40k, Snickers ice cream, and closing in on Columbia

On Sunday, the day after I broke the 63-minute barrier for a 40k ride, Dirk and I met up again for another 40k... same place, same windy conditions. This time we planned on taking it easy... aiming for 1:05:00 for REAL this time. So just like with yesterday, we switched leads every 2 miles during the ride. Winds were much more disorganized today, and it seemed like gusts were coming from everywhere. Even though we weren't pedaling quite as hard, it sure felt like we were going uphill most of the time. However, we weren't going much slower. I guess our legs were responding to the challenge. We had to slow down though... Dirk was tired from a 40k that he did before my arrival and I needed to relax as well, so we focused on controlling our effort. With about 4 miles to go, Dirk got hungry and dropped off to buy, of all things, a Snickers ice cream bar, telling me to finish my 40k. So I did and finished in just around 1:05! Goal! I was barely breathing too... a 2 minute improvement over my 40k race pace from last year on an easy ride? I'll take it! Thanks to Dirk for helping to push me on both rides, good to have a training partner like him (despite his food choices)!

Monday and Tuesday were easier days... endurance swim and run on Monday (1.2 mile swim, 8.5 mile run) and a trainer spin on Tuesday (60 minutes, small chain ring). I feel totally recovered from that tough weekend of biking. I have 6 more days of brutal workouts ahead of me... track workouts, bricks, open water and race-distance swims. Then it's taper time. Columbia awaits.

The biking over the past week shows me that I am ready on the bike, and I am exactly where I want to be... a 23 mph and up biker. Just like when I started running sub 5:30s for 10k last year, I feel I reached an important milestone... one I didn't really ever think imaginable. Just goes to show what hard work and dedication will do.