My plan was to bike down to Lake Calhoun, 6.5 miles if I went the long way via Theo Wirth Parkway, and then run the lake. Calhoun is a near-perfect 5k, 3.3 miles around in a loop with few twists and turns and only one tiny little hill. It's ideal for training for a sprint tri for all of these reasons.
I wasn't sure that I'd be able to run all of it; I figured I walk the first .2 mi, run 2, walk a bit, run some more, and end up with about 2.5 or so miles clocked running. I'd have to bike back (probably the short way up Kenilworth Trail, 5.2 miles), so I wasn't looking to kill myself before I could get home and die peacefully in my bed.
The other big factor here is my new shoes.
Look how pretty! They are Brooks Ravennas, and I love them. I made a trip to TC Running Company in Eden Prairie on Friday after a brutal outdoor run in my old shoes (some Merrill trail runners) on Thursday left me limping and unhappy. Adam, one of the experts there, watched me walk barefoot, talked me through my questions on minimalist running, and put some shoes on my feet and watched me jog along the back wall of the store. The minute I put the Ravennas on my feet were super happy. He advised me to get through my tri, learning endurance and good running form all the while, before I put some minimalist shoes on my feet and struggle through that process as well as the process of training to run a race.
I'm glad I took that advice. After my run today, my feet were so snug I didn't want to take the shoes off at all. I just want to wear them around constantly and be ready to run at any moment.
At any rate, back to today's story.
Just as I was locking up my bike, my friend Alan called me. He'd seen my post on Facebook and wanted to see if I wanted a running buddy for my Calhoun adventure. He said he could be there in 15 minutes. So I waited for him, and when he showed up it became apparent he was there to coach me. We picked our 'totem', an old sign on a pole near the Tin Fish, and started running.
Running with a friend is so much better. You can talk, and pace, and before you know it, you're halfway there. The distraction and fun of it makes all the difference. We passed the halfway point and I in no way felt like stopping.
I ran the whole way. All 3.3 miles. The last bit, with the little hill and Alan coaching to 'pick up the pace, look up, relax, go go go', was killer, but I made it.
Our time?
30 minutes.
That puts me at about a 9 minute mile, which is faster than I've ever gone on a treadmill, and much less painful, too. I'll be stiff tomorrow but I'm going to relish in what that means.
The loss?
After Alan took off, I sat for a bit and stretched. When I went to get on my bike, I noticed that the chain had slipped off the rear cassette, so I got down to fix it and discovered that one link was stuck between the cassette and the seat stays. Stuck, as in, completely unmovable. My hands were covered in chain grease, with no progress whatsoever, when I finally gave up and called Alan, asking him to come back and give me a ride. The lesson here is: always have your bus pass.
On top of this, my whole ride down to the lake was uncomfortable. My bike is heavy and creaky, and no matter how much love I've poured into it, it still feels like at any moment one of the wheels might just careen off the spoke and send the whole mess, myself included, crashing into a mud puddle. I love my Bianchi; I've had it for over 10 years, but it's just not going to get the job done in a real race, or even for any of my work commute. I need a new bike. A new used bike would also suffice.
Currently, my Bianchi Friend is still sitting down at Calhoun, waiting for me to come recover it in my car. It's a sad state of affairs and I'm almost glad it's going to be a bit wet and cold for the next few days because it will give me a chance to come up with a plan for repairs/replacement.
Still, I ran Calhoun! Go me!
Go lady, go!
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