Riding and running in the rain...

Today is my last long ride over 3 hours and my last 30 minute brick run.

Before I started, I spent some quality time with my new bike. Fixing up the speedometer, adjusting things, cleaning and just giving it some love. I got out on the road just after 10 am.

About 40 minutes into my 90 km ride it started raining. I was prepared for it, so I stopped and put on my rain jacket and took off my glasses, the rain drops made it to difficult to see. I didn't feel cold because I was wearing 3 layers of clothing and two jackets. The purpose of this was not just to keep warm, but to help me acclimatize for Florida.

On the ride, my gears kept skipping, my brakes need adjusting, the derailleur is noisy and at the end of the ride there was a "clicking" in my crank. I was expecting this somewhat, as the cables end up stretching and need adjusting. I decided it is time to take it into the bike shop on Monday, but I'm real nervous about whether I'm risking mechanical failure at the Florida race by using it.

I had an interesting experience that I've never had before when riding. A heard of cows broke out of their pen and where walking all over the road, stopping traffic. I had to take a picture. It was their great escape!

The ride went well, I focused on keeping my rpm's at 90 or above and my heart rate under 139 bpm. For the ride I think I averaged in the 120's, for 90 km at an average of 27.3 kph. After the ride, I had a 6 minute transition and went for my run. One of the reasons I decided to go back to the tri bike was because my online coach said it should be better to race on, as I'd be more aerodynamic, and that my legs will feel fresher for the run. Boy was he right about the legs!

I had an awesome run. It only took about 1/2 km for my legs to feel like I hadn't even been biking before the run. Keeping my heart rate under 139 bpm, and averaging 136 bpm, I ran at a 7:55 pace for 3.67 miles. Like I said, I felt awesome!

The minute I got home, I only had 20 minutes, I showered and just got to Reid's hockey tryouts on time. His first two shifts he played great, he looked like he fit in out there.