Tons o' Biking Part 4

I'm holding a Cheaterade bottle and Outside Fish is Amazed

Today is the 4th ride of the 8-day biking binge, where the only non-biking day was yesterday.  Yesterday I took my car to a different mechanic (recommended by Maz) to have them try and diagnose and fix an intermittent (but reproducible once I started tracking when it would start properly vs. not) starting problem.  My usual mechanic had the car for SIX DAYS (3 different 2-day visits) and couldn't figure it out.  The shop is in Bristol, IL, about a 30-mile drive, but easy on the highways.  When I got near, I recognized a lot of the roads as ones I have ridden bikes on in the past.  It's a real pretty area.  Found the shop, talked to Stan and gave him my symptoms, he asked me a few questions, then I went off to run.  Bristol is really tiny (population: 856 probably plus or minus a few dogs and cats), and the roads are lightly traveled, and it was a gorgeous, cool morning, so off I went.  Well let's say my brain went--my legs were none too happy to be running, but I managed about 5.2 miles, enjoying the quiet and views the entire way.

When I got back to the shop, they were working on my car, and I went out back to call my insurance agent about a fuck up that they were supposed to call me back on the day before but never did.  The main customer service didn't have a clue, and I was frustrated, but put that on hold.  I did some gazing at my training plan and chilled (and kept taking in calories since I am like a hummingbird now), talked with Maz, then saw Stan drive my car outside meaning they were probably done with it.  They fixed it!  It was the thermostat--such a simple thing, but I guess not many people know what its impact is on the car in the big scheme of things.  I drove home, then got my insurance crap straightened out, and took a nap and then resumed eating, because even though yesterday was a light day, my metabolism is still revving and more hard training on the way!

This morning I had a 3100 yard swim planned, and it went extremely well.  I drank Infinit during it since I'd been awake since about 2AM (don't ask) and was needing more calories, then when I got home I had a banana and a sandwich.  Right before I left riding, I slammed a Starbucks Double Shot Light, and got rolling around 12:45PM.  It has been an absolutely gorgeous day here--I turned off the A/C and opened a few windows to let some fresh air into the house.  Today's (and tomorrow's) bike workout was:

WU: 15' wup, 3' spinups
MS: 3 x 2' (1') @ 105%, 2' Easy,
3 x (8' @ FT then 2' @ 105-110%, 3' Easy),
8 x 30/30'
CD: 5' Easy

I've been doing a variant on this for many weeks now.  It's a great workout to nail, but I was uncertain how I'd feel today.  The warmup went fine, but when I did the first FT interval I felt a bit sluggish, but soon picked it up and I really nailed the rest of the workout.  It was good riding in that school is back in session, so my interval loop was mostly devoid of traffic.  When I got home I slammed Endurox R4 and ate a Lean Cuisine and felt fixed up.

Stan the mechanic called to see how my car was running, wasn't that nice?  I told him all good, I am even ready to clean and detail the interior!  I've been waiting to do that for weeks now, since I didn't want to do it until I knew I wasn't going to be at a mechanic for awhile.

Tomorrow I get to do that same bike workout and then run :20 off the bike.  That should be fun!  If I can hit the wattage targets again, I will be a happy camper!

I should probably explain what the hell is Outside Fish.  Well, up until 5 years ago, the decor in my living room featured cream, pink and green, and Outside Fish was Inside Fish being all decorative.  When I did my first round of remodeling and painting in 2008 and converted my living room to black/white zebra, Inside Fish no longer went with it.  So I put him outside and he became Outside Fish.  He lives on that ledge that is more or less covered, and he's been there 5 years already and he patiently sits there looking all colorful!  Sometimes I talk to him or just call his name.  Makes me laugh every time!

So so far, I am doing well on the binge biking plan and we'll see how it goes tomorrow!