Brick Mason

The forecast for today was pretty much rain all day. The likely hood of getting the brick in today was looking pretty slim. I'm not a big fan of riding in the rain and didn't think everyone would show up as planned. About 1:30 I decided to head over to see if everyone would get together to at least do the run portion. And yes I took my bike just in case. The rain had slacked, but it was still soggy out when I arrived. To my surprise, there were two other guys waiting and wondering if we were going to ride. Then all of the sudden our coach comes out with his helmet and singlet on. Guess that answered that question. The brick was on. The plan was to do a 20 mile ride followed by a 7.5 mile run.
The road conditions were sketchy. Not too slick, but enough to keep me at a slower pace. Breaking was difficult needless to say. Within like 10 minutes of the start the bottom fell out again and it started pouring. I ditched my shades due to water build up and took on the wind and the rain with my bare eyes. Seeing a little was better than not at all. Luckily the rain broke and we could see the clouds behind us clearing so we knew the ride back would be easier. About half way into the ride, we hit some dryer areas and really started to push it. I felt a little more confident with the conditions and pressed the accelerator a bit. My legs held strong on the hills, and I really started to feel good.
Back at home base, we made a quick change and hit the roads. The route took us along a busy road which wasn't perfect for running but we made due. I could really feel the hills in my quads. Cardio-wise, I felt strong and started to hit my stride on the flats. It was those damned hills that got me though. The last mile I pushed it hard. I was so ready to be done, but really glad that I had the chance to see what I could do.
Final stats on the day: 19.5 miles at a 18.9 mph avg and 7.5 miles in 54:45 which is a 7:26 pace. As I sitting here typing my legs are already sore. I know tomorrow is going to be even worse. Will have to ride a little to work the soreness out.