This weekend marked 3 weeks to go until my Half IM at the end of the month. If this past weekend's weather is any indication of how it'll be for the race, I'd be ecstatic. For the first time in many months, we had a cool, well let's back up a bit, a non-hot breeze blow through Birmingham. A buddy of mine and I headed out around 6 am on Saturday for a 50 mile ride feeling fairly energized by the crispness in the air. All good things must come to an end though. The 75 degree pleasure soon gave way to 95 degrees of pain.
Given that our ride was 50 miles we had a chance to hit all the usually hot spots for cycling; Old Leeds, Powerman Course, Rex Lake, Ruffner etc. There were tons of cyclists out which is always nice to see. After the ride, we hit the road again for a 13 mile run. We did it in a two loops with a stop by a service station in the middle so we could stay hydrated. Again, tons of runners out. The parking lot we chose to start from was absolutely packed at 5:50 am of runners and cyclists heading out. It was crazy.
Both the bike and the run went really well. I had written out a nutrition plan for both and stuck to it. 13 miles is a lot easier when you have the necessary calories in the tank. I'm getting better at managing to steer and eat an endurance bar while on the bike. It's not pretty, but I'm getting it down. Overall, I was very encouraged by this weekend's results. Now I'm on for a taper. Going to enjoy the ride. Best wishes to all.
Currently Reading: The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell and The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen.
Currently Listening to: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter and Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
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2 comments:
still motivated for the rest of the year...regarding your Half IM - sounds like you have the plan down.
OKAY YOU ARE THERE! This is your last week! I have been watching and making very slight changes to your training schedule to insure your success, stick to the plan.....you are quite disciplined Matt! Make sure you pay attention to the pre race diet the week of the event okay! You are very lean and I wanna be careful with this...too much depletion and you'll burn into your muscle - that would suck come race day....
For ALL who read MATTS blog, I'm his coach and let me say that MATT is quite disciplined and TAKES OWNERSHIP in his training. He is low maintenance, keeps himself educated and trusts in the process. This is the athlete you wanna train, this is the athlete you wanna be....kick ass MATT!
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