It's taper time. If I get anything from this race, one of the things I hope I learn is confidence. If someone would have told me that I could run 46 km and then cycle 192 km a couple days later, I would have likely laughed even a month ago. I've done a few 4 km plus swims. There's nothing like a good friend to get you do something crazy outside your comfort zone.
Now the big stuff is done until the big day. I hope I can do this taper right.
My last big bike ride was halted with a bang! It was to be a 4.5 hr ride, but sometimes workouts just don't turn out the way you expect. I knew I couldn't do the ride in one stint like I usually would because I had to take my son to his first day of physio midday. I got in a little over an hour with my friend in the early morning while it was still cool.
Last Thursday was a hot one! As I set into my ride to finish the 3.5 hours left, I was taking it easy. It's not suppose to be an all out effort. Long rides are aerobic, a nice continuous pace that is comfortable to sustain. Other than the top of my head feeling like it was roasting in my black helmet, I was enjoying myself.
A little over an hour in, just when I was thinking that I was getting a good ways from home and should turn around, my tire made a little popping sound and then my ride got rough. Sure enough, I had a flat. Undeterred, I pulled out my spare tube and got to fixing my tire. Just when I was feeling proud of myself for my self sufficient bike repair, my other tire blew up. With the sound, birds in the fallow field beside me took to flight. I pretty nearly jumped out of my skin too. It was as loud as a shot gun blast. Just being on the side of the road in the sun was enough to take out my other tire. The second blowout deflated my chances at getting home under my own power. I had only brought one tube. One hour away from home by bicycle would be a long, long walk, much too long in cycling shoes.
Thankfully, I had my cell phone and could call for a rescue ride from a friend. As I walked my bike towards the nearest tree in sight to sit and wait in some shade, a long stream of beach traffic passed by along the road. A few drivers, noticing my flat tire, even stopped and offered me a ride which I politely declined. I got home in one piece. So ended my very, very warm last long ride before the race.
Sometimes, you just have to know when to let things go. I guess it's only going to be two bike rides over 90 km before my Ironman race. What will be, will be. My goal is to finish the race.
