.................Sunday morning. It was one of those in reverse order.
5k Run
15 mile bike
400 yard swim
I was relatively unprepared having spent very little time in the water or on the bike. My goal over the winter was to increment running up to 10 miles and keep my cardio in shape. I made it on Dec 31st. A week later I caught a nasty cold and had to start again at 6 miles, now 8.
But I biked less then 20 miles outdoors (all in the last week). The rest was on the stationary bike - recumbent. Never more than 9 miles (for a 15 mile event).
I swam a couple of times, including one complete mile, but no drills.
I almost didn't bother with the event. But I had committed emotionally to it, and despite misgivings about being under-trained, I figured, what the heck, go and have fun. And so I did.
Friday I ran 2 miles as a last gasp effort to get ready. The second mile was ~9 min pace - fastest in months. My 3-minute recovery rate dropped from about 170 (not sure the exact rate, but I was huffing pretty good for several minutes) to 102! That convinced me that my cardio was ready.
So, I relaxed my mind-set and my speed expectations. I set my heart monitor with a strategy of 75% for the run and 80%+ on the bike. It was a local event, with several friends in the field. The potential for fun was high, except for the 40F temp. It was my first cold bike ride.
The run went according to plan.
The 15-20 mph wind kicked me in the butt on the bike. So did the few training miles in an actual saddle. Ouch! The wind seemed to always be in my face. My legs gave way before my cardio, so the heart rate strategy died on the vine.
The swim wound up being very congested, and I under-performed there as well.
So I scored myself a 50% - 2 out of 4. 1 for running success and 1 for finishing! My times weren't much worse than similar events with oodles of prep. The water finish loosened me up and warmed down those tight bike muscles. I feel great today.
5k Run
15 mile bike
400 yard swim
I was relatively unprepared having spent very little time in the water or on the bike. My goal over the winter was to increment running up to 10 miles and keep my cardio in shape. I made it on Dec 31st. A week later I caught a nasty cold and had to start again at 6 miles, now 8.
But I biked less then 20 miles outdoors (all in the last week). The rest was on the stationary bike - recumbent. Never more than 9 miles (for a 15 mile event).
I swam a couple of times, including one complete mile, but no drills.
I almost didn't bother with the event. But I had committed emotionally to it, and despite misgivings about being under-trained, I figured, what the heck, go and have fun. And so I did.
Friday I ran 2 miles as a last gasp effort to get ready. The second mile was ~9 min pace - fastest in months. My 3-minute recovery rate dropped from about 170 (not sure the exact rate, but I was huffing pretty good for several minutes) to 102! That convinced me that my cardio was ready.
So, I relaxed my mind-set and my speed expectations. I set my heart monitor with a strategy of 75% for the run and 80%+ on the bike. It was a local event, with several friends in the field. The potential for fun was high, except for the 40F temp. It was my first cold bike ride.
The run went according to plan.
The 15-20 mph wind kicked me in the butt on the bike. So did the few training miles in an actual saddle. Ouch! The wind seemed to always be in my face. My legs gave way before my cardio, so the heart rate strategy died on the vine.
The swim wound up being very congested, and I under-performed there as well.
So I scored myself a 50% - 2 out of 4. 1 for running success and 1 for finishing! My times weren't much worse than similar events with oodles of prep. The water finish loosened me up and warmed down those tight bike muscles. I feel great today.
