Friday, January 28, 2011

Hot, steamy, sweaty.

No, this is not the beginning of some raunchy Mills & Boon Novel but rather the only words I could use to describe yesterdays bike ride and how hot it has been for the last 3 days or so. From the moment I step foot outside to get to the meeting point I could feel heat and moisture in the air - wish I had a humidity gadget to see just how thick the air was with moisture.

I drove to the usual meeting spot, only my 3 person ride turned out to be just me as one had slept in (everyone's allowed a sleep in) and the other had a mishap and thought their helmet was in the car and it turns out it wasn't - hate it when I forget stuff, she was quite upset by it as she was looking forward to a good ride and I was looking forward to a good chat on my recovery week Zone 2 ride. Nevermind, next time.

So as I set out on a cloudy but visibly humid morning it was instantly noticeable just how much moisture there was in the air. Within minutes I had a slight film of what could have been passed as sweat only was too early on in the piece to even be sweating. As the sky got lighter I could see in every direction a hazy mist - much like stepping into a greenhouse I would think.

I was lucky in that I didn't have to do intervals as even cycling at a nice slow pace made me sweat absolute buckets and I was having trouble keeping up with the fluids. Bugs where becoming my best friends and deciding to get up close and personal or even sacrificing themselves to be protein shots for me. GROSS. After retrieving a few from my eyeballs I decided it was high time to put my sunnies on.

It was about that time I heard the swooshing of some tyres coming up beside me and then a "Hey Barb" - WHAT THE???? Look over my shoulder and its Darryl. What a lovely surprise, we cycled together for a bit had a chat - as I just love to chat and then it was his turn to head home. Coming back home I caught sight of Jeremy out for his ride too - I am so lucky to know so many wonderful people. So I completed 44km in just over 90 mins for my Zone 2 ride and felt great.
The last 2km was bit fast for Zone 2 but was fun.

I have also made 2 significant purchases over the last 2 weeks - one I have with me and the other I should be getting soon. What do you think?

Getting shortly
I have with me.

Hoping both will help me get a little more speed when I am in a race. I would even be happy with a minute less in my Sprint Tri's. Even if I'm not any faster I am going to feel fabulous. And it all matches with my bike and uniform - it's all about matching with me. I got these off 2 friends from the club and I have had a wonderful deal done on both - how lucky am I?

I also have taken alot of my medals, ribbons and trophies from my younger years out of storage. Decided it was high time to show those babies off - not sure why I had them in my cupboard in the first place.


Wish I had of realised back then how good I was, maybe I could have made it to the Olympics? One of my ribbons had me doing my 50m Free at the age of 9 in 39 secs. I think I could have been something great.

Your hard work will be rewarded.

"The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices and lined with determination. And though it has many stumbling blocks along the way, and may go in more than one direction, it is travelled by belief and courage and conquered with a willingness to face challenges and take chances" Barbara Cage