I'll be honest: I still get a bit of the butterflies every time I go out for a bike ride. All the unknowns and uncertainties give me a sense of excitement and a bit of a thrill. The scar on my right leg is still healing [and I'm still in the process of getting my original helmet replaced] ~ which are both constant reminders of all the "coulds" and possibilities of what can happen when riding a bike. But it's also a reminder of where I've been and how far I've come. I'm getting the chance to gain so much perspective and particularly these days ~ work more closely on the mental aspect of training. It's about how you look at things. If we don't train in adverse conditions or get thrown around a little bit (in life, or in training), we don't get the opportunity to get back up, learn from it, and move forward. The handful of experiences I've had -- good, bad & ugly -- have certainly helped me to gain a kind of confidence I didn't know I could have. Which is more than I could have asked for.
When will I have EVER gotten the chance to swim in the Bay just for the hell of it? When and how would I have gotten the motivation to get up one morning to go on a bike ride and be exposed to some of the most serene and peaceful rolling hills and farms right in my backyard? Sure... I could go without ever having these experiences. But now that I've been exposed to what's possible, I just can't stop.
The bike ride was beautiful. Glamorous, no. A renowned race course by any means -- no. But it was another chance to be outdoors, work some more on my bike handling and enjoy the time with my teammates and back in the saddle :) I had a bit of a lingering pang in my left calf so I tried to challenge myself as much as reasonably possible. I have a feeling it may have come up from some one-legged drills during my spin/brick earlier in the week. Plan to stretch and foam-roll it during the week.
I'm feeling stronger with each new bike ride. Working within the different heart rate zones (and my lactate threshold) has done wonders for my perceived exertion and how much I think I can push it on the bike. I averaged about 12 mph during this ride, which is an improvement from where I started. But I'm going to keep working toward getting up to 15 mph so I'm race ready. I successfully held my own toward the middle of the pack for a few miles, then took my time on one of the hills. For the steepest descend, Tony was there to give me a heads up to get in the drops (of my handlebars) and feather my front brake. I took it with gusto and enjoyed the ride down. Tony and I had our usual entertaining banter on the way back, just before I dropped my chain, getting back into CoCo County. I had a good groove going -- but it was ok. I didn't let the unexpected stop or interruption get me down. We cruised down Crow Canyon Road and rode right by Liz who caught us before we missed our turn. I found myself in another weird spot of the road and couldn't easily turn right around, but again welcomed and accepted the unexpected stop and readjusted. Soon after, we were pulling back up into our starting point and I felt great. After bidding my teammates well after lunch, I had the afternoon wide open to enjoy some wine tasting and fun with my friends outside the Team. A great end to a great day.
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Sunday morning had a wake-up call of 5 a.m. Only instead of immediately suiting up into spandex, I threw on my jeans and Nikes for a day of spectating :) Yes, this would be the morning of watching my very first real triathlon event: The 30th Annual Escape from Alcatraz International Distance Triathlon. Coach Sedonia, Tony, Heather, & Paula from my Team (and even a couple partners from my firm) were going to be taken on a ferry to the prison island, and forced to jump ship to swim 1.5 miles back to shore. This was then followed by an 18-mile bike ride through the busy SF streets; and a challenging 8-mile run through some tough hills, including a sandy beach terrain.
Coach Mike, Phil & I got to the course early and scoped out the transition area. I have to tell you -- just BEING THERE made me nervous! The feel of a real triathlon setting gave me goosebumps.
I watched my seasoned and accomplished teammates with pride and excitement ~ coming out of the Bay and quickly stripping down out of their wetsuits, throwing on their running shoes and doing a short 0.5-mile jog to transition; coming in on their bikes with full force and going out strong for their run. Here are photos of both Sedonia and Tony (in the red & white Team Shadow tri top) fresh out of the water and heading for T1 ~ with giant smiles:
I was in the presence of extraordinary athletes and true greatness. Seeing the pro triathletes before my very eyes ~ their effortless pedal strokes on the bike, their smooth and relaxed rhythm on the run, and their unbelievably strong finishes -- brushing just past us two inches away... Hunter Kemper; Andy Potts; Chris McCormack. I was truly in awe. And starstruck, to tell you the truth!
As he breezed right past us, I knew I recognized him from t.v., seeing his interview at the 2009 Ironman World Championships in Kona. But Mike affirmed it immediately: "Holy ****, that's Macca!" Unmistakably, it was Chris "Macca" McCormack, the Aussie, and 2007 Ironman World Champion. My heart completely leapt and I only wished I could have caught a glimpse of more than a second of him.
As we lined up outside the finish line, I saw them all! Tony; Sedonia; Paula; Heather. All had huge smiles on their faces and finished Iron-strong. We were so proud of them!! We congratulated each of them at the Finishers Circle on a job very well done. Here's one of Sedonia (a.k.a. Coach Yosh); her Mom, Mary (a.k.a. Mama Yosh); and Coach Mike:
Somewhere in the midst of our mingling, Mike shouted out another, "There he is!" and my face immediately lit up. I walked over and approached Chris, telling him how much he inspires me. He was so down to earth, and wished me well for Louisville. And of course, the look on his face after I told him I'm a novice triathlete, training for my first Ironman was priceless.
After a 6-hour day on our feet, the cheering squad left The Rock and were East Bay-bound. I got to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with my friend, Ryan, and barbecued oysters for the first time in my life -- and it turned out to be the hilarious, fun & utterly delicious experience [after trial and error!] we thought it might be :) Fabulous weekend and I couldn't have asked for a better one.
***
Week #25 Workout Summary:
Swim: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Bike: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 0 hours and 10 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 20 minutes
Total Workout: 5 hours and 0 minutes
My Fundraising Progress to Date: $8,105
Just think, MCA and MaCcA - a match made in heaven ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of two heroes!
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