Training Log Archive: abiperk

Surprisingly sore after yesterday's yoga class.

Got an email for 50% off a three-month ClassPass membership so decided to check out some local yoga studios. First up, Dana Hot Yoga. Not my favorite class ever, but a nice balance between strength and stretching.

Pre-meet course jog, Episcopal Academy.

Back home last night after ten shit-hitting-fan days in Massachusetts. Looking forward to getting back into a routine, but not totally sure what that routine looks like, with the race calendar now empty until March. I think I need to find something fun to do this winter. For now, a hard effort on the erg will have to do.

C • Any time out in the woods with family... 4

Mt Lincoln trails with B and Z, Z on my shoulders.

Shutesbury dirt roads loop.

Damn, that felt good.

Intended to paddle last night. Accidentally fell asleep at 8pm instead.

To GA, moderate pack.

With the XC team.

Finally feeling physically (and mentally) ready for some longer and harder efforts post-Itera, and good timing, since today was the Schuylkill Scenic Century. It's a semi-regular tradition for me and Val -- we've done the ride five of the last seven years.

She's only biked a few times in 2016, so the plan was to ride at a pace that was comfortable and sustainable for her, and my own goals were to work on gearing, trying to stay in the big ring as much as I could, and to take in a lot of calories. Success on all counts. The well-stocked rest stops definitely helped with the last one.

As in past years, we fielded a steady stream of comments about our fat tires ("the hardest century I ever did was 40 miles on a mountain bike"). I'm never sure what to do with those, but Val came ready with her replies of "we wanted to get our money's worth."

After a few days of crazy heat and humidity, a cold(er) front came through today, which meant beautiful skies and perfect temps, but also a persistent headwind for the first 50-60 miles.

I also spent the first 50 miles fielding phone calls about some family stuff going on. We set up a skype date with Brent's sister for 4:30pm, and by mile 60 I was getting pretty anxious about making it back in time, so after the Evansburg rest stop at mile 65, Val gave me her blessing to push ahead for the final third.

I worked myself pretty good that last stretch, out of the saddle on all the climbs, pushing into the highest gears on the flats, and riding hard on the downs. I ran out of water about 75 minutes before getting to my car, but I was well-fueled and felt strong the whole way in, aided by a few stretches of generous tailwinds.

The cue sheet for the ride was a bit of a mess, so we spent the day following small white arrows painted onto the roads. I was following another rider at one point and missed one of the arrows (first rule of adventure racing -- never follow blindly...). It wasn't a big deal, as I was in familiar territory by that point, but it did mean integrating some unplanned gravel into the ride and adding a couple miles and another 500 feet of elevation to the total. I rode the last 37 miles in 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Overall, I felt much stronger than I expected. I've been riding in old bike shoes for the past few weeks and my feet weren't thrilled to be back in the shoes that I wore for Itera, and my knees were a little achy by the end, I think from all the time out of the saddle. But my IT band held up really well, I was well-fueled the entire time, and now five hours after I finished, my legs feel pretty fresh.

And I made it back in time to skype. A good day on the bike!

To GA, light pack.

Some IT tightness but no pain during the run, a bit achy afterward. Progress!

Noticeable improvement on the IT band. Point tenderness and tightness on the lower hamstring/upper calf, probably compensating.

Got the green light to test out running.

With the XC team, led by the school's librarian/resident yogi.

Dull ache to start, but felt better as I went. Ache returned after -- finished with a few minutes of stretching/rolling.

To Chestnut Hill, moderate pack.

Just in case I forgot that summer is over, in less than three miles, I saw no fewer than five first-day-of-school photo shoots.

Chestnut Hill to GA, moderate pack. Lots of traffic and a few close calls on the non-sidewalked stretches.

Knee feels close to normal with trekking.

River loop and around the city before meeting B and Z at the zoo, moderate pack. I got caught up for a little while in the Made in America mess and spent the last ten minutes (unlogged) spinning next to Neely's wife while she ran, but in general tried to push the pace to test my IT. Felt great muscularly, knee was about 80-85%.

To Chestnut Hill and back with my dad, Z in stroller - pitstop for coffee en route.

Wiss trails with B, Z, and the dogs. Plenty of stops for splashing and bouldering.

Easy spin.