Training Update

So how is training for Mountains to Sound going, you might ask?

Pretty damn well, I do say.

I wasn't concerned at all about the first two legs (23 miles mountain bike, 50 miles road bike) but the 12 mile kayak portion did have me worried. Well, I put in on Wednesday afternoon at the transition area on the race course and paddled the first 2.5 miles of the course. It took me 27 minutes at a comfortable pace, at which time I turned the boat around and paddled back upstream to the landing. The Sammamish Slough has a 1 knot current and, to be honest, it was barely perceptible. It only took me about 12 minutes longer to get back upstream than down and that was primarily because of two short riffles that were hard to punch through.

No longer am I the least bit concerned about missing any of the cut-off times and, to be honest, I think I have a really good chance of finishing in under 10 hours. It's going to come down to race-day nutrition, avoiding blisters, and having the good sense to pace myself and save plenty of energy for the final 19.5 mile run after the kayak leg. The run is pancake-flat along the shores of two lakes near Seattle, so while it may get monotonous, at least there won't be any big hills to contend with. Unlike all of my training runs.

Speaking of which, it's time to lace them up. I have an 11 miler planned for today. I haven't run that far in 4 years. Should be fun.

Have a good weekend.