They can't all be good rides

First, Saturday, I took on another Brick of Doom. That's right: 2.5 mi run, 30 mi bike, 2.5 mi run, 30 mi bike, 2 mi run. Phew. 4.5 hours later, it was done. Special thanks to Jeff from BPC for taking this on after 6 weeks off the bike.

Then on Sunday, Paul and I joined a few other triathletes for our first ride together since the Prouty. Not our most successful ride:

1. We couldn't find the key to one of the bike racks to lock the bike on.
2. We couldn't find the key to unlock Paul's bike from the bike rack.
3. The local bike shop wasn't open to try to get a spare key from.
4. Paul took his first (and second) tumble while being clipped in (had to happen some time).
5. Paul's back wheel was not true and was rubbing on his brake.
6. Paul's waterbottle cage was loose and rattling.
   
7. Our 28 mile loop was actually 34. And I missed a turn and took us an additional half mile.
   
8. Paul was out of water and ready to be done at 25 miles.

But we made it. The next ride can only get better from here, right?

Brick of Doom

It's hard to do a good, long workout without biking. I can do a 90 minute swim set, (when uninjured,) I can run for two hours straight, but ask me to do a long ride, and we're in a different realm: three or four hours seems completely reasonable for a long ride.

But it is impossible to do this indoors. I guess it's not actually impossible, it's just not very much fun. On a trainer there's no coasting, there's no rush of wind, and there's no change of scenery. The weather has finally colluded with me to get the bike out and go long.

Last weekend I tackled a 45 mile easy ride with a few friends and brunch in the middle. Today was my coach's Brick of Doom. A brick is a combination of two disciplines used for training triathletes on the transition. Technically, I think it's called a brick cause you line up the disciplines like bricks, but some say it's because your legs feel like bricks when you try to run on them after a long ride.

The Brick of Doom is so-called (by me, no one else calls it that, but I'm hoping it catches on) because it's long and repetitive: three runs separated by two rides. Today's workout was supposed to be 30 minute intervals of running and 75 minute intervals of riding. I'm still on the slow and steady increase of running to avoid injury this season, so I only should run 45 minutes total, so I cut the run intervals down to 15 minutes, but kept the rides. My half ironman is coming up June 19th, and I'll do this workout several more times extending the distances. The Brick of Doom is hopefully my secret weapon for finishing that race strong.

I convinced some very nice friends to join me for this endeavor early this morning. We completed a 20 mile loop from Concord, out around Carlisle, through the Great Brook Farm State Park and back through Acton in 1:17 for our first loop and 1:14 for the second one. 40 miles total: the half ironman is 56 miles of biking, so it's getting close.

It feels fantastic to finish one of these long workouts first thing in the morning. The whole rest of your day can do no wrong. After a quick shower, Paul and I went out for brunch with some friends, then I came home and had a very serious nap.

And then there's the exhaustion in my legs. My legs ache in a way they haven't in months. There is nothing more rewarding.