Friday is here and a long weekend awaits us...Yippeee!
What are YOU doing this weekend? I am taking it EASY. Really... I am!!!
Taper week has begun and I am ready to kick back, relax and do normal life stuff. Like plant tomatoes, dig weeds, vacuum and mow the lawn. And I am actually looking forward to it! Every spare minute of my time off seems to have been spent on the bike or in my sneakers over the past few weeks (of which I have LOVED every minute:) but I have really let the real life stuff slide...time for a spring clean up and reconnecting with my family (Brad and Yuki of course)!
TRAINING this week started intense and has tapered down since Monday.
Monday I had a great long hill rep run in a beautiful patch of afternoon sunshine:) 3 5min on:easy hills in the middle of a 60minute run.
Tuesday was a rest day...just commuted on my bike for bike to work week!
Wednesday was a 99% mental training day. Ugg. Sometimes I wonder what the heck I am doing in this hemisphere with the wet and cold dragging on and on. I am a snowbird at heart and dream of spending my days in a warm sunsoaked tropical paradise...
It was a run:ride in Cumberland starting with a 45minute trail run in Cumberland then transitioning to the bikes for a 2hour XC ride.
It was absolutely and completely pouring down with rain when I arrived at the parking lot. I was psyching myself up for the run and hopelessly searching for another layer to put on or a toque or hat to keep my head dry (note: visors are excellent during downpours if you are trying to capture and save water for drinking later on your run- moron!) when my teammate Andy pulled up beside me. YEAH! Misery loves company and my heart lifted knowing that I wouldn't be suffering through the rain alone.
After a nice 45minute mud stomping trail run we transitioned onto our bikes and were joined by 3 other brave souls for the muddiest ride of the year. The 5 of us wound our way through XC trails and searched for hills so that we could get our core temps up. Once we were climbing it was all good and we were warm enough- even though the wind and rain were just pounding us from the side on the logging road! It was that wind....ooooohhhh.
On the way down Bear Buns things changed...as exertion decreases so do heartrate, breathing rate and temperature. Add the 'wind chill' from heading downhill and you have the perfect combination for mild hypothermia. And man was I so there! The funny part was that because I was soo wet and cold, I didn't want to stop and get off my bike so I actually made a 'new ride' down a ramp that had always scared me! I was super stoked on that! And, it was EASY (you know every says that when they want you to try something you are scared to ride...'Oh it's so eeeeaaasy.')
Half way down Bear Buns I lost control of my bike as my hands had gone completely numb and I had zero dextarity and grip strength. I couldn't grip my handlebars let alone squeeze the brake levers or change gears! My flimsy mesh summer riding gloves were no match for the rain that was turning to snow not too high above us. I had to walk pushing (well pulling really cause it was downhill) my bike with one hand while stuffing the other hand in my armpit to try and get the feeling back.
It worked for a while but the numbness returned, everyone else got super cold too and we decided to pull the pin and save ourselves before it got too much worse. We rode out (close to tears from the cold finger pain that increased on the road) and after washing off our bikes at the bike wash at Riding Fool Hostel we were all shaking from the cold. I stopped talking to my buddies as everything started shutting down and I concentrated on tolerating the PAIN in my hands. You know that finger (or toe) pain I am talking about if you live on the west coast of Canada and play outdoors!
2 hours later: In the car, cranked up heat, deep breaths, dark chocolate....hot shower, hot meal, hot tea and the deepest sleep I have had in a long long time followed.
Thursday: Adventure Running through some technical terrain on TWISTER trail and trail speed intervals in Nymph Falls Park for 70minutes...f.u.n.
Friday Q& A to come...FAT FACTS....
Sarah.
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