Its late, so this is not going to get the attention it normally does, and I will likely fast forward to the highlights because I really had some stellar moments this week.
I know I swam on Monday, but failed a couple of times to hit the wall, so the data (on the Garmin) was off. I think I did 2050 meters, but its anyone’s guess.
Tuesday morning Matt and I met for a ride and just took it pretty easy around Pecos and back. Matt talked about the upcoming huge weekend ride – so he wanted us to be fresh for that, if possible.
Wednesday morning I hit the trail for 6 miles. Matt was willing to meet me at the trailhead for the first time in months and I was stoked. However, as we headed out I could see Matt was really jonesin’ for a fast run. After a good tenth of a mile, I let him pull ahead and we did our own thing – so I guess we’re back to being “us” on our runs. I tried to keep him in my sights for a while, but after about a mile and a half I could see that he’d pulled nearly a ¼ mile ahead of me and I knew it was pointless to attempt to catch him. Just before I hit two miles, I saw Matt coming back at me. He announced, “I’m just doing 2 out and back.” All I could muster at that moment, since I was a little shocked to see him, was, “oh, ok.” I didn’t announce my plans nor did I consider asking him to wait for me at the end. So, I spent the next mile kicking myself (figuratively) for failing to discuss my plans. But, I had to do 3 out and back. I wanted my 6 miles.
As I approached the turn around, a mountain biker approached. And then after my turn around I found him atop this hugely steep section of the trail – likely trying to catch his breath. We both took in the scenery while able to see for miles, and I moved passed him. Like the weeks prior I played the mental game of “I wonder how far I can go before he catches up to me.” I assumed, like the week prior, that it would be close to 1 mile, but I wanted more. I fled up and down the trails, moving seamlessly through some of the steep and sexy sections of the trail. All I could think was, “this has got to be a nightmare on the bike.” And, after my watch clicked 4 miles, he still hadn’t caught me. Then, my watch clicked 5 miles – and it was another 2/10’s before I could hear him struggling behind me. Either he was a lousy mountain biker or I was pretty badass that morning. It may have been a combination, because as I approached the parking lot to the trailhead, not only did I see Matt waiting for me, but my watch read 59:24 – a full 3 minutes faster than I had EVER done that run!
I wailed and screamed and jumped for joy as Matt came to greet me. I was so excited I didn’t even think to take a post run picture.
The following morning (Thursday), I met Matt for a VERY chilly morning ride at 5am. Matt was whiney and complained about the cold within 2 miles of the ride. By mile 4 he asked if we could just head home. I, of course, dressed for the weather, but agreed to let him off the hook, this time. After a lousy 12 miles we were home and that was that.
Sadly, a failed workout tends to ruin my day. Everyone knows it. I became all emo and moody and NO one enjoyed my company at work. It was so bad that I left work at 4:30pm, ran an errand, and managed to strap on the running shoes for a short run around the neighborhood. I was angry at the world Thursday night. And, I ran hard. I passed the 4 mile route turn off, then I passed the 6 mile route turn off and kept running – and I ran harder and faster through some of the hilliest sections of Ahwatukee . By the time I finished my watch read 1:06 – another personal record for 7.5 miles. That’s a sub-9 pace – and THAT, my friends, is why I ran.
NOTHING EVER puts me in a better mood than working so hard that I set a personal record on a hard run I have been doing for years. This time last year I averaged 1:14 minutes for the same run – a full minute per mile more. Mood Improved Immediately!
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| Chilly run -- the sunglasses are evidence that the sun was out when I started. Such a reversal for me. |
As we pulled out of Matt’s neighborhood I was already working hard – WAY TOO hard, in fact. I felt like I was blowing up and that I would NEVER make 74 miles. Matt was in disbelief as he listened to my breathing and my struggle to do anything. After a few miles he said, “This is really out of the ordinary, Mer; we’re only traveling at like 13 mph.” I was defeated, sure I would ruin the whole morning. But, then I remembered – I had changed the tires on my bike for Grand Prix 4000’s the night before, so maybe my brakes were dragging. Maybe I wasn’t as technologically skilled as I thought I was. I hopped off my bike and Matt checked the brake-pads. Sure enough, the front pad was touching the wheel. Within 2 minutes we were back on the road and everything felt great. “Well, that was like 10 hill climbs – so I am all warmed up now,” I told him. We laughed and got back to business as usual.
Matt made sure after the first 15 miles that we started trading off every 2 miles. We were both strong and working hard all the way out to Maricopa. There were a couple of wonky moments here and there, but for a good 45 miles we rode like champs – no complaints, no issues, just solid cycling. As we made the turn around at the end of the Maricopa Highway, we were laughing and joking around. I think, perhaps, we were actually enjoying not just the ride, but our snarky humor. And, then it struck me and I announced to Matt that I would be singing while drafting. I think I sang just about every Peter Gabriel song on the Shaking the Tree compilation. When it came Matt’s turn to draft, he sang some James Brown, some Poison and some Soundgarden. I had to complete my compilation with some awesome and terrible show-tunes. We laughed and laughed and rode harder and harder, never wavering.
About 18 miles from the end, we pulled off for a short stop to enjoy a Coke and a Peanut Butter Snickers (that shit’s good, btw). And, because of that, we rode even stronger as we approached the 70 mile mark. Matt announced, “Mer, we’ve had an AVS of 18.5 for 70 miles; its ok to back off for a bit. No matter what we do, we’ll never drop below 18, now.” It felt good. We did so well. In fact, as we hit the mile 72 marker, I said, “it’s too bad the century’s not today – I actually have another 28 miles left.” Matt did too. That ride will go down as one of the best experiences. We laughed and sang (for more than 35 miles) – and never complained or wavered. Success – it felt so good, too!
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| LOOK, sometimes we ride when its daylight! |
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| This was early in the evening -- before things became blurry. (Anne and Me) |
Instead, we went to the Anthem Outlets and then spent the day up north sipping wine and learning all about wine making.
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| Oak Creek - water that supplies the Page Springs Winery! So gorgeous! |
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