Lost one of my leg some where up there....
Ask and you shall receive. I asked. And today I received in full. Beyond full. I kinda wish I didn't ask that much. But that's just my weak side saying....
Did a 'leisure' 5 hr ride with Darren. For me, it wasn't leisurely. It was for Darren. He gmap the route and sent it to me. I looked at the elevation. Oh not too bad. Some of the climbs were steady for 300 ft over 20+ km and come back down. No problem.
I didn't really know what to expect. We met at 9 am and was off after some casual exchanges. The warm up consisted of hills. Hills and more hills. Right off the bat, my legs were already yapping no more. I had a hill run yesterday afternoon. Not smart. Next time reschedule hill run in the morning so I give my legs more time to rest.
It was windy, it was cloudy and it was cold. I got my full winter gear on. Even my booties. Darren, on the other hand, barely has anything. He kept it nice and simple. I packed like I am going to camp in the wilderness.
After two hours, we stopped by at Darren's place to refuel. He showed me what he is going to take. It was infinIT. What cool about it is that they customize the drinks for you. He was telling me he stopped taking gel. That's not a bad idea. I mean, one drink to take care of hydration, nutrition and electrolyte needs. SIMPLE.
Today was a bike day and I was there to bike. Right. Honestly, most of the ride, I just think "holy crap, how much more do I have to endure?" "crap another hill" "crap, maybe in IM, the winds are not as bad as today." But deep down I know what if the winds and hills are just as bad on IM. Then what? I really don't know why I kept going. I mean. Maybe it was Darren factor. I mean him being there I can't really say..'let's call it a day' I guess this is what mental training is all about.
Every part of my body want to quit. A large part of mind want to quit as well. It was only a small part of my mind that just want to keep going. I found this very interesting. Despite, everything, the pain, the agony, quads were on fire, lower back is aching, wind was howling, I kept going. Stroke after stroke. Get to the top...spin steady..zoom down...climb...repeat.
I ain't fast at all. I spent most of my time in my granny gear. I checked and checked and prayed that I had a granny gear for that granny gear.
It was nice of him to turn back a few times to see if I am still hanging. I was.
He gave me an option of doing Hockley climb. It is a 500 ft climb in a 1 km or so stretch. Either we climbed Hockley, it would take us an hour and 20 min. If we head back, 40 min. It was easy if I have no choice. But here Darren is tempting me with taking the easy way out or the hard way out. And boy, do the easy way out sounds tempting. I figure that it will take only 40 min more to climb Hockley so might as well do it. There is no way I want to back out Hockley. Nuke my legs and go home. We did.
Struggle my way up....Darren was there to help me in the end to push to the top. Great. All these hills are over we can head back...uhh....well just that there were more hills along the way. It was a struggle but it had to be done.
We did a quick 15 min run afterwards. I was breathing heavy but my HR was low (150, in zone 2). I believe it is my legs that are dying. Even the bike ride, my HR stays fairly low 150-160. Ok except the beginning hills, I saw my HR spiking 171.
Darren taught me a lot of things about training and so on...
- my stomach issues (more specfically is intestinal issues) is b/c of too much fiber
- don't use granny gear on roadie bike b/c tri bike the gears are harder. Have to learn to ride without it
- stretches for the shoulder and arms. Darren was a Nataional Swimmer so he showed me a few stretch exercise. He also told me to hold the stretch for 20 sec and get into the stretch slowly and out of it slowly
- infinT. It was not as pricey as i thought. Right now I use gel + eload. That is about the same cost as infinT. Seriously considering to trying that out.
- figured a few good routes to train for Ironman.
As I drove home, I realized today was a great day. I met a great Ironman and learnt a lot. Socializing while training. Blow my legs up. In the end, it was fun to ride with someone than alone. I look forward till next ride with him. I also look forward to my ride with Will next Sat.
17 comments:
I think I need a Darren in my life to crack the whip every now and then! Congrats on getting through your ride! (And conquering those hills!)
Socializing and killer workouts..yes, that's the summary of a good day! :)
Way to go on the long ride Cliff. Sounds like you got a lot of good information and Darren sounds like a great guy to have around.
Hey Cliff, the pleasure was mine and I'm looking forward to our next ride. Thanks for getting me out today, it was great workout!
Cliff- nice workout. It's a good thing to have a training partner on the long / hard stuff. You can keep each other honest and push each other. Sometimes,alone, it is easier to take the easy route- glad to see you toughed it out today!
Sounds like a grinder!
I'm sure you'll get a lot stronger because of it.
Maybe you should remove the granny gear! 8-)
Cliff, Darren definitely keeps you honest!
Way to give-er!
Be safe, Reddog
Way to go tackling that ride. You are right. You cannot predict the weather for an IM. It could be anything which is why we should train in all weather conditions since we never know what is going to be served up on race day.
And when you find those extra legs, let me know where you got them. I'm thinking I could use an extra pair myself.
wow! those workouts are humbling when you go out with someone stronger. that's what it's like when i ride with jason. rest those legs!
That is some hard work, 5 hours and hills, I understand more and more how this can become an adiction, can't leave it!!
Continue learning!
great job...I say go get some rest now.
Sounds like a hard sessions - well done, you know its worth it
Wow, that some serious biking, hope you're having a nice recovery.
btw-thanks for your leaving such a warm comment during a difficult time.
Sounds like an awesome workout. There's nothing like a buddy on such a tough training day, and you're body will have gotten a massive boost from it - once it's recovered, that is.
I've heard very good things about Infinit. I've been meaning to order some myself for the upcoming season.
Awesome job on the long ride!
Great site loved it alot, will come back and visit again.
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