Things are coming along (almost) greatly

I got picked up at my place this morning to do a bike ride with the group. People are very nice for asking me whether I need a ride to the park.
As I was coming off my apartment I got a flat on stairs. Even before I started riding. So I changed the tire and the tire I put on was not good neither. So put the wheel down and repeat. This time I put on a brand new tire and it worked.

We went at a pretty good clip for around 2.5hours.
It is hard to tell whether I am improving on a bike or not because there are so many factors that affect the ride. But I guess I am an ok biker. I know that because I am getting a lot of crap (in a good way) from group male members. Today we stopped for something and I started fiddling with my computer. All those people use GPS things on their bikes but I had one of those old computers with a wire down to your wheel. And they started making fun of me because of my crappy equipment and not wearing padded biking tights and such and still keeping up with them riding alongside them and not it their draft. And then someone said that "holy shit, she is not even wearing biking shoes" and then I was told not to get biking shoes because then I would be way too fast for them.
Ok, I am not better than any of those guys, it is just them talking bullshi* but when they do that I know that I am an ok biker:)

But there is this one guy who is freaking fast. On his easy biking days he brings his mountain bike so he is not too fast for a group but he still goes 25mph on that thing for miles and miles. So even on his easy days on a mountain bike nobody can keep up with him. He is trying to qualify for Kona o he takes it very seriously.

I also ran immediately afterwards for around 15min keeping a good clip. ITB felt good, although I felt it tightening up in the middle of the run so I walked for a 2min or so and then start running again and then no pain or tightening at all.
But it hurts when I press on it. That is strange because I do not remember that ITB would hurt when I had pressed on it when I had had the issues with it in 2009 and 2010. But maybe it had hurt, and I just do not remember or maybe I had not tried pressing on it before.


Then I took a three-hour break, ate lunch and went to the pool. I was supposed to do long intervals: 3x1000 yards descending (first one like a warm up, 2nd @ 1:45 pace, 3rd @ 1:40 pace if I can and I if I can I can go faster). I was supposed to do this yesterday but I had to move it to today. Only later I realized that it was probably a very stupid idea because I would be already tired from a bike ride. But well, I would do my best.
First one was a warm up, very easy, loosening up.
2nd one right on time, 17:30, right on 1:45 pace. I was checking my splits every 100 yards. It felt pretty easy.
3rd on, 16:30 @ 1:39 pace. I felt great on this one as well. I got little distracted on the last 200 yards but I finished strong although not as strong as I hoped for, I wanted to go all out for the last 300 to have nothing left but that did not happen. I kept very even splits just focusing on one 100 at a time. And my arms did not even hurt as they do when I do fast intervals:)
This was the first time I did something this long. Although it is only 1:48 for 100 meter pace I am stocked about the last 1000. I know that also Michelle would be pleased to hear that!

I am very happy about today. Both bike and swim are coming along (almost) greatly. If only my ITB would cooperate more with me that it would be without almost!

I am pretty tired now. I went to bed at midnight and I did not sleep well at all. I woke up at around 3am because I was freezing so I had to turn the heating higher and then could not fall asleep until past 5am! I am not sure why. In addition, I am hypersensitive about my ITB. When I roll in my bed and when it touches my bed (I have an airbed and it is wavy, so sometimes the "upper" wave pushes on my ITB) I could feel it hurting and I always wake up and start analyzing things and getting frustrated. Grrr. I am probably going to bed very soon.