Heat Training

My first triple brick is in the bank.  Although it's only 8 hours of training, it ends up being a 16 hour day.  


Saturday night - prepare nutrition and pack.  Packing is super easy when you don't have to bring all sorts of layers.  


5:15am - Wake up.  Got ready and made breakfast.  


6:00am - Load up Nick's car with bikes, bags, and cooler and drive to Yountville (Napa)


7:15am - arrive, pump tires, set up transition area, get nutrition ready, apply chamois cream and sunscreen, team meeting


8:00am - Begin ride.  I'm feeling kind of slow.  Maybe I just need to warm up?  What's wrong with me?  I just put new tires on so I know I don't have a flat.  What did I eat the past two days?  It can't be that different than normal.


9:05am - Turnaround.  I only made it 12 miles.  We were supposed to go 15 miles or 65 minutes.  Way more downhill on the way back so at least I have some speed. Back at the flats and I still can't go more than 12.4 mph.  I'm playing with the shifters trying to find the right gear to fix this.  Nothing changes.  My knees are killing me.  Why would they hurt this bad?  Hmmm


10:05am - Return.  And, why did it take me 60 minutes to get back?  It should have only taken 55 or less.  Coach Mike grabs my bike and says, "Jess, did you ride like this the whole way?  You've been riding your brake!"  *sigh*  No wonder why I couldn't go faster.  No wonder why my knees were killing me.  I was pushing way too damn hard because with all the mechanical issues and adjustments made last week, I didn't have it back to normal (mind you, it was ok when I started, but all the bumps in the road, made it jump around and get progressively worse).  


10:10 - Since my knees are killing me, I pop ibuprofen and do a fast walk.  I am sitting this run out.  I figure that if I am in pain, then I need to save myself the rest of the day.  


11:00 - Reapply sunscreen and head out for ride #2 - so much better now that I'm not riding on my brake.  Headwinds and the heat have arrived.  I'm finally hungry so I eat a PowerBar.  The hotter it is, the less you eat.


12:00 - Mile 13.  I could go for five more minutes, but it is heating up big time and I need water.  I get to the water stop about 4 miles later.  Tony puts ice cubes in the holes of my helmet so they melt through my head.  Glorious.


1:00 - Back at the park and change shoes.  Someone gives me a cold wet towel, which was amazing.  Time to run again.  My knees feel much better, but I'm not ready to run.  Fast walking with a little bit of shuffling.


2:00 - More sunscreen (I'm determined not to get burned even though I still did).  I'm feeling good on the flats, but that sun is starting to wear on me.  It's at least 92 degrees and it's a good 8 miles of total exposure.   I have overestimated my ability to handle the heat.  I figured I lived in Phoenix for 11 years, this would be no problem.  Plus, my feet are wrapped in tape to help with my plantar fasciitis, but they are on FIRE!  I tell myself I just need to go one more mile to get to the water stop and I can remove the tape there.  Jen has me put ice in my bra and Sandy says to stick it in my pants on my sciatic nerve and that will help my feet as well.  I need to wipe all the sunscreen running into my eyes and there are no dry towels, so Sandy is letting me wipe my eyes on the inside of her dress!  Somehow I missed two of my teammates within the past mile that were puking. :(  And, Tony tells me that Steve sat down in the chair and literally fell asleep for 15 minutes.  OK, maybe I don't feel so bad about thinking I would not be affected by the heat.  


2:45 - I don't want to leave, but I need to finish.  Only 15 more minutes before I need to turn around anyway.  Keep moving forward.


4:00 - I roll up to the park and it's carnage everywhere.  People are lying on the ground with towels over their heads or sitting and staring absentmindedly.  Nate takes my bike.  Les removes my helmet for me.  Maureen runs over with a wet towel that I put on my head and neck.  As I'm getting ready, Jasmine is literally wiping my arms and legs down with another wet towel.  At this point, I can't think straight, but I'm so incredibly grateful that all these people are there taking care of us.  


4:40 - Next water stop.  Another wet towel is given to me.  "I need salt."  Do you know how good Sour Cream & Onion Pringles are when all the salt has left your body?  "I need sugar."  I finally give in and drink the Coke.  No more than five minutes later, all is right in the world again.  It was either the sugar or the caffeine.  I finish out the run and actually feel good.  It was definitely a shuffle, but at least I was running. 


5:30 - Finish!  Helen and Jen brought in pizza for us afterwards.  I didn't think I was going to be able to eat.  I sat down for about five minutes and then realized I was starving.  


6:15 - Pack up and head home


7:30 - Unpack, wash bottles, stretch


8:15 - Ice bath


8:30 - Finally, a shower! 


9:00 - Eat again


Despite wishing I had more mileage on both the bike and run, I actually had a really good day.  And, if this day truly is harder than race day (again, I went and asked more veterans last night and they all agreed it was), then I'd say I'm mentally and physically ready for Vineman and mentally ready for Arizona (still have to work on "that running thing" to get their physically).