Bike LT test today.

Bad news....if you're in M35-39 and racing Lake Placid next weekend. ;)

Got watts?

Strange ride. HOT. Not sure what happened here.

15' zone1
15' zone2
3x(30' zone3, 5' zone2)

Just could not find my groove on this ride.

Was supposed to brick run after this, but I seem to have done something to my right foot? The right arch is painful! WTF?! Taper madness? It was bothering me a bit during the day walking around, but was okay on the bike, but did NOT like running. So... bah.

Taper is being strange.  I feel like crud in my workouts, but speeds are generally okay.  It's also been quite a bit hotter lately, so that could be a factor.  HR is not jiving AT ALL with RPE or pace/power.

I also have a nasty ear infection in my left ear.  Started hurting monday night, decided not to swim on Tuesday, as I woke up and it was even more painful.  Went to Dr, and confirmed it.  Have ear drops now and antibiotic to take.  No swimming until Friday ( well, Dr said longer, but I'm saying Friday ).

WTF.  I'm falling apart during taper.  :)  I should be getting stronger!  I'm chalking it up to taper madness this week, and ignoring it.  :)

 Bib #100 for Lake Placid.

Yes, I confirmed the number.  It's a good omen.  :)

Yay!

Recovery Day ( just like the Tour! )

15' zone1
15' zone2
90' IM effort

Kapow. :) Felt smooth and strong for this. Just let it crank on the IM effort. Not bad pace for training setup. :)

Brick run! :)

3 miles @ 6:44 pace (didn't make this pace for all 3 miles :( )
1 mile cooldown

HR strap stopped working. Blah. Oh well, it was a workout by pace anyway.

Tried out my new Kiwami Konami one-piece suit today.  I think it'll cut the mustard for IMLP.  It's a one piece, but I really liked NOT having an elastic waistband.  A bit less pad than most tri shorts I've used in the past, but I've been moving towards thinner pads anyway.  It was fine for the ride today.  I've ridden longer on even less pad.  If your saddle is adjusted right, then you don't really need a ton of pad anyway.  And I think with the Cobb V-Flow Plus I'm riding this year, it's definitely the right saddle and in the right place for me.  So much more comfortable in the saddle this year, which makes staying in aero a lot easier ( and ultimately makes for faster bike splits! )

Things are coming together very nicely for LP.  Fitness is finally rearing it's head on the swim and the bike, and my running is in a good place, with my knee not being an issue.  Just gotta keep healthy for the next 2 weeks!  :D

Crystal Lake OWS

They got the course right this time. The inner turn buoy was right in by shore.

A bit choppy today.

Warm water ( well over 70 ). Felt warmer even than the lap pool, which I think it too warm sometimes! :) So no wetsuit for me. I might have contemplated a sleeveless, but I don't have one. Hmm, something else to add to the arsenal.

Got pummeled at the start, WTF?! Pretty violent, worse than even many tri starts. Between that and the chop, I slugged down a bunch of lake water, which wasn't good. Felt like crud the first loop. Finally got a good groove the second loop though. On the final 1/2 mile I really opened it up, and dragged back 5-6 more people who were in front of me. All had on wetsuits.

Kicked it up a bit more the last 2 buoys and pulled in the last 2 who I could catch. Was side by side with one for a while, then finally was able to surge ahead and got out of the water a couple steps ahead. Afterwards he commented on my speed even with lack of wetsuit. So there!

KTPitbull, Schmize, and Daviddclough all came out of the water in a bunch, a few minutes ahead.

Of course, they all had on wetsuits. Otherwise, we all know how it would have turned out. ;)

Ended up 4th in AG (30-34), so just off a podium spot. A wetsuit probably would have given me enough more to get on the podium. Ah well, this was just practice/training for Lake Placid.

Didn't feel so great during this, but looking back on it, I did pretty solidly.

Hmm, just like the bike on Thursday. I need to get out of my way, and just trust my fitness. :)