I decided to try another “last” Brick workout yesterday. My race bike has been tuned up (still waiting on the stem riser to get it dialed in for fit, but I can ride it). My water bottle that sits between the aero bars was delivered. I figured it was a good chance to try another ride before the race. Also, it was fairly windy. I’d rather deal with ‘glitches’ while training than have training be flawless and then deal with problems while racing. So, off we went.

Scott’s Cycle did a great job. The new tires ride really nicely, and she shifts like a dream (I just need to remember up = bigger — I shifted in the wrong direction several times). There was a stout wind from the NNW – a direction I’m not accustomed to dealing with – and I had to ride through gravel a few times. I rode into a neighborhood with a lot of traffic circles to practice navigating those. (Race the River’s bike course has a lot of obstacles like traffic circles.)

The bike ride went well, but I will have to learn how to sit on the seat. I may need a new saddle. In some ways, the more-forward position is good, as it shifts some of the weight off the saddle. But I’m still putting far to much pressure on, well, an extremely delicate spot. Suffering through that for a sprint tri is one thing; doing it for Plutonium Man, or perhaps even a 70.3, would be unbearable.

I also need to work on learning how to ride out of the saddle on the TT bike. It’s the only way to prevent my feet from going numb. Maybe a different saddle will fix this; who knows? (The new saddle will  have to wait until next year. I’ve already spent a LOT on tri gear this summer.)

My transition was fairly quick, given that I had to put the bike in the garage. Because I felt a toenail snag on my shoe last time, I decided to run with socks during this workout. My first experience with foot condoms! 😉 Lesson learned: keep the heel exposed, so I can see which is the top of the sock.

The run went well. I ran for the first ten minutes, and then walked a few times. I neglected to put the foot pod on my racing shoes, so I don’t have any of that data. But I could certainly tell when my feet were slowing down. I was weary; I have some fear that I’m not well trained for the race next Sunday. But I’m still hopeful.

Tonight, I will go to the club and swim for forty-five minutes, non-stop. Last year, the swim took me 37 minutes. Tonight’s workout will convince me I’m ready. I also plan to swim in the river one night this week, and I’ll try for at least thirty minutes. I’m going to ride home tomorrow night, and I’ll have a few other workouts on the schedule.

There isn’t much I can do at this point except practice, eat well, and get as much sleep as possible.