ICEC Day #4

120 mile ride, 20-minute run.

I took advantage of an invitation to ride with Patrick McCrann and two other strong riders this morning. They had mapped out a giant loop through several small towns - Ausable, Elizabethtown, Keene, and some others I can't recall without looking at a map. The views were SPECTACULAR and the roads incredibly smooth and quiet. After about 65 miles of "easy" riding we made a difficult 6-mile climb out of Elizabethtown and descended into Keene. From that point we made a right turn onto the race course. We took turns pulling the pace line and picked up the pace a bit. We stayed together until the final few miles, when Patrick and Rex dropped the hammer. I finished a couple minutes after those guys and joined them for a short transition run.

I learned a lot today... On the ride there were several sections of course where Patrick was riding behind me. He coached me on the nuances of the race course and gave me advice on riding technique. Tonight we had another camp dinner at our condo. Coach Rich Strauss gave a fantastic Ironman racing talk. He and Patrick have coached so many folks and seen all of the classic mistakes. They've completed 16 Ironman races between the two of them.

Most folks are sticking around to run tomorrow, but the camp is basically adjourned. I'm supposed to put in 2-hours and 15-minutes of running in the morning. That won't be easy after all the riding I've done the last four days. My total milage on the bike for the week is 361. My quads are screaming right now and I'm really sleepy.

What a week! I probably won't post tomorrow 'cause I hope to clean up after my run and hit the road. Stay tuned for a wrap up report on Monday... Peace, Dan