Wednesday afternoon

SWIM: 1800y in 45 mins. 250 repeats with focus on form

BIKE: 26.6 miles in 1hr 15mins. 3rd TT in 25:49 Ave HR in TT was 166. Headwind on the way out, but not much tailwind on the way back. How does that happen?

The swim was a 4:30 and the bike at 7pm, so a little rest in between but most of it was driving to the TT. I was slow in the swim, sacrificing speed for form. The more distracted I am the worse I swim. Biking and running aren't as affected, but since swimming is so dependent on technique it suffers when my mind and body are distracted.

Oh, and the pool is going to be closed May 24-June 13. WHAT!?!?!?

The TT was in good weather, although the forecast didn't predict that. It cloudy and humid, but not too warm. The wind died down around 6:50, a few mins before my start time. So while my warmup suggested a wicked headwind and sweet tailwind, I ended up with a less wicked tailwind and somewhat of a headwind on the way back?! I went all out in this ride, but even though I was working hard I just wasn't generating a lot of speed. I hit the halfway point in just under 14mins! I usually shoot for 12-13mins. So on the way back my mind started turning the numbers. An 11 min return trip would put me at 25 mins total, so I need to be here at this time and there at that time...perhaps more energy went into the brain than the legs! I kept chanting "big circles" and "smooth circles" and came across the finish line strong.

I keep wondering too just how much my equipment slows me down. The others riding in this race (guys for the most part) have special clothing, helmets, and wheels just for this type of race. What would I save, 1 minute? Is it worth it? The way I see it, I'm the biggest slowdown for that bike: leg strength, weight, technique. They all add up, surely I could save a minute just by improving on those parameters. Much cheaper that way!