Soaring with the Eagles.

Another crazy week gone by in a flash. The weather has been trying to play havoc with our work and training over the last few days. It has been a mix of sunshine, heavy storms and humidity. I have been drenched more times than I can remember this week either by the rain or by sweat!

As we approach our race in August we are now in race prep phase so a bit more speed in the sessions. I have never really looked forward to long bike rides so today we mixed it up a bit. We left the house at 7.00am and rode for 2 hours before meeting with the Newmarket Eagles (with whom I have been a member since April and not yet ridden with!). The Eagles hold regular Time Trials over various distances and today was a 40km 2 up Time Trial. For whatever reason we were given starting position 19 out of 22 so as well as a long wait to get going we only had quadtastic fast guys and national champions starting behind us.
We had ridden the course in advance and worked out who was taking the lead in the key sections. Basically I sit on the front on the fast flat sections and into the wind and I then hang on for dear life as Genevieve springs up the climbs like a gazelle. I am Ritchie Porte, she is the Froome Dawg.
After a heavy training week and a 2 hour warm up we rode as hard as we could and apart from arguing in the first 15 secs (she was riding next to me shouting Go Faster!! and i was shouting I've only just started!!) and crossing the finish line much sooner than we thought (despite riding the course!) we had a great ride. 1hr 03 mins for 40km averaging 36.6kph. First mixed team and we think about 6 or 7th overall. 
After the race we rode for another 75 mins then went for the hottest hours run I think I have ever done - like running whilst breathing in the air from a hot oven! Did not see any other runners out there maybe for a reason.
Straight into an ice cold bath and think about another swim, bike, run day tomorrow. This finishes off our heaviest training week yet with only 3 more big weeks to go before the race. 

Hanging in there!!

Tomorrow (Sunday) we have some more nerve racking online tracking as more Club members and friends in the Uk take on the Outlaw - an Ironman distance race in Nottingham. Looks like it could be a hot one by Uk standards.Good luck Mr President Mark, John, Brian and Scott.

Last week I mentioned about Gavin and Lorna completing IM Austria.

Gavin's race report is here - a catalogue of potential race wrecking disasters that they managed to come through and finish in style!! http://drgironman.blogspot.ca/2013/07/mission-accomplished.html


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