Went swimming after work Friday, and got almost all of my workout in before it started raining. 2250m total, and it was a tough workout: I struggled more in the 300m long swim than I did on Wednesday, though everything else after that was pretty easy.
Friday night I went to the store to grab groceries, and they had a ton of energy gels and other stuff on sale. So I loaded up on a few of each:
Saturday morning I woke up around 6:00 to go for a 35+ mile ride, but Olympic cycling was on TV so I watched that for an hour before heading up to Yorktown. I brought two bottles with me, one with water and the other with gatorade, along with one of the strawberry-banana energy gels. After 20 miles I stopped to pop the gel pack and snap a picture:
I was feeling fantastic, and had plenty of water left, so I decided to push it to 40 or 50 miles. So of course my front tire goes flat 4 miles later, punctured by a very small, sharp rock. Ugh! I was still 4 miles away from my car so I called a friend that lives nearby and had him drive me back to my car. The back tire is new and stronger, but the front is still the stock ones that came with the bike, so I'll probably end up replacing that with some gatorskins in the next few days. I went to Bike Beat to grab some spare tubes, along with a case that straps underneath my saddle, so I can take spare tubes and tire levers with me next time. I also sat down and learned how to replace the tube myself, and was pleased with how easy it was.
A few hours later I got back on the bike and road another 10 miles in my neighborhood, ending up at 34.38 for the day. It was a much tougher ride than earlier that morning: the wind was strong, it was hotter, and my saddle sores were really bothering me. I'll tackle 40+ miles next weekend, hopefully without a flat. One thing that was recommended was lowering my PSI a bit on the battlefield trail, since it's a little bumpier than a paved road.
Sunday morning I headed back to Yorktown for my long run. Last weekend I ran 18 miles (which was a PR for distance, not counting the Shamrock marathon I ran in March), and that was with only one bottle of water with me. This time I was more prepared: I brought 3 bottles of water/gatorade, some Gatorade Prime, and a gel pack. It ended up not being enough, but it was better than last week and I put 19 miles on my legs.
Ran the 9 mile loop once, made a pit stop at my car to drink some Gatorade Prime and refill my water bottle, then did the 5 mile loop twice with another pit stop in between. I was still dehydrated by the end, so I may need to avoid the 9 mile loop altogether in the future in order to keep drinking fluid regularly.
The first two miles as a warm-up were at 11:03/mile pace, and my heart rate was surprisingly low, in the 140s. I pushed myself a bit to stay around 155, and ended up with an average pace of 10:30 for the next 13 miles. My average pace for the day was 10:45/mile, which I'm very pleased with for such a long run. Heart rate training gives a level of precision that is invaluable, as perceived effort can vary greatly. Next week I plan on doing my long run at a slightly higher heart rate; Zone 2 is 151-158, so I'll keep it up near the high end of that.
My knees were pretty shot by the time I got home, and my feet were pruny from some of the water on the trail:
I had planned on swimming Sunday as well, but that sure as hell wasn't happening after this run. I'll continue my normal schedule of Tue-Thur-Sat this week, though one workout behind schedule. I spent the rest of the day vegged out on the couch, and gorged myself on 8 scrambled eggs and 6 thick-cut slices of bacon that night:
It's been a good first "real" training month, and I'll be writing up a monthly review in the next day or two.
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