Two Down - Eighteen Weeks to Go!

Two weeks of my 20 week Ironman training plan are done.  I'm halfway through my 4 week base building phase.  After a day off last Sunday I spent Monday afternoon riding with folks from the Southern Crescent Cycling club.  I started the ride still feeling sore from the previous week's training.  The fact that I'd worked all Sunday night until the sun came up on Monday morning didn't help either.  We rode 29 miles.  I hung back with one other rider and we averaged about 18.7 mph.  All in all, it was a good ride for me and, more importantly, I didn't quit.

On Tuesday afternoon Chip and I swam in the lake.  We chased off some Canada Geese and walked carefully through a mine field of goose poo to the water.

Canada Geese exiting our vicinity

One of many presents left by the geese

The lake water level was let down earlier in the year for dredging and, with the drought, it has yet to recover.

Chip gingerly enters the water

Me finishing my 1.7 mile swim

Exiting the lake

This was the first time this year that I've swam in my tri shorts.  I noticed significantly less drag from my usual long blue bathing suit.  The different between the two suits meant an approximate 20 seconds per 100 meters in time savings.

I always finish my Ironman training with a cold glass of beer from JailHouse Brewing Company

If it sounds like I'm endorsing JailHouse Brewing that's because I am.  They've been very supportive of the cycling community in McDonough and I think they should be recognized for that.  Not to mention the fact that the beer is pretty good too!

Wednesday was a bike day.  For a change of pace, Chip, Richard and I decided to ride the Silver Comet Trail.  We met at Highland Station Shopping Center at 8:30am. I put my Flashpoint FP60 carbon wheels on my bike and brought my Giro Advantage 2 aero helmet for the ride.  Chip warned me that he and Richard would be loaded for bear.  Chip was right, he was loaded for bear for the first  50 miles.  Since we were riding 75 miles he ran out of powder 25 miles too soon.  In his defense, he did pull a good bit of that 50 miles.  Richard was spunky.  Apparently, he's been doing some training.  Figuratively speaking, I felt less than adequate until I saw the blood in the water left by Chip, then I felt fine.  Who else would be there to point out your weaknesses if it weren't for your friends?  We'd planned for a run afterwards but that didn't happen.  On a side note, Chip also broke a screw on his aerobars and ejected a water bottle 3 times.  It just wasn't his day!  I only averaged 19.3 mph.  That speed included a slow jaunt through the city of Rockmart in search of a convenience store which I never found.  I had forgotten my snacks.  Chip gave me some of his Shot Bloks which I really like.  They're tasty, easy to eat, and not messy.

Thursday was a working the yard day followed by a 44:30 minute - 1 mile swim and a 38:07 minute - 4.75 mile run.  I didn't try to kill myself, I just wanted to meet my goal without sacrificing my Peachtree Road Race preparations.

Friday was 28 mile ride in the afternoon with Junior and Terry.  Two guys from Southern Crescent Cycling.  It was supposed to be a recovery ride but we still averaged almost 19 mph.

Saturday was supposed to be a long run day but, again, I cut it back to only 5.45 miles.

When everything was said and done, I worked out 11 hours and 2 minutes this week which is just over the 10 hours 45 minutes my plan called for.  When broken down it equates to swimming 2.74 miles, riding 133.78 miles, and running 14.95 miles.

On Sunday I'm going to the PRR Expo.  I'll bring my camera.

Thanks for reading about my boring training.