Week ending June 13

I did a "bike fit" with John at Bike Source (Sawmill & Bethel Roads) this week. He assessed my strength, flexibility, and symmetry; then made appropriate modifications to my new bike and shoes. He significantly pulled back the aero bars and tweaked the seat position. He also added supports in my shoes (not a surprise, due to my collapsing arches and history of plantar fasciitis) and adjusted the cleats. I'll go back after a few weeks of riding for a final tune-up.

Saturday's MIT met at the Ohio Health building on Polaris/Africa Roads in Westerville. OH is a sponsor of MIT and we meet there about once a month. It's a nice change of pace and offers the opportunity to run on one of my favorite hidden treasures, Alum Creek Trail. However, it also involves crossing several busy roads and there is no shade for the first/last 3 miles, which is challenging in the summer. I'm sure the cyclists on the Olentangy Trail appreciate not having to share the trail with 500 MITers one Saturday each month. :)

The training schedules for the Columbus Half and Full marathons call for fairly modest long-run mileage this early in the season. This week, the Beginner Halfs had 3 miles; everyone else had 5 miles. Leslie led a group of alumni (fresh off of May races) for 7 miles.

After MIT, I met IronAnn at Alum Creek Beach. The Wendy's Women's Triathlon had just wrapped up (I actually got there in time to cheer on the last dozen or so triathletes) and she wanted to test the water to see if she'd need her wetsuit for Sunday's sprint tri. I needed to get an idea of what my pace was, in prep for the JCC Triathlon on July 4th. We swam 200 yards. Ann's freestyle looked smooth and effortless - I could see how she did this for 2.2 miles at IronMan Arizona last November! Me? I tried to swim the crawl, but my heart rate and breathing were both elevated (from the cold water? nerves?) so I side-stroked instead and averaged 4 mins/100 yds. The swim is NOT my strength - I know I need to take tri-specific classes to learn how to do the crawl efficiently.


(this is my wetsuit...but not my bod)

Sunday, I watched the IronMan 70.3 (aka Half Ironman) championship on TV. My Running Buddy Kirsten is doing a Half IM next month. Maybe me too, one day...

Monday - 16m bike on Alum Creek Trail @ 16.6 mph
Tuesday - bike fit at Bike Source, rode 45mins on trainer at 60% effort
Wednesday - 3.9m at Blendon Woods (hilly gravel trail) @ 10:47 m/m
Friday - 6.0m at Sharon Woods (bike trail + hilly gravel trail) @ 10:30 m/m
Saturday - 4.2m in Westerville (MIT run), 200yd swim in Alum Creek