Sunday, June 12, 2011

Epic Saturdays - The Brick

Craig & I
I knew I was going to be out late last night, so when I called Craig yesterday and asked him if we could head out this morning at 8:30 instead of 7:00 (and he agreed), I felt a new sort of gratitude that will henceforth be reserved only for the best of training partners.  Due to work commitments last night, I got home at 1:55 AM this morning. The alarm was set for 7:30.  Normally on Saturday it's set for 6:00.  Obviously, eight hours of sleep is ideal.  But the difference between four and five and a half hours is huge for me.

Today's training schedule called for a brick session: a two and a half hour Z2 ride and a 30 minute run.  Craig is racing tomorrow at the Bailey Bikes Criterium, so he was looking for more or less the same, sans the run.  So off we went, right on time.

When we hit Pacific Coast Highway a pretty large group passing perpendicular to us through the intersection.  So when we got a green light, we chased on to the back.  But after all that it ended up that they where not moving very fast, so we passed through and carried on.

A few miles later we got caught by a group from Adobo Velo while we were waiting at a traffic light.  These guys where looking strong and organized, so when the light changed we latched on to the end of their train to feel out if it was cool to join them.  No one seemed to mind, so we enjoyed a brisk 7 or 8 miles before it was time for us to get off PCH and head into Newport & Irvine.

False flat through Turtle Rock
Craig and I had decided to ride OC Velo's Sunday recovery ride route.  It's the perfect length for what we both wanted to put on the books today, and though not a particularly challenging ride, there are enough bumps in the road to keep things interesting.  For the next 20 miles we rode through Newport Heights, The UCI campus, Turtle Rock and Bonner Canyon before making our way back to PCH for the run in back to Huntington Beach.

When we got back to Pacific Coast Highway things got interesting.  Timing is everything and as we where taking a left onto PCH from MacArthur, we joined up with a couple of other guys and started riding together.  The pace was fast/comfortable and we kept getting lucky with the lights.  Being somewhat committed to keeping the integrity of my Z2 workout intact (read: acting like like a precious baby), I stuck on the back and let everyone else do the work.  But after awhile I started feeling guilty and worked my way to the front, just to be stopped by one of the few red lights we did hit.

When we started up again, I was the victim of something I do all the time which is forgetting to shift into a lower gear while rolling to a stop.  So stuck in a 50/13 (or so) gear, it took me forever to get going again.  And by the time I did, I had to hit it pretty hard just to catch on to the back again.

Bolsa Chica Flats
I got another chance on the Bolsa Chica flats with about a mile before Craig and I would be turning onto Warner Ave.  Once on front, I gave it everything I had.  And today I ended up having a lot - I pulled the last mile at about 28.5 MPH.  This effort garnered me quite a hefty compliment that I didn't deserve from a rider who must have just joined on with us - As he was laying on the praise it occurred to me that clearly he had missed my previous 10 miles of wheel sucking.  As I write this, I am still struggling with the moral dilemma that this compliment has created - if he only knew.

When I got home, I quickly changed into running gear and was out the door for the run.  The run felt good and was otherwise uneventful.  I ran out of my tract, through Huntington Central Park, down some side streets, along the perimeter of the wetlands and then home.  I listened to a band called Cave In on the iPod.  That's about it.

This was my 3rd time out in the Zoot Energy 3.0 shoes.  I've got 20 miles on them now, and I'm still not sure about them.  We shall see.... 

The Bike:  48.17 Miles/2:31/19.1 avg. speed
The Run:  5.01 Miles/40:21/8:03 avg. pace

15 comments:

Petraruns said...

Are the zoot shoes minimalist shoes? have you got any pain with them?

i am quite daunted by these big cycling groups - impressive pace on your part and take the compliments where you find them - it IS fast!

Unknown said...

Great job with the brick workout!! :)

The Green Girl said...

Sounds like you got in an awesome workout yesterday. So glad you got to sneak in some extra z's!

financecupcake said...

Wow, that bike ride sounds like quite the adventure!

KovasP said...

A fast mile at the end is a fast mile, regardless of what you may have done previously - nice pull! Is the music a regular thing on the run or random?

Jason said...

What made you choose those Zoot's? I am getting to the point of having to get some new shoes and I love the Brooks T6 racers that I will buy them again, but wanted to know why you went with the Zoot's?

Tri4Success said...

Sounds like a good workout and nice pull at the end on the bike! I had brick intervals this morning but they didn't go as well due to a nutrition failure - very strange for me. I literally forgot to drink or eat anything on the bike. Apparently I needed an extra hour of sleep too.

XLMIC said...

Don't be such a woman! When someone gives you a compliment, simply thank them and accept it. And then move on.

Training partners who are willing to be flexible and then show up and really do the workout are few and far between…you are so fortunate to have Craig. Sounds like you guys had a great ride!

And the shoes…given that you can return them, if you aren't convinced after this coming week…take 'em back. That's my advice. I am working w/ a pair about which I feel similarly…but I don't have that return option :(

Anonymous said...

Go, Patrick, Go! Let us know how the Zoot shoes work out for you after some more time in them. I'm curious.

ajh said...

That's quite a brick. Good job. I had a great time at my duathlon.

Aimee said...

That just sounds like an awesome brick! It must be fun to just join groups of riders all of the time! Nice job with your times...they are awesome!

Chris K said...

Biking does sound fun at times. There's just more "things" you can do with it. I run up and down the coast by myself Saturday after Saturday. It's good, but I did find it interesting you can just join in another group.

Seriously, Newtons.

valen said...

gotta love those summer rides!

TRI714 said...

Great job on the brick. That ride ended up with a bit more effort towards the end than either of us probably needed, considering the HR zone you need to stay in and the fact that I had two races the next morning. But I have a serious issue with holding back when my engine is being tested and challenged by others. Good times. Great job sliding up there for a bit. You know I'm fine with you sitting in. I know what you are training for and you know I like to get up there and work to see people get on the rivet.

Emz said...

I like the words.

Bolsa Chica.

I wanna go there.

Can my new name be Bolsa Chica? I think I'd like to be called that.
Does it mean "purse girl" en espanol?

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