For the first time, I’ll be out of the country for Thanksgiving! My dad is in Delhi for 8 months for work so I’m visiting him before Ironman training kicks off and I’m basically chained to my bike for 8 months. This is my first trip alone since the twins were born. As much as I am jazzed about having a break and catching up on some sleep, I found myself staring at the toddlers in the security line at JFK today, missing my babies. Lucky for me, Michael sent me several videos while I was waiting to board my flight of C&E being super cute.

I’ve never been to India before so I’m really excited to see Delhi and meet some of my dad’s colleagues. We are celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with some American expats. No cooking this year for me!! Over the weekend, I expect we will venture to the Taj Mahal. Aside from that, the plan is to see the sights in Delhi, get in some gym time, and of course, spend some quality time with my dad! Oh, and deliver coffee and Fig Newtons to him 🙂

Here’s what my week looks / has looked like:

• Sunday – 4 Mile Race / test out tri bike
• Monday – Off / Packing
• Tuesday – In Flight
• Wednesday – In Flight
• Thursday – Swim + Strength
• Friday – Treadmill Run + Strength
• Saturday – TBD, depending on sightseeing plan

The 4-mile race on Sunday is as close as I’ll come to a Turkey Trot. I was nervous because my training has been irregular since mid-October. I wasn’t sure if I should go for a PR or not, but I wanted a quick finish because this was also the race that my Mom’s in Training athletes were running and I wanted to cheer for them near the finish line. Conditions were nearly perfect – 51 degrees and overcast with minimal wind. I showed up in shorts and a t-shirt, which was definitely the right call. Many runners were wearing tights and long sleeves. I’m sure they overheated. The racecourse was the typical 4-mile course in Central Park, which I know well. On this course, I usually plan for a slower first and third mile and faster second and fourth miles due to hill are location.

Here are my splits:

• Mile 1 – 7:46
• Mile 2 – 7:33
• Mile 3 – 8:15
• Mile 4 – 7:29

Finish Time: 31:13*, Prior Fastest 4 Miler: 32:15, Age-graded %: 61.77%

* Of course, I ran a bit more than 4 miles according to my watch, which is why the mile times do not add up to the total time.

I finished in time to see all of the Moms in Training athletes approach the finish line. They showed such enthusiasm and had a wonderful race. It was truly a great morning.
I returned home around 10:30am feeling energized. The sitter, our neighbor, let C+E fall asleep 2 hours ahead of schedule, which is out of character for them. Usually they fight their naps! She said they were tired. I contemplated waking them up, but then decided to take advantage of the time to finish my art homework. I had an hour of family time before I was off and running again to art class. I’m taking a Pen and Ink class at the local YMCA. My first homework assignment is pictured here. It’s so nice to have a creative outlet!

After art class, I forced myself to go outside on Michael’s tri bike. As I mentioned, the temperature was uncharacteristically warm so this would likely be one of my last chances to try it out before we put it on the trainer for the winter. I’ve never ridden a tri bike before and I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE my road bike. The experts tell me a tri bike is a must for Ironman. I’m lucky that my BF is the same size as I am.

I felt nervous about clipping in on his bike. Our apartment is about .5 miles from Central Park so I’d have to start out riding in NYC traffic, which means lots of clipping in and out. Always an adventure. From the start, the deck seemed stacked against me. The street behind our apartment is in the process of being repaved so it is currently really rough and I started out on a slight uphill. It took a few turns of the pedal to get my second foot clipped in. And then there were several times I had to unclip and reclip on the way to the park. I was improving each time. Michael’s pedals definitely felt different than the ones on my road bike.

I finally made it to the park. I got into aero and sped off. It felt good. I was cruising on the flats at more than 25 miles per hour. There’s noting like getting on a bike after a long break. It’s completely exhilarating.

After about a mile and a half I was on the west side of Central Park, which has a series of rolling hills. This was the moment that I realized my legs are not in cycling shape. I stayed in aero going up the hills. This side of the park was more crowded and I was passing lots of slower bikes and getting passed by a few speedy cyclists. I came up behind a bike just before cresting the second uphill on the west side. I planned to pass on the right. The biker swerved right as I was approaching. I yelled, “On your right!!” and tried to swerve farther right, but I couldn’t hit my brake in time (because I was in aero and not used to braking on a tri bike). It all happened in slow motion. I clipped the cyclist in front of me, dropped a loud F-bomb, and found myself lying on the pavement with my right foot still clipped in to the right pedal. I landed on my right side, hitting my elbow, hip and knee. The person I hit managed to stay upright, but circled around to see if I was ok. He apologized over and over. I told him it was my fault. It was.

I was shocked and feeling really shaky so I pulled myself up and moved off to the side of the drive, laying down beside my bike in the grass until I could calm down. My breaths were short and shallow. This is the closest I’ve ever felt to a panic attack. A number of bystanders came over to check on me. I was scraped and bruised, but mostly shocked and embarrassed. Though it crossed my mind, I quickly dismissed the idea that this was a bad omen for Ironman training.

Gingerly, I hopped back on the bike. My elbow was in a bit of pain so I stayed out of aero and found the quickest route home. After detailed inspection, I was fine and the bike was fine.

Apparently there are some drills that I can practice on the trainer in order to improve the speed at which I can go from aero to braking. Transitioning from a road bike to a tri bike is a bigger deal than I thought. I underestimated it. Lesson learned.

Despite the wreck, I am pleased to report that riding in aero is pretty fun. It definitely feels different from being in my drops on my road bike.

I am thankful that my wreck wasn’t worse, that I have such a supportive and wonderful family, and that I get to pursue activities that I find both challenging and fulfilling.

Tell me: What are your Thanksgiving plans? For what are you most thankful?

Anyone Turkey Trotting this week?