She's a (Double) Brick House

Our first big double brick of the season is done.  I wasn't sure how I would fare since I haven't ridden in three weeks due to vacation and work travel.  We headed up to Napa early early on Saturday morning and went for a 38 mile ride.  We did some climbing, and then we climbed some more, and then we went up Mt. Veeder and we climbed and we climbed and we climbed.  OK, so I guess it wasn't that bad, but when was it going to end????  And, the whole time I kept thinking, "I have to do this again?!?!"  The downhill was pretty crappy and I had to spend my time weaving in and out of any smooth road I could find, which really was non-existent.  It was bouncy and hurt my hands.  I was extra cautious since it was a technical descent, and when we got back to transition, I discovered two of the guys crashed into each other on that road and another one crashed on his own.  OUCH!

I felt good mentally and physically (sometimes I really surprise myself) and went off on the run.  I haven't ran in four weeks as I have been in PT for my left foot.  The therapist said my range of motion was getting better and I asked if I could try running so she put me on a 4/4 run/walk plan.  However, it hurt almost immediately (in fact, more than it ever has so that really is a bummer).  So I mostly "walked with purpose" and ran on my toes/balls of my feet when I could (which is probably good training for getting rid of a heel strike anyway).

Then it was time to do the rinse and repeat.  The first thing I noticed was how much my sit bones hurt.  Getting back on that saddle after not being on it for an hour sucked.  And, after about 5 miles in, I started to feel really demoralized by the wind.  I was slowly approaching a dark place and wondering how I was going to make it through the next three hours.  I had a little vent session with Tami (thank goodness I was riding with someone) and then it was like that bad spot never even happened.  I find it so interesting on the bike that every mile is different.  Your attitude can swing to opposite sides of the pendulum from mile to mile.  

When we got back, I was ready to go off on another 50 min run (shuffle/walk) again.  I stuck to my 4/4 plan and ran on my toes, so to speak, and felt ok.  Granted, I didn't cover that much distance in the second brick run, but I was just pretty happy with my attitude after 7.5 hours of training.

And, when I found out the others on the team (including the really strong riders) said it was a tough climb (let alone to do it twice), I just felt like singing....

She's a brick----house
Mighty mighty, just lettin' it all hang out
She's a brick----house
The lady's stacked and that's a fact,
ain't holding nothing back.