Another Milestone

So a few events this past week. First, we traveled north for Memorial Day so I was able to do the second loop of what I anticipate will be my bike loops. This second loop uses the same route on the east side, but inside of crossing the Saco and heading south, I head west and take Rt. 117 back down. I actually rode it the other way, going clockwise, but because I would prefer steep ups and gradual downs, I'm planning on doing this one counterclockwise, though I will do the "East" route clockwise. 117 is a smooth road and has a good shoulder, even though the traffic is heavier than I normally like to ride in. So I've now riden both the loops I'm planning to use, and hopefully will be able to do the loops at least a couple more times before July 20. The other big event was my first 4.5 hour ride and crossing the 70 mile mark. I was a little concerned because it didn't seem like I was doing enough endurance stuff. Remember, this plan I'm following is really about putting in a fast race, so he seems to emphasize speed work. That's not my big concern, but I checked my workouts from my previuos race and I'm actually pretty close to what I had done before. That makes me feel a little better. This weekend the plan calls for the first 5+ hour ride. I'm hoping that will get me to 80 miles. Finally, we got the word out a little at Spring Fling. I had a banner out and I'm hoping that folks were able to stop by and get an idea of what we're trying to do. The fundraising seems to be going well, so thanks for all your support. June's almost here, and that means July can't be far behind!

Test Run

I was up to Bar Mills having a mini family reunion over the weekend (it was good seeing you!) and ended up biking one of the possible loops for the rally. Right now I'm thinking of doing four loops of 28 miles each, but I'm probably going to double up two of the loops, if that makes sense. Anyway, I did one of those loops and it worked out well. There were some rough sections with broken pavement, but they were relatively short. On the other hand, I liked the route because it had some nice smooth "aero-friendly" sections and the traffic seems to be light. I'll be heading up again to check out another loop sometime soon and then I've got to start thinking about running loops. Other good news involved my ride back. My first long ride wore me out, but I've since riden back from Bar Mills and both times I felt still alive and well when I got done. The next step is to put a run on the end of those rides, but I'm not quite that ambitious yet. This week I'm trying to follow the format of the training plan pretty closely, both in number and duration. I'll let you know how that goes. Also, PCA's Spring Fling is on Friday. I'm going to be around, so stop me and we can talk! And for those who are interested - and thank you for those who have already given - the easy giving method is to go to firstgiving.com and search for me or Saco River rally and hit the donation button. See you soon.

The Last Time

So, just for the fun of it I checked out my times for the race I did back in 2008 at Lake Placid. The swim was about 1 hour, 43 minutes, which is typically slow me, the bike was about 6 hours 45 minutes, and the run was 4 hours 10 minutes. I certainly do not think I'm going to beat these times, but it gives me something to shoot for. I would like to see my swim time come down just a tad, but the other times are going to be slower. However, there is a certain amount of unknown here because even though the distances are the same, the course is different, and that variable can change things. I'm hoping to go up to the Saco soon and bike the route I have picked out. That should give me at least a rough idea of the times involved, though again, once you start doing the full distance and put them all together, anything can happen. I'm also hoping that I get a bit more aligned with the training plan starting this coming week. If you see me, ask how I'm doing with that! Til next time.
PS. And please don't forget the contribution for the AED, and thanks to you have have already contributed - it's much appreciated.

Nothing New

Well, not anything out of the ordinary to announce. Got through another week and did another long run and bike. The bike this time was from my parents place outside Portland back home. According to my bike thingy, it's 57 miles. I like the ride. It's back roads for most of the way and I also follow the Eastern Trail for a good portion of it. I'm pretty much doing one workout a day, though the plan calls for two. We'll see if I can push it up to the called for two after tennis ends this week. I'll also give you what I'm doing on a daily basis, too, when I get a chance. Thanks for reading and don't forget to give!

Milestones

So a couple of milestones this week, or more specifically, this weekend. For the first time I crossed the 2 hour mark on the run and crossed the 3 and a half hour mark on the bike. That translates to somewhere around 15 miles on the run and I barely broke (by three quarters of a mile!) 60 miles on the bike. Yep, I'm pretty tired.  For the run, I stay on the backroads between Dover and Durham, but for the bike I ended up taking my "Coastal route," going from Dover, down along Route 1 and all the parks on the coast, and then back through Newmarket. I like the route, but it's a bummer when the wind picks up and sweeps across the ocean! I also go out toward  the Deerfield area and will also do portions of the Eastern Trail that runs north into Maine. Interestingly, to bike to my folks place outside of Portland is almost exactly 56 miles. It's nice to have a little variety. The plan I'm following is more or less for young studs, but I'm more concerned about endurance. Both of these times/mileages are important for me because it does help get me use to spending time out on the road. The run is important because since it is the last event, it's where you're pretty much beat up and you need to hold it together. The bike is where I'll be spending most of my time, so I need to get use to big chunks of time in the saddle. I've glanced at the future workouts, but I can't remember what the times are for these as I move forward, but I'll definately be expecting to see more of the same. I'll let you know how it turns out! I'm also starting to here comments about the race from folks, so that's a good sign. Hopefully we can get some contributions to help us get the AED for the Upper School. Anything you can do would be a great help! Enjoy the week!