Nice Tri

It's finally feeling like a real routine - hard to believe Westchester is exactly 6 weeks away, and then it'll be all over!

Yesterday I met my Brooklyn teammates in Prospect Park for a BRick. Coach Ken was there to greet us and explain the workout, which consisted of a single loop warmup, then 4 loops (13.4M - beginner) or 6 (20.1 - advanced) at steady state. Then a quick transition, and a loop running.

I had fairly even splits on the bike - about halfway through my 4th loop, Ken rode up beside me and gave me a few instructions (drop your heels, increase your cadence, switch to a higher gear). When I completed the loop I nearly fell off my bike entering the "transition" area (note to self: If you unclip your right foot, lean to the right!). I quickly slipped off my helmet, gloves, and bike shoes, pulled on my new running shoes, grabbed a small bottle of water, and headed out.

As I started the run, I ate (drank?) a packet of Gu, and downed the water so I could throw the bottle away (still haven't figured out exactly how to run holding water - the splashing really throws me off). I noticed my right toes were numb, and the top of my foot hurt. I stopped to loosen the laces, then started running again. It was disheartening. The new shoes - not so good. I ended up alternating between walking and running for the majority of the loop - somehow, despite this, I finished in under 35min (<10.30min/M). I'll take the shoes back on Monday - I bought them at Super Runners, who have a good reputation for returns.

After practice we ate bagels, peanut butter, and M&M's (thanks to Amy, the sole Brooklyn mentor).

By next week at this time, I will have completed my first (albeit sprint) triathlon! Yikes!

For the record, my bike splits were:

Lap 1: 12.53
Lap 2: 13.18
Lap 3: 13.26
Lap 4: 12.56

posted by Gillian @ 11:54 AM