Little of this...lot of that!

Between my insane work schedule and two-a-days, I am exhausted and looking forward to a second rest day, this week (tomorrow).

I got out on Tuesday morning and did 4.5 miles of running.  Ordinarily this wouldn’t merit much attention, but Matt had asked me to begin doing speed/interval training – ¼ mile all out speed, ¼ mile slow comfy run – rinse and repeat.   So, after a mile warm-up and just as my route began to ascend through the foothills, I ran as fast as I could for ¼ mile.  It was so hard and occasionally disorienting, that after my second ¼ mile of speed work, I actually stopped as soon as my watched clicked ¼ mile.  It was like my brain shut off and forgot I still had another 3+ miles to go.  Immediately, I began running again at a normal pace, but it wasn’t lost on me that I completely shut down after running as fast as I could for a mere ¼ mile.  For the most part, I stuck with Matt’s prescription (save one small moment where I cut the speed work 1/10 of a mile short).  You can see from my post-run shot how wiped out I was – look at those cheeks!

Tuesday evening, I headed to the gym for Master’s Swim.  My legs were heavy and tired from the morning run, but I pushed out a solid workout of 2200 meters. 

On Wednesday morning, I headed out for my 18-19 mile hill climb ride through Ahwatukee.  It felt great to be out there.  The town was uber quiet and there were very few motorists on the roads.  Whenever I ride in the dark without Matt, I am always super cautious and super aware of how many cars ignore basic road rules.  (I’ll never really understand why, if there are 2 lanes heading in the same direction, a driver doesn’t understand that s/he should move to the left most lane while there’s a cyclist in the bike lane/shoulder.  With the exception of another vehicle in the left lane – you need to get the heck out of the right lane.  PERIOD.)  I maintained an AVS of 17.3 – not my best, but certainly not my worst.

Before the Informed Improvement team presented to another college on Wednesday afternoon, Matt and I found ourselves lamenting the forecast for the end of the week/beginning of the weekend.  The torrential storms forecasted looked as if they would certainly screw up our plans for a long, 50 mile ride.  So, with trepidation, Matt asked if I might be able to move my morning meetings on Thursday to accommodate our ride before the rains came in on Friday and Saturday.  (All I can say is – my poor/awesome Admin, Christina.  She worked magic so I could ride my bike before the weather hit.)  It wasn’t lost on me that I had just done hill work that morning and pulled a double on Tuesday – AND we would be on the busy Maricopa Highway at rush hour.  Matt seemed un-phased by my whining, so I agreed to ride on Thursday.

And, at 5am, Matt and I headed out Pecos Road for the first ¼ of the 50 mile ride.  Matt looked amazing – he was strong and smooth in his cadence.  I was jealous as my fatigued quads and glutes were whining away.  I tried not to complain much, but did confess to not feeling as fresh as I could when we hit the turn-around on Pecos. 

After the first hour, we headed out of Ahwatukee and onto the Maricopa Highway.  There is a connector from the Casino Roads to the Maricopa Highway that needs a SERIOUS overhaul.  It’s uneven and rocky and only two lanes with approximately 5 inches of shoulder space. 
Having taken the lead, I could feel EVERY freakin’ car breeze by me at inappropriate speeds.  Then, just as the shoulder vanished, a HUGE truck flew by my left shoulder and I screamed.  I saw my life and Matt’s life in an instant.  Everything tensed up and I fought tears.  Matt said I moved like the wind – more like I moved like I wanted the hell off of that road.

Before too long, we were on the huge shoulder of the Maricopa Highway and riding side by side.  Matt peered in my direction, “you ok?” he asked me.  I nodded, but I was emotionally destroyed for a solid 10-15 minutes on the Maricopa Highway.  Matt pulled out in front of me – and knowing I couldn’t draft, I hung back several lengths attempting to keep his speed, but not gain any benefits of drafting. 

Around mile 21, Matt slowed down and caught up to me.  He asked if I was in a pain-cave or just backing off a bit.  I said something pretty crappy to him after that and he silenced himself.  I then explained that my legs had felt fatigued the entire ride – and that my arms hurt from the tension on the connecting road several miles back.  I also apologized for being an ass.  He said, “what do you want to do, Mer?”  And all I could say was, “well, you know I’m not going to quit.  It’s just not going to be pretty.”   He smiled and pulled ahead again.  Once I confessed my fatigue I felt better – and was able to pull better numbers and get back in the game. 

After our turn-around in Maricopa (18 miles to the end), Matt looked at me and said, “Ya know, Mer – we’re at an AVS of 17.9.”  I am pretty sure I told Matt he couldn’t have his 18 this time.  But, the internal competitor disagreed and we hit the road with strength and confidence.  We pulled 20’s and 21’s for a lot of the last 18 miles and increased our AVS to an 18.3 before the 50 miles came to an end.  I really needed those last 18 miles to feel better about myself.  We road side by side and I continued to apologize for being a complete jerk miles earlier.  Matt knows me – but it doesn’t excuse my occasional vomit of the mouth. 

Even after all the hard work, I mustered up the energy at 6:30pm on Thursday to hit another Masters Swim class.  And, boy was I thrilled that I did.  I learned how to breathe on my left side.  I know it seems trivial, but I have always come up for air on my right side – and now I can do both.  The whole class was dedicated to breathing exercises and I was numb when it was all over.  LOVE Masters Swim!

The 50 miles were done and the rains came in droves on Friday morning.  There were winds and thunderstorms and we were both pleased.  Friday became a welcome day of rest.

This morning, early, Matt and I got up and did a 6 mile run through the foothills.  Not out best times, but a solid effort.  My phone was going through an update when we finished, so I was unable to finish with a blogshot.  That’s ok – Anne and Loretta ran a 17K St. Patty’s Day run this morning too – and they sent me photos from their run.  You can have one of theirs instead.  Super proud of both of them!

You can't tell, but their shirts say "Bass and Guiness" - as they wanted to be a Black and Tan!  I just loved this shot!  Nice work, ladies!