Week 35 Lake Berryessa
June 5-11
Swim at least 8700 yards, Bike at least 130 miles, Run at least 27 miles
The Lake Berryessa week was one of the most tiring of the season because I was sick with a cold. Fortunately for most of the training season, I have managed to avoid being sick, but somehow I came down with an illness. I had to miss a swim and run that week trying to rest before Saturday because the coaches had planned for us to do a 2 mile swim followed by a 96 mile bike ride with over 10,000 feet of climbing. Our whole season, the Ironteam had been told that this was a milestone event, not to be missed, so regardless, cold or not, I knew I had to do it. Luckily, this cold did not last too long and I almost felt back to normal by the weekend.
David came with me to volunteer for the weekend as a kayaker for the swim, water stop guy, and also as a famous pancake maker : ) We stayed together in a cabin with Laura, her friend Rick (not pictured), and Ranger John, an Ironteammate from Riverside, CA, and Palmira. We slept in this loft where David is hanging out. These cute cabins had a small bathroom and kitchenette.
Despite feeling run down, I went through the motions on Saturday and actually had a nice swim. The water in Lake Berryessa felt comfortable and refreshing. This is a photo of where we jumped in to start the swim which was 2 loops of a big square that was slightly less than a mile.
After the swim, we prepped for the killer bike ride and then headed out.
Look at us all...we were a combined North and South Bay group.
Normally I ride with my training buddy MJ below who is my pace, but being under the weather, this was the last time I saw him that day.
I felt really slow. I took off on the bike and kept going and going and going...just trying to get through it. Or, at least that's what it felt like. Sometimes it seemed like I was in a fog or that time had stopped because my speedometer wasn't working so I never knew how fast I was going or what mile I was at on the route until reaching a water stop. Needless to say, it wasn't the best experience to ride that way. During the ride, my energy was low from the residual cold and therefore I think I ate too much trying to compensate for this lack of energy which didn't help either.
Luckily, everyone was so supportive at the waterstops and along the way that I finished the ride feeling content with the accomplishment and didn't worry too much about my pace. I also finally caught up with some others that rode at roughly my pace so I could finish the final 30 miles with that "group energy."
After the ride, Coach Wayne here gave us all a pep talk telling us not to worry about our pace and encouraged everyone in our performances and learning experiences which I needed to hear.
That evening while the Ironteamers couldn't move off the ground or their chairs, David entertained us and played by himself with his new ball. It was a gift he had received after the Alcatraz race from our friend Alexander. Having spent the day at a bike water stop, his legs were restless. He was doing pretty well until he kicked the ball into the water...must've been the beer. ; )
Our weekend ended with a 12 mile run which fortunately felt better to me than the previous day's bike. While we were running, a great group of volunteers, including David, cooked a brunch that we all enjoyed to finish out the weekend. It was an amazing experience and very well organized. Ironteam definitely has it together.
Swim at least 8700 yards, Bike at least 130 miles, Run at least 27 miles
The Lake Berryessa week was one of the most tiring of the season because I was sick with a cold. Fortunately for most of the training season, I have managed to avoid being sick, but somehow I came down with an illness. I had to miss a swim and run that week trying to rest before Saturday because the coaches had planned for us to do a 2 mile swim followed by a 96 mile bike ride with over 10,000 feet of climbing. Our whole season, the Ironteam had been told that this was a milestone event, not to be missed, so regardless, cold or not, I knew I had to do it. Luckily, this cold did not last too long and I almost felt back to normal by the weekend.
David came with me to volunteer for the weekend as a kayaker for the swim, water stop guy, and also as a famous pancake maker : ) We stayed together in a cabin with Laura, her friend Rick (not pictured), and Ranger John, an Ironteammate from Riverside, CA, and Palmira. We slept in this loft where David is hanging out. These cute cabins had a small bathroom and kitchenette.
Despite feeling run down, I went through the motions on Saturday and actually had a nice swim. The water in Lake Berryessa felt comfortable and refreshing. This is a photo of where we jumped in to start the swim which was 2 loops of a big square that was slightly less than a mile.
After the swim, we prepped for the killer bike ride and then headed out.
Look at us all...we were a combined North and South Bay group.
Normally I ride with my training buddy MJ below who is my pace, but being under the weather, this was the last time I saw him that day.
I felt really slow. I took off on the bike and kept going and going and going...just trying to get through it. Or, at least that's what it felt like. Sometimes it seemed like I was in a fog or that time had stopped because my speedometer wasn't working so I never knew how fast I was going or what mile I was at on the route until reaching a water stop. Needless to say, it wasn't the best experience to ride that way. During the ride, my energy was low from the residual cold and therefore I think I ate too much trying to compensate for this lack of energy which didn't help either.
Luckily, everyone was so supportive at the waterstops and along the way that I finished the ride feeling content with the accomplishment and didn't worry too much about my pace. I also finally caught up with some others that rode at roughly my pace so I could finish the final 30 miles with that "group energy."
After the ride, Coach Wayne here gave us all a pep talk telling us not to worry about our pace and encouraged everyone in our performances and learning experiences which I needed to hear.
That evening while the Ironteamers couldn't move off the ground or their chairs, David entertained us and played by himself with his new ball. It was a gift he had received after the Alcatraz race from our friend Alexander. Having spent the day at a bike water stop, his legs were restless. He was doing pretty well until he kicked the ball into the water...must've been the beer. ; )
Our weekend ended with a 12 mile run which fortunately felt better to me than the previous day's bike. While we were running, a great group of volunteers, including David, cooked a brunch that we all enjoyed to finish out the weekend. It was an amazing experience and very well organized. Ironteam definitely has it together.
posted by ferrousapien at 8:37 PM
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