How's your training going?

"How's your training going?" queried Iron Jenny, my faithful, always smiling training partner, who coincidentally is enroute to Ironman Brazil at months end.



Well, I started epic ride #2 on Monday by gluing my helmet to my hand. For those of you not so intrepid bikers allow me to school you in the reality that helmet hand makes riding a little precarious. For starters, the helmet is generally meant to protect your head in the case of a crash, which it can only effectively do if it is on your head. I have quick reflexes, but I doubt even I could flip my lid in flight to save my skull. Second, helmet hand makes shifting an Edwards Scissorhands beee--otch.

So, out comes the X-acto knife.

Trimama, how in biker god's name did you glue your helmet to your hand?

In the interest of safety I bought a little mirror for my lid.

(which for the record is the freakiest damn thing ever invented; the cars look like they are coming at you sideways)

The little mirror comes with a double stick adhesive tape which I used to mount said mirror to said lid. But, my moron chip must have failed that day, because I stuck the adhesive to a sticker- which tore away and left said mirror dangling towards my shoulder.

Out comes the super glue, (which is God's second greatest adhesive tool given to man, just short of duct tape, which would not work in this situation because little wispy strands of hair would stick and pull away as I ride. I don't want bike helmet pattern baldness at this stage of my illustrious career.) and I applied several generous drops to the mounting platform. A quick calculation of surface tension and adhesive volume would have told me that the glue was going to exceed the platform surface area, but alas, my mind was on epic bike ride and not quantum physics. (yes I know quantum is about chaos and all that- my point exactly)

So, voila! my hand is now stuck to my helmet.

I did complete epic bike ride #2 travelling 68.25 miles in 4 hours and 18 minutes. I covered a little over 34 miles in the first 2 hours which was fantastic for me, particularly because it was a windy, gusty day. Now that my mind has accepted the distance, it seems my legs are strengthening to meet the challenge. Although my knees were a little freaky the next day and my neck muscles froze up from aero-ing in the wind (I think).

When I asked my Local Bike Shop guy about the soreness he stated flatly,

"you have a big head" "all that weight is pulling down on your shoulder muscles"

I beg to differ, my head is perfectly proportional to the rest of my body, and any moron who could glue their helmet to their hand is at no risk of having a metaphorically big head. I prefer to think the sore shoulders is concrete proof that there is more upstairs then air.

Finally, I read in a recent fitness mag that floating in water is a good way to loosen sore muscles. I had a 1300 yd recovery swim yesterday, in the midst of which I used the pull buoy and floated in the water for several minutes between sets. Simply wonderful. What Hyphen Girls pincer like hands couldn't massage away, the water loosened-give it a try.

Hour-twenty ride today and hopefully some running with track work tomorrow.

Until then-have a sunny one.