Four of us headed to Greenwood yesterday morning to do a brick workout...and where better to do this than at Lake Greenwood where the Festival of Flowers International Distance Triathlon and Regional Championships will take place in the coming weeks. Having already signed up, we all thought this was a great idea as it would give each of us a good vantage point to plan our event strategy. Well, it seemed like a good idea prior to departure.
Let me just say for the record, it is it is much easier to follow a route when you have volunteers and water stations and all the "amenities" involved in the actual race. Actually, all of these things aren't a MUST IF there is actually a road sign indicating the name of the road we are to turn on. We were about 4 miles from Saluda before it registered that there wasn't an "Old Brickyard Road" sign that we were going to come upon. Therefore, we missed the first turn and didn't get to do the actual cycling course. This was a bit frustrating but it was a good 24-mile (12 mile out-and-back) route so we got in the mileage before starting the run course. Note to self: Pedaling as fast as you can when trying to outrun a black lab it's german shepherd buddy makes you more tired and not necessarily more successful at meeting the goal of outrunning them.
We DID get to do the run course. I left afterwards wondering if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I know what's in store on the run in the coming weeks. Rolling hills in Greenwood State Parks...seriously! I made the route without the need to walk. The rain began to fall steadily at about mile 3 and I couldn't have been happier with this. I watched one of my buddies disappear into the horizon in front of me. I completed the run course feeling fairly successful but still questioning in my mind how I will pull out a full marathon during IMAZ. I know that's what the training ahead is for but it sure seems like a mountain ahead. :)
The lesson I took from today's brick workout is this: Doing the race course beforehand may be advantageous from the standpoint of predictability but from a mental preparation standpoint, I'm not so sure. That's yet to be determined. Right now all I can think is...Do I really have to go back and do it again? If so, can I request rain on the run again?
This week is a well-deserved recovery week and I am so stoked! I am going camping this weekend with a huge group of friends and it couldn't have come at a better time in the training program. I plan to take advantage of the week, refuel, regroup, relax and get ready for the next round of training. Is it end of May already?
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