60x4 brick: 27 is HEAVEN!

BIKE 4:04 hours and 64.6 miles

RUN 37 mins 4 miles

At first this seemed like a big workout for the weekend before the big race. Intervals were specified, it was written as a steady state IM paced workout. So maybe it wasn't too big, regardless I was looking forward to it. I've been wanting to do some bigger bricks!

We had a group of 5: GT, TB, TH, IT, and me. 3 future Savages, a recent IMer, and a soon-to-be IMer! What a group! We set a goal of keeping the ride together but not stopping. We decided to skip the 1st and 3rd gas stations, stopping only in Waterloo for a break. The idea was the better simulate a race in which we don't stop and rest. Along with that, we were all similarly paced and didn't have to wait at intersections for each other. Perfect setup!

Also perfect was the weather. Last Monday we had a bitch of a headwind. Today was high 60's, low winds, clouds, very little direct sun. Just perfect! What a day for the "last ride" before the race!!

We repeated last Monday's route, making for a good comparison. Maybe I'll to that later. Maybe.

We had a great ride, and Bird's brand spankin' new 12-27 cassette. This cassette gave the Bird some long legs! The flats felt great, I was able to ride with a quick and light cadence. And hills were slick--spun right up.

So it was a given that I was going to ride Trout Rd again! Last Monday I had to stand in the last kick of the climb. Not today! Zip, zip, zip right up--seated! SEATED!! And I could have done a harder hill! YAY!

We didn't hurry. We didn't do hard intervals, we just rode comfortably. And it was sweet.

The T2 into the run was a little long, but we had to give GT a couple of Good Lucks before his big race. IT, TH, and I took with with TB as our cheerleader on the bike. We aimed for a slow easy run, started off with low 9's but as time progressed we slowed by about 30 seconds per mile. No biggie.

One of my other goals was to drink enough and eat enough for a good brick run. Granted, it was only 4 miles, but it felt good. Hopefully it was good enough for next weekend!