Bike Check-in

Got up early this morning for a 75 minute Z1/Z2 run in the park in the middle of town - its where the run course will be tomorrow. Went to the race briefing with Gordy at 11:00am and chuckled when the race director said "If your bike computer is only reading 10km/hr on the first hill don't be alarmed - it's perfectly normal." Maybe I'm glad I'm not riding tomorrow!

Gordy and Torsten aren't the only ones riding road bikes - almost the entire 2,500 are riding road bikes - saw a few Cervelo's so it must be an official Ironman event!

Got Gordy checked in this afternoon - weather hot and sunny and the forecast for tomorrow looks pretty good - hopefully the rain will hold off and it will stay warm and sunny.

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow - wish I was too :-(

Friday in Wiesbaden

Met up with some friends last night and had dinner before falling into bed at 9:00pm! I had a 55 minute run to do this morning (including some speedwork - thanks Craig!) so set off for the run course and left Gordy at the hotel ... he has to rest!

Run over, it was breakfast and then off to register for the race - even though I can't race I registered to pick up my Goody Bag. By now it was pouring with rain (yesterday's weather must have followed us). Met a guy from Los Angeles who is here with his wife - he's racing and she's spectating - and had lunch with them then back to the hotel to snooze and watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics ... a German voice-over the Chinese commentary - didn't understand a word in either language but it looked pretty cool. We'll get live coverage here so that should keep us occupied ... road race is on tomorrow morning.

Just back from the pasta party - very efficient even down to proper china and flatware.

450 miles on half a tank of diesel!

Well here we are in Wiesbaden, Germany. Got up at 5:00am on Thursday morning, out of the house just before 6:00am and rolling up to the Channel Tunnel at 7:45 - 112 miles from our house ... how spooky is that?

40 minutes to cross the English Channel on the Eurotunnel train - fantastic - and we are rolling out of Calais where it started raining. The rain continued through France, Belgium and Holland and only cleared when we got into Germany. From then on it was just off and on!

Held our speed down to 65 mph and thus managed to get 49.5 miles per gallon - those Saab diesels are very frugal - we still have a half tank left so that should get us back to Belgium before we need to think about refuelling - diesel is cheaper in Europe than at home!

Speed Work

Run this morning......cool and overcast (again) what a terrible summer we have had. Raining now !

Anyway, plan called for 33-43 minute run with strides and 3 x 1 min efforts in Z4 ...managed this and loved it. Can finally see how all this training is working...feel really, really strong.

Knee held up well, a little sore now and the bruising is coming out beautifully. Had last session with the nurse....everything is healing really well and I can swim next week when goop has finally stopped oozing out of my gashed elbow.

Bike later.......just 80 minutes...my 'recovery' week.

Considering what a terrible swimmer I am ...I am REALLY missing it !

60 miles

Set off this morning for my 60 mile endurance ride. Our German friend Torsten was in Cambridge for the weekend so Jack picked him up at 7:15 and having adjusted Jack's road bike to fit him - and loaned him shoes, helmet, gloves and wet weather gear - we set off at 8:25.

HRM failed to transmit so this ride was done on "feel" rather than actual data - it worked well - kept in an easy breathing zone, could talk all the time. Left home and headed north into the flat Fenland country around Mildenhall, spinning along at 17 - 18 mph felt really good. Got home after 3:30 and Jack was ready with a protein smoothie for the two of us - what a star!

Weather was around 60F, cloudy with drizzle & a couple of heavy showers - lovely!

Torsten is also racing Wiesbaden 70.3 next Sunday so this was a good session for both of us. Short run off the bike completed the session.

We have both decided that as the Wiesbaden bike course is SO hilly that there is no point riding tri-bikes, we are both going to race on our road bikes, my Kestrel Evoke is significantly lighter than my Serotta CXII so that will be a definite plus.

Looking forward to a pre-race week - I like Craig's description of behaving like a "lazy slug with a salt addiction" before the race!

Yes!

Yesterday I planned my 11 mile run and was hoping my knee would allow me to do this. YES ! Not only nailed the 11 but even managed to do the 2 x 2.30 in z4 which I was VERY pleased with.

Knee was sore during the afternoon but seems better this morning.

Wounds healing slowly. Elbow is still quite nasty and at the gym yesterday I saw a friend of mine who is not only an ultra runner but a doctor and I asked her what I should do about the 70.3 next week. Without hesitation she looked at he elbow and said "Don't race' ! I am inclined to take her advice ! She knows me well enough to know how much I want to do this and would not give that advice lightly.

Ho Hum......IMAZ is my main focus so everything is sacrificed to race that.

Hope to be back on the bike early next week......hand is still a little too painful to hold the bars!

Just waved Gordy off for his 60 mile bike.......cool and light drizzle this morning......

40 miles in the bag - 7.5 to go!

Got up with "herself" this morning and redressed the wound on her hand before she set off to teach her 7:00am Spinning class. I was planning my 40/7.5 brick session (which I should have done yesterday) and hoping to get it done in time to get to see my first massage client of the day.

Well - there was a significant wind factor this morning which I hadn't been expecting! Got out the door, onto the bike and thought "What the ****?" Seemed like I was going nowhere. Thinking positively I thought - well there's a good chance it will be windy on the Beeline in November - but I was still going nowhere!

Upshot was I could only average 15.6 mph (Z2/Z3) which felt pretty awful to me, 2:35 for 40 miles!!! Had to bag the run as I had to get cleaned up before setting off to see my client but will attempt the run later on today.