2 Weeks 'til Leadman -- READY or not.

I ended this week’s workout with a failed 13 mile run.  I am owning it at the beginning of this week’s installment so I can simply get it out of the way.  I knew early into the run that my legs were super tired, laden with lactic acid.  I had hoped they might open up around mile 2 or 3, but when it didn’t happen, I spent nearly an hour convincing myself to continue on the run.  By mile 7, I was miserable, and shortly after my watch beeped its 8^th mile, I decided to text Anne and see if she would come get me.  Of course, she was more than happy to pick me up, get me a cup of Dunkies and drive me home.  She also knew how to help my spirits recover – little Miss Lyla was in the backseat of the car incredibly happy to see me. 

I did have some really great experiences, this last week, though.

On Tuesday, I did my usual 6 mile run through Ahwatukee (hills and all) and pulled out an AVP of 8:54.  Hitting sub 9’s for distances really pleases me. 

On Wednesday, Matt and I did some fairly easy miles on the bike, not wanting to wreck ourselves before our upcoming long ride. 

Thursday we headed out for a 4.5 mile run together, as well – but it was a slowish run.  I could tell Matt wanted to do more (speed-wise), but I had worked super late on Wednesday night (Open House at the college) and was on my feet all night – so he let me off the hook with just over 9 min miles.

But Friday morning, we met to do a 50 mile ride, plus the added 3 mile run at the end (for me).  It was an absolutely insane morning.  We agreed to meet (as usual) at 5am in the Park ‘n Ride.  I pulled my bike out of my car and immediately realized a critical error – my headlight was still at home.   It was dark – a full moon, but dark!  When Matt pulled up on his bike, I explained my error and waited for my scolding.  We both knew this was our LAST big morning before our big events, so I was going to have to suck it up and hope to be able to see with Matt’s headlight alone.

As we headed out, it was fine (save the PD who crossed my path as we headed out – I was sure I’d get dinged until Matt explained that it was a “reservation PD”, so unlikely the headlight requirement was a concern of his).  The first few miles were lit with street lights through the res, but shortly thereafter, it was uber dark.  I was NOT excited about it at all.  Matt and I agreed that he would lead us along the horrible Maricopa Rd that connects Phoenix to the Maricopa Hwy.  Its narrow, lacking a shoulder and at that time – it was also pre-rush-hour.  I think, for the first time in 30 years, I prayed.  I hung on his back tire like it was do or die – and, somehow, a mile later, we were on the Maricopa Hwy heading southwest. 

The headlights of the cars heading in the same direction were somewhat helpful, but it didn’t keep us from rolling over some pretty scary crap for a solid 14 miles.  By the time we reached Maricopa, the sun had risen enough to see everything and not worry that motorists would not see us, anymore.  We stopped for 30 seconds to take some supplements, check our tires and then head back to Phoenix.   I couldn’t see my data the entire ride out, but I knew we could make up time on the way back, simply because we could see where we were going and easily avoid any road crap. 

Matt reversed our route this time, and as soon as we got back to Phoenix, we took a left on Pecos Road and continued to push through 16 miles of hills.  I won’t say it was an easy thing to do after 36 miles, but I was proud of my work.  Matt spent the majority of that outing in front of me.  He needed the hill work a lot more than I, and he’s still “that” much better of a rider than I – so I simply relished in the knowledge that I know how far I have come with his coaching.  I know we BOTH intend to improve, so it only stands to reason that he remains just a little better than I.  I may never catch him – but I will absolutely die trying!

After the 50 mile ride, I put on my running shoes and headed out for a loop of just under 3 miles.  I felt awful for the first ½ mile, but really picked it up after that.  I finished with an 8:55 pace – not too shabby (as Matt would say)!

Saturday morning, I had an open water swim planned.  Kris agreed to join me; in case I didn’t come back someone would know to call out the troops.  I got the details of where to swim from a blog I frequent by WaterGirl.  Unfortunately, the blog didn’t explain the $6 day pass required to enter the Saguaro Lake area, so I was way behind schedule attempting to locate a gas station within 10 miles that sold the damn passes.  After 30-40 minutes, we were back at the Marina and ready to make the swim happen.

I had checked the water temps before I left the house: 59 degrees.  OUCH!  However, I have swam in colder temps than that – so I knew I could handle it. 

Now, if you look at her blog, you’ll see she mentions a 1000 yard route within the no-wake zone of the lake.  She says to be careful, as well, since boats can be around – but I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE MEANT UNTIL IN IT. 

With trepidation, I got into the cold lake and headed out – leaving Kris on the shore with all of our stuff.  After about 200 feet, I was faced with my first boat.  He didn’t give a crap about me, nor was he even interested in waiting for me to swim past, so the panic began to set in.  “Were all the boaters going to NOT pay attention to a little bobbing yellow-cap in the water?  Was I going to get run over?”  After about 1/3 of a mile, I was free of boaters, but it really rattled my nerves.  Water Girl didn’t quite present the reality of the no-wake-zone.  It was a little on the dangerous side. 

I turned around just over a ½ mile into the swim, and headed back to Kris.  Panic set in as I realized that NOW I would not be facing the lake because I tend to breathe most comfortably on my right side.  So all of my line of sight would be at the shoreline, not the lake, where the boats would be coming in.  More panic, but I trudged through.  After a ¼ mile, I hit the section with the most boat activity, again.  I swam slow and steady making sure everyone saw me.  At one point a couple of guys in one of the boats saw me and without signaling me on, just sat there as their boat got closer and closer to me – then they were visibly mad at how long I took, but I had NO idea they were waiting for me.  I just thought they didn’t see me.  It was a mess and then I felt awful about it.  But there were several more boats before I got close to shore. 

My last issue was a couple of idiots fishing close to shore on their boat.  I had to ASK them to reel in so I could pass.    Kris could see me at that point and stood up so I would know where I was heading to finish. 

I was NEVER so happy to have reached the shore.  My watch detailed that my pace was FAR better in the Open Water with the wetsuit than in the pool swimming laps – FAR FAR better, so that gives me a lot of hope for my upcoming tri.  This was even with all of the panicky-slower moments.  It would have been really nice to see how my pace would have been sans all the boats.  Maybe one day.  Saguaro Lake should have a Silent Sunday, like South Mtn.  Right?!

Done! ...well, almost!

Complaining about how scary the whole thing was -- not the most flattering shot (look at that horrendous tane line!)

Anyway – I am going to leave you all with a couple of my best moments of the week.   On Wednesday morning, after our easy ride, I was in Matt’s office talking about the upcoming triathlon – lamenting the fact that the bike course was still not posted and the race was 2.5 weeks away.  Matt stopped, looked at me and said, “Mer, you do realize, than barring any injury or serious mechanical on the bike, you will do well in the Leadman?! Right?!”  I thought about it and recognized that what he was telling me was that I was ready – I had prepared properly and he knew I could do it. 

This conversation was only reinforced later that evening, when I got home from my long day and mom called.  Shortly after our greetings, she piped in, “Ya know, Mer, I think you’re ready for the triathlon.”  Stunned, I said, “Yeah?”  Mom’s response, “Yeah, I read your blog.  You’re ready!” 

Upon reflection, and even after an unfinished 13 miler this morning, I think they’re both right.  I am ready.  I just need to maintain and (then) taper for the next 13 days. 

Thanks, Matt and Mom (and Anne and Kris…and everyone else) for reminding me.  I – AM – READY!

Maybe I CAN do this...

This is another one of those Sunday’s where all I want is one of two things – and either would be fine: a nap or a beer.  This means that my motivation for writing my blog is waning, so I best get at it.

I took Monday as a rest day.  It wasn’t planned – Matt and I had planned to do some very easy spinning to keep our legs in check, but we both woke on Monday morning unwilling to move.  I know we earned it, so I won’t begin to feel an ounce of guilt.

Tuesday, Matt had a rough night’s sleep, so I agreed to head out for a 6 mile run alone.  The temperatures are getting warmer, so no more long-sleeves!  I welcome it, but I also know what’s coming and that doesn’t excite me.  I finished the 6 miles through the foothills strong – 8:53 avg pace. 

And, as scheduled, I hit Masters Swim that same evening.  I wasn’t feeling it when I got there, but once in the pool working on some tough speed drills, I pushed out 2100 meters of drill-work and felt pretty great.  I have been lucky, lately.  I have had a lane-mate for the last couple of weeks – Barbod.  He’s an Indian guy who has dreadful endurance skills, but is amazing at speed work.  He really puts me to shame.  I rather enjoy sharing a lane with him because we both tend to push each other – me, to get him to focus on the long drills, and he, to help me attempt to beat him on the shorter 50-75 meter drills.  This week, however, about half way through the workout, Barbod and I collided in the lane.  It’s only happened to me one other time (when sharing a lane with badass-Dan) – and again we collided while doing speedwork.  OUCH!  We both recovered and apologized profusely.  Neither of us has any idea what happened – but it only takes a moment of lacking focus for it to happen. 

Wednesday morning I met Matt for hill-repeats on the bike.  We used to make sure to do hill repeats at least once a week while I was training for the San Diego Tri Classic, but we’ve slacked off a lot in the last 6 months.  Needless to say, they suck – they always suck – but I happen to know that I shed a lot of my remaining weight by doing weekly repeats on the hills.  So, we are back at it and we anticipate being pretty badass by summer!

It's getting lighter, sooner!  

Thursday morning I was tired – not feeling like having Matt kick my ass on a run.  But, when he showed up at my house at 5am – I was willing to endure whatever would present itself.  Much to my fortune, Matt had some tummy issues about 2/3s of the way through the run, so we simply stopped our watches at mile 3 and walked the remainder home.  (I’m not complaining – you should know, Matt looks at his Garmin every ¼ mile to tell me whether or not I am disappointing him on our runs.  Bring on the digestive issues!)

I couldn’t muster up the energy to do Masters Swim on Thursday night.  Instead, I drank a couple of beers and took the night off. 

By Friday I was feeling fine.  Matt and I headed out Pecos Road on our bikes for a moderate 16-18 mile ride.  It was lovely. 

Saturday morning I rose at 5am and headed straight to the pool.  I knew missing Masters Swim on Thursday meant I needed to get a least one more decent swim in this week.  The day before Matt had suggested I actually complete the distance in the upcoming triathlon.  1.6 miles later, it was an amazing feeling knowing I could do it – that my stroke and my form were improving enough to give me about 12-15 minutes of flex time on the course.  I have to be able to complete the swim within 1 hour 15 minutes of the last wave start – so, at 1:03, I am feeling ok about the swim. 

Saturday evening I was fortunate enough to get to see (and spend time with) my cousins Andrew and Leah and their two beautiful kids – Jake (12) and Kellen (6).  Andrew bought me an extra ticket to the Dodgers v WhiteSox Spring Training game, so that was our evening.  I really love them – it was sad when I had to say goodnight because I knew I had a HUGE workout on Sunday morning.

Andrew and Me -- 5th Inning

And, after a dreadful night’s sleep – I woke at 4:15am to ready myself for a 62 mile ride and 5 mile run.

Matt, Aaron, Josh, Joe and I headed out of the Park-n-Ride a little before 5:30am with the best of intentions.  Sadly, not everyone had the appropriate attire or the appropriate head/tail lights for the darkness.  And, 4 miles into the ride, Joe, Josh and I turned around and realized Matt and Aaron were not with us – and nowhere to be seen.  I admit, I panicked a little – Matt’s one of my best friends and Aaron is the husband to another one of my favorite people in the universe.  I was rehearsing in my head how I was going to explain their deaths to their wives and families.  After a solid 10 minutes of waiting in the dark with no sign of them, Josh headed back to see if he might find them.  Joe and I sat there, in the dark and in the cold – worried.  It was probably 25 minutes later that Matt and Josh reappeared, but without Aaron.  Evidently, there was a flat and repairing it was impossible – so poor Aaron was faced with walking his bike back to the Park-n-Ride (4 miles) in his bike cleats. 

So, the 4 of us continued our journey – we got cold standing around, so we all complained for a smidge about needing to warm back up.  It didn’t take long, though, and off the four of us went. 

We stopped briefly at mile 18 for a bathroom break in Maricopa and headed back out to the end of the Maricopa Hwy (Rte 347).  As with the prior few times Matt and I attempted this 30-32 mile route to the end of the 347, we knew we would face an uphill climb for several miles before the turn around to head back to the Park-n-Ride.  It’s not steep; it’s just really long and super annoying.  We watch our AVS go from 19-20 to 16-17.  So awful. 

At the turn-around, we all sighed the remaining 31 miles in front of us and headed out.  Matt and I ate a couple of Peanut Butter Snickers – which I consider the greatest cycling gift EVER!  We flew for the first 10 miles or so – the slight uphill on the way out became a slight downhill on the way back.  We sang; we laughed and we were reminded that we are pretty awesome cyclists – all 4 of us. 

The last 20 miles, however, were hard – none of us really spoke to one another and we remained a solid distance apart.  We each looked back every so often to make sure the others were still plugging away, but it wasn’t fun and I think we all wanted it over.  Joe pulled a solid mile ahead of us and, while I am fairly certain Matt could have hung with him, he was concerned about Josh and me – and stayed a few tenths in front of us so he could keep a watch out. 

I got stuck at a light and Matt pulled ahead.  Josh caught up to me and admitted that he was in a world of hurt.  We both knew we could do it, though – and we did. 

62 miles later, my watch told me that I maintained an AVS of 18.0 – exactly what I am hoping for during the triathlon’s 70 mile ride. 

Matt headed home shortly after we finished and Joe, Aaron (who had been waiting for 2 hours for us) and I headed out in our running shoes for 5 miles.  Josh was in a bit too much agony to continue with the run – so I trailed the boys for all 5 miles. 

Forgot to get a final shot of all 5 of us -- my bad.

It was a gratifying, even though a slow-for-me- run.  I never doubted for one moment on the run that I would be able to finish.  All this training has given me that – and I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me.  5 miles in just over 45 minutes – with an AVP of 9:18 – AFTER 62 miles on the bike!  Yep – maybe I can do this Leadman thing in 3 weeks.  Maybe…

Mornings like today remind me just how grateful I am that I have such a community of endurance athletes for friends.  Joe, Aaron, Josh and Matt – my hats are off to all 4 of them.  This morning wasn’t easy, but it was FAR better having the companionship and encouragement of all of them – FAR BETTER!

Begin Brick Work...now!

Last Sunday, I hopped an early morning flight to St. Louis to attend a conference.  When I landed in St. Louis the temps were in the 50’s and it was raining.  Mom and Gram were nice enough to pick me up at the airport so that I could spend the day with them before heading to the conference hotel. 

On Monday morning, I woke a couple of hours before the conference to 38 degrees temps and 15 mph winds (with gusts up to 25 mph).  I had sprint drills on my workout calendar, and while I knew I could do them on the treadmill, I hate not having the data from my Garmin to look at to see improvement over time.  So, I plotted out my route to the riverfront and headed out the door.

I’m fairly certain the people of St. Louis thought I was nuts in my shorts running through town.  Fortunately, at 6:15am, there were very few people out in downtown St. Louis.  As I made my way down the hill to the riverfront, I could feel the wind at my back and I knew my sprints would be really hard.  And, they were.  After a little over a mile warm up, I did 4 miles of intervals/sprints (1/4 mile all out, ¼ mile recovery).  I decided it would be better to have the wind at my face for the hard sprints so that the ¼ mile recovery would truly be recovery.  Then, I headed back to the hotel feeling exhausted and accomplished.  I can already see the benefits from the intervals, so as much as I loathe it, I won’t quit doing it.

Look - Busch Stadium in the background!

Tuesday morning I found the hotel gym and the single working upright bike and hopped on for 45 minutes.  Matt told me to make sure to go easy, but I was in a gym setting – so I had to LOOK like I was working hard, so I think it was far more moderate than easy.  When I finished, I jumped on the treadmill for a mile, just to see if I still had it in me.  I did – and knocked out an 8:45 mile. 

Tuesday evening, Mom got tickets to a St Louis Blues game – the place was insane.  The best part – she had an extra ticket so my college suite-mate, Nancy, joined us for the evening.  The Blues won, so that was cool, too. 

Friends for 22 years!

Wednesday morning, I intended to get up and run 4 miles outside, around town.  But the weather gal said, “19 degrees with windchill and 25 mph winds” – I opted to hit the gym again for a treadmill run, something I hadn’t really endured in a long time.  While I find the treadmill a lot “easier”, its so incredibly boring.  I am so happy I live somewhere where I can still run outside during the winter months. 

Then, after a lovely birthday breakfast with Michael (my brother), I hopped a flight back to Phoenix and was home by 1:30pm – and in the pool by 2pm.  2000 meters later, I felt whole again.

Thursday morning, I chose to do my hilly, difficult 19 mile ride through the Ahwatukee Foothills.   When I got home from the ride (where I managed a PR – 17.8 AVS), I quickly changed into my running shoes and headed out for a 2 mile run around the neighborhood.  I tried out my new tri-suit so I could see how it felt in the saddle and then again on the run.  Not only was it incredibly comfortable on the bike, the full-body-suit really helped with running form.  2 miles later – an AVP of 8:47/mile. 

Then, a couple hours later Kris picked me up and we spent the day at the outlet malls and wineries in northern Arizona.  What a blast!

Stop 2 of 3 wineries: Burning Tree Cellars

Fortunately, even after 11 hours together the day before, Kris still liked me enough to pick me up at 6:15am on Friday and drop me off at the trailhead for the Desert Classic.  The weather in Phoenix was drastically different than St. Louis.  It was an absolutely gorgeous 65 degrees at 6:30am and 75 degrees by the time I finished the 11 mile run.  I didn’t stop to take any sunrise shots, this time.  In truth, I realized early into the run that I really needed to have started 15-20 minutes earlier to catch the sun rise over the mountains and the valley.  I’ll know better for the next time out. 

Beautiful morning for an 11 mile trail run!

That evening, I spent some time with Anne’s fabulous kids and then she and I went out for a couple of drinks.  We had a really great chat about hitting the “wall”.  It made me think about my morning run – where almost every time I hit the 7.25 mile spot, I have a long stretch uphill and am exhausted from all of the in’s and out’s of the steep washes.  Sometimes I give up and walk a small portion just to get my head back into the game, but this morning, I’d managed to beat the ugly voice in my head encouraging me to walk and ran through the toughest spot.  I never stopped, never quit.  But, I also know that beating the voice is one of the hardest things to do.  So, Anne and I talked through it.  She told me that she always quits around mile 10, unable to move passed it.  My observation – it’s always mile 10.  She allows her mind to get the best of her at the same point each and every time.  She’s anticipating her own failure.  What makes you a better athlete is your ability to get passed those spots, beating your mind at its own game. 

After our chat I think we both felt motivated to get back at it – challenging ourselves passed our toughest spots. 

At the bar -- after we both applied Buxom lipgloss (a Ragnar flashback)

Saturday morning, I hit the Masters Swim class with Mike.  Unlike Amy who puts us through crazy hard drills (breathing, one arm, kicks, etc), Mike loves to make us do insane speed work.  After I had lamented a slow swim on Wednesday (2000 meters in 50 mins), I managed 2100 meters in 49 minutes.  Granted, the speed work is as awful as interval runs, but it pays dividends and makes me more confident going into the Leadman next month.

But the big news of the week was this morning’s workout.  Finally reunited with Matt, we headed out at 10am for a 50+ mile ride.  The route was the same as last week – 16 miles out Pecos and back (hills) and then the remainder is pretty flat (35 miles).  I am pleased to say that I felt pretty good the whole ride, but was again reminded that Matt’s is just that much better a rider than I.  He hung slightly in front of me to keep me grinding away.  He’d just returned from a trip to Disney with his family – so we both had stories to tell.  Most of the ride was filled with chatter and laughter.  I missed having him around – it was great to push out a 3 hour work-out with such a good friend. 

As we pulled into the Park n Ride, I glanced at my watch and knew we’d done well.  There were tons of winds on this ride, unlike the last time, and the temps were nearing 80 degrees, so I found myself thirstier than normal, but we kept just under a 19 mph pace for the majority of the ride.  50 miles, 18.8 AVS.  It’s MY personal best – which feels good.

In our last mile I mentioned to Matt that I was exhausted and not looking forward to throwing my running shoes on to complete a short brick workout.  We both agreed, though, that I needed to see what it felt like to run after 50 miles of riding.  We knew it would feel less good than a 20 mile ride. 

Feeling really good about our ride! All smiles!

With my running gear on, Matt knew just what to say as we headed out.  “You’re looking skinny.”  Yeah, I smiled and knew I had to hold my own.  Like the amazing friend that he is, Matt decided he’d ride next to me for a little over a mile of the run ‘til we got close to his house and then he’d let me complete the run on my own.  After about a ½ mile he said, “nice, an AVS of 6.6 miles per hour.”  That pleased me – my watch read an 8:47 pace, even though I felt super slow.  And, close to the one mile mark, Matt said, “how ya feeling?”  My response, “like quitting.”  But that’s not what Matt heard – he heard, “like pudding.”  So he carried on about my description for a solid minute.  I didn’t correct him because I found it utterly amusing and it kept me moving for another 1/10 or so.  As my watch hit 1 mile, I paused for a short walk and Matt gave me some water.  It’s exactly what I needed to finish.  Matt peeled off a little bit later and although I wanted to quit, I knew I needed to beat the voice in my head – the one I told Anne she needed to beat, as well.
  

Done!

2.55 miles later I was back at my car – the time on my watch 22:52 and just under a 9 minute mile, even with my short walk break with Matt.  It was hard – I won’t lie.  My hope is that it will get easier if I commit to doing it each and every time we finish our long rides. 

Now, time for a couple of beers!

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!

Depression, Chest Cold and Sinus Pain be Damned!

Its been another one of those let-down weeks.  Its really silly, I know.  But when you come off of something as large and significant as Ragnar, one can suffer a little depression.  It happens to me each and every time I accomplish something so difficult.  It’s also a bit of a let down to have to say good bye to all those wonderful people who shared the experience – allowing them to return to their families, their jobs, their lives
. 

Then there’s the need for rest.  Your body’s just been through quite a bit and you can’t get right back after it or you’ll risk over-use injury or something as simple as fatigue.  So, by Tuesday I was pretty miserable.  I got in the pool for 1700 meters and just took it easy.  It felt wonderful.  I was pretty slow, but it was ok.  It had to be.

Matt and I met briefly on Wednesday morning for the slowest ride of my life.  His bike was getting an enema and he was relegated to his mountain bike.  He complained endlessly for 8 miles before I let him off the hook and went home.  Normally I would simply tell him to Harden the f*** up, but even I wouldn’t have changed places with him.  His Mountain Bike looked heavy and after all the running we did in Ragnar, I couldn’t muster up the words.
  

Thursday morning we ran – and it felt good to be out there.  But, sadly, since Tuesday (I think), I had been fighting a chest cold.  I was so uncomfortable, but managed to keep up with Matt and run our short and hilly 4.5 miles.  I knew I should have gone to Masters Swim on Thursday evening, but the chest cold had gotten the better of me by mid afternoon on Thursday and all I could think about was my bed and a nice cup of hot tea.

…and I slept in on Friday morning in hopes of finally ridding my body of the infection swirling around.

Weeks ago, Matt worked out our riding schedule leading up to the Leadman Tri on April 14^th.  I really need him to coach me through it.  Its 70 miles of riding – no drafting permitted.  And, well, riding is simply his “thing” – I just pretend to know what I am doing. 

After work on Friday I got a slightly panicked call from Matt on his drive home, alerting me to the fact that our plans had been foiled for our hilly ride out Pecos Rd.  Evidently, the City of Phoenix decided (rather last minute) to close 90% of Pecos Rd and alerted residents mid-day on Friday.  And, knowing that I am a “J” on the Meyers Briggs, Matt knew he was simply OBLIGATED to let me know a few hours in advance of our ride. 

But, to then get another message from him 3 hours later telling me he’d messed up his family schedule and could only ride on Sunday – well, THEN he really tested my “J”!  (wink)

So, because my good friend, Kris, is a “P” on the Meyers Briggs, it evidently didn’t phase her at all (at 8:45pm) to be asked for a 615am pick up on Saturday – so that I could do the full Desert Classic Trail – instead of Sunday. 

And like clockwork, after only 5 hours of sleep, Kris was at my door ready to drive my insane ass to the Trailhead 11 miles away.  (Thank you, Kris!)  I told her that had things been reversed, I would have told her “Nope! No can do!”…maybe.  It’s hard to say with a “J”. 

It was three weeks ago that I last did the full Desert Classic – that, in conjunction with Ragnar last weekend and my chest cold, I wasn’t certain it was the best idea, but I went for it. 

Once I was out on the trail I was reminded of my good decision.  Its simply the most beautiful place in the world.  The sun was coming up over the south valley and South Mountain Park was decorated with the sun’s beauty.  The Phoenix metro area received a LOT of rain in February and the trail was littered with green – super unusual for us Phoenicians to see.  As I hit approximately mile 4, I was high enough to capture the surrounding valley as the morning’s sky-frost was separating the earth from the atmosphere.  If you look closely enough, you can see it.  I simply had to stop briefly and capture the moment.  Its nearly indescribable. 

You might need to click on the photo to really enjoy it.

All was great on the trail until I decided at mile 5 to begin counting all of the steep washes I was flying into and climbing out of.  By mile 6.5, I had counted 16 steep washes and I was becoming sore as I pulled myself out of each one.  This hadn’t happened before, so I rested a short while later to take a Gel and some water.  The chest cold had made me thirstier than normal, so taking a 90 second walk break was what was in order. 

By wash 19, I took another short walk break and decided that was all I would need to carry me the remaining 3 miles home.  It cost me about 20 seconds/mile from my fastest Desert Classic run – but considering the chest cold and recent efforts in Ragnar – I was just fine with finishing strong. 

Ragnar shirt and all.

All afternoon and evening on Saturday, my sinuses would not let up.  It had me worried for my upcoming ride in the morning.  Anne picked me up mid-day for a Chicago treat – Portillos.  A location just opened in the posh area of Scottsdale, so we took a ride up and stood in long lines for the coveted Italian Beef sandwiches.  With the exception of all the Chicago Cubs attire worn by the customers of Portillos, it’s a pretty awesome place. 

Can you see the long line behind us?  Notice my contraband -- Go Cards!

On Sunday morning I woke at 2:30am raring to go.  I laid in bed hoping to fall back to sleep for nearly two hours before finally getting out of bed to get my bike and gear ready for my ride with Matt.  Matt had promised a ride laden with long, hard hills, so I drove to the Park ‘n Ride with serious trepidation.  I hadn’t been the picture of health all week and the idea of climbing hard hills with the remnants of a chest cold had me worried Matt would hate riding with me. 

As usual, Matt was on time and we were off.  The first major (but short) hill came about a mile into the ride.  Matt forged ahead (slightly) and I followed.  It seemed like everything was uphill for the first several miles.  Matt checked in with me here and there worried that I was in a pain cave, but in truth I was just trying to save some energy to get through 30 miles of hills.  Sure, my nose was running like a faucet and my chest was slightly tighter than usual, but given the work I had done on the Desert Classic the morning prior, I actually felt ok. 

I admit that I am not a great loser and I spent 95% of this morning’s ride a pretty decent distance behind Matt, but I never felt like I wasn’t going to make it.  On one of our toughest, longest climbs, I was a solid ¼ mile behind Matt as we started the ascent.  Hoping he wouldn’t look back to see my location, I slowly crept up on him.  This is the same hill I have managed to creep up successfully past him over time, but with 4-5 bike lengths between us, Matt turned around and realized I had gained substantial distance since we started the hill.  He put it in high gear and was simply not going to let me pass.  I tried and tried and tried, but I had started out with too much of a deficit to gain the necessary distance to beat him to the top.  I was really proud that by the time we both reached the top, there were only a few bike lengths between us – rather than a ¼ mile. 

At over 20 miles of hills, with another 10 miles in front of us, Matt told me that we were not backing off – and he moved like the wind through our remaining climbs and descents.  I have no idea where all my energy came from, but I managed to stay by his side and enjoyed the remainder of the ride.  All I could think at that point was, “finally, someone to talk to.” 

As we pulled into the Park ‘n Ride and said our goodbyes, I realized I’d had another great weekend of workouts – with a fading chest cold and sinus pain. 

I think we look pretty good for "wasted".

As an aside, Anne created this beautiful memory for our Ragnar team and finished it up, last night.  It’s worth watching.  It’ll give you an idea of what it was like for all of us.    Click below and Enjoy!

Ragnar 2013 Informed Insanity Team #61