Headwind = Tailwind

The weekend plan was to do a hefty workout on Saturday since it was supposed to be dry. They had predicted that today(Sunday) was going to be wet. With that in mind, I had scheduled some swimming help from Don at noon Sunday. He's an awesome swimmer and has coached swimming in the past. He was gonna watch my pathetic technique and give some drills to work on.

I woke up Saturday morning all nice and carbed up from the Olive Garden. I went out to eat with Emily, Andrew, Kyle and Anne. I had the all you can eat pasta bowl. Based on my last experience with the bowl I was bound to top my measly 5 bowls of pasta this time. I stuck with simple angel hair with marinara pasta. I finished 7 bowls and was quite full.

I hit the pool and my swimming still was stinking. I just didn't have a good feeling. I suffered through a short workout and got my biking gear ready. The plan was to stop by and get Ernie in Wilsonville. He was going to come with me and basically just get some miles in the draft. The main problem with that plan was a 20mph wind out of the south. My route basically takes me directly south just past Salem and back.

The headwind was brutal. There were parts where I was just trying to maintain forward progress at a measly 16mph. Ernie wasn't having much fun because I was in full aero position and he wasn't getting much shelter. I was trying out different nutrition for the ride. I was going solely with Clif Blocs Coke flavored for my additional calories on top of my cytomax. They were not sitting well at all.

I was a little worried on the way out I wasn't able to consume as many calories as I needed because of my stomach issues. It was colder so I had a vest and gloves which made reaching into my pockets for food difficult. Just sitting up to get food was painful because of the huge headwind.

Ernie stuck it out til the turnaround like a trooper even though his legs were sore and he was having back trouble. With the little jaunt to pick up Ernie, I had 50 miles to the turnaround point.

Luckily the wind did not let up as we made the turn. I was barely pedaling and cruising along at 25mph in certain sections and 27 in others. It was great. Ernie decided to head straight back home. I kept going my usual way and was really feeling good with the tailwind. I forced myself to consume more Clif Blocs in order to be able to do my planned run afterwards.

The tailwind really helped revitalize my legs so I made it back to 24 hour Fitness with a decent amount of energy. I had completed the ride in 5 hours with probably a 17.5 avg on the way out and 22 avg on the way back. My plan was to attempt my 7.5 mile loop this time. I went out at a nice easy pace and the plan was to push it for the last couple of miles.

I made it to Hall Blvd and started to push the pace. I felt really great again on the run. It felt like a normal 7.5 mile run. It was like I hadn't even been on the bike. I'm hoping this feeling I can keep and maintain throughout my training. So far it really has boosted my confidence. I finished the run at just under a 7 minute pace average. Perfect...I figure I was doing 7:30s for the first 5 miles and ran 6:30ish for the last couple.

My legs were a little tired at the end of the run but not totally wiped out. Overall I was tried as I started my workout at about 7:30 in the morning and didn't finish until 3pm. I came home and showered, cooked dinner and then high-tailed it to my friend Andrew's poker game. This was a money game. $10 entry fee with top 3 taking money. He had moved the game to 5pm instead of later so I could play.

The game finished at about 9:30 as the top chip stack decided just to split the pot 3 ways rather than grind it out against Emily and I. It was really cool as I had been 2nd too shortest and shortest stack almost the entire night. I skimped and made my way to the final 3. I finally started to get some cards in the final 3 and started to come back from the dead. I might have gotten 2nd because the chip stack leader was so good there was no way I would be able to beat him. I made $10 and had some fun.

It rained as predicted today. It basically looks like fall is here so the trainer is gonna get a lot of work for me. I did go for an easy run after all the swim drills today. My arms are sore and so are my legs. I found out that my entire stroke was wrong. So I have a lot to do but hopefully with practice I'll get faster and more comfortable. The swim help was great. I can't wait to really start swimming correctly.