August Recap and First 100!!

Another month down!! Crazy! August flew by even faster than July did and I'm left wondering how I got to this point of the race only being 2 months away. Finished up August with some good numbers though and I'm happy with my progress.

August Totals:

swim - 38,750 yds

bike - 500 mi

run - 122.8 mi

After my post the other day about being in a funk, I put on my big girl pants and told myself to snap out of it. I had a 96 mile ride on my plan for Saturday and I wanted (i.e. needed) this to go well. I headed to the bike path for a 6:30am start and told myself this had nothing to do with time or pace and everything to do with staying focused, steady and getting it done. I broke it down into 4 out and backs and looped back to my car after the first 2 loops. The first half of the ride went by so quickly and when I stopped at mile 48 to refill my bottles and grab some food, I could really feel the heat. I caught a glimpse of myself and after seeing how red I was in the face, I decided I would slow things down and take the last half of the ride easy.

The third loop wasn't the most fun. I felt really uncomfortable on the bike and was starting to worry about how much further I still had to go.  It was hot, I was so thirsty and the hooha was talking to me. I decided to make one more pit stop at my car after this loop for some more water and chamois cream. When I set out for the fourth and final loop, I was so ready to get this done! The last loop went well, although I would be lying if I said I wasn't ready to get off the bike. My lower back was getting tired, my neck was tired and my legs were definitely ready for a break. I ride a flat path to practice being in aero the whole time so there's really no coasting or rest time for the legs. Anyway, when I got back to the lot where my car was parked, I was at a little over 97 miles. I thought about stopping since I was already over the distance I was suppose to go, but being that close to 100...I just couldn't!! I passed the lot and added on the final 2ish miles.

I finished with 100.37 miles in 5:42 (average 17.5mph) and felt really good! My legs were tired but not shot or shakey by any means. I just felt overall a little worn down, which I would think is expected after 100 miles. My back was really hurting me when I got home but only when I bent over. It didn't bother me when I was walking around so I'm not too concerned about it being an issue on the run. And while it was a little sore the following morning when I woke up, it wasn't an issue on my long run. Which by the way, went really well. I was expecting it to be a sufferfest after riding 100 miles the day before, but it wasn't at all. In fact, my body felt pretty good and what bothered me the most was the damn humidity.

Post long run on Sunday, I felt great. In fact, it's probably the best I've felt all summer after a weekend of crazy long workouts. It amazes me how your body can adapt to this and how it becomes almost second nature.

So, overall, a great August and an even better start to September!! Next big thing is my second brick this upcoming weekend; 80 mile ride and 15 mile run. Can't believe I'm not anxious or nervous about this...in fact, I'm almost excited for it. Bring it on!

Less than 2 months to go...