90 degree Brick Workout

90 degrees in the Bay Area?! Wtf? Since I moved here I've been telling everyone that I really miss the heat and humidity of the south. But now that it's actually hot here, I'm not so sure that's accurate. Don't get me wrong, I love beer festivals in the sun and 100 degree heat and being able to go out at night in a skirt and tank-top and not get cold, but training is soooooooo much easier in the mild climate of NorCal. So when I set out for my brick workout this afternoon, I was slightly under-prepared for 90 degrees and full-on sun for 3 hours! I only brought 3 water bottles (only one of which had electrolyte drink in it) and I forgot my visor for the run and sweat towel for the ride home. But I made the best of it! 

My route on the other side of Berkeley Hills.

The route was a 19 mile loop with a 1234 ft elevation gain, around the reservoirs on the other side of Berkeley Hills. For reference, my place is on the northwest side of campus (the brownish area). So I drove over the hill, parked, and got on my bike!

Footwear #1

I was planning on doing the loop twice. But as I mentioned, I was a little under-prepard for just how hot it was and was afraid that if I attempted 40 miles with insufficient water, I would actually melt into the pavement. So I did the loop and then an out-n-back to total 30 miles. It's a super hilly ride, so I was happy that after the loop, I was able to actually ride past my car and keep going. Luckily, it's also a really pretty ride....

And then it was time to run......

Footwear #2

I was hot and my calves were super-stiff and crampy, but I managed to run for 20 minutes at my normal pace. I think the only thing that got me through was Kanye West's Stronger. I was singing it to myself during the bike (because cycling with headphones is just dumb) so once I got my ipod out for the run, I turned it on pretty loud. nah nah that that don't kill me... can only make me stronger.... Both were equally possible today, but luckily, it didn't kill me. 


And then it was smoothie time! Yay!

Footwear #3 - I'm still not sure if those are tan lines, or dirt lines

In the mix: lean vanilla protein powder, almond milk, and frozen berries (rasp, blue, and straw). Delicious after a long, hot workout! 


Final stats for the day:

Footwear #4: compression socks!

• 30 mile bike in 2 hr 14 min
• 1.9 mile run in 20 min
• 1685 calories burned
• >25 bugs stuck to my arms and chest (gross)
• $6.19 spent at the grocery store on the way home ($4 for ice and a glitch in the computer gave me a 6er of Abita Amber Ales for only $1.19! My lucky day!)
• 12 min spent in an ice bath (my first one!)

The ice bath was not the most enjoyable part of the day, but I'm hoping that it will help me recover faster so I can do a long run tomorrow. 


Sunday Update: The ice bath worked! I ran 9.2 miles today with (relatively) no problem. I should have done 10, but I was soooooooo hungry I had to stop. I guess this means there will be more ice baths in my future :(


What are your thoughts on ice baths? And what is the best beer to drink in an ice bath?? The Abita Ambers were good, but I'm open to suggestions  :)