Crazy brick.

I woke up this morning feeling really good, a little sore, but good. I was anticipating one of the tougher workouts of the week and looking forward to it. I wanted to do this workout on the trails butI spoke with Jim last night and he told me he was doing the same workout at the same time and to show up. I don't get a chance to ride with Jim very often so I took advantage. I also wanted to take my bike for a spin to go through all the shifting cnd check how it was rolling, after all that work. I got there around 12:30 and Jim showed up around 1:00 which allowed me enough time to warm-up a little stretch my still sore legs.

This is the same brick interval I did last Saturday so there was going to be some ability to compare the two. Well that was going to be tough because today was windy. Not stormy and windy but steady 14-22 that doesn't go away. On top of that it was dirty, dirty and sandy. This place can turn into a real dustbowl which is kind of what you look for when your kiteboarding this spot, but today I was fighting the conditions on the bike and run to no mention messing the recent clean on my bike. We warmed up 4 easy laps and then started the main set: 3 x 5 mile bike with 1 mile run off the bike. I wanted to descend the intervals, problem is I descended the pace instead of the time. r d r r. Here's how they ended up.

no 1. bike: 262 watts/ 13.4 min
run: 6:35/mi

no. 2 bike: 243 watts/ 13.9 min

run: 6:31/mi

no. 3 bike: 231 watts/ 14.1 min
run: 6:43/mi HR 170 max 180 (same for all 3)

I thought I did the last run faster @ 6:15 but looking at the G305 totals pace was 6:43 must have pushed the lap late when leaving T.

Looking at my speeds on the bike my max speed was 31 mph and low was 15 mph. That's a lot of shifting gears and shifts in momentum. It definitely taxed my legs trying to maintain cadence and keep rolling through the gusty parts. Each lap on the run, the first split was with the wind and slightly down hill. I felt great averaging like 6:10. The way back was tough espacially mentally. I was really feeling the wind against my chest and face. Jim was able to ride back to me and help me through the last minute or so telling me to lean more into the wind and shorten up the stride. These are both the opposite of my tendency when tired. This stresses the importance of staying mentally focused and in control. One of the things I learned in talking to Jim on recovery laps was that its sometimes more important to back off on intensity and focus on efficiency and technique. We actually talked about it in context of climbing on the MTB but an important concept in all aspects of this sport(s).

I was feeling quite done after this main set. I was glad to get it over with. dirt in my eyes and mouth and to cap off the annoying factor, my bottom bracket had a hideous squeek. Not what I was hoping for after just getting the bike back from the shop.

I took some recovery and headed over to the B+L south shop and had the mechanic look at the BB. He took it apart and noticed the non-drive side was a little rough. Disappointing but at least I know it's not the way it's supposed to be. I'll take it up to Matt and have him take a look at it. At this point I want my old parts back. I'm hopeful to get it right or better than right. Glad I have time to deal with this a couple weeks before racing. Don't fix it if it ain't broke? we'll see!

I got to give out a big Mahalo to Jim for including me in this workout. He's always out to help his athletes and others improve. Pretty refreshing for an athlete of his caliber to really do a lot to give back to the community whether it's giving a pre-race lectures, swim clinics or shelling out shwag at a post race raffle. He's probably one of the most visible and accessible pro's who lives and trains locally. Check him out at www.jimvanceracing.com