Brick Workout

I am very proud of myself for this workout. I feel that I went out with a plan and I stuck to it. I hydrated well, I had good nutrition, I had a short transition. I felt that this workout really showed me a lot about how much I've grown, even just since the duathlon in March.

I felt so proud of myself for riding well, getting into the drops frequently, maintaining speed on hills and accelerating well. I spun my legs out a couple of times, stood up to stretch a couple of times, was thoughtful about my gearing and rode hard when it was appropriate. I feel like my bike handling skills have improved and I make smarter decisions while riding. I am much more at ease with the water bottle, with gear changes (and knowing which gear I'm in and how that affects my speed) and with my overall form. I feel that a great deal of this is thanks to my Cycleops trainer and Coach Troy.

The run was also very good. I was proud of myself for sticking with the intervals, they were difficult. I was also proud of myself for accurately keeping an eye on the clock - I was in multisport mode in order to track my transition time, and so I couldn't program intervals into the watch. I am much more in tune with my body when it comes to my ability to hit and maintain a certain pace. The first set of intervals were difficult, mostly because I was tired. The second set of intervals, however, were incredibly difficult. This was due not only to fatigue, which wasn't (oddly) as bad at this point, but due to cramping and physical discomfort. I also felt thirsty through this set and really should have stopped for water once when I wanted to, but decided against it. Finally, when I reached the tempo portion of the run, I was just going on training. I was depending on my body to know the cadence and stick to it, which it did for the most part. I was also very focused during this section. I focused on the finish line. I focused on maintaining good form. I focused on breathing and body position. I focused on cadence and pacing.

Overall, like I said, I am very proud of my work today. Thanks to a friend, I was able to transition very smoothly, in 1:09. We joked afterward that it would have been under a minute if my earring hadn't fallen off... which is true.