my new love affair

And you got your share of secrets

And I'm tired of being last to know

And now you're asking me to listen

Cause it's worked each time before

But you don't have to call anymore

I won't pick up the phone

This is the last straw

Don't wanna hurt anymore

- "You're Not Sorry", Taylor Swift

...And so I've begun a new love affair....with my bike!!!

Coach E has these very prescribed workouts. Yesterday a brick. The bike was 11x30sec big ring power sprints with 90 secs easy spin. My warm-up was pretty much getting through Newport and across the bridge to Cincy and onto Eastern Avenue, where there is some flat fast ground. The sprints were fun! I felt fast and powerful and in control. And they made the time fly by! The cool down was good to help hydrate for the run...and it was then that I was reminded of the thing I love most about riding alone outside - cat calls from the gritty dudes on street corners...and me returning the favor!

Three and a half minutes later, I had stripped my sleeves, changed shorts and shoes and was out the door for the run. The "hilly run" where I was instructed to "push all hills into z4, rest is z1". Finding hills on which to run is no problem in my neighborhood. The first four mins were flat/rolling. Then I hit the first big hill...and charged up...and I felt it. Like, every muscle fiber in my quads. I felt them all. Just as I would get my heart rate down, another hill...and another...before finally heading back home.

Lots of days when I run, I just let my mind wander. And some days, the thoughts are too comical to keep the laughter inside. That was one of those days...I was just running down the street, laughing out loud. I can only imagine what my neighbors think of me.

Oh well...

Today, I decided to take advantage of the fact that I'm the only one in my dept at work, Tom volunteered to ride hills with me and there is considerabley less traffic during the day, and go for a "lunch" ride. I was counting down the minutes to leave for the ride. Sunny and beautiful and 73 degrees.

A quick warm-up and then a hill...7 mins to get up. Some down hill, and more uphill, over and over and over again. I was laughing. Tom was panting. On the last one, he says "this one's a bitch". And she was...and as we started the climb (standing in granny gear the whole way) all I could say was "Awesome" and I heard laughter behind me...and I can't tell you how happy I was to be out on the road...and out of my cubicle :)