Tough workout

This morning we did our toughest Ironman training workout so far, a 20mi/10mi brick. This consisted of a 20mi Ironman pace bike ride, followed by a 10mi run. We started at 8am, so we all got to sleep in a little bit. The start location was just up the road from our house so we were able to ride to the start, which was very convenient considering that we would not fit one bike on Gordon's car let alone two!

I kept a good solid pace on the bike, my goal was to average 18mph. The route had some gradual uphills, nothing too grueling, but can definitely wear you down if you attack them too hard. The surprising thing for me was that, while I enjoyed the bike ride, I was looking forward to getting out on the run and passing a few people! Normally I hate running after the bike but I'm starting to change my attitude about running, probably because I'm feeling a lot stronger than I used to.

My legs felt pretty good at the start of the run, although my breathing was a little heavy. I tried to slow down to keep my breathing under control but it didn't make much difference. I had been feeling a bit under the weather this week, so perhaps this affected my cardiovascular system? Who knows. I'll keep an eye on it the next time we do a brick. I felt good as I started to pass a few people, but I didn't catch Gordon until the 5mi turnaround! I enjoyed catching him, and then passing him :) By mile 8 my legs were feeling pretty tired, but I knew I was almost done so I just settled into a rhythm, kept focused, and knocked out the last 2 miles. It was good to be done!

It's these types of workouts that really give you a feel for what the Ironman is going to feel like. They're tough workouts, but they make you so much stronger. I was really pleased with my effort today! Now it's time for a nap, then a T3 holiday party later this afternoon...