The Salt Lake bike tour was not a race. It takes place on the Salt Lake marathon course and is actually supposed to be limited to 30 mph.
Still, I really wanted the experience of riding with others and get a feel for that biking competitive event. This was my first biking event ever.
The tour started at 6 am in the pitch black night in the rain. I really did not feel very safe. Having no light was a challenge and the rain was reducing the visibility even further. At the halfway point the visibility improved with the day light.
The tour was really fun, I learned to draft behind other cyclist (eventhough it won't be authorized in my triathlons),led the race (oops the tour) for a while.
We finished the course in a little over an hour and because of the rain and visibility issues I didn't push very hard. I finished in the top group satisfied with this fun first experience.
When I stopped the bike to get some food at the end of the course, I quickly cooled down and with the rain and a bit of 35F cool wind, I became hypothermic almost immediately. I had planned to return home biking but it quickly became evident that I was in no condition to do so. I stopped at a cafe and warmed up in front of the fireplace for an hour and then requested a pick up..
Fun experience overall
Today, was another first for me. In my Masters swim class I broke 1 mile swimming. Okay it took me about 45 minutes but I finished...
I would even say that I could have swum longer. I did not feel exhausted to the point of drowning.. Encouraging.
This week, I still have to plan my training. Since I finished my spinning class, I have been a bit off my game in terms of training. With the start of the swim group I need to re-plan my biking and running times around that. My finanal phase of ironman training for my race in September starts mid-June so I have to have a solid plan until then.
Currently the thinking is Swim 3x per week Monday, Wed., Thu. @6am
Then 1 long run per week, 1 fast sustained (tempo) run. I am thinking of doing 1 hour on the treadmill at 9mph for that. I have never trained that way but I did that a couple of weeks ago and it really pushed my more than I probably would have done by myself outside. I will probably need a 3rd run somewhere in the week but I am undecided on what to do. Maybe a mid distance 6 to 10 miles with the dogs, Maybe some speedwork...
The bike is where I am most unsure. I should probably go to work and back with my bike as the weather allows, but it is still a bit cold for that. Also the 6am swim means I would have to bike on the road at night to get there and I dont like that. Another solution would be to buy a trainer but I am a bit short on cash as I am remodeling the basement right now...
Still, I really wanted the experience of riding with others and get a feel for that biking competitive event. This was my first biking event ever.
The tour started at 6 am in the pitch black night in the rain. I really did not feel very safe. Having no light was a challenge and the rain was reducing the visibility even further. At the halfway point the visibility improved with the day light.
The tour was really fun, I learned to draft behind other cyclist (eventhough it won't be authorized in my triathlons),led the race (oops the tour) for a while.
We finished the course in a little over an hour and because of the rain and visibility issues I didn't push very hard. I finished in the top group satisfied with this fun first experience.
When I stopped the bike to get some food at the end of the course, I quickly cooled down and with the rain and a bit of 35F cool wind, I became hypothermic almost immediately. I had planned to return home biking but it quickly became evident that I was in no condition to do so. I stopped at a cafe and warmed up in front of the fireplace for an hour and then requested a pick up..
Fun experience overall
Today, was another first for me. In my Masters swim class I broke 1 mile swimming. Okay it took me about 45 minutes but I finished...
I would even say that I could have swum longer. I did not feel exhausted to the point of drowning.. Encouraging.
This week, I still have to plan my training. Since I finished my spinning class, I have been a bit off my game in terms of training. With the start of the swim group I need to re-plan my biking and running times around that. My finanal phase of ironman training for my race in September starts mid-June so I have to have a solid plan until then.
Currently the thinking is Swim 3x per week Monday, Wed., Thu. @6am
Then 1 long run per week, 1 fast sustained (tempo) run. I am thinking of doing 1 hour on the treadmill at 9mph for that. I have never trained that way but I did that a couple of weeks ago and it really pushed my more than I probably would have done by myself outside. I will probably need a 3rd run somewhere in the week but I am undecided on what to do. Maybe a mid distance 6 to 10 miles with the dogs, Maybe some speedwork...
The bike is where I am most unsure. I should probably go to work and back with my bike as the weather allows, but it is still a bit cold for that. Also the 6am swim means I would have to bike on the road at night to get there and I dont like that. Another solution would be to buy a trainer but I am a bit short on cash as I am remodeling the basement right now...
