Time to Back Off

The amazing weather (or it it scary) just gets better. I had half a day coming and took it today and got out and rode about 70 miles. This is by far my longest ride since- I'm not really sure, maybe since Arizona last year, but certainly since August. It wasn't quite as warm on the shoreline as it was up north, but it was nice, and I did two loops out to Madison and back and a Hammerfest loop.

Fortunately today there were no trucks in odd places, which is good as I'm running low on wheels. I'm trying to push my long rides into the week, so that Margit can get out and do her long rides without us losing an entire day. Two five hour rides plus a run for each of us doesn't seem fair to Ian, and pretty soon I'll be working half-day Fridays on the summer schedule ...

But when you're out and the weather's nice- really nice, not just almost nice like last Thursday- it's hard not to push. And it's April, and Lake Placid is in July, so while building the base is good, hammering the bike for three and a half hours is bad. I kept reminding myself that. But the bike is hard. The day after Brians I ran for 90 minutes and kept it between 120-130 for the heart rate for 83 of 90 minutes and averaged a 126. That's a long, steady, easy run.

I find it very difficult to go out and do most of a ride at that pace. EH gave me three twenty minute intervals in low c, but I know the rest of the ride was probably a little bit too intense.

They say that one workout never makes or breaks a race, and that's dead on, but I think one workout that's too hard can set you back for a week, or create a pattern that lends itself to failure. Today wasn't quite that day, but the potential was there. After racing just three times this year and starting to really feel good about where I am for the rest of the season, it's not the time to give in to the old instinct to go hard on those long-base building workouts. I keep hoping as I approach old age that I really am getting smarter, but sometimes, when I am on that bike, and I get going....

Then I remind myself- I should be trying to feel that way in the pool, and of course it all crashes back down to earth with a thud of realism...