust the heart rate limit. Walk at a fast pace only 30 seconds off my marathon pace - walk all the way home, pick up Odie, finish the 50 minutes.  AV HR 129. This is a weird way to train.

Eat, Post. Time to read to my little guy and go to bed.  Ride tomorrow.

Thank you Judy!

Food: strawberry smoothie, latte; croissant & coffee; HB egg; chicken stew; hamburger, beets, spinach, butter.  Ice cream.

W20 Week in Review

“When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.”
~Lao Tzu

By the numbers: 
6 hours on the bike:  62 miles
1.5 hours in the pool
3.5 hours running: 12.5 miles
5 hours weight lifting/core/ stretching work outs

one missed swim workout (tempo). 

All workouts completed as Rx'd, within the prescribed heart rate ranges.  Mental discipline is required to follow instructions.  I'm going to trust the coach and do it the way it's written as best I can.

Week 19 starts tomorrow.

 observations: I need more sleep, less coffee. Though coffee is way down! Eating very well will support my training. Why spoil hours of work with less than optimal food.  I have been eating really well.  But Thursday - Saturday felt a little higgedly-piggedly (dis-organised) since I didn't do a second food shopping. But truthfully, I pick well, I am aware of portion size, and I'm tuned into my body. It is says, eat fat, I do. If it says, eat green, I do.  (Post Bike-Swim workout = raisins & liverworst. Not that I recommend mixing them, but that's what looked good to me.)

Work-day Mornings are working very well - I wake easily. I'm enthusiastic to get moving and I get to work clean, happy, on-time, and fed.  Weekend mornings - I hit the snooze button a lot.  I don't give a f*** about going outside my comfort zone at 5: 45 a.m. on a Saturday. I don't care what the alarm is telling me!

Running: felt really nice and relaxed this week. Nothing hurt. I feel the elasticity returning post-marathon (finally).  No body parts on strike. Minor complaints from a toe joint on left foot (only when barefoot).

Evening swims: a little more challenging. They're late at night. And with the change in my rising time, I'm more tired in the evenings.  Q - am I getting something out of group training? (Yes)  Where would they fit in the mornings?   Loading up the weekend with missed workouts is not a particularly good idea (time consuming and tiring).  Swims this week: learned where my head is. Felt what happens when I lift it to see where I am or to breathe.  I practiced rolling to breathe. I learned how to tolerate a lot of water in my nose. I have a pain in my left neck/shoulder area that pinches a nerve. I don't like that.

Rest: I need some. I felt fatigued during the last 30 minutes of my ride today. Maybe a little dehydrated.  However, I'm looking forward to a dawn run on the beach tomorrow with Odie.

Weights:  Easy to float two lift-days around the week based on work schedule. I did not like being away from home even longer Friday night and that was one motivation for skipping the swim practice. (Beware of the couch!)  Before starting this training plan, I had given notice to the gym that I was quitting, in order to save money. But now I have a plan and I'm interested in using it again. But same old dilemma - I like lifting at home - I need some more equipment. Can I save money this way? I need to hit the weights really well to make up for living in a flat country and training for a hilly race.  hmmm.

Core workouts: I think these stretching/rehab workouts are essential and they make me feel good. They're worth the time - generally 20-30 minutes. Foam roller, exercise ball, mat on the floor. Feels nice to be nice to my body.

Weight:  My weight fluctuates by more than 4 lbs this week. Up and down - due no doubt to water - related to soreness, muscle inflammation and so forth.  I'll track my weight, but I am going to feed my need. That's more important, I think.  And when I'm this busy, counting calories in & out is a pain in the ass - too time consuming.  Little voice in my head says, wimp.

I can do this. So, game on.  I'm playing to win.  

Hoek van Holland - long ride

Garmin

Saturday afternoon shopping - eat like food is free

Friday - lifted at the gym on the way home from the office. Was planning to go to swim practice, but decided I'd rather hang with my boys. Will swim this weekend, so no worries.

Will-do's for the weekend:
Sat: 1 hr Run (done), breakfast (done), swim (done), food shop (done). Baking for next weekend's Suzuki workshop (moved to Sunday).
Sun: 2.5 hr bike, breakfast, swim. more food preparation for next week.

And check my list of things I'd like to do around the house. Soak in the tub? Play on the beach? Garden? De-clutter?

French homework. Practice. What else will I really enjoy doing?

W20 Wednesday = learning to drive

Today's workout was supposed to be a tempo run. Monday I couldn't keep my heart rate low enough. Today, I couldn't get it consistently high enough.  I am learning how to run again. I had to really pick up the pace. I ran home from the office and it wasn't til I got home and picked Odie and sprinted a bit that I got my heart rate higher. I ran 40 minutes (4.8 km), including a 5 min w/u and my Av HR was only 111.   I feel like I am learning to find the throttle and the carburetor on a race car.  I feel kind of relaxed about this. I'll figure it out. There's lots and lots of workouts ahead.  While running, I practiced quick turnover.  Plus paying attention to heart rate means I didn't listen to music. Just breath, feet and flesh.

Target heart rate	124-134 beats per minute
Run duration	40  minutes
Workout importance	High
Workout pointers	High aerobic run. Time to pick up the tempo. Stay close to upper range of target heart rate.

Food was a little loose today. I get a tiny bit complacent when I see success on the scale, I think.   I need to get some containers. My avo mashed on the dishes and one of the lids leaked. So balsamic vinegar all over everything. Plus I need to eat more.  I was hungry by the time I finished my morning meeting and walked straight into a pastry and coffee.  Then diet coke and chocolate in French class at 7:00PM. The thing is these foods didn't taste as good as fresh food.   The rest of the day was fine: apricot coconut smoothie with protein powder; ostrich and spinach, big salad with peking duck rice pancakes, banana, HB egg.  Milk.  and something for dinner. 

 I'm so excited to be training. The rest of the day went fine. Now I need to eat something, stretch and go to bed. Cycle tomorrow.

W20 Thursday

 To bed early tonight!  I refuse to get hypnotised by the screen.

Tempo bike - left the house about 6:20 a.m. Cool after some dawn rain. My husband rolled out of bed to ride with me.   The assigned range for a "Temp Bike" was 124-134. I averaged  128.   It was easy to go over and easy to relax a little too low.   I aimed to stay at the upper range of the zone and tried narrowing the HRM range to help me avoid going over. I'm not sure it made staying in the zone easier and may have made me too cautious.    I need to mount the HRM on my handle-bars. It's not possible to check my wrist so often.  I had a lot fun on the ride.  There are nesting swans in one of the lakes I pass.  Beautiful.  My hands were ice-cold for the first 20 minutes.  I love my new bike clothes.  Ave speed for the hour: 19 km/hr. Max was 37 km/hr.   

I researched lane-swimming times in pools around the Hague and found some closer to my house where I can lap swim in the morning or on weekends.  I've now visited four different pools and can read the Dutch words and spot the right swim times for what I want to do.  I might be able to get my coach's permission to swim earlier, before the public hours. But it's possible to swim at 7:00 at a pool halfway between home and my office. I think I could get to work by 9:00.  Or maybe a long lunch? Less likely.

This first week of living in the discovery zone has given me a lot of ideas about being efficient about my training and just getting it Done.

I found a public bus route to the pool in the south of The Hague  - the one where I always get so freaking lost when I drive there. That's a possibility. Plus I could ride my bike when the weather is a little better. I'm not keen on riding in the dark and the wet. Pick One!

Food today hasn't been enough or organised enough.  So far: pre-workout: banana & egg smoothie, post work-0ut: bowl of mueslix and milk, at work: bagel, lox and cream cheese; pork tenderloin slices and apple sauce; watercress soup, yogurt; hb egg; navel orange. Time to go home and eat!

I will do my core stretching and stuff at home, but it is SO NICE to train in the morning. I feel good and relaxed all day - Sometimes I'm a little sleepy in the afternoons, but that's better than feeling anxious about still needing to do my workout.

The last bit is that I continue to learn.   With lower intensity training, my nutrition needs on the bike or a run change:

1. people generally have enough stored glycogen and body fat to workout well at an aerobic (fat-burning level) for up to 90 minutes or even two hours without taking in nutrition during the session.
2. the body needs some glycogen to burn fat.  without taking in some additional carbs, you run the risk of metabolizing protein at the end of a longer workout.
3. bring a gel pack (100-200 calories) in case you start to sag at 90 minutes. but you won't spoil your being in a fat burning by eating a modest amount of carbs. 

When I'm working out at a "low enough" heart rate, I don't need to eat gel or sip a sports drink throughout a workout of moderate length.  But above all I should pay attention to how I feel and adjust.

Tuesday - body awareness

Tuesday morning started early with a dog walk on the beach (clouds!), then a 90 minute bike ride. I learned to tune into my body and notice my heart rate and my breathing. It was magical.   Then back into the kitchen to eat.  I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. Then off to the gym to lift with my son. We had fun together until one of the staff asked if I had arrangements to bring my child out on the floor with me.   We had finished our workout by then anyway.  

Here's a link on the kind of heart rate monitor training that I am following with Mark Allen's coaching.  We exchanged emails today, and I'm smitten. I'm not prone to hero worship, but I can make exceptions. His gentle spirit comes shining through his writing.

Food: normal. Yesterday's calorie count and ratios ended up being exactly on target without a lot of advance planning.

Today so far:  pre-workout smoothie (mango, banana & protein powder), gu-gel and sports drink on the ride,  bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon, asparagus, apricot smoothie (with eggs & coconut) before second workout. Dinner: ostrich steak, seared in olive oil with shallots and tomatoes. Wilted spinach.


Weight is down two lbs since last week. 

Boretti Cycling Amsterdam

Yesterday's bike entry


I had such a fabulous time I don't know where to start.  

Basics: 2.5 hrs
55 km (had some issues with the watch, so I don't know the whole distance - it shut itself off while I was waiting for the drawbridge to finish).
AVR Speed:  22 km/hr
Avr HR 149

Cool, overcast and wet. I will have to invent a better way to eat on the bike.  I goofed around and produced a video short from the photos I took.  Hopefully I will be able to upload it!  Voila! I made a goofy video and uploaded it here.  It's about 90 seconds. 

Now you'll have a voice to match the face.  I felt strong the whole ride. I tried to keep my heart rate down, since I will be training by heart rate. It's hard to do!  My legs are so much stronger from running that cycling feels very different.  Most of the time I was riding alone. Sometimes I was in a pack and drafted behind a group. I could tell from the drop in my heart rate how much easier it is to ride at the same pace when others are in front leading the way.  

Cyclists are very friendly, I think. I stopped to put on my booties because my feet were cold, and immediately another cyclist stopped to see if I needed any help. Another cyclist stopped when I paused to get some food out of my riding bag.  I stopped to help another fellow, who unfortunately had to drop out when his back wheel stopped turning properly. There was nothing I could do, so I continued on after checking that he had a mobile phone and the aid number to call. 

I rode the end of the tour with a young woman who had just bought her first road bike and was out for her second ride.  It was fun to have her company, although we both got lost and took a couple wrong turns at the end. The route was marked with small pink cardboard square that seemed to have disappeared at the last 10 km of the ride!  I certainly would enjoy doing a ride like this again. 

Like at a foot race, the atmosphere was very exciting. I know very little about bike racing. I didn't stay to watch the afternoon's events in the velodrome. N is playing at a friend's house, E's on a bike trip for a couple days and J's away for the weekend racing sail boats. I had said I would pick up N in the late afternoon, so I came back. As it turns out, he's been invited to stay for dinner. I'll have the whole afternoon to myself. All I want to do right now is NAP!  Oh, and eat.

I am just so excited to begin tri- training. I love learning new things, and exploring my potential.  I really enjoyed the sprint tri's I did back in Oregon, and cycling was where I felt strongest.  Now that I'm a runner too, this will be even more fun.

I started listening to We Might as Well Win by John Bruynell about winning the Tour de France with Lance. He's a fabulous coach and the book got great reviews, even from people who don't like bike racing.
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Well, I am going to close here.  I want to eat some more and do the dishes and so on. I have a lot of reading to do about the training program. It's fabulous!  And there's a dog  snoring on the couch who wants some snuggles. 

Oh! I forgot. I got bike clothes. Boretti had a table of great technical riding clothing for sale at cheeeeap prices. I don't have a proper riding coat and wished the whole morning for one. Plus my favorite bike pants are too big now that I am smaller. They pinch.  Problem solved:  They had a special for a whole set of gear --- long pants, shorts, leggings, wind jacket, shirts, arm warmers, and even a coat that has removable sleeves. All kinds of stuff to help me ride in the mornings this summer  (when , as it is here, it will be windy and cool).   I laid them out and snapped a photo. I also got a gigantic gear bag to hold all the triathlon stuff:

It is just way too cool. 

Bloom

view from Saturday afternoon cycle to the tulips