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December 30, 2006
It IS All About the Bike
This morning I had an easier, shorter ride on my schedule but since I went on the team ride (which are neither short nor easy) I actually went a little longer and harder than was planned. That's okay though. If there's one area where I've not been feeling too strong, it's on the bike. I need all the help I can get.
With lots of my teammates away still with the holidays and people usually not from around here (visiting for the holidays) my coach and I were the only two on the ride that knew where we were going and are "regulars" and so that meant I did a fair amount of pulling. Funny how much harder it is to lead on a bike than sit back in the pack (and hardly even have to pedal). I know the pulling makes me a lot stronger though. Riding on the front in the crits last summer really made a huge difference in my cycling strength for my tris - so I need to get back into it - as hard as it may be.
Now tomorrow I won't be doing much pulling at all on my ride - in fact I will more likely be hanging on for dear life. I somehow got talked into going on the 50 mile Sunday ride with all the really good guys on the team. Sunday is usually my day off but coach thought it would be good to go with those guys tomorrow and take Monday off instead. Quite frankly I'm scared of those guys though. They are very good cyclists and their "taking it easy" is my "riding as hard as I can and hoping like heck not to get dropped off the back". Again though, I know it's the only way to get stronger. I was thinking about a quote I read from Desiree Ficker (my favorite triathlete of all time) in an article I recently read. She was talking about how in Kona this year (where she placed 2nd) she really had to make a decision with 6 miles left in the marathon - fight for 2nd place and take herself to the next level or, retreat back into her comfort zone and settle for 3rd or 4th. She said: "At that point, I thought about all the times in my workouts in Austin, training with men, that I have been dropped and struggled to hold on for dear life. Having gone through those moments of pain in training made it easier to deal with." Desiree and I aren't at the same level, no - not even close - but I think of the same thing when I'm racing, all those long hours and pushing yourself hard, trying desperately to keep up with the guys on the team and in the mean time, getting a whole lot stronger (mentally and physically) for it. Tomorrow might just be one of those days I look back on...
Week summary:
Sunday - off
Monday - 25 mile ride w/3 mile TT, core/feet exercises
Tuesday - 2100 yd swim w/1000 yd TT (13:28) in am, plyometric session in am, 41 minute run in pm w/5x20 second striders, 1 hour pilates class in pm
Wednesday - 3200 yd swim w/10x50, 4x500 in am, weight session in am, 1:25 on trainer in pm w/ILT
Thursday - 3200 yd swim w/lots of hard 100s in am, 40 minute run in pm w/1600 meter TT (5:37), 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Friday - 2000 yd swim w/7x100, 200 kick in am, weight session in pm
Saturday - 35 mile ride in am (about 1:50)
Definitely a lighter week time wise - about 12.75 hours total. I did have a little more quality than usual. I was very pleased with my swim TT and my running TT result is starting to grow on me some too. I will be excited to see what next week holds!
Posted by beth at December 30, 2006 8:19 PM
Comments
I was trying to figure out why the name "Desiree Ficker" was so familiar... then I realized I'd raced her a few times, in road races, when I used to race a lot near her hometown.
Posted by: pjm at December 30, 2006 9:28 PM
Happy New Year!
I would love to read a post about you recapping this past year and some of the things you're looking towards in 2007. I think you have big things on your plate and I'd love to know exactly what all of it is!
Good luck with Sunday's ride!
Posted by: Meghan at December 30, 2006 9:34 PM