Today was a beautiful day. Mid-60's and sunny with only a normal Oklahoma wind blasting you in the face. It was time for another big ride. Yet, just 15 miles in, I was struggling. Part of it could have been the hills and the headwind, but whatever the case, I knew I wasn't going to be able to handle the distance I wanted to at the start. That, however, did not stop me from continuing on out into the massive hills that awaited further on. Now since this is still base training, I tried to keep at least my heart rate as low as possible as I climbed, as slow as possible, with a very, very low cadence up each gargantuan hill. That didn't mean it didn't hurt. Or even that my heart rate stayed low. So why do all this? Why not attack the hills to make them as quick and painless as possible like ripping off a bandaid? Well this is exactly how you do strength training on the bike. An extremely important part in developing the strength and endurance to go hard and fast once racing season starts.
I only made it 43 miles. And I was half delirious and somewhat detached from proper muscle coordination at the finish. I didn't expect the 5 mile run an hour later to be fast. Or even to get finished. But it was both. Among being one of the more effortless runs in a long while. I barely got myself off the couch to start it. But once I had, I was immediately refreshed and ready to roll. And the feeling never left. This is what getting fit is like. Today was a beautiful day!
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