May 8, 2011

Endorphins Cure All

Nothing wipes away a rough week faster than a weekend on the bike. The sleep catch-up started on Friday and continued into Saturday. The sleep deprivation began again on Sunday, but for a good cause. On a bit of a whim, I signed up for the inaugural Gran Fondo New York, but since my longest ride thus far has been 45 miles, I did the sane thing and opted for the Medio course, a 65 mile ride on some pretty aggressive hills. I met up with a friend and was feeling rather smug as I clipped along in a paceline with thousands of other cyclists. But about 25 miles in, which was 40 miles with my commute from Brooklyn, I started to fade. I continued to enjoy it, however, and realized how much I've missed being on my bike. After 83.12 miles I reached the end.

I've been beat all day, but beat in a good way. The exhaustion from training is different than the exhaustion from stress, it's almost refreshing. A meal, a nap, a snack, a pedi with leg massage and another meal later I feel pretty incredible and am sure I'll sleep well tonight.

With a couple missed workouts and a couple detours, how did my week turn out?

The Numbers:
  • Swim - 2,650 yards, 51:44 (I know, Alcatraz is just around the corner...)
  • Bike - 141.35 miles, 9:25:23
  • Run - 12.02 miles, 1:46:31
I have a light block at the beginning of the week for business travel and have a feeling my body will thank me. Hopefully this will be a better week.

4 comments:

  1. What a great day for the grand fondo! Nice ride too!

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  2. great job this week! i'm starting to experience that same fatigue (from a lot less training than you, of course) and i agree, it's kind of a good feeling! enjoy the upcoming rest!

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  3. Great news on the momentum swing! and nice job on the cure all 83miler.

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  4. Wow, holy bike miles..I thought I was a rock star with about 100 - way to go. Hope the trip will give you some much needed recovery.

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