Brick by Brick

...is how you get to Ironman. This weekend was my first weekend (long) brick workout since last October, when I biked 50 and ran 10 with TriGirl Lynn in her last pre-IMFL workout. I am not counting the indoor cycling/run workouts of early this year, why, I don't know. Outside workouts count differently in my mind; they're just different than riding inside and running outside. Maybe just I didn't have my trainer tight enough. But I digress...
I had done a track workout (again, my first in a long time) on Friday since I can't seem to get my lazy ass out of bed before 7am on Thursdays. So those TriGirl morning speed workouts at the Vita course aren't happening yet. I guess I should shout out to some of my fellow IMFL trainees and TriGirls, to arrange some carpool situation, or something, to really motivate me to get me out of bed. OK, I'm still digressing here....
So Saturday morning rolls around, my legs are tired, I'm tired since it's cheeks on seats at 7am or I ride/run alone. I was a good girl Friday night and came home from dinner with my grad school friends early, so I did get enough sleep and I've been eating copious amounts of food for two weeks now. But I just can't seem to keep up with my fellow Florida girls. A dropped chain at mile 23 didn't help. By mile 25 of 30, coach Blake catches up with me. "Keep your cadence at 90," he says. "But then I spin like mad and go nowhere," says I. "Easy work over sustained time," he counsels me. "But what good is that if I'm riding ALONE, miles behind my friends?" I ask. Coach Blake is good--he seems to know almost every TriGirl's A race, and what races she's done so far, and pretty much the right thing to say to get her to do what she needs to do. Have I told you that he's finished Ironman Lake Placid, the toughest IM course in North America? He has been where I doubt I could ever go--but he is able to instill a quiet calm and confidence in me that makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I could. "They've already done a half iron and a century ride this year, where your attention was rightly focused on graduating. Of course they're in better shape. But you WILL get there. Patience," is the gist of what he then said to me. So I put the damn bike into an easier gear, upped my cadence, and tried hard to spin my way back into the pack. Luckily I finished the ride just a couple of minutes behind my friends. Then it was time to run.
Have I said that summer has arrived in Richmond? That the temps the past couple of days have been in the high 80s, with some thick humidity, even at 9am? The run was going to be HOT, and we were supposed to do it in a negative split.
I've come to rely on dropping a cooler w/ water, ice, and sports drinks at about the halfway point in our 6 mile run loop out at West Creek (where we usually do our Saturday workouts). I'm so glad I planned ahead this weekend too. I've had water bottles and coolers stolen/taken on those long brick workouts--so I've labeled my litte red cooler for "TRIGIRLS ONLY--DO NOT REMOVE." Thank god for that red cooler. 2.5 and 5 miles into the run, the only thing that keeps me going is knowing I can pour cold water on my neck and stuff my bra with ice. Last summer it was a life saver, and Saturday was no different. As we look ahead to August, I'll be packing two coolers, so on 10-12 mile runs we can have a "water stop" at every 4 miles or so. We finished the run in a little over an hour, which included two water stops, and for me a sit in the grass (Love those quick-dry skorts!)
The good news from this week:

• I've pretty much made it back to full training mode, including several bike/run workouts, without any knee issues. PT said that they will discharge me next week if I'm still pain free. I guess that means no more massages from Kent...but also no more dragging a 90lb sled down a corridor. I'll have to pick up strength training again at Maramarc instead, but I'll be in good company.
• I need to keep up w/ yoga and my foam roller to keep those IT band issues at bay.
• Time also to focus on getting in the pool at least 2-3 times per week to swim (lounging at our pool working on a tan apparently doesn't count. Damn.)
• Our fearless Brazil folks are back stateside! Time to celebrate!

Finally, I'd like to congratulate all the TriGirls who finished their first triathlon, the Shady Grove Sprint this weekend! I wasn't able to be there to cheer them on (sleepovers and golfing husbands), but from what I hear all had a good time and raced well. To my blogger friend Marit, kudos to you too for your first post-injury ow swim. I hope it went well. And best wishes to Jen as she heads off this week to kick some butt at the ITU Worlds in Vancouver--you will rock!