Each New Day

Now that we get a sports channel, we have been watching it nearly every day. The last few days we have been watching the Giro de Italia. I have learned a new word used in the sport of cycling. The “peloton” is the group or pack of riders who ride together to aid each other and utilize drafting to go faster. The word is from the French meaning “group” or “platoon”.

My husband almost never goes with me on my long work out on Saturdays. Last night we decided it would be fun to go together, so we both got up early and headed out to the pool. We cycled there and back. On the way back, I got a flat rear tire. This has never happened to me before and I was really glad my husband was with me.

He had already prepped my bike with a spare tube, tire tools and a hand pump. He showed me how to get the tire off the bike, how to get the tire off the rim, take out the tube and replace it and get the tire back on the rim. Then we tried to pump it up. That hand pump just would not get the job done. After several minutes with no seeming effect, he looked and found he had some CO2. At this point another cyclist stopped to help us. (Thank You!) He had used the CO2 before and stayed to see how we did with it. It worked and got my tire nearly half full of air, enough to get us home. (At this point a group of cyclists rode by and called out to see if we needed help. Thank you to ya’ll too!) I replaced the wheel on the bike and we headed back home.

This was a really good experience for me and I am so glad it happened when my husband just happened to be along! (THANKS!)

The second leg of the triathlon was the biking portion. The course was 12.5 miles, most of it along the sea wall extending west. We were so very thankful that the weather held out for us. When we left that morning it was raining, so we were afraid there would be slick roads. The weather had also forcast 30 mile an hour wind gusts. Thankfully the wind was mild, considering our location.

I felt really great on the bike ride! I suppose I was just so happy to be done with the swim portion! On the way out on the course, I felt like I was going pretty fast and was pleased to pass several people. I figured that since there seemed to be little wind on the way out, after the turn around point the wind would be against me. As I saw some of my friends pass by after the turn around, I could tell the wind was blowing against them. I thought it would be best for me to go as fast as I could while there was little wind.

Even after the turn around I felt good. My thighs/legs never burned. I was thankful for all those days spent in spinning classes! I think I only had three people pass me on this portion of the race, and two of those I passed back on the “home stretch”. I felt really good about the cycling portion, finishing in 51 minutes, just under the hour I thought it would have taken me.