Malibu Triathlon Training: Days 13-15

July 13, 15, 19

My next three rides were identical in distance and nearly identical in total time/pace. I devised a new route to keep pace with my training plan, which called for a week of 7.5-mile rides. Despite the fact that the actual triathlon I'll be riding in is an "out-and-back" route, I'm not a huge fan of those types of loops. I don't know why. I'm just not. Whether that will come back to bite me in the ass or not is unknown, but so far I've managed to keep things interesting by keeping my routes "up-and-around" (as opposed to "out-and-back," for those who like the obvious pointed out to them).

One look at the map tells you why I call this particular loop the Crazy 8's (I know the apostrophe doesn't belong there, it just looks better ... OK?!). This one takes me up and around the two major streets I frequent on two wheels, but instead of turning off of McBean Parkway, I take it all the way to where it ends (I think I would fall off the face of the Earth if I kept going, but I'm not gonna find out) and then take a left onto Copper Hill Drive (AKA Holy Crap Hill).

Following Copper Hill on a slight incline, I loop back down to Decoro, which starts as a nice, long downhill boost and then quickly becomes Hell Hill. All told, the route is anywhere from 7.6 to 8.2 miles, depending on how many side-street "pit stops" (actually, they're not really stops, just flat terrain that allows me to douse some water on the flames in my lungs) I make along the way.

For reference purposes, here are the vitals from July 13 and July 15:

July 13

Distance: 7.60 miles

Time: 37:27

Avg. Pace: 4:56

Avg. Speed: 12.18 mph

July 15

Distance: 7.98 miles

Time: 39:18

Avg. Pace: 4:55

Avg. Speed: 12.18 mph

Look at what a consistent motherfucker I am! Two difference distances, but average pace is nearly identical and speed is identical. I don't know if there's a market for incredibly consistent bike riding skills, but I'm the Tiger Woods of that shit.

Anyway, something happened on July 19. I don't know why, I don't know how. I just know that I went farther and faster than I ever had up to this point: 8.22 miles in 39 minutes. That worked out to a pace of 4:45, a 10-second improvement over my ride on July 15. It could have been due to having more energy that night, or a more consistent cadence in my pedaling, or maybe it was just being more familiar with the route and knowing when to conserve my energy. Either way, it was another big step for me on the way to 18 miles!