Thursday Sandwich

RUN: 9.15 miles in 1:19 in FP with LC and SH
BIKE: 9 miles in 31 mins alone around FP and out Wydown
RUN: 6.33 miles 1hr alone

My first sandwich! More easily recognized as a duathlon, ignoring the odd distances. More definitively, a long aerobic workout with a brief bike ride to save the legs from the pounding of running.

It was nice to sleep in until the usual 4:45am, but in the end getting up earlier for these workouts would save me some time. I could get to work at a decent hour or get a nap in instead. Anyway...

The first loop quickly splintered into a faster group and a less faster group (with me, LC, and SH). SH stuck with us until 4 miles in, then she left. LC and I kept a good pace, her goal was 9 miles. Longer than my plan said but it works for me. We did the 9.1 in 1:19, just under 9 min/miles. Not as fast as last week, but that wasn’t the goal. I had a gel around 6 miles, and only a few sips from the fountain.

The first run finished quickly enough and I jumped on the bike after a brief rest. I tooled around FP to stretch out then left the park for Forsyth/Wydown. My goal was to have a relatively fast ride in order to simulate a brick. The cytomax I was drinking wasn’t settling well, so I only got through half a bottle.

The final transition was without much rest, and the legs felt it this time. I was a little stiff, leaving me with short choppy strides until I worked out the kinks. Shortly into the run, I was passed by a loc-celeb, who has an easy, fast cadence and smooth run. I kept the mental image of that in my mind as I ran, with the hopes of using it to improve my form as I fatigued. Another gel 1 mile in, a little more water. My stomach was starting to feel full for some reason. The heat and distance were starting to take a toll on me, but I still felt great.

I decided against another loop of FP, and opted instead to turn around at 30 mins. That way I’d get to run down the S Hill, instead of up it as I always do. It’s a pleasure to run it in reverse, with it’s long slow climb becoming a long fast descent . I figured that was my reward for all this running. Surprisingly, I managed what felt like a decent pace throughout the run, but the Garmin didn’t reflect that. 6.3 miles in 60 minutes is how it felt. But what matters is that it felt good and that I could have gone just a little longer. And if my toes weren’t being bothered by the end of my shoes, I could go more. Looks like I need to get a half size bigger in the Brooks.

Recovery was short, I had to get to work. Sitting at the desk all day long was hard on the legs, and I kept nearly falling asleep. Not much of a post-run high today!