New bike

It took some time, but I am finally the proud owner of a new triathlon bike – a Trek Equinox 9. I received it last week – right in the middle of an unseasonably cold spell. So after the long wait, I had to spend my first few rides on my new bike downstairs on the trainer. There were no advantages training inside on my new bike. I found that the only difference was that the new seat on my new bike made my seat hurt like it hadn't since I first started training.

I was able to finally go out for a ride on Sunday. I shouldn't have because it was only 40 degrees and the wind was really strong. But I couldn't stand another 2 hours riding inside and stationary – especially since I had the brand new bike.

So I bundled up – put tights over my biking shorts, wore some gloves, put my running vest on over a shirt and headed out the door. I can say unequivocally it was a miserable experience.

The cold and wind were bad enough (I felt like I was going to be blown over as I went past open fields), they made it difficult to stay balanced and I spent most of my ride tightly gripping the handles so it wouldn't veer off into a field.

But I had the most problems with the bars. Because it is a true triathlon bike, the gears are on the bars and the brakes are on the side (or hood as it is called). With the wind whipping my bike around and me not being used to my new ride, it was a bit scary to come off the hood and switch the gears. Thus, climbing hills (which there were plenty on my route) became difficult and I ended up struggling up many of them. I probably spent more energy being nervous than I did peddling.

I fell once due to not being able to unclip fast enough. This is like falling forward with your hands in your pockets. It's a helpless feeling as you fall slowly to the ground. You also feel really stupid. I'm looking forward to the day I master this seemingly simple act.

I managed to complete the workout, but it came with the realization that I have much to learn about the discipline of cycling.

Running nowhere

I must admit that I am directionally challenged. This is particularly so when I am running in city or course I am not familiar with. I've been lost in farmlands and big cities. It doesn't matter how long I've studied the map, eventually I get turned around.

I guess the positive side of this is that I get a few extra miles in, but I'm usually not looking at that silver lining during the run.

Last Saturday was par the course for me. I went out to run easy for an hour and a half after my one hour swim (it was, for me, my first really tough weekend). There was a nearby park that was near the pool. I'd never run in the park, but knew runners frequented it. I managed to get to the park from the pool with no problem. I even got through most of the run with my bearings. But when it was time to end the run and head back, I must have gone right instead of left. I ended up going on a road aptly called "Scenic Loop."

Eventually I figured out that I was lost and tried to figure my way out (it's a very large park and I really am directionally challenged). Being too embarrassed to stop somebody and ask them how I could get out of the park, I listened for traffic and followed the sound. I ended up finding my way back to the pool a full two hours after I began. The good news was that I felt strong (but not fast) during the run, the bad news was that I was pretty much toast heading into my long bike ride on Sunday (which also turned out to be an adventure).

A taste of open water…

I went for a swim today and found that they had set up a few of the lanes for 50 yard laps instead of the usual 25 yards. Now I could have done my workout in 25 yard lanes but I wanted to see how I did without the "push off."

I've always wondered how much help I was getting from the mini rest and push off the wall I was getting at the end of each 25 yard turn in the pool. It seemed to me I was kind of cheating. There certainly aren't any walls to cling onto when you're in a lake, river or ocean.

So I started my workout – which was not an easy one for me, it was around 2000 yards – in the long lane. There was a noticeable difference. On the positive side, I didn't feel like a tennis ball bouncing back and forth from wall to wall over and over again. That gets pretty monotonous.

On the bad side, I did miss those small rest periods and the push off. It does take a little more energy and time to complete the distance. Toward the end of the swim, I started to get an idea of how it may feel to be tired in the water without having an option of stopping or having a rest. A little concerning, but I think it'll be ok.

Now all I have to do is add some waves and muddy contaminated water, and I'll know how it'll be swimming down the Ohio River for Ironman Louisville.

First ride

While my bike is on order (and hopefully due next week), my coach loaned me her bike until mine came in. So with much trepidation and angst, I went out on my first bike ride yesterday. I had no idea where I was going – basically I thought I'd pick a road and go on that road for as long as it took me (which is essentially what I did). The bike wasn't a perfect fit, but it was far better than what I am using as a trainer downstairs.

My biggest concern (other than traffic) was getting in and out of my peddle clamps when coming to a stop. It turned out to be a valid concern as I couldn't get them off and fell twice. It's such a helpless feeling not being able to get your feet loose as you slowly fall to the ground. Although I got a few scrapes, I was more angry at myself than hurt. It really shouldn't be that hard to get off a bike. I felt like an idiot.

After more than a few minutes of nervous riding, I found that I was enjoying cycling. The cars generally were courteous and it was a beautiful day to be out. Cycling outside is much more of a workout than cycling on a trainer inside. I shifted gears constantly, trying to figure out how best to go up and down hills. Sometimes I did well, sometimes I found myself struggling to get to the top. My biggest learning curve will be learning to read and handle the hills, there seems to be an art to this.

In the end, it was a good first day. I went 30 miles in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I went as slow as 5 miles per hour and as fast as 35 (down a very steep hill of course). While I still have much to learn about cycling – I felt like I could eventually get the hang of it.

Not a good run

Yesterday I ran a 10 mile race – and it did not go well. I ran over a minute and a half slower per mile than I did at the same time last year (when I was only training for marathons).

Was it the result of training for the full tri? I think that's probably most of it. It was very humid and I'm not a good runner in the heat. Also - I probably didn't have enough rest in the last few days.

But because of training for the Ironman, I'm my running workouts are slow paced and I'm not running as much. As a result of this I'm not as intense during my runs and I'm not used to the pounding – mentally I gave up on the race not too long after the gun went off.

Oddly enough, I wasn't that upset after the race. Normally I would have been pretty disappointed. But while I was a little worried about how much the humidity hurt me (I've got a long way to go to prepare myself for the heat that is almost sure to be present at Ironman Louisville), I knew it was really only a training run in the middle of a long road to getting ready for the real race.