Early Season Brick

How nice to hop on the bike in the morning and it isn't freezing cold outside.  I'm not saying that it was excessively warm, but right around 60 degrees was a welcome change.  It seems like most Saturdays lately, I've been out in the wind, snow and rain.  Since tomorrow's duathlon practice has been postponed a couple of weeks due to the impending snow storm, I decided instead to get a brick workout done.  I hadn't done an outdoor brick since training last fall, so I was looking forward to this one.  It was also an opportunity to get out on my tri bike, something I haven't done since "the crash" last October.  And since I'd stopped my exclusive Maffetone training a couple of weeks ago, I was very curious to see what I could do running off of the bike after so many months.
About twenty minutes to seven, I backed out of the driveway and drove over to Colorado State University-Pueblo where I planned to start my ride; twelve miles out and back.  This to be followed by a four mile run around the perimeter of the campus.  Heading east, the sun was partially obscured by some feathery clouds, but you could tell these were starting to break up.  I arrived at the university, got the bike unloaded, slipped into my cycling shoes, and helmet and made sure that the car was locked up- all set to go.   It was only then that I noticed that my front tire was extremely low, something I'd neglected to check prior to getting my bike in the car last night.  Of course, I'd also not had the foresight to pack the bike pump either.  So it was back in the car and to the house to get the pump before turning right around and heading back to campus; twenty minutes wasted, oh well!

bike details

Finally on my way, I made excellent time.  The "out" part of the ride is mostly downhill and I had the wind at my back to boot.  I had no trouble cruising at around 22 mph and in fact it only took me about 32 minutes to ride the first twelve miles.  A slight headwind, coupled with a short detour to see part of the OM turnaround point, and a mostly uphill return made the return trip closer to 40 minutes however.  Still, I managed to average a touch over 20 mph for the entire course which isn't too bad for an early season ride.  I also felt very comfortable throughout the ride and didn't feel like I had maxed out.  It was a bit of a relief to get back out on the bike and not have any issues.  I wasn't really expecting a problem, but after my crash, there's always that lingering trepidation that something is going to go awry.  When I arrived back at the car a little after an hour, I was more than ready to get out on the run.    

The perimeter around CSU-P is basically an alternating series of climbs and descents.  The course is used for a number of events including the upcoming Ordinary Mortals Triathlon.  There are some who don't like the steep climbs that make up part of the course, but I've always had good luck on this run.  For every lung-busting hill, there is a subsequent downhill that gives you a chance to recover while still maintaining a solid pace.

run details

Today, I started the run near the stadium and so most of the first mile was downhill.  I hit the first split just a little over 8 minutes.  The next three miles were each about 10-20 seconds slower, but I managed to stay under an 8:30 pace for each of them.  As with the bike, I felt good the entire time, and didn't feel like I was pushing things too much.  This was a good thing, for as soon as I was finished, it was in the car and racing home to be sure we got to Lily's soccer game on time.  As I started driving home, I noticed a crowd of runners heading up the road towards the campus.  It turns out that a local prediction race was just starting.  I was glad that I was finished and not starting the day.  Still, seeing all those people out racing got me excited about the coming season.
So with this first official "brick" complete, it's about a month until the first triathlon.  I'm feeling good about where I'm at to this point, and looking forward to more progress in the coming weeks.