Passing Time

Day 2 of taper week. Our coach put together a schedule calling for an easy 12-15 mile ride today. After crawling out of my skin yesterday with just the swim - and yesterday was supposed to be rest - I decided to go for the 15 and add a short, 2-mile run. It's early in the week so I figured a final brick would be nice. Since I was half following orders, I kept it easy by staying along the Hudson where it is flat. There was a strong headwind on the first half that made it kind of slow, but I reminded myself that the ride was supposed to be relaxed. When I turned around and headed south, I was able to make up some time. My transition was really fast today and the run was great. When I started training, I was dreading the bricks because so many people hate them. But I've actually enjoyed them. When I start doing longer distances I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune.

Since my workouts are short, I have a lot of time on my hands. I spend 90% of it obsessing about the race and try to occupy the other 10% with positive distractions. My official race photos arrived from the Flat as a Pancake Tri so I figured now is a great time to scan and post them here.

First up, they captured a shot of me at the swim exit. Note the "oh my god, I can't believe I didn't drown" look on my face. Also note that there are several people with pink caps still in the water, which means I wasn't last! Of course the guy in the blue cap started 5 minutes after me.

Next up, here I am on the bike looking very serious. This was coming into the u-turn from the first loop. I think I was still in awe that I made it through the swim.

And finally, the finish. I was elated and actually had a smile on my face, or as much of a smile as you can manage after a roasting hot run with no shade. But it's not my happy finish face that should be noted here. My fellow finisher's face was hidden as she looked down to stop her watch, capturing her exact finish time.

People stopping their watches in race finish photos is not unusual. What's unusual is this second shot, where she appears to be checking her heart rate monitor on the other wrist. This was a little local race on Staten Island. I forgot to start my watch at the beginning and forgot to reset my bike computer in transition, so I didn't have a clue what my time was. Someone once said that it's better to have had a good time than to have run a good time. But I guess we all have different priorities. If I could thank her though, I would. She encouraged me to sprint with her to the finish and as a result, I set a 5K PR.

Next up this week, I'll be posting a video of one of my open water swims at Brighton Beach. After that, I'll have to find something else to occupy the rest of my taper time.

Biking (brick workout)
Distance - 15 miles
Time - 58:47

Running (brick workout)
Distance - 3 miles
Time - 16:13