Some long training days are just better than others. Today started with a shorter open water swim at sunrise, followed by a monster ride and a run. I came roaring in at mile 95 on the bike as strong as I was at mile 20, but that changed quickly as I started out for my run.
At T2 I knocked on my neighbors door- a fast 7th grade football star who has run with me before after long rides. No answer. I was disappointed about doing the run alone after spending the day in solitude, when my wife and son came up on her mountain bike. They rode beside me during the run, and quickly Elizabeth found out I couldn’t really respond to conversation; I just wanted them there.
I started my run at 1:30 p.m. and it was 90 degrees in the shade with a heat index of 96. Who knows what temperature it was out on the asphalt. I felt good in the beginning, but quickly I spent most of my effort trying not to vomit. Elizabeth knew I was struggling, and suggested a shortcut toward the end of the run, and I declined, although I wanted the run to end a quickly as possible.
Andrew just stared at me, and a few times, looking from under his bike helmet as big as he is, simply said, “go Daddy.” He is only two years old, but knows a lot, and said everything I needed to hear at the time.
It’s days like this that push me to my limit, and my eyes burned with emotion as I finished up this 102 mile day with my wife and son a few feet ahead of me. I am certain of two things: 1. There is a lot to be thankful for in my life; and 2. There is no easy way.
My long runs have moved to Wednesday, so I got up at 4:30 to run 16 miles before work. Several miles into the run, I had a good energy level, but noticed my quads were pretty sore. When the sun came up, I was able to see that both my quads were bruised from the fall on Saturday- probably from the top tube of my bike. Still, it was one of the best long runs I’ve had this year. The final 4 miles were below a 7 minute pace, and I felt good about the run.
It was nice to sleep in, and I went out into the country for a long open water swim. The water is much cooler this time of year, maybe because of all the rainfall from the recent tropical storm, and it felt good. After swimming hard for about an hour, I noticed that my wife and two children arrived to watch me finish up. It was great to see them and know when I got out of the water, there would be kids to play with.
At the end of a recovery week, today was a ride close to 100 miles followed by a 7 mile run. Like all my workouts, it was solo. A slight drop in the temperature made the first 3 hours of the ride feel good, but toward the end of the ride, it was over 90 degrees and steamy.
At about mile 80, I had a close encounter with a car, and went down hard. I got up, wiped the gravel and blood off my knee and hand, and continued with the workout. The pain from the fall seemed to drive me harder, and I finished strong in a heat index that had to be close to 100. It is moments like this that give me insight as to where I may be mentally as I approach the end of this season, and I think I am positioned well.
I started the week with an open water swim in a rural lake that lasted over an hour. What a way to start the week!
The tropical story is still over us, so my coach Randy Bernard shortened my long ride so I could ride indoors. Still, 2.5 hours riding on a trainer was a little boring, but a much safer workout. Days like today make me appreciate the long rides outside!
Today I continued my training for my first Ironman which will be on November 1. Tropical storm Fay was moving in, and after a very hot summer, it felt great to run over 15 miles in the pounding rain.
Check back soon to read more about Michael.
