Sometimes things don't go according to plan. Yesterday after church I drove to the Roanoke River Greenway to get in a 30 mile bike ride.
This was my first time on this trail and I was very impressed with it.
However, after only 4 miles my ride came to a rather abrupt halt because part of the trail had been washed out by the recent flooding we had in Virginia.
So what? There will be other biking trails to conquer. The reason I wanted to get in a good long ride yesterday was because my first of three summer triathlons will take place in only two weeks, just in time for my birthday.
Because of Covid, it's been a three year hiatus since I've done a tri and I can hardly remember how the race goes. Let's see, swimming: With all the kicking and elbowing that takes place in the pool, the main goal is pretty much not drowning. The bike portion is always challenging for me. Seems like every person I pass in the pool ends up passing me during the bike. I am a good swimmer but a mediocre (at best) cyclist. (You don't always have to be an overachiever, right?) As for the run, you do okay though when you first get off your bike and start your run your legs feel like lead. Needless to say, after about a mile or so you find your stride and are feeling pretty good. The neat thing about these tris (sponsored by UNC Health) is that this is a first time triathlon for a lot of people who do this race. If there's one piece of advice I have for them it would be: Make sure you get to the start area early. Making sure that your kit is set up for the transitions is no joke.
To be honest, I miss my friend the triathlon. Hopefully we will get reacquainted in a couple of weeks. It will feel good to do something different.