Wow, it was hot this weekend! My good friends at Rockwall Cycling fixed my wheel enough for me to ride on it until a new one came in. Then Joey (GREAT mechanic!) built me up a new rim around my Powertap hub so that I could ride on it this weekend. What a difference a trued wheel can make! That wheel hasn't run right since I did a header over a dog last year. It finally gave out in Colorado last weekend. Thanks to Rockwall Cycling for hooking me up!!!
So this weekend was my last long ride before Coeur d'Alene. My usual training partner, Brian, was out of town so I went solo for 112 miles and a short, 3 mile transition run. I went with the group ride that leaves from Rockwall Cycling every Saturday at 7:00 for the first couple of hours. Then I did my intervals. That took me to about 4 hours in, which is where I really started feeling the heat. It was pretty miserable for a while. I ran out of water about 40 minutes from home. I was really confused at that point because I always plan my routes so that I don't run out. Anyway, after a quick phone call, my lovely wife was more than willing to bring me some bottles of cold water. That seriously saved my day! However, when I started refilling my bottles, I realized that I had been riding along with a full bottle of water the whole time! Like I said, it was hot, and I was delirious!
After Krisha left me again, I started feeling much better. I hammered away for the last hour of the ride. I can honestly say that was the strongest sixth hour of a ride that I have ever had! It was also one of the most encouraging training rides I have ever done. Perfect timing since it was my last long ride before this year's big event!
Lindsay had me do a short, 20 minute run after the ride. I felt exceptionally good considering the heat (not to mention the fact that I had just ridden 112 miles!), and averaged right at 7:00 pace. I finished feeling strong and could have gone a lot longer at that pace. That was very encouraging going into an Ironman. What an awesome day of training!
I want to end this post by saying how AWESOME my wife, Krisha, is. I would hope that most spouses would have brought their significant other some cold water if they were in need. But I doubt very many of them would do it with the same loving attitude that Krisha does day in and day out. She is the most supportive spouse anyone could have! I mean, think about it . . . . I'm off riding my bike for 6+ hours while she's taking care of our 10-month old. She's at a soccer game with one of her best friends, Dee, when I call asking her to drop everything because I didn't plan properly. Less than 30 minutes later, and without as much as a sigh, she shows up smiling, with lots of cold bottles of water. We could all learn a lot from Krisha. There is NO WAY I could do what I do without her support. Thanks, Baby!! I did sign her up recently for a coach at CTS (since they are the best coaches on the planet!), so I'm sure that I'll be able to pay her back before long! I just hope I can be as selflessly supportive when I get that call from her!
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