time- approx. four hours
distance- approx. 60mi*
*all numbers approximate because the Garmin only works if you turn it on when you leave the house
Run (Sunday)
time- 1:48
distance- 10mi
Something was up with gravity Saturday. I'm not really sure what it was, but I do know that it impacted all of us. Well, it impacted the Grey and I and Diesel claims he was riding slower too, but I think he's just trying to make us feel better. Which would be really out of character, so maybe not.
Pupukea just felt like a slog. It hurt and there was no go fast going on. I don't normally fly up the hill, but I have been able to set a decent enough pace. Saturday was not a decent pace day. Saturday was an I just want to get to the top and be done with this day. The guys waited for me for the second time that ride at the top. The first time they waited for me was when I said I'd meet them at 7am, texted I might be five minutes late, and ended up more like ten or fifteen *cue Diesel preparing his comment about exactly how late I was*.
However, at the end of Dillingham it was not I who was being waited for! No, Diesel and I waited for the Grey instead. Normally, the tailwind going down Mokulea makes us light and quick and Diesel decides he's going to time trial it and takes off. We struggle to keep up and eventually wave as he disappears. Yesterday, though, he never did that. And I was feeling strong. Not at first. The road conditions for the first quarter of that leg are awful. The road goes crack pothole crack divot gravel potholecrackpotholecrack catch your tire and pull you into the depths. Not much fast there. But when it finally cleans up, thanks to the state fixing the road because Lost was being filmed down there, it is kick ass. And Diesel was cruising it. But not crushing it, like normal. As I just said, I was feeling strong and I didn't know why he wasn't going for it, so I decided to make the jump to lightspeed. I never never pass Diesel but here I went. Honestly, the thing I was thinking for the minute or so he let me get away was, "Gotta pump gotta pump, I'm in the lead, gotta hold on." Of course he caught me and retook the lead, but I didn't let him get away. OR he didn't take me to task, and its probably some of both. Either way, I cooked it and felt great. I managed to ignore my legs saying, "Ok, but you're going to pay for this later." We both dusted the Grey, who had found some kind of headwind to ride into.
But the Dillingham road giveth, and the Dillingham road taketh away. The lighter out feels, the more brutal in will be. Except in this case. Yes, it was windy. Yes, it sucked. But it didn't suck that bad. I spent a lot of time on Diesel's wheel, getting my draft on, but near the end I again decided to try and make a pass and again it worked. I assume Diesel jumped on to my wheel for a little drafting of his own, which he never gets to do because he's so much stronger than we are...and because we never normally try to get in front.
Pineapple was, well Pineapple. Somehow I got way out in front of the Grey, who was bonking pretty badly at that point, so I had a good lead on him hitting the climb. I spent the whole thing looking over my shoulder for him. Stupid physics means that since we both put out probably about the same amount of power, but he is so much lighter than I am, he climbs better. So he caught me, despite my best efforts to the contrary. Skinny jerk.
Two short climbs closed out my ride and home I went, worn out but feeling good about my training for the day.
Today's run was a big one for me. Ten miles is the furthest I've ever run in a non-race setting, and only the second time I've ever run into the double digits. You can look at the data and it is obvious cruising was priority number one, I was in no hurry, but I'm still happy. An average pace of 10:52 isn't bad. I think I could have gone a little faster too. I spent some of the out running along the pineapple fields but it was wet/rainy and had been, so the dirt was mud. Mud builds and cakes onto the Vibrams until I'm not running so much as I'm lifting weights with my feet. Once I abandoned the fields for the road and scraped a bunch of the sticky stuff off I felt much better. Best part for me was that I only walked twice. Once at my five mile turn around, grabbing a couple of Gummy Bears for a sugar bump, and once up a hill two miles or so from home. My feet were hurting and I felt like I'd earned the few minutes of walking. It improved the end of the run.
It was wet the whole time, which probably helped. Like we know, the heat sucks the life out of a runner. Cool, overcast, slightly rainy conditions are pretty perfect for long runs. But I don't care, I need to be stacking miles like that and it was good for me to get some.
Tomorrow might hurt.
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