Another Wet Weekend

This weekend was a big training weekend for me. I really needed to have some good training days because my training during the week last week was less than stellar.

The best part of my training weekend was I was able to get out of bed this morning - ON MY OWN. I heard Izzy whining around 6 am, I got out of bed and was halfway down the stairs before I realized I wasn't in pain and was able to walk! And who says Monday mornings can't be good. That was until Izzy pooped on the floor - right after I had just let her out to go to the bathroom. A short lived good Monday morning but I will take it.

Quick recap of my weekend:
Saturday morning I met my friend Michele at the 7 am and we ran 2 hours. I wasn't sure how I would feel because I have been biking so much lately I haven't put in a long run for a few weeks. The first hour and a half was great. The last 30 minutes not so much. But I did it and still felt like swimming for an hour in the afternoon. The weather was great on Saturday and I just assumed Sunday would be the same. When will I learn?

Michele was at my house at 6:30 am on Sunday so we could drive to the eastern shore of Maryland to ride in the Wildgoose Chase. This was a supported group ride with 4 different distances to choose from (10, 25, 40 and 62 miles). The ride raised money for the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Of course we chose the 62 mile bike ride because we are gluttons for punishment. We arrived in Cambridge and the weather was much colder than at my house and it looked like it was going to rain. Michele and I sat in my car for at least 30 minutes with the heat on trying to figure out what to wear. We were 100% sure the weather was going to change and become sunny so we didn't want to dress too warm. Again, when will we learn? We decided on our attire and hit the road around 9:15 am. Once we started biking it wasn't bad at all. We were holding a good pace and were enjoying the scenery. About 2 hours into the ride it started raining and the wind started blowing. My legs were already getting tired and the wind did not help. Plus, it seemed the wind blew even harder when the road was uneven and bumpy. I was not in a good place and couldn't believe that in 4 years of biking and never riding in the rain I had now managed to ride in the rain for two consecutive weekends. This by far was the worst bike ride I have ever had. We finished 60 miles in about 4 hours.

While yesterday wasn't a great ride for me I feel good about it today. I plan to do another 4 hour ride on Friday (yes, I am taking the day off of work) and then I am doing the Frederick Half Marathon on Sunday.