Week 22 was a great week in some respects. I got 4 really solid rides in, 3 of which were done outside on the road. I managed to not let the closing of my pool mess up my swim workouts too much. And, I got more running in than I had planned. Not too much to complain about, but I can find a few things...
Iowa in April has to be one of the most windy places on the planet. Something about the contour of the land must lend itself to having the wind sucked across it (because you all know that wind is sucked, not blown, right??). Wind and bike riding do not go hand in hand. Windy days on a bike can make you miserable and grumpy. But God, in His wisdom, only makes it REALLY windy in Iowa in the springtime. Because He knows that after a long Iowa winter, we Iowans are SO happy to be able to get out of the house that we'll do it even if the wind blows us right off the road.
Sparkle and I took advantage of the nice temps on Sunday to go for a 2 hour ride. With a 20-25mph headwind out of the south, we headed straight south into the wind for the first 3/4 of the ride. It was as miserable as we thought it would be, sometimes pedaling downhill in the granny gears hitting a whopping 9-10mph. We stopped for some nourishment by a bridge and watched some other riders force their bikes in the same fashion. After some refreshing gels (ack!), we headed back north with another rider who had stopped to join us for the return trip. With the stiff breeze at my back, I was able to see just what the IronMaiden was capable of. I think I was able to maintain about 23-27 mph the whole return trip, using the big gears that I rarely get to use! It was so fun, but over very quickly. Next time, I think we'll just drive to Des Moines and ride the bikes back with the tailwind the whole way. Friday, I needed to get another long ride in because I was heading to Colorado again over the weekend. It was slightly less windy that day. I needed a 2 1/2 hour ride, so to get the ride in before the sunset, I did a 60 minute loop by myself and then when Sparkle got off work, she joined me for another 1 1/2 hours.
All of my runs felt terrible all week. I just didn't have any energy for them and my heart rate was way out of range for the whole week. The temps crept up all week, topping out at 90 on Thursday. The temps and the wind, along with the crummy feeling all week, really began to make me bitter. By Saturday, I wasn't really excited about taking a long run. Saturday morning, we met out at the lake, and the temps were in the 50's and there was no wind to speak of, and the run felt great the whole time. I could have run another 7.5 miles! It was a great way to end the week.
I think I've kinda figured out what to do about the pool situation. The Beyer pool at ISU is really busy all the time. It turns out that having to share a lane with 4 or 5 other people actually makes me swim faster and not rest near as much between sets. I am way more focused on my workouts, primarily so that I get myself in and out of there as fast as possible. I didn't get the yardage I needed this week, but as I get everything sorted out, I think I'll be okay.
On Saturday, I boarded a plane to Colorado to go see the girls again. Here's one picture for this week and I'll post more in a couple of days:
Lauren Ruth and Sophie Elizabeth
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 3800 yards
Bike: 7 hours, 35 minutes
Run: 21 miles
1 comment:
And I held off asking because I thought you were busy. Little did I know you were just testing us.
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