The last big weekend.

I had two tough days of training this weekend. I think that with all the good training days I have been having, I was due for a couple of tough ones.

Starting with yesterday, we – Dean and the Tri One crew - set out on a 200km + bike ride from Burnaby, through Mission and almost out to Agassiz. All told the ride became 210km, easily the longest ride I have ever done in my life (by 30km). I felt good starting out, but I could tell when we hit one of the first hills after we left the farmlands and headed into Maple Ridge, that I was in for a tough one. I figured out how I could get out of the aerobars and put a little weight on my handlebars, but not much. So, I was essentially using my arms to keep the handlebars from turning, and transferring all my strength and power into my legs. I had to shift down into my lowest gears in order to do it. Sometimes, I felt strong, and I surged and kept up to the group… However, I definitely could feel that I was using a lot of effort on these hills… More than I felt I should be. Without giving a real ability to use my upper body for momentum and partially balance, and the fact that it was awkward, I hit my wall pretty early in the ride.

Adding to this, I didn’t feel comfortable staying in close quarters with the main group. Staying in the aero’s is wonderful for airflow, but it does not make for great group riding and safety as your maneuverability is compromised. The few times I did come into the “pelaton”, I wound up hitting a few bumps, which sent shock vibrations through my cast that were painful. So, I hung back, losing some of the benefits of drafting in the group, and making things equally difficult as we also faced some headwinds along the way.

My nutrition plan was also not agreeing with me Saturday. I had planned on a Clif Bar every hour as I did in Edmonton, and salt pills and water. For 4 hours of the ride things seemed fine, but as we got on in the ride, I could feel my stomach a little more. I decided to switch to gels exclusively for the last 2 hours of the ride, and that seemed to help.

It was a beautiful day, and the weather turned out quite nicely. The group was smaller than usual, consisting of Dean, Dominique, Patty, Steve, John F. and John W. That was nice and we kept things moving, for the most part, until we came to some unfortunate bad luck and wound up with some flat tires. Dominique had 3 alone, and I had one as well.

I am very happy to have come out for this ride, as I was doubting whether or not it was a smart decision based on the recovery of my hand. I’m “this” close to getting it figured out but I knew if I missed the longest ride I would be missing a vital part of my training and a vital experience. I made the call and I am happy I did it. I just wish I didn’t feel like crap after J with fatigue. I have not felt this beaten all year, and it was humbling.

When I got home, I fell asleep almost immediately. Sometimes it is okay to stay home on a Saturday night. I actually had made plans on Saturday but I had to cancel. I was not in any way going to make it through the night.

Today was the run’s turn. A 29km run… I started out with the Running Room marathon clinic and we ran from Denman to the Dundarave Pier and back for 19km. I ran with a new girl named Rachel, and we chatted the whole way about her injuries and progress, as she was training for the Half Marathon in Rejkavik, Iceland. She’d had some struggles with her running, but has run all her life and didn’t want to give it up. We chatted, and I was amazed that a few of the things I have done to deal with injuries in the past were all new information to her. I sometimes realize how blessed I am to have had some running experiences and set backs that have taught me a lot that I can share. I guess that’s why I like teaching the clinics…

We finished the run, and Rachel and I ran an extra 2km to get me started on my extra 10k that I had to add. I ran another two loops of the lagoon and ended up with a 25k run. Later, I realized that our run was probably about 20-21km, so my run became 26-27km, which was just fine with me. My legs were beat up after the 19km and doing another 10k seemed absolutely painful. I barely did that extra 6km in the first place.

It was another hot day today and I crashed out hard when I got home. I am still gaunt a little, and I went and weighed myself and I am 5 lbs lighter than I was on Friday. That is not a great sign at all, but it is evidence of the mileage I put on this weekend. I have not felt as wasted this whole year after training. I think that a lot of the mileage from the past few weeks, and my making up for missed swimming by adding more riding and running, finally has caught up with me. I need a lot of sleep.

I have an appointment with the x-rays on Tuesday to see how the cast looks. I really am hoping this thing comes off soon. It’s gotten itchy and I am tired also of typing this blog with one hand.

It is three weeks to Ironman. This rough feeling I have right now will surely subside as I recover and finish repairing myself for the next three weeks. It has all become about getting to the start of Ironman in my best condition. I kept thinking, throughout my epic and tough bike ride, that I was a lucky guy to be out here, that I had something special in my ability to even be out here… I spent time thinking of people and things in my mind and counting my “blessings”. And also realizing that I was not doing this by myself… That I was being helped by all the wonderful people in my life, by a spiritual connection and faith. That I was somehow connected to the world and that, no matter what my struggles in life, I was never going to be alone…