three things thursday
This is actually three things Tuesday on Thursday, as I pre-wrote all my posts this week. I'm having a rough time getting my head in the game for this race, and will be lying low...
1. My crunchy back has basically healed. I had an awesome calm-it-down session with one of the many PTs that I keep in my pocket last Thursday, and that kicked off a steep upwards climb towards healing. I was able to swim at a moderate pace on Sunday with no ill effects. On Tuesday, my swim included a 600 yard time-trial, and while I wasn't swimming at a "hard" pace, I snuck in right under 10 minutes with no pain during or after the swim. I think I'll be fine for the weekend.
2. I took my fabulous new sexy out for a very short test ride earlier in the week. First of all, if I had known how much faster a tri bike would make me, I probably would have purchased one a lot sooner. 8 miles in Z2 with a touch of a headwind had me averaging just under 22mph. HELLO. However, despite the fact that I am incredibly tempted to use it this weekend, I've decided to ride my road bike. I had some fatigue in my upper arms after the ride that concerned me. My back and neck and everything below the waist felt fine, but I'm definitely not as comfortable as I am on my roadie. If this was a sprint, I would ride it without question, but 56 miles is a long way and I'm not really feeling all that confident about this race as it is. I've decided that comfort is far more important than free speed. I'll take that in exchange for a slow day. And this just means that it will be ridiculously easy to PR the bike split in my 70.3 next April.
3. I've been switching back and forth between the (Brooks) Adrenaline and the Ravenna for the past few months. The Ravenna initially contributed to my shin pain, so I figured I needed to transition to them more slowly and started alternating between them and the Adrenaline. I ran in the Adrenaline at the Philly Half, and I think they were what bruised the outside of my foot because they were giving my new and fabulous form too much support. So I switched back to the Ravenna and had no problems until earlier this week, when my naggy shin started acting up. I think I need a Goldilocks shoe that falls exactly between these two in terms of support, and that just so happens to be the Asics 2150 - now 2160 - that I ran in all winter and spring. I'm going to race in the Ravenna this weekend because they are lighter and that's what I've been training in, but I'll probably start working a pair of Asics back into my shoe rotation (and working the Adrenalines out) after this race.
Happy Thursday, everyone!
1. My crunchy back has basically healed. I had an awesome calm-it-down session with one of the many PTs that I keep in my pocket last Thursday, and that kicked off a steep upwards climb towards healing. I was able to swim at a moderate pace on Sunday with no ill effects. On Tuesday, my swim included a 600 yard time-trial, and while I wasn't swimming at a "hard" pace, I snuck in right under 10 minutes with no pain during or after the swim. I think I'll be fine for the weekend.
2. I took my fabulous new sexy out for a very short test ride earlier in the week. First of all, if I had known how much faster a tri bike would make me, I probably would have purchased one a lot sooner. 8 miles in Z2 with a touch of a headwind had me averaging just under 22mph. HELLO. However, despite the fact that I am incredibly tempted to use it this weekend, I've decided to ride my road bike. I had some fatigue in my upper arms after the ride that concerned me. My back and neck and everything below the waist felt fine, but I'm definitely not as comfortable as I am on my roadie. If this was a sprint, I would ride it without question, but 56 miles is a long way and I'm not really feeling all that confident about this race as it is. I've decided that comfort is far more important than free speed. I'll take that in exchange for a slow day. And this just means that it will be ridiculously easy to PR the bike split in my 70.3 next April.
3. I've been switching back and forth between the (Brooks) Adrenaline and the Ravenna for the past few months. The Ravenna initially contributed to my shin pain, so I figured I needed to transition to them more slowly and started alternating between them and the Adrenaline. I ran in the Adrenaline at the Philly Half, and I think they were what bruised the outside of my foot because they were giving my new and fabulous form too much support. So I switched back to the Ravenna and had no problems until earlier this week, when my naggy shin started acting up. I think I need a Goldilocks shoe that falls exactly between these two in terms of support, and that just so happens to be the Asics 2150 - now 2160 - that I ran in all winter and spring. I'm going to race in the Ravenna this weekend because they are lighter and that's what I've been training in, but I'll probably start working a pair of Asics back into my shoe rotation (and working the Adrenalines out) after this race.
Happy Thursday, everyone!