Brick # 4

Brick 4 proved to be difficult. For starters, I've had the beginnings of a cold. Not a full-blown cold, but not I've definitely felt less than 100%. It kept me off the bike on Thursday and I've had a general lethargic "blah" kind of feeling for the last few days.

It was also colder than any previous Saturday in April which, unfortunately, is about par for the course when it comes to spring in Colorado. Nevertheless, I managed to drag myself out of bed and go through the usual rituals.

On the outbound portion of the ride, I actually felt pretty good. I did not have my Garmin displaying my MPH, but I felt like I was putting some good power into each rotation and cruising along at a steady speed. I turned around into a fairly strong wind (the wind has pretty much blown constantly all month) and that slowly wore me down. By the time I was back on the sulphur gulch trail for the last four miles, my energy was low and I did not want to push too hard since the run still lay ahead.

I rolled up to the driveway and trotted into the garage for my transition. It did not go very well. I struggled once again with my orthotic inserts. I'm now thinking I may have to go see my podiatrist, Dr. M, for another set that I'll use just for running. I can then more permanently insert them into my running shoes.

Once I was transitioned into running mode, I headed back out on the same four mile course as last week. Unfortunately, like week one, my Garmin got screwed up and suddenly said I had run--get this--over 26,000 miles. That mean rather than having a reliable gage,  I more or less had to guess when I reached four miles. Fortunately, I know my running routes quite well and I guessed right, finishing at just a smidge over four.

So it was not a great day, but I did go longer than any previous brick and I managed to get out when I was feeling less than fantastic. Next week is the last of my five bricks. I'm hoping for better weather, a reliable GPS and most of all, more energy.

On other notes, I'm still very pleased with my running and swimming. Both saw modern day PR's this week. On Tuesday, when I was still feeling well, I did five miles in 44:32 or 8:55 pace which is the first time I broke the 9:00 barrier for that distance this year. I was feeling it at the end, but I really felt good during the first part of the run.

Friday also saw more progress in the pool. I increased the workout time by 200 yards to 1500 and swam it in 34:01 which is a little better than 44 yards per minute which is as fast as I have ever swam.

When I got home from the pool, my new Orca S3 wetsuit had been delivered. I somewhat had to guess on the size but I got it right and after trying it on, I know it will work for my swim. I'm anticipating my first open water swim in about two weeks. I'm excited to see how it goes. I'm also a little nervous.

Another week is about to commence and the big day is now four weeks away. I'm hoping mother nature will cooperate so I can do more outdoor rides.

Brick 4 Results:

1) Bike : 15.09 miles, 55:27, 16.3 mph average
2) Transition: 2:41
3) Run: 4.03 miles, 38:45, 9:37 ppm average