On Saturday, I went down to Visalia with Team in Training for my favorite run on Yokhl road. Uh huh. My favorite run. Right. Not so much this time. It was sideways pouring rain for the first half. Like so awful, as my friend Katie described it, it was like little knives stabbing your face. Yeah, just awesome. I set out to do the full 20 miles with Katie. At mile 5ish, I was already feeling low on energy and had a lightbulb moment. As in "what the f* am I doing this to myself for?" See, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm slightly OCD and massochistic and not very good at putting my health above impressing myself/ the imaginary people that I pretend care about my training. Let's examine the facts - I ran 20 miles last weeked. My schedule only called for 15 miles this weekend. And oh yeah, I'd barely had anything to eat all week because I almost died from the stomach flu this week (ok, minor exaggeration, but like I said, I was low on energy and it was raining). So I did something that is very unusual for me while running - I turned around early. I ended up with 15 miles total and didn't die. Score one for me exercising an ounce of intelligence for once.
On Sunday, I should have gone for a 3 hour bike ride. And I could have. There was a perfect 3 hour window in the morning when (a) it wasn't raining and (b) a group of my friends were riding. But I didn't. I slept in. Like no alarm clocks, just slept in. And then I did exactly what I'd been fantasizing about for those 15 rainy miles on Saturday morning - I sat in my chair, by the fire, curled up in a blanket and read my book (on book 3 of the Hunger Games trilogy!) And I snacked. A lot. My appetite is finally back. It was wonderful. I felt so smart.
According to my friend Kelly, I get credit for a bike ride though because I did spend some time pimping my ride - zebra print handlebar tape, new black water cages (to match the zebra print handlebar tape), clip-on aero bars, and even front and back light mounts that I can clip lights into if I'm every riding home late and it gets dark. I'm totally aware that this probably added 12 pounds to my bike and that won't make me faster. But it does make me cuter and safer, and I have priorities.
 |
| Zebras are fast. Therefore, this will make me fast. |
 |
| I'm aware that I have the largest goody bag ever on my frame. I'm also aware there's a box of ho-hos on my counter. I swear they aren't going in the goody bag. |
 |
| Hey - at least I didn't go this far with the bike makeover! |
This morning I woke up feeling rested and ready to tackle what promises on the schedule to be a tough week. I did 90 minutes on the bike trainer this morning. I know the trainer isn't ideal, but (a) it was 37 degrees outside and that's just stupid and (b) it gave me a good chance to try out aero position without falling into a diesel truck. I'll go for a real ride when it's warmer Wednesday.
Tonight I have a 30 minute swim on the schedule. This is the first time in a while that the calendar has just said to swim continuously for a set amount of time. I'm actually eager to find out how much distance I can cover in half an hour. The swim tonight is really just a primer for the morning though, the training plan I'm following wants me to focus on technique tonight and then remember that in the morning when I have my longest swim yet - 90 minutes! Yikes! I'm actually looking forward to it. As it turns out, being a couch potato is fun, but only for a little while. Now it's time to get back to work : )
That is so awesome you have aero bars...and that you didn't end up getting hit by a diesel! :) They are fantastic, and the zebra tape, well, you're right: it makes you even cuter! Good job, glad you're back to being healthy and the massochist we all know and love!
ReplyDelete