Brick lessons

I learned several things yesterday during my brick workout:

When possible, have a professional put your bike together
If something looks really wrong on your bike, it probably is, even if the pedals will spin
Bring an allen wrench with you every where
Bring electrical tape with you everywhere
Always bring money with you
Print off the race map, even if you don't think you will need it
Everything always takes a few hours longer than expected, eat accordingly
Bathrooms in a state park are always locked

So, I had a simple shortish easy brick workout to do yesterday and it was going to be a scouting mission of the Jerseyman course. It is next Saturday, so obviously, about time to get on it. Genine will be racing and she and Matt rode it last weekend. So, we all drove out to Spruce Run Reservoir in the early afternoon. Of course in the hours before they got there I was frantically putting my bike back together. It did not go as well as down in FL. I think somehow when I needed it to go smoothly it did. This time, not so much. I was not in the zone. Something looked seriously wrong. But, maybe, I just didn't remember what my bike should look like. I hadn't looked at it in almost a week, right?

We start riding the course and a few minutes in, my gear stops working completely. My chain is jammed. I look down and one of my cables is caught in there, and is ripped up. Yeah, that is what had looked weird before, it was a little too close there. Ugh...anyway. We want to fix it. Of course, I don't have any tools. Me, the one with the bike put together backwards. And Matt and G don't have allan wrenches or electrical tape (what we think may be temporary help). So, Matt rides back, gets the car and we drive to a bike store. Where the guy is amazed at how light my bike is. Really? Dude, you work in a bike store...and there is no front wheel on it! And he then says he has never seen anyone do what I had done before..ha ha! He then amazingly fixes it in less than 10 mins for $7.50!!! Wow, are we in NJ? I didn't have any money either. I am soooo prepared! G pays and finally we are off on the ride!

Its a nice day, a great course with a few turns that I am glad I practiced. We ride over the railroad tracks on a downhill, then down a bit more of a hill and POP!!!!! I turn around. Was someone shot? Nope. Matt has a flat. He says go ahead, he will fix it and catch up later. Nice of him. So, G and I head off. Say hi to all the dogs that we see along the way, enjoy the views, and the weather and all. We get to an intersection and we go straight. Soon we get to a bridge and she says oh, this is not right, we are supposed to come back this way. And then we climb up a big hill. I liked climbing up the hill. Especially considering going down the hill at a high speed my bike my have fallen apart. So we did the course backward for awhile, and wondered where we were and eventually, found our way back to the intersection where we were supposed to go right. We also saw lots of sheep and 2 cute golden retrievers.

Then we saw Matt right at the intersection and he was going to do the course backwards to find us! Lucky we saw him there or else we would never have met up. Finally some good luck for the day! It was a nice course. Sort of reminds me of the Columbia bike course. We finally got back and I ran 20 mins or so. And checked 2 different bathrooms before popping a squat along the path less than a minute away from finding the one bathroom that was supposedly open. Nice. Seriously, I know we are short on money with our corrupt state government and all, but how much $ does it take, to keep the bathrooms unlocked at the state parks. Really. I guess I should just be glad the state parks are still open I suppose.

Anyway, then G and Matt tried on their wetsuits and swam in the reservoir. I was not up for a sweaty wetsuit struggle at this point. G took her wetsuit off like a pro. Her first attempt and it was off like a charm! She's gonna do awesome next week. I think she will be in the mix for one of the fastest bike splits.

So, anyway...I have had migraines almost every day. They recently came up with a generic for my migraine prevention medicine. It was $186/mo or $10/mo after insurance if I did brand name or generic. Um...yeah, is there really and option here. But there is a difference between brand names and generics. I think the generic has to be on 80% the same. Someone correct me if I am completely wrong. All I know is I pay extra for brand name birth control, because the difference between generic and brand name makes a difference in my migraines. Anyway, not sure if this stupid change is causing nausea and if the new medicine is not really helping with my migraines. When I was at the pharmacy the pharmacist was like.."Do you take this for migraines or seizures?" What does it matter? I take it. Maybe it is ineffective for migraines. Who knows. If it is I would like to know, perhaps I should do research on the junk I am putting into my body, huh?

I was gonna run this morning. But felt yuck. I swam in the pm. Swam with the fast guys :) Sort of. Got lapped by most of them and got a mega migraine in the middle/end of the swim. I did the best I could today. Still not back to 100% yet, but I'm getting there. I didn't warm up either. Just jumped in, and swam.
3x300 on 5:00 in 4:47, 4:47, 4:53 my consistency was noted by super fast Oscar who lapped my in the middle of the 150 every time...at least I am consistent :)
3x200 on 3:30 (I did this on my own, the boys did not wait for me, don't blame them, I wasn't going too fast...) in ? not so good...migraine is setting in...
4x100 on 1:30, 50 in :50 I did the first one basically turn and go, then started choking on my own flem (nice!) during easy 50 (second one maybe...) and had to flip over for back stroke to breathe...missed the interval...then did 100...I think it was mid to high 1:30's, and so left on 1:40 maybe...then another 100 trying to go fast but not so much...
Then 200 cd
2200m total
Not so great, but do what you can I guess.