START of TRAINING
Well we started training yesterday, Sunday March 25th for the Ironman. Ken has a training schedule that has us biking next weekend approximately 40 plus miles. We have been maintaining our triathlon training thru the winter months, both Ken and I swimming whether he at Falling Springs or me at the Y and UK. Both running various times thru the week and doing spin classes or me sitting in front of the TV on my trainer, BUT getting OUT on the bike is so different than spin class or the trainer. For one – wind, two- heat, three – clipping in – clipping out and four- HILLs real hills up up up –can’t begin to do those on the bike trainer . When Ken called yesterday well I was going to go to Coldstream park and ride in circles – flat circles but he called and said let’s do an easy ride since it is our first time out this season. SO we did 35 miles yesterday and the hills were hard, but at least we did not do the 13 % grade Clifton Pike hill down by the river. We rode to Midway and popped a squat on Main Street and drank a pop and watch about 50 bikers (the other kind) ride by. Nice bikes, but I do have to say that Ken and I are in better shape with the kind of biking we do! I don’t know how long it took us but I do know that if it took me 3 hours then it only took Ken about 2 hours because he has to wait for me at the major intersections for about 15 minutes! Cutest sight was a dog running down the road and disappearing and me worrying – where is it? Is it going to run out at me and then looking over the edge of the road at a brook and there is the dog – laid out in the water – cooling off looking at me like “What?” I am cooling off!”

I have plenty of “training fat” as I know call my extra pounds from this winter to help me swim, bike and run. Hopefully it will turn into muscle before June 24th. My favorite part (besides the break and drinking a pop) is the very last half mile going back to Falling Springs on the bike path. So I was reflecting at the end and looking at Ken’s end in sight as he “took it in” I mean he takes his bike in! books that last bit, hard, fast, spinning those legs and resembles the Road Runner. My “took it in” on the other hand is a half mile of “Thank God this is over, I have to pee, my hoo hoo hurts, my knee hurts, I’m hot, hot, tired, tired, fat and sweaty!” How do you “take it in?”