One of the biggest sacrifices I’ve made over the last month and the one that I’m most proud of is that I’ve giving up driving while I’m training for this triathlon. All of the places I tend to visit on a regular basis are easily accessible by bike so I figured why not take advantage of those extra miles? The best part about cycling all over is that no matter what my mood is when I leave the house, I always arrive at my destination feeling happy and energized. I’ve been averaging 45-60 miles a week on the bike. I even got a few rain rides in and I have to admit, they are a lot of fun despite everyone looking at you like you’re a nut, but they really don’t know what they’re missing!
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect on Saturday. I left my house around 7:45AM to meet my teammates and coaches outside of the Please Touch Museum for our team bike ride. I try to make it to every practice, but I’m especially glad I didn’t miss this one. All three of our coaches showed up. It is so awesome of them to take time out of their own training schedules to work with us. The best part of the day is that I got to experience most of the West River Drive side of the race course. There are a few climbs, but nothing I can’t handle (all while staying in my saddle, too). I rounded out my morning with 34 miles on the bike and I had a blast.
When I got home, I grabbed my running shoes for a lap around my local park. I figured I won’t have many chances between now and the triathlon to put in a good 25-30 miles on the bike and be able to follow it up with a transition run, so I took advantage of the opportunity. My legs felt great and they didn’t feel tight or heavy, which is very reassuring that my training is coming along as it should. My legs are resilient that way and it seems like the deeper I get into a workout, the better they perform. My lungs are a different story. The asthma has a mind of it’s own and there are good and bad days, but I’m confident I’ll be breathing just fine on race day.
