Sleeping in is one of the great luxuries in life. I woke up yesterday, sans hangover, and spent the first part of the day lounging around, watching Scrubs and playing with Hobbes. But 2:30 came all too quickly and I grabbed my helmet and left for Jeanne's. I got there early and went upstairs to be licked to death by her little doggie, Lexi. Jeanne is a stud. She's training for the Seattle Marathon and had done a 13-mile run that morning.
We left for the Lake Washington area shortly after. They close off the roads to cars near Seward Park on some weekends, and this was one of them. It's very near the actual route we'll be riding next weekend. Judy called shortly after we left and said, "It's hotter than we'd hoped. Do you still want to ride today?" And it flummoxed me, because well, this is the last weekend before the triathlon. Weather be damned, I need the practice.
We met at one of the beaches (can't remember which one) and got started. And it was... it was really okay. The path we cycled was very shady, with the rare pockets of direct sun. We rode to Seward park and looped around once. Decided not to loop around a second time, and rode back to the cars. The ride went very well. The bike is still lower than optimal. I have trouble maintaining my balance when it's higher, but unfortunately this way my legs cramp up a bit, because they're not getting a full range of extension. So I need to hop off every 4 miles or so and kick my legs out and hop back on. But really, I have to stop a lot less than I used to, and for just a few seconds. It was a very pretty day in the shade, looking out over Lake Washington. I even smiled instead of grimacing in terror the entire time.
So that was 10 miles. We could have done 12. But I know I can do it, and it'll be harder, but I just didn't feel like being especially wiped out. I wanted a nice, pleasant ride before next week. It'll be hard, but I feel reasonably confident that I'm ready for it.
Judy marveled over what a difference the shade made for me. I told her that it is amazing. I really wither in the sun. She said she never realized how much I hated it. That she hadn't really heard me rail against it before. I said that it was because when we lived in California, it really didn't affect my life like this. I wasn't training outside all the time. The Danskin is early in the morning, so we should be done before the day really heats up. Whew.
Afterwards, we drove to Judy's to drop off the bikes and then to dinner. Really good burgers at The Deluxe on Capitol Hill. And then Jeanne drove me back to her place. My car was acting weirdly. Suddenly the A/C wasn't working, the fan wouldn't turn on at all and the brake light was on, even though it was definitely off. I started worrying about the logistics of getting it to my mechanic, etc. But then when I got home, I turned it off and on again, and all functions were restored. WEIRD. I don't need my car to break down.
Ellie's about to pick me up to go do the swim. Judy commented yesterday that I compartmentalize things very well. Because I am shit-scared about this, but you can't really tell. During yesterday's ride, we overheard some parent shriek at their kids not to 'touch that, and move away!" Why? "Because that's duck feces!" Oh goody. Repulsive. Hopefully I'll just do this with some dignity instead of crying like a little girl about it. Chuck is coming out with his canoe and the water's choppier so I'm a little nervous, but I feel pretty confident about my swimming and I've been in the ocean when it's mildly rough, and I do fine. I think it's going to take longer than it did in Kim's lake, though. And I'm trying to tell myself that there's no shame in needing one of the giant water noodles for support if I get tired.
We left for the Lake Washington area shortly after. They close off the roads to cars near Seward Park on some weekends, and this was one of them. It's very near the actual route we'll be riding next weekend. Judy called shortly after we left and said, "It's hotter than we'd hoped. Do you still want to ride today?" And it flummoxed me, because well, this is the last weekend before the triathlon. Weather be damned, I need the practice.
We met at one of the beaches (can't remember which one) and got started. And it was... it was really okay. The path we cycled was very shady, with the rare pockets of direct sun. We rode to Seward park and looped around once. Decided not to loop around a second time, and rode back to the cars. The ride went very well. The bike is still lower than optimal. I have trouble maintaining my balance when it's higher, but unfortunately this way my legs cramp up a bit, because they're not getting a full range of extension. So I need to hop off every 4 miles or so and kick my legs out and hop back on. But really, I have to stop a lot less than I used to, and for just a few seconds. It was a very pretty day in the shade, looking out over Lake Washington. I even smiled instead of grimacing in terror the entire time.
So that was 10 miles. We could have done 12. But I know I can do it, and it'll be harder, but I just didn't feel like being especially wiped out. I wanted a nice, pleasant ride before next week. It'll be hard, but I feel reasonably confident that I'm ready for it.
Judy marveled over what a difference the shade made for me. I told her that it is amazing. I really wither in the sun. She said she never realized how much I hated it. That she hadn't really heard me rail against it before. I said that it was because when we lived in California, it really didn't affect my life like this. I wasn't training outside all the time. The Danskin is early in the morning, so we should be done before the day really heats up. Whew.
Afterwards, we drove to Judy's to drop off the bikes and then to dinner. Really good burgers at The Deluxe on Capitol Hill. And then Jeanne drove me back to her place. My car was acting weirdly. Suddenly the A/C wasn't working, the fan wouldn't turn on at all and the brake light was on, even though it was definitely off. I started worrying about the logistics of getting it to my mechanic, etc. But then when I got home, I turned it off and on again, and all functions were restored. WEIRD. I don't need my car to break down.
Ellie's about to pick me up to go do the swim. Judy commented yesterday that I compartmentalize things very well. Because I am shit-scared about this, but you can't really tell. During yesterday's ride, we overheard some parent shriek at their kids not to 'touch that, and move away!" Why? "Because that's duck feces!" Oh goody. Repulsive. Hopefully I'll just do this with some dignity instead of crying like a little girl about it. Chuck is coming out with his canoe and the water's choppier so I'm a little nervous, but I feel pretty confident about my swimming and I've been in the ocean when it's mildly rough, and I do fine. I think it's going to take longer than it did in Kim's lake, though. And I'm trying to tell myself that there's no shame in needing one of the giant water noodles for support if I get tired.
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