Friday, March 27, 2009

Blame It On The Rain

March 27, 2009 -

I've been avoiding the rain when it comes to biking for a bit now, but today was the day I changed that because waiting for a day to not rain in Seattle in the Spring, would have me never training outside. I knew yesterday that I was going to bike outside no matter what. I've been using the trainer as an easy-out when I don't feel like braving the elements....more specifically, the rain.

I wonder however, if because of that I'm not getting as strong on the bike as I need to. I had a long bike today and this morning it was 45 degrees, cloudy, and dry....perfect....let's do this.

I gear up, pump the tires, fill the water bottle and head out the door....and....rain. But what would some rain be without some sweet wind too? Whatever, still hit it and I wasn't going for any leisurely roll today. I cranked it hard for the first hour. I hit 19.8mph which was a pretty impressive speed considering a spattering of hills, rain and a huge headwind on the back half.

On the second hour I had hill focus which slowed the pace back down. There were a couple times on the downhills that the wind gusts were actually blowing my bike over, it was a balancing act for sure.

Solid day on the bike though, I was pumped to know that my pace has increased 2 mph from the last time I did that ride and my legs weren't even spent. I hit the pool after for a strong swim!

Day 86 Training Log - Today I had a two hour bike and a 1000 continuous swim. It was actually supposed to be my first open-water swim of the season, but there is no where around here that is even remotely warm enough for that. My ride was strong and I saw definite improvement on the bike however it was cold. I was freezing for awhile afterward. For the 1000 yard continuous swim, I hit the pool and just cranked, no stops, and med-fast pace. I finished the swim about 3 minutes faster than my usual pace so that was a sweet improvement too.

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