Sunday 27 May: week three got off to an ominous start when I took Cerdic out for a "mental conditioning" ride of 4.5 miles (I decided I’m too anxious (and slow) on the bike to include these rides as part of my physical training). The chain didn’t pop off once (yay!) and I didn’t have to walk up any of the hills, but I did get several bugs in my eyes, which resulted in moments of terrifying blindness. And shrieking. Then, on the way back, just a few hundred feet from my apartment, the daddy goose of the Canadian goose family living in the nearby pond came running toward me, wings flapping, as if he was worried I might run over his brood of four fuzzy ducklings.
Given my lack of control on the bike, his fears were probably well-founded.
I dodged him just in time to notice there was something odd in the road ahead. Something big and black and odd, stretching across the entire single-lane road with barely six inches of pavement free on one side. I thought it was some weird inner tube or something and considered running over it, but at the last minute decided to swerve and aim for the clear area of the road.
Good thing I did, or I would have wounded, or even killed, the biggest snake I have ever seen in person.
It was huge!
When I got back to the apartment, I grabbed the camera and ran back out to photograph it. It had already slithered off the road and was heading for the woods, but I did get this shot, which gives you some idea of its size. It had to be at least eight feet long.
After all the drama of the bike ride, I went to the gym and did 25 minutes on the elliptical at a resistance of 16 (out of 20). I decided right now to use the elliptical on high resistance for the next two weeks to build the muscles I’ll need to take Cerdic on the hills, which should help me both train better and build the confidence needed to tackle Mount Doom on the triathlon. Then I ralked for 25 minutes and lifted weights for 45. Needless to say, I slept well that night.
Monday 28 May: morning Pilates and an evening swim that was relaxingly chef-free. I did the warm-up, distance swim (one kilometer) and cool down in 40 minutes.
Tuesday 29 May: rest day.
Wednesday 30 May: morning Pilates. After class I got on the elliptical for 30 minutes, having an epiphany halfway through when listening to "Crazy Train." I decided that’s going to be my theme song for the triathlon, particularly the Mount Doom downhill, should I survive the uphill ("I’m going off the rails on a crazy train..."). Ralked for 15 minutes and then lifted weights for 45.
Thursday 31 May: I swam after class, shaving almost five minutes off my time just by focusing mentally on going faster. I’m feeling confident about the swimming portion. If the triathlon was tomorrow, I could do that leg in decent time. Of course, when it comes down to it, I’ll probably get a cramp or be swallowed whole by some previously unknown species of freshwater Kraken, but for right now at least, swimming is my twice-weekly "reward" training for the other two landlubber routines I force myself to do.
Friday 01 June: elliptical for 30 minutes, varying between 16 and 18 on the resistance, followed by a 15 minute mile walk to take it easy, as I was feeling a bit overtrained, particularly in my hamstrings.
Saturday 02 June: I really didn’t feel like working out today, but I told myself if I did, I could take Sunday off and go see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Hot Men In Leather and Barnacles." What? That’s not what it’s called? Hey, just leave me in my happy little reality construct, okay? Morning Pilates, and after spending four hours at the library doing homework (ugh), I ralked 3.1 miles on the track and lifted weights for 35 minutes, streamlining my usual workout by alternating working arms/chest and back/shoulders instead of just resting between sets.
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