Tough Tuesday

Oh boy, I am rooted. Today destroyed me.

I woke up feeling pretty good and went out for the typical Boundary Ride on a perfect morning. I felt good pedalling in and on the start of the ride, but suddenly going up Roseville Bridge hill I just could not keep to the same position in the pack where I usually am. And frustratingly, no matter how hard the people in front just kept getting further and further away.

I couldn't even keep up with the pace line and then just couldn't hack the pace on Military Road. I figure it's an unexpected consequence of a big weekend and even though on the surface I feel recovered, my legs still have a way to go to be back to normal.

The weekend consisted of a 200km, 7.5 hour hilly ride on Saturday (followed by a short 20 minute run). Then Sunday I did an hour on the turbo trainer watching the 2006 Tour de France, jumped off and quickly transitioned to a 3 hour run. Well a very slow waddle really, you couldn't exactly call it a run. Still it was by far the longest run session I've done in 9 months and it was a good feeling to get it done!

Anyway at lunchtime I went with the HuRTS boys for 8x 5min reps along Farm Cove. The first four felt great, I kept up with a couple of guys who I know are faster than me and I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard, I kept my HR under 170.

However the wheels fell off on the last few reps. Suddenly my legs felt leaden and at the same HR I couldn't push nearly the same pace. The blokes I'd been keeping up with had obviously held back in order to keep going at an even pace, so they soared ahead while I simply couldn't keep my pace up and fell way back.

Still I was ecstatic to get all 8 out. Afterwards I had a quick stretch, but when I went to jog back to the office I was alarmed to find my body refused to co-operate. An ambling shuffle, slightly slower than walking pace, was all I could manage. And I felt utterly stuffed.

I think it's a combo of two things - I'm just not used to the HuRTS intensity (and keeping that up over nearly an hour session) and I'm not nearly recovered from the weekend.

Still, I'm tired but happy. Next week is the start of the taper! Now I just need to get onto those articles I've printed off the net to find out what to actually do to taper properly for an Ironman...