Out of Retirement

Week 5 of 8 of the Olympic Training plan was supposed to go something like this:

Monday = Rest Day
Tuesday = 1900 m Swim
Wednesday = 18 mile Ride then drop of bike at shop for tune up
Thursday = 4 mile Run
Friday = 2000m Swim
Saturday = 35 mile Ride
Sunday = 7 mile Run

Well, Mother Nature had other plans for Tuesday's swim.  We had some big storms roll through starting around 4pm that lasted a few hours.  So no swim for me.  I thought about riding on the trainer but that really wasn't appealing to me so I parked it on the couch for the evening.  Something about the rain makes me want to curl up on the couch & read a book or in this case my new Triathlete magazine followed by 3 hours of TDF watching.

I woke up Wednesday feeling crazy guilty for taking an extra rest day!  I was amazed at how much it bugged me.  I really needed to get my swim in on Wednesday since I had another planned swim on Friday.  Swimming 2 days in a row isn't a good thing with my shoulders.  I also knew I needed to take my bike in for its annual tune up.  If it wasn't shifting so poorly I would have waited.  I dropped off my bike Wednesday knowing I wouldn't be able to pick it up until Friday. 

Still love the kick stand!

Thursday morning I went for my 4 mile run.  After getting ready I decided I would ride after work.  I considered skipping the ride altogether but it bothered me that my weekly miles would be down significantly from the week before.   I went into the garage & pulled out my Fuji.  It has been sitting in the garage for the better part of the year since I brought Jake home.  I have ridden it once to tailgate last fall but that is it. I have had a couple offers from folks to buy it but I just wasn't ready to get ride of it.  I like having a backup bike.

Equus Run Winery

My first thought was to ride the Legacy Trail but after thinking about it I decided to ride the Masterson Station to Equus Winery route.   I rode it last week so I thought it would be cool to do a comparison.  Well honestly, I had this blog post in mind - see #4.  I know this post was a joke but it did make me wonder. Had Jake made me lazy?  I was about to find out.  It is about 18 miles & has become my favorite after work ride.  It is close to work, traffic is minimal & it goes through some beautiful horse farms. 

I started the ride & immediately felt how different the bike felt.  My quads were really working.  By mile 4 I contemplated turning right instead of left to cut the ride short but quickly decided against it.  I mean, it wasn't hard I just felt different muscles working.  That's a good thing, right?

In no time I was at Equus Run & the turn around.  I was certainly climbing slowly plus I noticed that my bum was getting sore which surprised me.  I guess it makes sense since the ride is so different between the two but still surprised me nonetheless.  I managed to make it back to Masterson station just before 7PM. 

Here is the comparison stats between tonight's ride & last weeks ride

                                           Jake            Fuji
AVG Moving Speed           16.2 mph   13.5 mph      
Max Speed                         29.9 mph   26.4 mph
AVG Heart Rate                 153            140

The Fuji ride felt a lot harder on my legs but I wasn't breathing hard at all.  I didn't attack the hills either week.  I agree with the referenced blog post that the dusty bike in my garage makes me work harder but I don't think I am any lazier for it.  I am a lot faster & I can run off the bike a heck of a lot easier with Jake!

Tomorrow night I pick Jake up.  Fuji is back collecting dust in the garage until next time. 

Jake in Atlanta