Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Back in the saddle

Turns out my body was still a little sore from Eagleman, so I decided I needed some extra time off to recover. Nothing a few days on the boat can't cure! Between Friday and Sunday, the most I did was a 4-mile walk on the beach, a few sets of pullups using the metal bar across the back of the boat (yeah, that gets a few weird looks) and some pushups with my feet elevated on a tree stump I found on the beach (yes, weird looks there, too).

I also took some time to plan my workouts from this week through the Toughman 1/2 ironman on September 12. It feels good to wake up and know exactly what I have ahead of me for the day, but I still reserve the right to change it around to accommodate the weather or when my cycling partner can get out for a long ride. Yesterday was going to be my first brick since the race, but instead I had one of the best 56-mile bike rides over the GW Bridge I've had in a while. We rode my favorite hills (Ash, Bradley, Tweed, Mountainview) and I felt really strong on all the climbs.

Looking over my race results, I've come to the conclusion that I'm a climber. Consistently, when I race a hilly course, I do so much better, not only among the field of competitors, but also in setting PRs. I think a lot of it is mental. When I'm riding or running a flat course, I tend to settle into a slightly uncomfortable pace and stay there. By the time I realize I could have been pushing harder, the race is pretty much behind me! But where there are hills, I'm forced to power up them and to see how much more I have in me. Thinking about this makes me want to register for another flat race and push my mind to keep up with my body!

2 comments:

Lauren Cullen said...

Do Rhode Island - its still open!! Its supposedly flat the first 20 miles then rolling hills - but all big ring. Race is July 11th.

Jenn Place said...

Hey Lauren!

I can't...thought about it, but I'm doing the Mighty North Fork sprint in Southold, LI that day. It's kind of a tradition as the race goes through my parents' neighborhood and it was my first tri ever. It's so short so it'll be fun to go "all out" for a change. Then, I've got the NYC tri the following weekend. I suppose you aren't doing NYC if you're doing RI?