Biking!

Well, Friday was was a revelation. My running partner and I did the bike route for the tri. She was the navigator (thank God, because I would have gotten lost a dozen times or more). She's much more comfortable on the bike than I am and she can read the instructions while riding. So, my big source of anxiety had been Old Murray Hill which was reputed to be steep and endless. Actually, it was not that bad. I was able to stay on the bike the whole time and just keep shifting down. The course does contain lots of hills (big and small) but we were both able to do it. I mean, my thighs were pretty engaged but I could do it. I found out that I'm still afraid of the downhills. I'm just scared to go fast. I've got to work on this a little (I hope to do one more practice ride before the race). The thing is, I'll be happy if I can do a decent job on the bike part but it's my weakest event so my expectations are low. I was so elated when we finished. My anxiety about the tri was markedly reduced.

I took Saturday off (well, I did some work with my new dumbbells and some crunches and stuff Saturday night) and then did a good run on Sunday. I ran 5.5 miles in 44 minutes (one minute faster than last week!), basically at my 10k race pace. The route I take is hilly and I was trying to really work the hills and push the pace. It was hard run but I felt pretty strong (and exhausted afterward). Today, I swim!