HI. It's Laura.
My ride on Wednesday did
not go nearly as I had hoped nor as I had planned.
When planning a week's
worth of exercise and knowing how accurate the weather man can be, things can a
little tricky. I knew the forecast was calling for morning showers. I did not
know Wednesday morning was going to require an Ark to get around.
Wednesday was also my day
to take the dog. I am absolutely aware of what I need to don before a long walk
in the park on a rainy day. It started off just fine. My running hat was
beading off the water. My trench was keeping me dry until about half way
through the “Squirrel Circuit” when I had water dripping off my cap and my
sleeves were wet on the insides. It was not the happiest start to the day. By
the time my morning shift ended where I volunteer on Wednesdays, the rain had
stopped and the sun tried to come out. This was making me very happy for my hour
long dog park session and my outdoor ride.
Just as we, The Dog and I
headed for the park, for our afternoon session the rain started again in
torrents. I knew this was a possibility as per the weather forecast. So I spent
some of the morning, pre dog walk, reading about cycling in the rain.
Apparently, it’s dangerous. But I knew that and I think most of us with common
sense could figure that out.
Extra slick areas would
be painted surfaces, like road lines, and metal surfaces, like manhole covers.
If you walk in NYC, you already know about these surfaces. I crossed many a
crosswalk on a painted line and have lost my footing. Applying logic to a one
inch tire, cycling would be a touch dangerous.
I read other logical
things. Don't ride through a big puddle because you never know what is under
the water. That makes sense and I already knew that but it’s always nice to
hear the experts say it. One piece of information that I did learn was to lower
your tire pressure by about 10 PSI. More tire surface on the road means betters
traction. Light bulb! (do you hear Gru too?)
I waffled for the better
part of the day on what to do with my ride. In the end I opted for the indoor
trainer. Mostly because of the last article that I read had a whole list of
things you need to do to your bike after riding in the rain. I am not equipped
to do most of these like applying extra lube on my chain, hang it upside for
all the water to release, take it apart to re-lube all the parts to then put it
back together or just use your rain bike. RAIN BIKE? Please?
I may not have a rain
bike but I do have rain running shoes (which is just my old pair of running
shoes). They have enough life left in them to get me through the handful of
rainy runs for the next two months for sure.
I had slow start Thursday
morning. Something funky was going on with me Wednesday afternoon. So instead
of getting up a regular time, I allowed myself to fall back to sleep for an
extra half hour. During the afternoon, I felt almost like I might be coming
down with something. I was a little light headed and just a little wonky.
The extra half hour did
wonders for my hour long run. I felt strong out of the gate and was able to
keep a nice pace throughout the entire run despite the rain.
I have to say, there has
not been a lot of drama on my runs this year until today. Generally I prefer to
run the park clockwise as opposed to counter clockwise for a number of reasons:
1) The
run portion of the triathlon goes that direction
2) I
don't feel like I am in a race every day because most people run counter
clockwise
3) I
can run at my pace and not be annoyed by conversations that are coming up
behind me
Thursday morning, running
up Cat Hill, I passed some guy. I did not think anything of it. I pass people
all the time. I also get passed all the time. So when the guy I just passed,
decided he was going to pass me, then get in front of me, I was a little
annoyed. Ego? Perhaps. His not mine.
He clearly needed to
speed up to pass me, which is a pace he couldn’t keep. You always will find
your natural pace. Of course, he slowed down. I passed him again. He couldn't
just let it alone. He had to pass me again and pull in front of me once more.
The third time I passed him, I never saw him again. My natural pace, which in
my opinion is not all that fast, was just a little faster than his.
The rest of the run,
other than the rain, was perfectly quiet. Nice for a Thursday. My Thursday swim
went off without a hitch. I hit the pool at just the right time and had a nice
swim group. I hate nice. Nice does not make for good stories [Editor’s note:
But it makes for a happier wife. I like that].
I feel my training year
so far is lacking in good stories. Am I growing more tolerant of people? Am I accepting
those around me and their ability to annoy? I certainly hope not or this blog
is going to get pretty boring pretty fast.
Friday morning was just
an easy 35 minutes run. I brought the dog out with me. A change of pace for him
and for me. We managed to stay away from people and stay out of the way of the
cyclists. I can't complain about the weather. After the last two days, this
morning's run was glorious.
My last piece of work for
the week will be a brick on Saturday morning. Right now the forecast is rain
and I will have no choice but to get the workout done in the rain. If it rains
on race day, I am going to have to know how to handle it. So, no matter what,
it’s going to happen. I already know it’s going to suck. I will keep you
posted.
Happy Friday.
Play hard!
Laura
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