scratch that

July 31, 2010

this weekend was supposed to be a long ride but the bike is staying home. i'm sick and exhausted and need a break. even though i was feeling rough this morning, i got through my long tempo run but pushed myself too hard and felt like ass afterwards. some meds got rid of the headache, but what my body needs is some downtime. and a few cold drinks on the dock.

i ♥ these things right now:

July 29, 2010

i ♥ my new aerobars

they're lighter, leaner and lower than my previous set. and they somehow make my bike look faster, too. which is super important.

i ♥ endurosport

the same day i ordered the new aerobars i booked a bike fit with dan from endurosport. as soon as the bars were on the bike (literally) dan and i adjusted my riding position to accommodate the new hardware. i now have a much more aggressive position.

i ♥ muskoka rides

two days after the bars were on the bike i was testing everything on a long ride. there was definitely a significant change in riding position which took a bit of getting used to, but after about 20k or so i'd settled right in. my shoulders and upper back were a bit sore because i had to hold my head up higher, but it's nothing i won't adapt to. actually, the biggest adjustment was my hand position. because of the shape of the new bars my wrists were a bit sore at the end of the ride because of where i had to place my hands. but no big deal. i have a hilly 3 hour ride this weekend to try it out again and am hoping to be just as comfortable on the new bars as i was the old bars by the end of the ride. another great thing about the new bars is that because they're lower, climbing is more comfortable. it feels like i'm climbing on my road bike.

i ♥ track workouts

i've had a couple of track workouts over the past couple of weeks, and although i'm not getting the times that i was hoping for this far into the racing season, i'm consistent. which is good. and i'm hoping this consistency will lead to improved times on race day, because so far this year my running splits have been sucky. i ♥ not sucky runs.

time to reassess

July 20, 2010

saturday's loss was painful, both literally and figuratively. the course was tough and the heat was practically unbearable. some athletes suffering from heat stroke collapsed in a disorientated trance in transition while others were attended to by paramedics. as soon as i crossed the finish line i painstakingly made my way over to a shady area and lay on the grass until my head stopped spinning. i was forcing fluids down but it took me several minutes to be able to stand up again. i couldn't think straight and my mind was cloudy. as soon as i was capable i hobbled over to one of the retail tents on site and bought some salt pills and had one every 30 minutes for the next couple of hours. i'd severely underestimated the heat today.

gravenhurst cheat sheet

July 16, 2010

i can't guarantee the accuracy of this, but if you would like to, go ahead and print it. if you've never done this bike course this will show you what you're in for. notice how there are no flat sections? welcome to muskoka.

eight weeks out

July 14, 2010

last week i was looking at my calendar and realized that sunday marked 8 weeks to go until the worlds. eight weeks to go. unbelievable. it feels like it was only yesterday i qualified.