Giro d ‘Italia

My enthusiasm of cycling and passion for racing began over 15 years ago while living the life of a triathlete. What began as supplemental training quickly morphed into a developing obsession. Although I never committed to the sport, my ability on the bike quickly surpassed that of my running and I was fortunate to win a few races. Those events taught me more about suffering and commitment than I experienced in the subsequent 10 years. All this ended however when my focus shifted and I embarked on a career as an accountant.

Despite my bikes being relegated to commuting mules, I still continued to follow the sport. A decade or more later, I found myself beginning to prepare dinner on a warm summer evening in July. I was starring out at our garden, absorbed in the light as it played on the leaves, all the while listening to the highlights from the day’s stage of the Tour. At that exact moment I opted to combine my love of cooking with my continued passion for cycling.

My compulsive personality only added fuel to the fire, and several years ago I began a tradition of only cooking: Italian food during the Giro, French throughout the Tour de France, and Spanish cuisine while the cyclists raced the Vuelta. Only a few stages into this year’s first grand tour and I haven’t missed a beat.

As for my running, the legs took a surprisingly long time to recovery from the TC10k. I’m not sure if it was the aggressive downhill running or some well-worn flats, perhaps both. Regardless, I didn’t attempt any speed work until the following Friday and even then I pulled up short, only completing 2.5 of the scheduled 3 reps. Yesterday felt much better, borderline fast!

Following through on an earlier commitment, I’ve registered to run the Oak Bay Half Marathon this weekend. My main objective is to mix up my training this summer, i.e., race unfamiliar events, in an effort to run myself into shape. Now, if only the sun would come out:)

Training:
May 2: day off (unscheduled)
May 3: easy 45:38
May 4: A.M. easy 32: 11; P.M. easy 26:14
May 5: steady 1:02:02
May 6: 1:06:20 w/ 3x(5’ 10kE (2.5’), 2.5’ 5kE) (2.5’)
May 7: day off (scheduled)
May 8 steady 1:38:11

May 9: easy 40:37
May 10: 1:04:47 w/ 12x1’ 5kE (1’)