race dress rehearsal

Bike/Run - 43 miles bike/1.5 miles run, 2:45 total - 3 x (15 miles bike, 5 min transition run) including 6 x 5 min max bike effort, 2 reps on Lake Mills triathlon course, last lap through Arboretum

After the race specific preparation yesterday, I got in the mood to practice my transitions some more. I built it into this workout which was primarily supposed to be a long bike. It was great to get on the Lake Mills course and after doing two laps of the out and back route, I feel like I know it really well. I practiced my sprints out there and that should come in handy on race day. My goal was to go 2 miles in each 5 minute interval. For some of them I came close, for others I had trouble staying focused. It is a flat course, so unlike all the hilly routes that I do, it has to be a consistent hard effort. This means not letting up and not letting the mind wander. It is a different kind of challenge. The route goes on back roads through local farmland and there were lots of tractors out there today. I had to ride slowly behind a few. There was also gravel on the road on the curves in the road, and dirt around tractor entrances and exits. I hope that gets cleaned up a bit. I felt hesitant to take the turns at full speed for fear of wiping out on gravel.

I got new tires to start the racing season - Michelin Pro Race in yellow to match my bike, and I used them for the first time today. I had Vittoria Diamante tires before, but these seem very similar. I used my race season during-workout-nutrition-mixture today for the first time. Nothing brings me into race mode like a perfectly mixed chalky concoction of calories in a water bottle. My mix includes Hammer Sustained Energy, Hammer Endurolytes powder, and raspberry Hammer Gel. I also wore my race outfit to complete the spirit of race dress rehearsal.

I lost it mentally after the second lap and wanted to be done. I drove back to Madison and did the last part on my familiar route through the Arboretum. I was planning on doing a cold water acclimation swim but didn't feel like dragging on the day any further (it was already 3pm) so I skipped it.