Marcus and I headed over to the east coast for the weekend for a little beach time. His parents just finished their cross country bike ride, so it was definitely time for a visit! We all had a lot of catching up to do with many, many laughs!
We are officially on the 3 week countdown to the triathlon on July 28th. Since we have only completed 1 brick workout so far, we figured we need to get in a couple more before race day. Saturday mornings are reserved for long runs, so Sunday, we attempted the brick. On the list for the day: 3 sets of 5 miles biking x 10 minutes running. We got our first set in with no problems – our legs were a little wonky, but that was the point. Then it was time for set 2. I hopped on my bike, but something didn’t quite feel right. I looked down, and my tire was a bit on the flat side….
That is definitely not what a tire is supposed to look like. I went ahead and pumped it up again, just in case it would hold air long enough to get in another set, but no go – I could hear the air whizzing out. So much for that brick workout! I got in another few miles of running, and then called it quits on the exercise front. My Garmin died on the run, so someone was definitely telling me to throw in the towel for the day!
Like I mentioned, we were staying with two people who just rode their bikes across the country, so what better to people to have help me change my very first flat tire! (A quick side note: my mother-in-law Julie did not get a single flat tire on the entire 3400 mile ride!! That is quite impressive!) We spent a solid 1.5 hours cleaning both of our bikes, including the chains, gears and frames, and then got started on my tire.
There were a few hiccups (wrong size valve, bad tire) so it actually took us 3 times of taking the tire on and off, so I actually was able to change the tire myself (since I had already seen it multiple times). It was quite the educational experience 
It was definitely a very inconvenient time for a flat tire (when is a good time?), but I am glad it happened when it did. If I am going to continue to ride, I should really know how to change a tire, and now I do! I am pretty happy about that!
The rest of the weekend was full of sun, sand, and fun time with family!
And by the looks of a certain puppy, I would say our weekend was a success. We had a blast, got in some really good workouts, and relaxed – some beach weekend attendees are more tired than others.
Ever had a flat tire? Did you learn how to change it, or get someone else to do it for you? As for the brick workout, do you usually do multiple sets of biking and running?
I’m so impressed. So far no flats but I’m sure my time is coming!!
I’m TERRIBLE at changing flats! One time it took me 45 minutes (but in my defense, my tire lever broke)!
Since then I’ve avoided changing flats at all costs. Thank goodness The BF can fix them in 5 seconds flat (hahaha).
My bricks depend on the distance I’m racing: when I’m getting ready for a sprint, I’ll do a hard 15-20mi TT effort on the bike and follow it with a shorter, speedy run, like a few mile repeats. I don’t usually do sets. When I’m training for a 70.3, like now, my bricks are looong and slooow. The other week it was 3.5 hours on the bike followed by a 45 minute run. This weekend’s will be even longer! But again, no repeats. I don’t know why–just never tried them! I might have to!
I know it was inconvenient for you, but I love how whenever you mention the flat tire there’s an exclamation point following the sentence.
It makes it sound like an exciting milestone and less of a nuisance.
I forget how to change a flat tire the moment I’ve been shown the how to’s :S lol