Wednesday, June 9 Rides

I just had to post about my ride today. It was a great 29 mile ride with perfect temperatures, plenty of hills, and lots of super pretty green springy scenery. But I didn't even realize it was a special ride until I got home and updated my ride spreadsheet (yes, I have a ride spreadsheet...I dunno but I just like to track my miles and when/where I ride and I love Excel).

Anyway, I digress...so not only did today's ride put me over 1,000 miles for this season, it also put me at 10,000 miles since I started riding three years ago!!! Yippee!!! I had some ice cream to celebrate.

I had a nice ride, too. I was supposed to do a 50 mile hilly ride with my group. But it was starting earlier than usual, and I would have had to drive through horrible rush hour traffic to get there. So, I did a 35 mile hilly ride to Harvard, MA and back. It was nice and cool, around 65 when I left. Although I definitely have something going on with my left hamstring (the calf is all better, though), I went up every hill I sometimes avoid! Convinced myself to not turn around and go home when I got to my old neighborhood and headed up to the hills. I love riding in this area... I saw 2 cars from when I started the hilly part of the ride until pretty close to where I got back to my old neighborhood. I used to ride this route once a week and while I still ride it regularly, I miss it. I knew my speed was low, but since I rarely ride more than 20 miles alone, I decided to just enjoy.
Then my stomach started rumbling. It was 12:40. I had eaten a Luna Bar before I left and stopped to eat some Shot Blocks at the top of the climb. I didn't think I wanted to wait to get home to eat. I had some choices of where to go, and I delayed my decision until it was sort of made for me by virtue of where I was. So I went to the coffee/gourmet sandwich place in W. Acton, where I was guaranteed to see a million people I know in my sweaty state! And when I walked in, someone shouted, "Oh my God, you like like a professional!" Oy. I ordered my sandwich and then went to sit outside to wait, since it was really hot in there. It took so long, the temperature went back down, it got cloudy, and I felt some raindrops. Finally got my food, and scarfed it down (by now I was ravenous). Saw 2 other women I know who asked me to join them for coffee, but I just wanted to get home. I had a choice of 3 routes and I chose the one that was the shortest, with the least amount of climbing, because by now, my legs were stiff from sitting. I hauled butt down one street, but a highway overpass did me in... finally got to Strawberry Hill and made it up the short hill and then whizzed down to my street. I ended up doing about 35 miles, with 2000 feet of climbing. And I also passed the 1,000 mile mark, 3 weeks earlier than I usually do, thanks to my tour.