Pushing myself out the door...

Yesterday, I took an unscheduled rest day and postponed my long bike ride and brick run until today. I needed the time off as my legs felt like lead after my long run on Saturday. 

It was cool this morning. When I woke up, it was 14 C, and I don't like riding in cool weather. I used it as a procrastination to wait until it warmed up to 20 C. 

I had some pasta before I left, then turned off the brain and just pushed myself out the door for my scheduled long ride, which was followed up by a brick run. 

I first noticed that my heart rate was lower than usual when I rode, which is a sign I'm getting in better shape. Even on my most challenging climbs, I couldn't get my heart rate into the 150s. 

The second thing was that I spent more time in the aero position than I had in the past. It wasn't long, but I did it at least 8 - 10 times until my neck hurt. I noticed that my thighs hit my gut when I was aero. That's a first and not a great feeling. To get aero, I removed my sunglasses and put on a regular pair of glasses with big rims to see better when aero. 

In the Aero position, it felt okay, but I still felt shaky on the bike. I feel shaky when I go for my water bottle and put it back, and the same when I change my gears when not in the aero position. It's a combination of being off the bike for a while and the paranoia of crashing, which is mental. Even crossing roads, I'm overly cautious. I never was like that in the past. The odds are against me. 

This was my best ride. My average speed would have been faster, but it was the quickest to date, by .3 of a kilometer. I'm wondering if it's me or if my front wheels are not spinning effortlessly. I had a situation where they were providing resistance because I had my hub spoke pressed too tight several rides ago. I released the pressure, but I'm still not sure if it's my hub not turning freely or if I'm still way too fat. 

I remember that when I was not in good shape, I would still do 25 - 26 kph on average, and now I haven't had a ride where I've gotten it to 25 kph. 

During this ride, I decided to take a gel and get my body used to having them. I don't know if I'm a gel guy. I have always had PowerBars, and now I need help finding them. They are not the greatest tasting, but I've been using them since 1987. Gels are new, and I worry they are like drinking Coke on the run; it gives you a sugar boost for a while, and then you lose energy and need another to get it back. It becomes a roller coaster, that's why I'd only take Coke at the very end of the run where I absolutely needed it to push through. 

After the ride, I gave myself another push to get out the door for my 20-minute off-bike run. I was not motivated to do it but resisted thinking about it, changed into my running clothes, and just did it. It was a run and walk, about half and half. It also hurt, and I was happy when my heart rate got so high that I had to walk. Walking is so much more pleasurable.


 

As I ran, I felt my gut and kept thinking I was running with at least 40 lbs of extra weight. I've noticed it is much harder to lose weight as I've gotten older. The same goes for building muscle. This is the beginning of week 7 of my training, and I'm worried that I won't lose enough weight or get in good enough shape to finish the race at a respectable time and not hurt too much. 

One mistake I may have made is taking too much Beta-Alanine. I took some before the training session and then some after the training session, along with my protein shake. Now, as I write this, I'm tingling and feeling like I'm going to bonk. It's time to eat a baked potato and relax. 

Bike - 2:19:30 / 56.71 km / 24.4 kph avg

Run - 20:21 / 2.48 km / 8:11 p/km pace



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