Nice Tri

9 Weeks Down...

10 to go. We're at the halfway point.
 
Last weekend I took my bike to Dixon's for a tuneup. I picked it up on Thursday night after work. As I started walking out of the shop, I noticed the front brake was rubbing against the tire. I wheeled it back in and asked the bike shop guy to adjust it. Which, he did. Take two. This time, I made it almost to the corner of 7th Ave., before I noticed that the front tire was low. I turned around and went back in, slightly irritated. The guy filled the tire and I was on my way. Again.
 
Saturday morning we had a BRick in Prospect Park. I did not sleep well on Friday night. It was hot, and the cat was annoying. I kept waking up to check my watch, afraid I'd oversleep. I also had bad dreams about something being wrong with my bike.
 
My alarm finally went off and I dressed, mixed up some Cytomax, ate a Clif bar, and carried my bike downstairs. As soon as I started pedalling I could feel the rub of the brake on the wheel, and I tried to adjust it again. I tried several times on the way to our meeting point, and finally had the brake to a spot where I thought it wouldn't rub. Unfortunately, I was wrong. We started the bike just after 7:30am, with a one-loop warmup then 3-4 loops time trial. I had to stop during the warmup to adjust the brake again. Finally I gave up and pedalled with the brake rubbing, even though it was much more effort. My TT splits were even, and faster than when I rode last Sunday, which is kind of surprising. I opted for the shorter workout, and was the first person back in the transition area. As I dismounted I called to Coach Scott, "Something's wrong with my bike." He came over and spun the back wheel, and it stopped immediately. So I'd basically been riding as though I was constantly braking. Urf.
 
I changed quickly into my running shoes and headed out for a :40 OAB. It wasn't too bad. I estimate I ran about 3.5M total - will clock it with my bike on Thursday night (when I have another BRick scheduled). The clockwise uphill (around the SW corner of the park) is *hard* - I've only ever run it downhill, and I underestimated how long it is. Overall it was a great workout.
 
We went to Boston Saturday night and our hotel had a 12.2m pool - short compared to the 50m pool we train in, but sufficient for lap swimming. I took advantage of that on Sunday morning, and noticed that I feel a lot more comfortable in the water now that I have actual technique!

posted by Gillian @ 5:12 PM