Brrrrrr!

Last night I packed and prepped and laid out all the essentials to a good brick today. 

Exhibit A: The Refrigerator.  Chocolate milk for recovery, concentrated bottle of Infinit for the ride, bottle of Carbopro/Nuun for the run, and one candy apple for a good post-workout sugar high.

Our ride plan was somewhat confusing today.  I was going to start at the top of Crystal Springs and ride to Nigel’s house (Leg 1), where I would meet up with Nigel, Chris and Andrew to ride back to Crystal Springs (Leg 2).  They would then do the return trip to Cupertino with Jeff (Leg 3), who would meet us at my starting point (as it turned out, he drove me there and then spent 3 hours in the car reading the paper and waiting).  While they rode back, I would do my run off the bike and then drive down to meet them.

When I set off from Crystal Springs at 6:30 am, I had not anticipated such cold coastal fog and frigid temperatures.  *shiver*

If that was unexpected, it was totally shocking that 3 hours later the sun had STILL not broken through the clouds and the wind had only intensified. 

Back at Crystal Springs – the group for Leg 2 of the journey – freezing cold and eager to get back riding

And Jeff, joining everyone else for Leg 3

As it turned out I still had 20+ minutes to ride when we arrived, so I turned around and rode back down the hill with the tailwind, knowing I’d have to turn around in 10 minutes and fight my way back up into a headwind.  Fun stuff!

My run off the bike was much better than I anticipated and gave me some confidence for Boise.  Yes, my legs will be tired after the ride, but they will also settle down on the run and respond, as long as I keep “feeding” them a steady diet of carbohydrates.

When I got back to Nigel’s house post-run, this is what I found.  Yes, my peeps know how to recover properly.  Me, I have 20 more days before I can partake. *sigh*

After some quality recovery eating at BJ’s Brewpub (mind you, I even made smart decisions there and ordered the lettuce wraps instead of the pizza and nachos I really wanted), Jeff and I cleaned up and got ready for Jenn’s graduation party.  With a hard workout in the bag, I *had* to wear compression socks (specifically my pink Recovery Socks), so it was just a matter of brainstorming how to put them together into a party-worthy outfit.  It turned out a Lululemon tank and running skirt tied it all together perfectly.

So yes, ladies, you might look a little like a candy-cane stripper, but there should be points awarded for coordination.  If nothing else, Jen Harrison should appreciate this one.

At the party with Jenn, now an official nursing school graduate!

A quick moment to pimp out my friend Jenn.  If any readers have connections in nursing at Bay Area hospitals, Jenn is a reliable, smart and caring nurse-to-be who I can vouch for as I’ve known her since we were 13 years old.  She needs to get a paid nursing job so she can buckle down and devote the remainder of her spare time to triathlon training!

Training totals for week 22 (May 18-24):
Swim: ~7160 yards
Bike: 83.8 miles
Run: 18.0 miles
Total time: ~11.75 hours

(plus 1 hr of yoga)

Next is…PEAK WEEK!!!