The Aftermath

8 O'Clock!  AM.  That's when I woke up today.  As my wife pointed out it was easily the latest I've slept in months and I have no doubt it was directly related to the 88 miles that I rode yesterday.  I'm jealous that I couldn't be in Sebring, FL with the Tri Locos who were doing a supported Century ride, but it was up to me make the most of my Sunday long ride.  With company for the first 1.25 hours and then solo the rest of the way I made my way from my apartment all the way across to the eastern end of Long Island.  My parents were heading to my cousin's in Riverhead and it was the perfect opportunity to make a one-way destination ride rather than the usual out and back. 

I reviewed the map and planned my route when I realized that my cousins were only 50 miles away.  My path would take me well past their house and then I'd have to loop back around for a total of about 80 miles. I made one or two wrong turns and missed my turnaround but otherwise it was mostly smooth sailing.  The minor detours along the way took the ride up from the planned 80 miles to just short of 88 miles.  I deliberately started the ride late so that I would be out during the warmer part of the day (I'm running out of time to train in the heat) but it ended up being a pretty cool ride.  Aside from some mild saddle soreness I felt great both during and after my ride.  My legs felt strong throughout and I certainly could have gone 24 more miles.  I guess all the brick work is paying off because in a weird way I was actually disappointed not to have a run. 

Once I made it to my cousin's house I had a relaxing do-nothing afternoon - a rarity for me.  It's not often that I just lounge around but after the long ride it was nice to hang out and chill.  A trip to a few farm stands for some fresh produce (plus some Long Island duck breast) and a superbly cooked dinner by our gracious hosts rounded out the day before we hit the road.  Driving home on the Long Island Expressway filled me with a huge sense of accomplishment as I thought about the fact that I made it all the way out there on my own pedal-power.

I was surprised to see another ride on today's schedule but the words "easy spin" made me feel better about hopping back on the bike.  My butt was definitely still sore from yesterday but after the first few minutes I forgot all about the discomfort.  I put in an easy 25 miles and then threw on my shoes for a 1-hr run.  Though my legs were feeling slightly tired and fatigued at first I felt better and better as the run progressed; I was able to finish strong with a good negative split and a pretty decent average pace.  Throughout the day I could feel my legs tightening up so I took it pretty easy and I tried to keep on stretching.  

Tomorrow the plan calls for a swim and an interval run of 10 1-minute VO2 max speed bursts.  I'm anxious to see what's left in my legs after the long weekend but I know I'll dig as deep as I can and make it a good workout.