Prepare to Suffer--Day 4

We all knew it was coming. One of these days was going to be a bit more intense than the others. The key for today was survival. Make it through and it was downhill from here.

Swim was good this morning. I felt particularly strong and seemed to have a solid stroke. The focus continues to be drafting and sighting. The group has grown from two people to six then everyone. Repeatedly we hit the water together and worked on navigating the crowd. For the sickos in the group we literally beat the snot out of one another for about 5 minutes. Again. And again. And again.

On the way home, we stopped off at Lava Java where I had the most succulent papaya that was topped with vanilla yogurt and granola. Jess said it was heaven. I say...not too bad. Another quick change and wheels rolling.

Today's focus was climbing. Coach Z had a nearby hill that promised to break most of us. We were instructed to go up three times...if we could. Yeah. Twice was enough for me. It was a brutal 3.5 mile climb that topped out at 20% grade over the final 1/3 of a mile. I am not sure I have ever ridden a hill as steep as that final section. I made it to the top and had to get off the bike to gather myself. The sweat was pouring down my face and my heartrate was through the roof.

The decent was something else. The first mile was out of control and you came down the steepest sections. I hate decending on my tri bike. Give me a roadie any day of the week and I will zip down and mountain. The light, narrow carbon frame just spooks me too much. I had to gather myself again at the bottom.

I knew I had one more climb in me so I set out the conquer the monster yet again. Same story...maybe easier. The last 300 feet were every bit as tough as I remembered. This time the legs were full of lactic acid. I don't recall what was coming out of my mouth but it probably closely resembled the mating call of a wild boar.

For my decent, I enlisted the help of Coach Z to talk me through it. Wrong decision. No brakes, no brakes, no brakes he yelled. My legs were just quivering under the bike as my speed approached 50 mph. I honestly couldn't feel my feet anymore. I made it to the bottom and was done. No more for me. I was spooked enough.



We had a little extra time in the condo before the run began. The three of us crashed immediately. Fifteen minutes of just steady meditation and I was ready to go.

Running time. And the tri gods provided us with a steady downpour to begin. My goal was to keep it nice and easy. I didn't expect to find any energy or strength in my legs so I was surprised when I was able to crank out 6.2 miles at a slow pace. Perfect. The best part was that I did it pain free. That was a shocking surprise.

So another day in the books. I have reached the mid way point and it is easy from here out. The rest of the workouts are endurance based. For now...it is time to eat everything I can get my hands on.

Daily Total:
Swim: 3000y
Bike: 24.4 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
Time: 4h 15m

Camp Total:
Swim: 8800y
Bike: 143.8 miles
Run: 13.2 miles
Time: 14h 16m