Spring is in the Air

Just in time for my longest brick workout yet, spring temporarily arrived in New York. It was 60 by mid-morning and would reach almost 70 by afternoon. I had a ride partner lined up but only for 20 miles because Prospect Park has such a small loop. Since I had 40 miles on the schedule I did 20 on the trainer first. These long rides are the most boring because aside from monitoring my heart rate, there is nothing to break up the monotony. A quick break at 10 miles and quickly enough it was time to head out.

It was unbelievable outside. I was immediately way too hot in what I was wearing so I ended up putting on my short-sleeved running shirt. I've ridden outside a handful of times this winter but never when it was this nice. It was the first time I actually looked forward to summer and long rides that take half the day. I used to love biking and hopefully I will again.

The park was packed. Everyone was out enjoying the day after a long and miserable winter. Navigating the crowds was good practice for me although I couldn't get into aero much as a result. Nevertheless, every ride is a big step and anything to avoid another 1.5 hours on the trainer is a good thing.

My run also went really well. I'm not sure I've ever done a brick this long so I wasn't sure how my legs would react, but they felt pretty good. I ran through the neighborhood and ventured over to Red Hook to check it out a bit. Aside from struggling to find 4 miles to cover, this was a really easy run. I was averaging a much quicker pace than I was aiming for and it felt very comfortable. If the brick workouts are the most important and make the biggest difference in race fitness, I may not be doing so bad after all.

I was dying to eat and there was no time for formalities. It was already 2:30 so I threw some pants on over my shorts, put my biking jacket back on and went straight for food. It's amazing how hungry you get after biking and it's even more amazing how much you can eat. We had planned to hit the diner for a late breakfast and lots of coffee, but caved into the lure of the outdoor cafe as we passed by a restaurant. There was also the lure of the beef shortrib hash on the brunch menu and that sealed the deal. To top it off, they served the biggest cups of coffee I've ever seen. This really was the perfect Spring day.

Biking
Distance - 40.13 miles
Time - 2:41:30

Running
Distance - 4 miles
Time - 34:29