Frozen Toes

Due to some unexpected personal conflicts, yesterday's scheduled 9-mile long run didn't happen. There was just no way I could do it. It was a reminder that life sometimes gets in the way of training and you have to learn to deal with it and move on. So today, I jumped back into it.

After last week’s 1:45:00 on the trainer, I was desperate to get my bike outside for this week’s brick even if it meant suffering a bit. The forecast called for upper 40s/low 50s, but with wind that would make it feel 10 degrees cooler. That was good enough for me. I woke up to the sun shining and birds singing and couldn’t wait to get on the bike. I ate, had coffee, got my gear together and layered up. I wore my thickest socks, tights with bike shorts over them, a long-sleeved base layer, my neoprene cycling jacket and an ear band under my helmet to block the wind. I figured I’d be fine.

As my luck would have it, I stepped out the front door and noticed rain drops on the stairs. Rain was not in the forecast at all. With my current fear of biking, riding on slippery streets wasn't my idea of a confidence builder. I stood there for a moment and didn’t know what to do. I missed yesterday’s workout and if I had gone back inside, today’s would have consisted of more than 2.5 hours on the trainer. I locked the door and decided to go for it. I rode cautiously (as usual) all the way to the park and luckily the rain stopped shortly after. I proceeded to do the 3-mile loop multiple times and stopped every 3 or so for a mental break and once for a gel. I was feeling pretty comfortable and even allowed myself to get up to 27mph while in the aero bars. Granted I was freaking out inside, but I did it.

The sun never really came back and after 20 miles or so I was freezing. I had lost all feeling in my feet from my toes to my instep and realized there was no way I could run on those feet if I kept going. I decided to ride home and do the remaining 10 miles or so on the trainer.

I got my bike set up and still could not feel my feet. The discomfort was overwhelming. I had to put hot water in my bath tub and stand in it for a few minutes. I got a stabbing pins and needles sensation as the feeling came back and my feet literally turned purple. Ouch. But after drying off and putting my socks on, my feet finally felt normal. I hopped on the trainer and started to ride. Every minute felt like 5 and it was a massive effort to keep going after having been outside. I managed to ride 5 miles and decided to cut the ride short. I just didn’t have the mental energy to push through another 5.

I did a quick change and was out the door for my run. I actually read my training plan this time and realized there was a pace set for my brick runs so I paid closer attention this time. I guess it was a good thing I wasn’t aiming for another fast run because I just didn’t have it in me today. Time dragged on and I just didn’t feel like running. The wind was gusty by then and made me miserable. It was a very long 3 miles, but I got it done and my legs felt ok aside from a bit of fatigue.

This winter/early spring training is very challenging both mentally and logistically but I know I need to do it for my upcoming half ironman. I’ll be arriving at the start undertrained for sure, but sufficiently trained nevertheless. It won’t be my fastest race, but it will be a massive accomplishment for me.

Biking
Distance – 30 miles
Time – 1:59:14

Running
Distance – 3 miles
Time – 27:26