Bike Workout

I did 35 minutes on the trainer today. As is typical, I didn't wear my watch while on the trainer, so I have no heart rate data. I go with RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion/Effort) on the trainer. I typically go fairly hard and work up a good sweat.

After another session with my new pedals I've come to the conclusion that I really like them. Since last Sunday I've tinkered with the position of the cleats on my shoes and I think they're finally in the right place and tightened down enough that they won't move/rotate. I think the cleats moved around a bit on my Sunday trainer session, which isn't good because a change in cleat position can make it harder to clip in or out. They didn't shift position at all today however, and clipping in and out has never been easier, even with my old pedals. Overall, I'm very glad I upgraded.

That being said, I'm still wanting to get a more practice with them before taking the bike out on the road for the first time. Thankfully I have roughly two more months before I'll take it outside, so I'll have plenty of time to practice.

I am looking forward to riding outside again though; even with the TV going the trainer gets a bit boring and there's always temptation to just quit early. I haven't yet, but the temptation is always there. If I'm riding outside and get ten miles from home, there's no way I can just quit - I still have to go the last ten miles home (I never walk my bike unless I have a flat and no spare tubes with me), so in that aspect I'm really looking forward to getting outside again.

Besides that, I really need to practice riding outside with the new pedals before the KC Triathlon. Thankfully I have a bit more time that I thought - I got my half-marathon switched with the KC Tri. The half-marathon is at the end of April and the KC Tri is in the middle of May. For some reason I had them switched in my head (maybe because I'm more excited/anxious about the tri?), but more time to prepare for the triathlon is better.

My first race of the season is the first weekend in March; it's an indoor mini-sprint triathlon (the swim is in a pool, the bike is done on a stationary bike and the run is done on an indoor track). I am looking forward to that one, but not as much as the KC Triathlon. For some reason, I have trouble thinking of the indoor tri as a "real" race; it's more of a tune-up/practice run for the KC Tri and, in October, the Border Wars Half Ironman. Overall it's good that my first A race isn't until April, as it gives me more time to prepare, but after the Matt Mason Triathlon was cancelled last August I've been really looking forward to and wanting to do a triathlon with an open-water swim and a bike leg where I get to actually ride my bike. To me, the KC Triathlon will be my first "real" triathlon, and the first real test of how well I'm doing in this crazy sport.