It looked hopeless. There are only so many minutes of daylight in the after school hours in southern Indiana this time of year, and the SIEC meeting scheduled for after school ate into that precious commodity. In a perfect world I would have rushed home after school, jumped on the bike and ridden south to Mitchell. That would have left me plenty of time to get back for the run, and maybe even enough to add a couple of miles of running.
If that wasn't bad enough, the skies had turned slate-grey, and frankly the prospect of being outside was completely unappetizing in spite of the warm temperature. The already dim afternoon light was made all the dimmer, and for the solar-powered athlete, it was depressing. My head knew it had to go out if at all possible, but the rest of me was looking for the out.
So it was with some surprise I rushed home after the meeting, and in the short trip forced my mind to shift over to ride mode. I'd already settled on the idea of lifting, running, then spinning later; I'm not the kind of athlete that can instantly shift my plans and keep the enthusiasm going, so changing was not easy. One thought carried me through - if I could get the ride done first, the biggest hurdle of the day would be crossed. The run would have company, and the lift could be done in the shortest time and in the dark. It made sense, and for once I let my head rule the situation.
I almost headed to Mitchell in spite of everything. The thing that probably stopped that was my computer shut down within the first mile. Getting it restarted took time I didn't have, and there was no reliable way to be sure I'd make it back in time for the run if I left town. By staying in town I could get 15-18 miles, run, and maybe do a short spin later. It was a compromise, but I could stomach it.
The course was the Jimmy Industrial workout with a twist; once on Hillcrest I would do 3 hard laps. This gave me two intervals per circuit, one on the hill, one on the circle. It also moved the ride along and kept the pace up, and as luck would have it enabled me to get the whole 20 miles in.The best part was I didn't hate the whole thing. It's a workout I could do again in a pinch.
The timing was nearly perfect. I was able to get to the run in plenty of time, though my Garmin 305 took its sweet time finding satellite reception. Once done, we were off. Five of us did the run - John T., Rand, Roy, Bartlett, and myself. Scott had son duties, Jimmy a bad knee, and Miller still recovers from his race I suspect.
The run complete, all that was left was the lift. I ate supper with the family, did the dishes, and off to the gym. It was a little crowded by this time, but I was able to adjust my workout so it wasn't interrupted much, and it soon enough was complete. All told I had a bit over 2 hours activity today, right on target.
Tomorrow I hope to follow a similar total, though it might be arranged differently. If I could get that done, my week would be largely made. Good thing too; the back half of the week looks colder AND busier.
If that wasn't bad enough, the skies had turned slate-grey, and frankly the prospect of being outside was completely unappetizing in spite of the warm temperature. The already dim afternoon light was made all the dimmer, and for the solar-powered athlete, it was depressing. My head knew it had to go out if at all possible, but the rest of me was looking for the out.
So it was with some surprise I rushed home after the meeting, and in the short trip forced my mind to shift over to ride mode. I'd already settled on the idea of lifting, running, then spinning later; I'm not the kind of athlete that can instantly shift my plans and keep the enthusiasm going, so changing was not easy. One thought carried me through - if I could get the ride done first, the biggest hurdle of the day would be crossed. The run would have company, and the lift could be done in the shortest time and in the dark. It made sense, and for once I let my head rule the situation.
I almost headed to Mitchell in spite of everything. The thing that probably stopped that was my computer shut down within the first mile. Getting it restarted took time I didn't have, and there was no reliable way to be sure I'd make it back in time for the run if I left town. By staying in town I could get 15-18 miles, run, and maybe do a short spin later. It was a compromise, but I could stomach it.
The course was the Jimmy Industrial workout with a twist; once on Hillcrest I would do 3 hard laps. This gave me two intervals per circuit, one on the hill, one on the circle. It also moved the ride along and kept the pace up, and as luck would have it enabled me to get the whole 20 miles in.The best part was I didn't hate the whole thing. It's a workout I could do again in a pinch.
The timing was nearly perfect. I was able to get to the run in plenty of time, though my Garmin 305 took its sweet time finding satellite reception. Once done, we were off. Five of us did the run - John T., Rand, Roy, Bartlett, and myself. Scott had son duties, Jimmy a bad knee, and Miller still recovers from his race I suspect.
The run complete, all that was left was the lift. I ate supper with the family, did the dishes, and off to the gym. It was a little crowded by this time, but I was able to adjust my workout so it wasn't interrupted much, and it soon enough was complete. All told I had a bit over 2 hours activity today, right on target.
Tomorrow I hope to follow a similar total, though it might be arranged differently. If I could get that done, my week would be largely made. Good thing too; the back half of the week looks colder AND busier.
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