Mere Mortals Blog – 06/06/2010
Mere Mortals Blog: 06/06/2010
I was a little concerned when I got up at 4:30 Sunday morning. When I went out to pick up the paper and gather the Mere Mortals gear, there was a light rain falling. It looked like it was breaking up, but I wasn’t sure if it would be in time. Fortunately, by the time I left the house at 5:30, it had cleared up nicely, and when I got to the beach, the sun was rising in relatively clear skies.
And man, was I ever happy with the turnout! I was thrilled to have the assistance of about six of the more experienced TriGC members, which made sign-up, new membership, and issuing of bracelets go very smoothly! We were also joined by Ann Knight, the founder of SRI Tri, and Janet Boylan, who founded and named Mere Mortals back in 1997! By the time we had everyone signed in and seated, the count had reached 50 participants!
Our speaker
Today’s speaker was John Murray, who talked with us about Tri Gulf Coast and cycling safety. John covered the many benefits of being part of our organization, including additional training opportunities, our club race kit (clothing), and some of the cool things the club has done this year already, such as training events and the redesign of the web site.
Our training
Today’s official training ride was a 12 mile bike which took us just past Portofino and back. We also had an “advanced” group who went for a 35 mile ride at a faster pace. We were treated to a tailwind for the ride out, and the headwind coming back was manageable, though it did add some challenge for our newer cyclists.
Suggestion box
Another thing I’d like to encourage with Mere Mortals is that everyone feel free to share feedback. I love to hear the positive stuff, but it’s also critical that I hear your suggestions for how to make the training better for everyone! Among the feedback received from our first session was:
- Increase the number of groups doing the scheduled workouts to allow for different pace groups. This is something that last year’s MM group had done which was very well received, and I like the idea! Next week, we’ll see if we can have 3 pace groups, one at 16-18 mph, one at 14-16, and one at about 12-14.
- Talk some more about the basics of cycling. For many of our participants, things like bike gearing, clipless pedals, and aero bars are all new experiences, and it would be good to go over some of those things. Again, I think it’s great feedback, and I’ll plan to cover some of these topics next week in addition to our discussion on run gear and safety.
Next week
Next week, we’ll do the same bike ride we did this week, but we’ll throw in a short run immediately after! This combination of biking and running is commonly referred to as a “brick.” I’ve heard a couple of reasons for this name, one being that your legs feel like bricks when you first try to run, and the other that it’s an abbreviation for “Bike, Run, Ick!”
Don’t worry though, it’s not as bad as it sounds! As a matter of fact, one of the reasons for doing this type of training is to help you see that your legs do recover if you stick with it, and the more you practice it, the better you get at it! The map below shows a course that will give you a two mile run, but if you want to go a little shorter this week, just turn around a little early!
One more thing: It’s hot out there! I’ll have a cooler with ice water in it, but be sure to bring a water bottle you can fill!
Run Map – For Bike map, see last week’s blog.
View Mere Mortals week 2 run in a larger map
Thanks!
To all those who participated in our first week, a BIG THANK YOU! It’s very rewarding to have that kind of turnout, and I can’t wait to see how many friends you bring with you for week 2!
in the mean time, feed free to get in touch with me via email or by calling me on my cell at 850-723-1541.
Thanks!
Tom Henderson, Mere Mortals Coordinator.
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