A glimmer of the cycling mojo

I'm in a really weird place, training wise. After the concentration on the run over the winter and no ride over about 40-45 miles over winter, I'm finding that not only am I feeling fitter and more comfortable running than riding, but I'm enjoying running more also. And that's just weird. Ever since I started triathlons, I've loved loved loved cycling. So much so that my favorite vacation is a week long bike tour and before long, I see a ride across America in my future. Can you imagine how amazing that'd be?

I'm worried too - I just can't imagine getting from where I am now (50 miles tops), to over a century in a couple of months. The longest training ride I'll be doing is 120 miles in June. Lord, I hope my love of cycling comes back. That's a lotta hours in the saddle if I'm not enjoying it. I know that Spring will help. The past few weeks have just been so cold and damp and something about a damp ride is worse than colder and dry.

And I should be worried about my swim. I've skipped one swim workout each week for the past 2-3 weeks. I did get swim brownie points this week though. I was a race widow since Mark had headed to North Carolina for a race (where he kicked ass, btw). So my friends and I were going to 'swim and dine.' Only there was a mix up at the pool and it was only going to be open for 15 mins after I arrived. My friends swam, for which I give them props but there was no way I was going to get wet for 15 mins. But I still get virtual brownie points, don't I? And yes, thanks for pointing out how sad it is that my exciting friday night is spent working out.

But the good news is that I enjoyed today's ride and because I missed the start of the ride by an hour (I failed Reading 101), I just headed up through Rock Creek Park and back for an easy 26 miles. And because I was on my own, I was a LOT more disciplined than I normally am at staying in Z2 despite the incline for the first half. Yeah. Staying in Z2 is the hardest thing for me cycling - I feel like I'm a strong cyclist and I enjoy going fast and it's fun keeping up with others. And on the bike, my heart rate jumps around a lot. Especially at the beginning of the ride. But the idea is to train in Z2 to teach the body to burn fat as fuel. And when it comes to the race, I'll haver to be in Z2 for as long as I possibly can, despite all the hills. At least the swim isnt' uphill, eh?