Bike

• 2h 00m 07s
• 35.06 miles
• 17.51 Mi/hr

Pete and I got to the lake about 6 a.m., but it was too foggy to swim. We would not have been able to swim anyway because there is a military operation going on out there; soldiers were everywhere.

It was also too foggy to bike, so we drank our coffee and chatted with a couple of fisherman while we waited for it to burn off. After an hour, FINALLY the fog lifted and we were off. But the humidity was 96%; ICK!

Pete brought his Tri bike for the first time on these hills. I rode Roo out here last week and then had that epic fail solo ride Friday. This ride went MUCH better. I feel comfortable on the Tri bike with the new gearing on hills now. I spent a lot of time worrying that my gears would be too big, but they feel just right. This crank set is SO FLUID, it feels like I am swimming on my bike.... SMOOTH as a baby's bottom! I am amazed at how easy it is to spin it uphill.

We went all the way to Camp Mackall and a bit farther to ensure our 2 hours of time; then headed back. I feel a lot more confident now that I am getting my bike fitness back, and that I'll be able to handle Roo at Augusta.

Strength

• 35m

BT Core

Sport

• Yoga
• 45m

Run

• 47m 01s
• 4.71 miles
• 09m 58s /Mi

Make up session for Monday's missed run.

Swim

• 35m
• 1450.00 yards
• -----

Swim: Speed day
wu: 300 continuous. slowly increasing pace each 100
main: 20 x 50, odds at RPE 4, evens at RPE 9!
cd: 150 easy, hold form

I ran into Shelly at the pool! Was good to see a friendly face. I'm used to swimming alone in the early morning, but I got lazy today. I figured I'd swim after work since I was getting off at 1:00 p.m.

Bike

• 1h 33m 22s
• 23.96 miles
• 15.40 Mi/hr

This was the ride from heck! I would normally go to safe Preacher Road for my solo ride, but decided to head to Camp Mackall since I needed more road for this 90 min ride. I was hoping the traffic would not be too bad. I got out to the parking area at the American Trail on the Fort Bragg Military Reservation and the air was thick with smoke. Had to be a code red out there (cough, cough)! Got Roo ready and off we went. It was slow going on those hills, but I figured at least I am building my fitness level. I could not WAIT to cross HWY 211 so I could FLY down the other side towards Camp Mackall. Plus I would feel safer from traffic after that. But the VERY moment I got there, BOOM!!! Thunder crashed! I felt a couple of drops of rain. Even though the sky looked like it would hold out, I decided I'd better head back towards the car (I was 30 min out). I figured if I could just get back to the road my car is parked on, I could just do out-and-backs on that road to finish my time and be near my car should the storm start. Cars were whizzing by me left and right (well, really just left). I finally made it back to the car and took a quick intermission. Then I headed in the opposite direction, which is the way I usually run when I do a brick out there.

As soon as I started out, the wind picked up and tried to scoop me and Tiny Roo right up off the street! But I kept going. The road was SO rough that it was sucking the energy right out of my body. Ughh.

I kept going beyond my normal run turn-around into unknown territoy until the road dead ended at a highway. I still needed to add a few minutes, so I opted to do an extra out-and-back on a side street. As soon as I turned onto it.... YIKES! Little white girl on a $$$$ bike wearing $$$$ gadgets does NOT fit in here! But I kept going and the farther I got, the worse it got.

What does it mean when black chicken crosses your path? I tried to get a pic, but he ran away too FAST!

I got the the end of that road and the scariest looking, run down, trashy empty houses were there. I took a few photos, and here is one posted. All I could think was that they look like the kind of places women get carried off to and raped.

I think I'll stick with Preacher Road for my solo rides from now on. It is the only place I feel safe.

Side note: Yes, I looked this up. I NEVER would have guessed that a chicken can run 9 mph! I don't even think I can run that fast! Maybe I should change my blog title to "Chicken in Training?"

Run

• 1h 36m 57s
• 10.00 miles
• 09m 42s /Mi

I rode in a chariot this morning!

I popped awake at 3:00 a.m. for the 3rd day in a row. So I had coffee (and tinkered around), walked my dog at 4:00 a.m., then hit the road by 4:30. The crickets were deafening today!

In Chi Running class, we learned that we should relax our arms, legs, and shoulders and let the running come from the core. My mother raised me to have good posture and to hold my shoulders back (no slouching). Plus I served in the military where we pulled our shoulders back (no slouching). I CANNOT relax my shoulders down when running! I am SO used to ALWAYS holding and pulling my shoulders back, that I simply cannot relax them down. This actually causes tension in my back and shoulders while running.

Now when I run, I try to remember to relax my shoulders, but just a few seconds later I have them pulled right back again.

This morning as I focusing on Chi running form and struggling with this, I realized that the pulling back of the shoulders was kind of like pulling back on the reins of a horse causing it to slow down. So I tried to focus on NOT pulling back on the reins. As I loosened up on the reins, I found myself riding in a Roman chariot! My sleek, black horse was free to move forward so long as I did not pull back on the reins. But if I pulled back on the reins it would slow down. I still struggle with this, but maybe over time, I'll let that horse run totally free!

Swim

• 55m
• 2300.00 yards
• -----

Swim: Race-specific
wu: 250 easy
5 x 50, odds are 100%, evens recovery. 10sec rest between
main: 4 x 400, 1 is RPE 3, 2 and 3 are RPE 4, 4 is RPE 5
cd: 200 easy

First the lifeguard, now the front desk guy, Cecil. He said that I always look "wow" when I come in the door and that I look so "athletic." I'll certainly take the "look athletic" as a compliment! Awhile back, one of my coworkers told another employee that I am a triathlete, and the employee looked me up and down and said, "Really? You don't look like a triathlete." (sigh)

Run #1

• 30m 22s
• 3.23 miles
• 09m 24s /Mi

Two hooded thugs ruined my run (pout). Nothing happened. Just seeing them was enough to send me running for home.

I popped awake at 3 a.m. so I decided to get up and have coffee. I took my dog for her walk at 4:00 a.m. and was ready to run by 4:40. I did my warm up loop around the back of the subdivision, then stopped at my water stop. The sweat was POURING off of me from the humidity, so I did something I've NEVER done before. I took my shirt off. Women run in sports bras all the time and I didn't expect anyone else to be out that early anyway. I was a little anxious about being in a sports bra and shorts, but I felt so FREE!

Sure enough as I was rounding the front corner of my neighborhood, I saw a couple of thuggish looking guys dressed all in black just standing on the street.

My run route is shaped like a ladder and I was about to make a right onto the next ladder rung anyway, so I turned before I got to them. But I knew that if I followed my normal route, the next ladder rung would pop me right back out where they were lying in wait! I thought, do I ignore them and just continue my run? Or do I cut it short and get the heck out of here?!?

I can think of NO good reason for men dressed in hooded black clothes to be standing on a dark street at 5:10 a.m.

I became really scared and nervous, so I took off my headphones and grabbed my pepperspray. I quit carrying my phone on short runs, so I did not have it with me. I decided to follow the other side of the ladder all the way up to the rung that leads back to my house. But the streets are pitch black at this time of morning and I could not know what was at the other end of that street waiting for me (which would be where the thugs were, only farther up). I continued to run until I got to the darkest shadowy place, then I cut through a yard to my water stop to get my bottle and shirt. Then I slinked away in the darkness back to the safety of my house.

I REALLY wanted to finish this run which was supposed to be 60 min. The treadmill was in the garage all dirty and covered like a storage rack. I cleared it off and tried to run, but I just could not get into running in the garage on a treadmill, so I gave up. I missed a run last night that I already have to make up, so there is no other time this week I can make up this time.

Then when I tried to upload the run that I did, my ANT stick would not work. (sigh) By the time I fooled around with that it was 5:45 a.m. and daylight. I decided to go back out for 30 more minutes to finish up this run time. But this time I went with my phone, pepperspray, and no MP3 player. I could not get my rhythm back, but I did manage 30 more min. which I am logging separately.

As I approached my workplace, I saw a young lady running in a black sports bra and shorts (same like I had on). I thought, why do I get so upset/anxious about running in a sports bra; everyone else does it? I just don't like to be noticed or draw attention to myself, but it sure is more comfortable.

Run #2

• 30m
• 3.08 miles
• 09m 44s /Mi

Second half of this mornings run.

Bike

• 1h 05m 16s
• 19.82 miles
• 18.22 Mi/hr

River Road out and back with Pete.

Strength

• 35m

Lunch hour core

Sport

• Stretching
• 10m

Swim

• 1h 15m
• 3000.00 yards
• -----

Swim: Long day-mental toughness day!
6 x 500, odds are RPE3, evens RPE 5

Ughh...