Tuscon Heat Fest-Day 4

Today was a step in the right direction as I was able to get back in the pool! That was very exciting for me as it has now been a good two weeks since I last swam. I only did 2K but to be honest I didn't notice much difference from where I left off. The shoulder does hurt a bit now but seems manageable. The cortisone shot arrived so I think I will give it until the end of the week before we use it.

Our ride today was pretty good. It was by far the hottest day for us and felt like it was well into the 90's at certain points. I still can't get over the dryness factor and have had a huge headache for the last two days. I know it is just dehydration but I can't seem to get back on the plus side with the water. It's not really effecting my ride except for the fact that it feels like a hammer hitting me all day LOL...

We got on the bikes after the swim. The guys from Wheels on Wheels had transported them all for us to the pool. The service they provide is EXCELLENT and my bike has never been this cleaned and tuned for this many consecutive days. I got a nice demo on how to quickly clean a bike thoroughly from one of the guys. I think I might get some OCD on bike cleaning when I get to Boulder.

I rolled out with the A group and Matty got on the front pretty early on and had the pace rollin a bit. I was second in line and when I pulled through we split up a bit. Jonas and I took off but honestly I wasn't trying to drop them. I think I just took advantage of a larger gear I have on the slight down hill. We didn't know where we were going so we eventually had to stop and group back up. Plus it was so damn hot and dry that we figured we could grab a swig of coke from JD who was in a SAG van crewing.

Once we regrouped we did a bit of pace lining which is always fun to do at a camp. I was a bit concerned of our choice of road that we decided to do it on so I decided to lay back for a while. Somehow I got back on the front and Jonas, Jeff from North Carolina and myself took off again. We broke away (unintentionally) and finsihed the ride together. I think Gordo and Matt doubled back to check on the group as it was so hot that a double back was probably needed today.

The climb was unusually easy for me today. We did have a slight tail up it but I can tell that my legs and "pep" are bouncing back. I think that I haven't felt fresh because I have taken a bit longer to adjust to the new time zone from NZ. Even though I was in Canada for a week prior I wasn't able to make the time change happen. I wasn't able to get up before 12 noon to train. I'm cursed with extreme sensitivity to things LOL! At least I know it.

Sitting here now I can finally feel a break from my headache. I think I will take some clothes up to the house and do a small run when it cools a bit or maybe even after dinner. The feet feel good and I just read an interesting chapter in a book about shoes that I will write about later. Plantar Fasciitis seems to be the most chronic of injuries in the running/tri world and the more I get the feet under control the more I feel I have to offer about how to deal with the injury when it first comes on.

Anyway, time for some of Brook and Russell's AMAZING cooking. Brook is coming over to my place when we get back to Boulder for some crock pot cooking lessons!!