The weekend started with a bike ride along the Wantagh Parkway (south shore of Long Island) with my husband. He’s much stronger than I am so when he lead, it was hard to keep up. We rode over two narrow bridges (which scared me especially since other bicycles were coming in the opposite direction).
Once we got over the third bridge, we came to the end and rode through the Jones Beach parking lot to the Tobay bike path. We went alongside the Jones Beach theatre and then had a little obstacle course to get through before the new bike path. Once there, we were able to take off. We rode 12 miles roundtrip. It felt good. My legs were shaking when I got off the bike.
Hill repeats
The next day, my Tri-Global training (actually my Coach Richie Caiazza) called for hill repeats or trail running. The only hill I could think of that was near my house was the Norman Levy Preserve in South Merrick, Long Island. The trail isn’t that long. It’s only about 3 miles roundtrip.
I started out strong. I ate a gu (energy gel) and ran a fast mile (well, fast for me). The second mile was tough. It felt as if it were straight uphill. I was tired and hot. That mile went a lot slower. I reached the top of the hill and thought about taking a “selfie” and saying I’m on top of the world, the south shore world. But I didn’t. I looked at the view and smiled. I made it. I could do this…
Mile 3 was downhill and then I got to the pier. I continued to run downhill to the end of the pier and then ran uphill back. The view was amazing. You see the Jones Beach theatre, houses in South Merrick and a lot of marsh land. There were two men fishing off the pier. The water looked so inviting I considered going in but changed my mind when I saw the muck around the pier.
The last mile was the hardest for me because it was uphill. I circled around the Merrick Golf Course and went uphill to go to my car.
At the pool
I felt pretty good after the workout and thought about going to the pool at the Long Beach Recreation Center. My friend, Marti, and I joined about a month ago which gives us unlimited access to the pool and the weight room. I did a bunch of errands around the house and then decided to head over to practice breathing in the water. I’m still having some trouble but with the help of Brian Krut from Open Water Swim, I’m feeling as if I’m finally getting it. He told me to use nose plugs. I felt a little silly wearing them but they worked!
I got to the Rec Center and noticed all the doors were locked and closed. I checked the website before I left and it said they were open until 5:30 pm on Sundays. No one was around. I really wanted to practice the swimming. (If I can’t do something, I become determined to learn how to do it.)
I stood at the door. I knocked. I saw a few people inside. No one paid attention to me. I took out my phone to call them. Maybe they will pick up? Just as I started to dial, a maintenance person came to the door. “We close at 2 pm on Sundays,” he said.
“But there’s no mention of that on the website,” I said.
He shrugged and I walked away disappointed. Well at least I got to run and bike this weekend.
