Big training day

Yesterday I went to the training with the Striders group. We rode for 1:20 and covered 20 miles, then we ran for 30 minutes I covered almost 3 miles. After that I did the ALS ride with the Hammerheads. It was a 23 mile ride for charity. The first ride went well except for the head wind. On the way back on of the girls had a flat tire so we stopped to help her change it. The mosquitos were so bad we couldn't get the thing changed quick enough. We got back under way and finished the ride. On the run it was starting to get hot. I had to take some walk breaks. After running I put my bike stuff back on, Helmet, and shoes and went to join the Hammerheads. Just as we were getting started one of the girls had a flat tire. I was helping her fix it and we turned around and the group had left us. We got it changed and 3 of us rode together. The wind had picked up a little more plus I was tired from the earlier activity. I considered turning back but stuck with it. It was a nice ride and the course was different then I had been on before so it was interesting. At the finish they had lunch waiting for us. I had a very good pulled pork sandwich and some pasta salad. Then I got to talk to some people in the club. It made for a very nice morning. And I was home before noon. So I rode my bike 43 miles and ran for 3 miles. It was a very good training day

Hammer Jammer #2

Today the Hammerheads put on the Hammer Jammer triathlon training. I did this with my training group from the Florida Striders.  We got there early and set up all our gear like we would on race day. Then we walked over to the ocean. We swam South for 10 minutes and turned around and swam back. The current was with us and I made it back in a little over 7 minutes. The ocean was much nicer today. I was about waist deep when I was through the surf. Still need to practice swimming in the ocean but today was much nicer then during the BFast Triathlon a few weeks ago. I ran up the beach to the transition area put on my shoes, helmet and glasses and rode for 30 minutes South on A1A. I turned around and rode back to the transition area. The ride was nice the temperature was not bad and there were a few clouds so the ride was comfortable.  The Tour de Cure was going on today so we did the return trip with some of those guys and girls. It was nice seeing so many people out riding. I covered 18 miles on the bike today. After dropping my bike off at the transition and changing shoes it was off to run. We ran North on A1A which is shaded. I ran all the way to the turn around point 20 minutes and then took a 1 minute walk break and started running again. I took a few walk breaks on the return trip. I covered 4.4 miles on the run today so I was happy with that. I felt good after the run. I was happy with how well I did, I am getting stronger.  It still impresses my how fast most of these people are. 

I checked the addresses of my turn around points on the bike and the run to determine my distances. Then I came home and put the addresses into google maps and looked up the driving directions to get the distances.  I am still getting used to my aero bars I put on my bike and need to make some adjustments but I like these and they are pretty comfy. My next triathlon is in 3 weeks so lots of training to do. 

Memorial Day 5k

This morning I drove down to Green Cove Springs for a 5k race. I have been taking a running class with the Florida Striders. Today was the final exam. The weather was beautiful. The sun came out and there was a slight breeze. The temperature was upper 70's so it was comfortable. My goal for the race was to run the whole 3.1 miles. I have been doing the run 1 minute / walk 1 minute. So this morning I was determined to run the whole distance. I was able to complete the race without walking. I even picked up the pace for the last 1/10 of a mile. I finished officially in 35:44. Unofficially it took me 33 seconds to cross the starting line from the time the gun went off. So my time was a bit better. This was a new PR for me and I was happy. The race course was nice and it had a loop in it so we got to see the leaders pass by. I am always amazed at how fast some people can run. I saw several people from my triathlon training group. They all did well in the race and finished ahead of me. But I am happy to finish how I did since I have only been running since last September. I am getting stronger and I am getting faster.