Bed at 10:30 PM. Woke at 6 AM.
6 hour bike//45 minute run (about five miles)
7 hours total (15 ghost minutes are for 2 short stops and transitioning off the bike)
120.15 miles
20 mph average
195 watt average
light north winds
Last night the forecast was showing ENE winds changing to WSW halfway through my ride. So my plan last night was to ride to Winters and beyond to 56 miles, then turnaround.
When I checked my phone this morning, winds were showing NW and not changing. So I decided to ride to Stamford and beyond to 56 then turnaround. 112 total...at least. Really wanting to get 6 hours in the saddle (not counting stops).
It was 47 degrees when I left.
Wore my black pearl Izumi thermal long sleeve, green jersey, bike shorts, Long black zoot compression socks, gloves. It was freezing for the first 90 minutes or so.
I took 4 accel gels and my pepper spray with me. Also had a bottle of water, my frame bladder filled up, and 2 scoops of accelerade/water.
Went up Eastlake to 1082. West to Westlake (FM 600) and north to 180. Headed west towards Anson but turned right on 1226(??) due north to Stamford. It was right at this turn that I had to get my pepper spray out. 2 menacing, fur ruffled dogs came running out at me. I pointed the bottle at one of them and was prepared to spray, but I think seeing something pointed his direction made him back off. Adrenaline was going. John B. hit a stupid dog last week which sent him flying over his handlebars. I love dogs...but I will kill a dog.
I was heading into a light head wind but averaged 20 mph the first 20 miles, then the second. I hit Stamford at 42 miles and decided to continue on Hwy 6 towards Rule until I got to 56.
I ALMOST decided to go all the way to Rule (and it turns out I could have easily), which would have put me at around 61 miles out (122 miles total), but decided not to tempt fate and turned around at 56.
At mile 60 I stopped and took this video...just to show how incredibly flat and sparse this part of the country is. Most people, I assume, would get discouraged at seeing nothing but road and grass with no end in sight...it actually excites me and makes me very happy. I'm weird. Especially when wind is not too bad.
Made it back to Stamford and stopped to get a bottle of water (a tip I learned from JB) at the 70 mile mark. Had my pepper spray out at 84 miles when I passed the danger dogs, but there was no sign of them.
I decided to stay on 1082 all the way to 351 instead of turning on east lake. Came down 351 and hit 112 miles while still averaging 20 mph. Time was 5:34:51. Had 25+ minutes to go so I rode around close to Heritage Parks for another half hour. Hit 120 miles...good feeling.
Took about 5 minutes to transition.
Kept my thermal on and put a black, cotton, long sleeve on over it. Trying to simulate hot conditions of Houston. Started my run at 6:15 hour mark and ran to 7...out to my 2 mile mark and back, then about another mile around the neighborhood. So the two stops on the bike took about 10 minutes, and I took another five to transition.
Feel great.
Let's talk nutrition...
I didn't need water first 90 minutes because it was too dang cold. But I forced myself to start sipping Accelerade at 90 minutes...alternating water and accelerade every ten minutes until the end of the ride.
1 bottle with 2 scoops usually lasts me about 4 hours. I'm going to make 1 bottle with 2.5 scoops disappear during the first half of the ride on race day...so planning on taking in just a few more liquid calories at that time. Total of 2 bottles, 600 calories, 6 gels, 600 calories for the bike on May 19. If I hit my goal of six hours that means about 200 calories per hour on race day.
I take a gel every hour on the hour, starting at 2 hours...so four total today.
Time REALLY starts to go by fast after that 2 hour mark...it's really weird. Like you can actually see the seconds ticking by faster.
At six hours (120 miles), I was out of accelerade and still had about 1/4 bottle of water left...had some extra after picking some up in Stamford.
I had my hand bottle filled with water and 1 scoop of accelerade...took a few swigs of that, ate a banana bread LARA bar (those are very easy on my stomach) and put the hand bottle in my mail box. When I got back from doing four miles, I grabbed the bottle and finished it off the last mile.
I've decided to start wearing my winter workout gear as much as I can for the last month of training...hopefully that will get me maybe a little taste of the heat? It may not do much, but it's the best I can do...especially when it's 47 degrees at the start of my peak ride.
I have a 2 hour run tomorrow, and I'll probably wear my winter tights and a long sleeve shirt (for at least the first hour anyway).
Menu:
pre-ride - blended salad (romaine lettuce, tahini, dates, banana)
ride - see above
post-ride - recovery pudding (1/2 c frozen blueberries, 1 banana, 1/4 c soaked almonds, 2 tbsp of carob powder, hemp protein and flaxseed, juice of 1 lemon)...LOVE that stuff.
Dinner - 2 trips through JD salad bar (4th day of JD in a row...), 3 organic wheat/seed crackers, cranberry/walnut mix
Dessert - 3 LARA bars
Snack - 2 Ezekial tortillas with organic black beans from NG and salsa, Nikki's (no sugar vanilla with strawberries and cherries), small bowl of salsa with blue corn chips
Not a great eating day...but I trained a long time.
Planning on "Cindy" early in the morning...then a 13 mile run during girls' nap time in the afternoon while wearing winter gear.
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