Minor Delays

I missed my post yesterday (sorry mom) so I'm including both yesterday's and today's training in one. Yesterday was lazy indeed so I didn't even make it out to run until after 4:00. I imagined going out all day, yet busied myself with things around the house instead. Truth be told, I was a little sore and fatigued from the previous three days of activity and I kind of wanted to rest. But I finally dragged myself out the door for another easy three miles.

It was warm and sunny, just about perfect except for one small thing - the wind was very strong and blowing, of course, North while I was running South. I felt like I was running very slowly and my legs were definitely a bit heavy from the previous days' activities, but when I hit the first mile marker, I was pleased to see that I had made it in 8:25, not bad at all! The second mile was slower, just like my previous run on the same route, at 9:08. I cleared the last mile, with the wind now luckily at my back, in 8:22.

I wasn't as breathless this time, but I still struggled. It's time to increase to four miles and keep at it until it gets easier. It's always surprising how quickly you go from being able to run 15+ miles to barely making it three. In a month, everything will be different. I just have to keep reminding myself.

One frightening observation I made about the wind is that it caused little whitecaps in the Hudson. The water was really churned up and if there was a directional current, it was impossible to see. God I hope it isn't windy on the day of the triathlon!

Sport - Running
Distance - 3 miles
Time - 25:55


Today was the second meeting of the JackRabbit training group. Luckily it was a short ride, 20 miles in total for me since I also rode to the park and back, which is just over eight miles. I say luckily, because my good friend Donna had an incredibly fun birthday party last night that I just couldn't bring myself to leave so I went to bed at 2:30 and had to be up at 6:30 to meet the group at 8:00 in Central Park. I felt surprisingly good and as soon as I got outside and hit the bike path, I felt wide awake. It's always great to be out on a bike early on a Sunday morning when no one else is up yet. I was able to get to the park in less than 15 minutes, vs. the 20 or more it can take when it's crowded. We had a quick overview and then divided into three groups - A were the fastest, B the intermediate and C either more leisurely riders or those with hybrids or mountain bikes - for two quick loops of the park. I wasn't confident enough to ride with A so I went with B. As soon as we started, I pulled away and ended up on my own since it would have been impossible to catch the A group and I didn't want to slow down to fall back to the B group. I usually ride alone so I didn't mind, but in future training, I want the benefit of riding with a coach since I don't really know much about biking technique.

The AIDS Walk was taking place beginning at 9:00 so we knew the park would be crowded, but were hoping to finish before everything really kicked off. But on the second loop, just as I approached Harlem Hill, I was directed to exit the park due to the road being closed.

I ended up riding down Central Park West with the traffic from 108th to 59th. It really wasn't that bad since it was still early so I was able to get through most of the lights without having to make a full stop. I eventually caught up with the C group because they had taken the transverse before Harlem Hill and ended up ahead of the B group.

It was a nice, slow ride with some minor delays, but nothing that couldn't be worked around. It was just the right amount of effort on four hours of sleep. I was home by 9:45, had a second breakfast and went back to bed until noon, making today feel like it was actually two days in one.

Sport - Biking
Distance - 20.41 miles
Time - 1:34:33