Frantic Friday.

Enjoying a relaxing Thursday evening when all of a sudden it was ruined when i got a text from Enda requesting i join him for a Friday cycle at 7am - So it was off for what i thought was going to be a cruise ride for an hour before i realised that Enda had also got a crack team of cyclists for the morning and a tough set was indeed on the cards. With HuRTS man, Jason Heydon, Enda and his good Irish mate Connor in attendance the set was announced as 4 x 10 minute hard efforts with a 5 minute recovery between each.
.....My God, the pace was on from the gun with all of us hanging on for grim death to Connor, with me riding 2nd wheel, Went through a complete lap in 5.37 so i knew i was working hard. Survived the first rep and thought 'no way was i going to get through another 3 of those'. Second was pretty much the same as the 1st...only quicker, completing a lap in 5.30 with us all trying to do our share of the work at the front, except Enda who decided his stint would be at the 9minute 30 mark when he would come by shouting '30 seconds"..Unbelievable:)
3rd was the same and it really was a case of digging deep, and again Enda outdid himself with the 30 second warning. Was actually thinking i would pull the pin after the 3rd rep, but i thought the abuse i would cop wasn't worth it so reluctantly and against doctors orders a 4th rep was completed.
One of the toughest bike sets I've done for a long time i can tell you - certainly the fastest, going around in sub 5.30 laps. Irish boy Connor seemed to take it all in his stride mind you and showed what a very good cyclist he is, poor Enda was gone for all money on the 4th rep and could barely get his 30 second call warning out to us. He was doing his best to try to sit as close to good mate Connor on each rep as witnessed on the photo below:)

Connor helping good friend Enda around on the last rep of the morning.

From here it was on to McKay Oval where we went barefoot to knock out 8 x 400s going of 2 minutes, I felt terrible but luckily the bike took more out of the others then what it did me. Rolled around for each of them in under 76 seconds and even managed to kick the last one down to 72. With Enda doing his  8 in 82s with Connor a further 6 seconds after that.
Bloody tough session all up, knocking out 55ks for the morning, the banter fired up once we had recovered enough with an impartial adjudicator (Connor) deciding that i would get a 5 minute start on handicap over Echinachea Enda in the upcoming long course triathlon at Husky in Feb.
So bet has been laid, just need to get an entry in now :)

That's pretty much it training wise for the year now. So until the New Year have a great Christmas and New Year, Enjoy the break, and for those that race me, please drink and eat plenty to give me a chance in 2012.
Stay safe and see you all out there in the New Year.
Cheers

* Year in Review will be up later in the day * .....Some of us have work to do you know:)