Zack's Triathlon Blog

So, today was a bike/run day. Every time I think I've gotten over the muscle soreness and fatigue, they throw in some curve balls to keep me on my toes. Today was a 32 mile bike ride followed by a transition run. First of all - it was freezing cold. I mean literally. Last night it actually snowed in the Bay Area - it even stuck around long enough for us to see it in the morning.

I have made some major leaps in efficiency for getting ready for the bike rides and managed to have everything organized and ready to go this morning. However, the cold weather forced me to wear just about every piece of breathable warm clothing that I have. For the first few miles of the ride my legs, toes and fingers were numb. This made shifting and breaking quite difficult. Eventually everything warmed up to a tolerable point - though my fingers were still pretty cold throughout the ride.

The route started out the same as my previous rides - up the steep climb to the aptly named "big rock". However, this time we descended the other side of the hill through a breathtaking redwood forest with houses tucked away in all corners. All-in-all the ride went pretty well, I tried to remember to drink lots and eat some Cliff Shot Blocks - a great source of calories. Upon getting back to the parking lot, I tried to transition as quickly as possible. I have to say that trying to run after 2 hours of cycling is one of the strangest sensations I have felt. Someone described it as feeling like your feet were baloons and your legs were like jello. I asked the coach if this ever goes away - could I run faster and get to a normal feeling sooner. The answer I got was that while there isn't much you can do to avoid or even shorten the transition sensation, you do get accustomed to it.