Race Course Blues

This past Friday was my birthday... Sigh. Another year older... so glad I am still in my 20's... Ha Ha Ha
A couple of our good friends from back home made the trek up to Marietta and we all piled in our truck and had a nice night in Atlanta- supper at The Vortex in Little 5 Points and then on to the Blue October concert... Of course, the venue was hot and full of sweaty people but the band rocked! We were pretty much deaf by the time we left and it was pouring rain on top of that. But, we still had fun none the less...
After our guests left the next morning, Hubby and I ventured up north of Atlanta to Gainesville to check out the race course where my upcoming triathlon will be taking place. I really needed to gage just how "ready" I am for the big day. And oh how surprised was I to found out that almost the entire first half of the 13-mile bike ride is pretty much ALL uphill!!!????? I had an awful feeling in my stomach just riding it in the truck! Hubby kept mumbling how sorry he was for me... and I just kept taking in the long uphill grade passing by us as we rode the 13-miles of highway. Needless to say, I was very bummed about it for the rest of the day. It kinda of ruined the whole fun birthday part of the day for me.
I had pretty much decided by the time we got back on the interstate headed southward that I was going to have to nix the clip in pedals and go back to the basics... and just wear my running shoes on the bike because if I couldn't pedal up those 6 or so miles... then by golly, I will PUSH that bike up those hills! No where did I read in the race rules that you HAD to actually RIDE the bike 13-miles... am I right??!
And of course, Hubby has agreed for me to go ahead and buy a road bike for the race for my birthday... looks like I am now road-bike shopping this week... I just hope it helps me on race day...

Happy Trails

In my ongoing preparation for the upcoming triathlon next month (less than 5 weeks away now mind you!) I decided to do a long bike ride at the vacation resort back home while we were down there this weekend. Callaway Gardens (CG) boasts of miles and miles of bike trails and it has been YEARS since I have set foot (or tire) on them. After visiting their website last week I discovered that the daily rate to just enter CG is $15 per person... and well, that is not going to work out for our budget since it would be $30 for both of us every time we want to ride the trails. So I researched further and found that a Local Family Pass is only $88 for one year and that will get us plus four other people riding with us into the gate- Score! So yesterday morning we head to the resort and get routed to the annual pass counter just a couple of miles in past the gates. Well, it was all well and good until the employee helping us saw our non-local mailing address... needless to say, I spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince this lady that I am not only from there but we pay two different sets of land taxes in that county. She needed proof of a local address... we have land with no address since there is nothing built on it and a newly-inherited house that I just changed the utility bills on... The worse part of this whole scenario is that I have a really hard time even having to BUY a pass to CG since I have NEVER had to in my entire life. I am a Retired Employee's child! Paying that $88 hurts... and then having to recreate my lifetime to some stranger makes it worse. It is like I am proving who I am and how I really am a "local"... I gave her the address to the house and of course it pops up my Grandmother's name... I tell her that she is my Grandmother who just passed away and she was a Retiree Spouse in the original Pioneer Club at CG since my Grandfather retired from there in 1991. Finally, she gave in... halleluyah. So then we head to the trails...
I gotta tell you- the outer loop of the main CG is about 6.7 miles and all I remember about it from the last time I biked it (in my highschool years) was really struggling on it. Well, I biked it twice yesterday and I rocked it! What a great feeling! I did the second loop by myself and never stopped- 6.7 miles in 26 minutes- and considering all the twists, turns, ups, downs and dodging other bikers, I feel better now about my level of ability. The race is 15 miles and surely it will be much straighter and such. Hubby and I are actually gonna make the trek up to the park where the race will be held and try to see how hilly the course is- hopefully this weekend. Once I know the course, it will tell me just how much more training I need to do in the next 32 days. My biggest worry right now is how light-headed and sluggish I felt after hopping off the bike when I finished... I felt like crap and I am not sure if I am yet capable of exerting myself like that and then move right into a 3.2 mile run... Of course, this was in the mid-day heat and the race is early in the morning. But like I said... just things to think about in the next 4+ weeks...
Not sure if today's weather will permit a bike ride after work today or not but, I did bring my bike and clothes to ride. I led the boot camp workout this morning so I did not get to exercise other than running all over the place. So a bike ride this evening will be good for me for this day of tri-training. And tomorrow evening a nice 800M-1000M swim is on the agenda... gotta love it.