Tired Legs???

So tomorrow I wrap up my biggest week of training to date. The original plan was to race Iron Eagle out in Cheney. But with the next few weeks packed with races too, coach and I decided this weekend would better be spent getting in one last BIG brick workout.

Leading up to Saturday was full of bike rides. To the point that I actually sent my coach a text making sure there wasn't some sort of mistake. Not that I am afraid of a few bike rides but this was HUGE volume and new to the workout schedule.

Monday was used for a nice "shake the legs out" ride. Since I had the day off, Eric B. and I heading out towards Deer Park and back. It was great to ride with a new face and always better then riding by yourself. I finished the ride with Greg and Nat and before I knew it, 3 hours had passed and it was time to relax. Not bad the day after the first Olympic of the season.

Tuesday was a nice run that started off as a struggle just to get out the door and finished with an enjoyable run ending just before 8pm. I really like these longer days. You can procrastinate after work and still get in a quality workout.

Wednesday was back on the bike to ride the newly named "Hills Kitchen". It is a set of tough hills near Dartford. The ride was hard but sharing the pain with Greg and Nate sure made it go by faster.

Thursday was brutal. I had a long ride again and had to do it all by myself. I left work early and struggled through the entire ride. I did head up Mt. Spokane and actually really enjoyed the climb. My SI was bothering me a bit in aero so the seated climb was a great change of pace. Not to mention what goes up must come down:)

As rare as me passing on dessert, Friday was a nice day off. It was good to relax a bit and know that I didn't have to try and fit in a workout. Instead I spent the night bowling with my Tri-Fusion peeps. It was great seeing everyone in a different environment and with something besides tri tops and bike shorts. And with today's brick looming overhead, it was great to take the mind off of triathlons.

So here we are on Saturday and I just wrapped up my longest ride EVER, 6 hours. Greg and Roger picked me up at 6:30 this morning and we headed over to CDA to the Ironman course. The plan was to beat some of the heat and get an early start. It is always difficult to find the enthusiasm for a day that involves 7 hours of working out and no finish line at the end.

The first loop was a struggle from the beginning. My bike was shifting like shit and I was dropped from the the group of Greg, Rog and Ron like a rock. They were off into the sunrise and I was left in the dust to try and push my tired body to the end. We finished the first loop just before 11 and loaded up to head out again.

When we left for the second time, I honestly didn't know what condition I would be in on return. I actually felt much better the second loop and was able to raise my heart rate and felt like I finished strong. I then headed out on a run with Greg and did my first big brick of the season. The run was tough, the temperature was hot but when it was done, I have crested the Ironman training peak and now it is time to get enjoy a few weekend races and get ready for the big day.

After tomorrow's recovery ride I believe I will have been on my bike for 16 hours and in my mind that is absolutely crazy but I did sign up for this and I know that it is how you become an Ironman.

3 WEEKS:)