Most of the time, when I’m done with a workout, I feel pretty awesome. The endorphins have kicked in, I’m feeling proud of myself for getting my booty out the door and I gave it my best shot. Sometimes, and this is very rare, I’ll have a tough day on the roads and I need to remind myself, “Any exercise is better than no exercise.” And then sometimes…the magic happens. Oh, today was one of those wondrous, happy, magical days where I walked in the door after my workout and felt like a SUPERHERO!
A little backstory first: yesterday, I was mindful of the brick I had scheduled and, knowing that it was likely to be a warm day, I pre-hydrated a lot. I ate a lovely spaghetti dinner and got to bed at a reasonable hour. It’s true, I am really boring on a Friday night!
This morning dawned like any other morning, albeit much windier than usual, with 15 mph winds again today. I’m not a fan. I drank my coffee, had a little more water, and got my bike and “transition area” (aka, the garage) ready, then I took off!
The first part of my bike ride was a strong tailwind, which is a lovely confidence-builder at the beginning of a ride, but also means that I’m gonna face the headwind about halfway – ugh! And what a headwind it was! There was some swearing, I’m not gonna lie, but I fought my way through it and still felt good. Before I knew it, I had 16 miles done and I was ready to run.
The feeling of running on “bike legs” is something you never get used to – or, at least I haven’t. It’s very, very similar to running in Jell-O. I haven’t actually run in Jell-O, of course, but I know for sure that it feels just like this. The great thing is, even though I felt like I was barely moving, every time I checked my Garmin, I was in the mid-to-high 7’s, pace-wise.
I ran a great 3-mile path with two notable highlights:
~ I saw a group of runners as I was starting my loop, then again as I was nearing the end. Yep, I ran two miles in the time it took them to run one. Not that I’m competitive with random strangers…
~ Who am I kidding? Of course I am! The best part of my day was when I chicked a runner guy while facing the headwind more than halfway into this run!! Can I get a “Hell Yeah”?
Final stats: 16.11 miles on the bike @ 17.5 mph, 3 mile run @ a 7:53 pace. I would have been incredibly happy with either one of those times by themselves, but back-to-back is where I’m going to claim Superhero status – woo hoo!!
What’s your “Best Workout Ever” story??
misszippy says
Very nice numbers! Glad you had a magical day.
LMC says
Here’s my “Hell Yeah” for you! Good move! Sounds like an awesome workout and your times are darn good too. Thanks for stopping my blog recently. I always appreciate new readers and comments! Have a good week!
Average A says
Haha: “I chicked a runner guy” — I LOVE that feeling & that phrase!! I’ve had more than one experience where I just need to leave those guys behind me. π Sounds like you had a great workout!
Average A says
THANK YOU for being the devil on my other shoulder. π I was thinking the same thing! 10 days is a lot … I’m coming up on 6 tomorrow, and I think I’ve had about enough. Like you said though, it’s probably good to not do high mileage/effort. My gym is about .6 of a mile away — was thinking of jogging there and back on my way to swim. I mean, after 26 miles, a little mile run isn’t overdoing it, right?! How average are we?! π
YES! Mark Remy is HILARIOUS and I’m currently laughing my way through his book for a second time. π
Julie says
Wow, you had a great workout! Cheers to wonderful, happy and magical days:) Looking forward to following your journey!