Did I finish?

WORKOUT #1: BIKE*

*That's for you Bike Snob!

5:45am: Get out of bed
5:45am - 6:15am: Set up the bikes and prepare to suffer
6:15am - 7am: Swear, sweat, gasp for breath, repeatedly pray that you don't throw up all over the living room (aka The Sufferfest's Revolver)

Click here to watch Chris Horner @ the 2011 Tour de France,
not knowing that he crashed, where he is,
or that he even finished the stage

Elle: Apparently, while my mind had resigned to the idea of getting up to do Revolver this morning, my body fought back the entire time. After the first sprint interval, I was already half-way to Vomitville. And never really turned back from there. During the recovery sets I spent my time working out a vomit escape plan - I knew I wouldn't make it to the bathroom, but I was pretty sure I could make it far enough to be off the rug, and onto the hardwood floor, which would result in an easier clean-up.

Webb: Readers of the blog know how much we love "Revolver." (You can read the previous review here.) This morning was no different. Another delightful winter morning ride where you can feel each muscle fiber firing in your quads, spittle collecting at the corner of your mouth and blood vessels bursting in your eyes. Where you question whether 30 seconds is actually longer than 30 seconds. (Little known fact: Einstein developed his Theory of Relativity whilst in Sufferlandria.)

Elle: The big victory here was that I did indeed finish the workout without throwing up all over the place. The minute it was all over, I jumped off the bike and hung out by the bathroom, just in case. When the nausea didn't subside, I decided to just lie down on the floor. While I was down there I asked Webb, a la Chris Horner, Tour de France 2011, "Did I finish?"

Webb: This was the first time doing "Revolver" on the new Cervelos. Right. I owe an apology to Andy Schleck for all the times I have mocked him for dropping his chain. Perhaps this is a Rival thing and not a SRAM thing (meaning Red), but shifting gears sucks compared to Shimano Ultegra. I suppose it is  possible this is part of the initial breaking-in period with new cables. However, it does not explain the Double-tap system sending me down one gear or up two. I've decided when people say they like how "chunky" SRAM is (usually accompanied by something like, "that chunk sound means you are in gear"), it is because they spend so much time trying to get into gear that when it happens it is a celebration. I haven't passed judgement yet (yes I have); we'll see how it goes after we adjust the cables in a couple of weeks.

Elle: The take-away lesson for me here is, if you're planning an early morning workout, hydrate properly in the hours before the workout. Or face the vomit fairy.

Post-run w/ Laura

WORKOUT #2: Run Hill Repeats
w/u: run to Boston Common
Main: 5 repeats: short, long, short, long, short
Drills: Back-pedal, Frankensteins, Lunges, Lower-leg Drive
c/d: jog back to SEAC

Elle: I honestly didn't think I'd make it tonight. It was cold, snowing, and I kinda felt like crap. Then I thought, I'll feel like crap at home too, might as well go for a run.

Webb: I was surprised how good I felt. My numbers don't look great and I definitely labored. Somehow, the entire day wasn't as crushing as I thought it

Recovery drinks

would be. Granted when we returned to the store there was a moment when I was literally too tired to move from a standing position to sitting. Once I had my recovery drink, I came around a bit. Sometimes it is all a matter of perspective.

And by the way, Miss I-Felt-Like-Crap kicked my arse up and down Beacon Hill. There's that perspective again.