This morning was Ironman G’s spin class. Stoked. Time for ass beating. Before class when I was getting my bike together, IG snuck up behind me and I almost jumped out of my shammy shorts as he asked me: How’s the training going?
Yes, that’s right. IG asked me about my training. Yes, that’s right. I told my Ironman spinning instructor that I was training for Triathlon. Stupid stupid stupid. But I need accountability and humiliation, people! Clearly.
I told him about my super feats of aerobics over the past two weeks. So he chatted with me about the importance of building my aerobic base. That by being a weightlifter previously, there was an exceptional chance that I had a terrible aerobic base. Well, I needed no Ironman to tell me that I had a crappy aerobic abilities, but it was interesting to consider the need for actually building up a base. He said that if you start off hard and fast at Triathlon that you will teeter over like an upside down triangle without a strong base. So the goal is to be able to keep a good heartrate, able to speak and run/bike for longer periods of time. To work slower to get faster. That’s the “base.” Sweet.
I also found out that IG did not start Triathlon until he was thirty-four years old. I figured he came out of the womb wearing a Garmin heartrate monitor. He greatly appreciated my G-Force monster gear story and applauded my swim feats from Wednesday. Yay me.
Spin class was monster hard. I was completely blown by the end. My heartrate hit 182 during a climb out of the saddle, and even 175 on the downhill portion. Oh, and the best – IG incorporated a three minute standing flat – possibly more. Actually it was the whole song of Hey Delilah – so however long that song is. Dear Lord.
Still, I plodded my chubby buns to the treadmill when class was over, moved at a snail’s pace while chanting in my head build your base build your base, and I managed the 3.1 miles in my second ever faux bike-run brick.
Now. I cannot move my legs right now. But I did it. I feel my base building. Or something like that. Sweetness!