What - A - Weekend

Spring has definitely sprung here in northern Ohio. Temps were in the 80's all weekend and that meant for some prime training. Four weeks out from Triple T and the next three weeks of training will be very important. Unfortunately work is going to make it tough to schedule quality sessions.

But this weekend worked out perfectly. One customer pushed off his weekend work so I had all weekend to play.

Thursday was a forced rest day so I decided to do a long run on Friday (normal rest day) in prep for the weekend. I put in 13.5 miles before 9AM that morning. I held a 8:13 average pace and it felt great.

Saturday would afford a great opportunity to ride the hills in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Some of you will remember the 14 Hills Ride (aka Death Ride) as I prepared for both Ironmans. Well I need the hills for Triple T as well. The best part was starting at 7:30AM with no extra clothes. The temp was around 60 degrees and would warm up quickly. It felt like it was the middle of summer.

All said and done I put in 68 miles, 3:45:00 and 9 hills. I also managed to take some pics from the ride.

Stream along Boston Mills Road. I'm sure not too many people get to see this because the road isn't used that often by cyclists due to the incline and motorists are not looking for it.

Oak Hill Road. This is the steepest of the Death Ride hills. I skipped it this time. I'm looking straight across at the base. I'm not looking up at all. Yeah it's that steep.

Hale Farm and Village


Heron nests on Bath Road.


Obligatory shadow picture.

I found this guy trying to cross the road. I snapped a picture first then carried him across the road. "Like a Frightened Turtle"

Sunday's finale was the NCN Racing Buzzard Duathlon. This race has been the season starter for this area for 9 years. The 3 mile run, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run is on the rolling streets around the Cleveland Metropark's Hinckley Reservation. Each lap starts by going uphill.

The goal for this race was to finish well. With two big days of training under my belt I wanted to push the envelope and complete the weekend on a high note. I'll try to post a race report but I will say that it was a success. I felt good the entire race and finished 3rd in AG.

Later in the day Aimee and I visited the Witch Doctor; aka acupuncturist. We both had good sessions which help recharge the legs with good energy while releasing the toxins and stress of training.

Of course we also had to treat ourselves to some Dairy Queen after dinner. A small reward for our hard work this weekend.

Three more weeks of training before I taper for Triple T.

Game is On track. I hope it stays that way.