Weekday Rides?

[indysteel]

Thanks guys! I will feel really silly if all these weeks of feeling like I'm dragging an anchor whenever the road tips up was a cleat issue, but I think that's the case. I'll have a better idea after Saturday's ride.

I felt the same way after I realized my rear brake had been rubbing over the course of several hard rides!

[AppleTree]

Bike errand day! My favorite kind of day... to the hardware store, to the health food store...found some really, really fabulous toasted pumpkin seeds there, yeah! To AAA for some maps for our trip this week, then to the grocery store. When I came out though, my bike had fallen over and knocked the lenses out of my sunglasses (cheap drugstore ones)...not sure how that happened?? I left them in my helmet which was hanging off my handlebars along with my gloves. Anyhoo, I need to prop my bike up better next time. No damage though.

Had one close call in the grocery store parking lot when someone backed out of a handicapped parking space. That's been happening a lot to me lately, and I am overcautious now. I hollered (in my best LOUD mom voice) WATCH OUT!! I could see her going, "huh????" Grrrr.

I loved your story too Crankin. It seems so obvious to us doesn't it? Excercise+Beauty of Nature=Bliss. A very simple equation indeed.

Love reading all of the stories here. Very inspiring.

[Catrin]

4 mile mountain bike ride tonight, the second since my neck injury in October! The trail is WAY easy, actually too easy for me but it is a good trail to practice skills and to work on getting my confidence back. I had fun and showed the trail to another woman who wanted to check out a local easy trail.

I am ready to try commuting to work tomorrow...but my ankle is a little cranky tonight from twisting it at the gym last night. It didn't hurt on the trail tonight and my route is pretty darn flat outside of two steepish hills on the way home. If it isn't hurting when I wake up I will go for it, it doesn't appear to be swollen or bruised...

[Owlie]

I did 19.2 miles today.

I think my old computer was badly prone to interference. I'm averaging around 14.5mph (stops and the mile-long incline included) with this one. With the old one, I'd never get above an average of 12.5...and I was using this thing from the week after I got the bike until about November, when I discovered it wasn't actually registering anything. If this is the case, this explains why I hadn't seen any improvement speed-wise!

[Catrin]

I think commuting counts as a weekday ride, even if it is on Friday

29 miles round trip today, and the trip home was broken up by a trip to my gym and I learned a new workout for my fitness "library". I've eaten enough, but I can't seem to get over being hungry My body is accustomed to getting exercise all at once, not spread out over the course of 9 hours!

[goldfinch]

Today I took the limestone trail that surround the town I am visiting. I love this trail. It is 18 miles of up and down and around ponds, through woods and cornfields. So much to hear, see and smell! Today a deer ran along with me, below the trail, until she decided to speed up and cross in front of me. I saw many indigo buntings and my FOY Baltimore oriole.

So much fun! And I am pooped.

[Catrin]

Today I took the limestone trail that surround the town I am visiting. I love this trail. It is 18 miles of up and down and around ponds, through woods and cornfields. So much to hear, see and smell! Today a deer ran along with me, below the trail, until she decided to speed up and cross in front of me. I saw many indigo buntings and my FOY Baltimore oriole.

So much fun! And I am pooped.

Sounds like fun! I love the image your description gave me

[Owlie]

Today I took the limestone trail that surround the town I am visiting. I love this trail. It is 18 miles of up and down and around ponds, through woods and cornfields. So much to hear, see and smell! Today a deer ran along with me, below the trail, until she decided to speed up and cross in front of me. I saw many indigo buntings and my FOY Baltimore oriole.

So much fun! And I am pooped.

Ooh, sounds like fun!

I did a fast 14.8-mile ride, relatively late. On the way home, the highway patrol had set up a sobriety checkpoint (the bit of road I was on stands between campus and the cheap bar). The officer who happened to get my car looked at me, at the bike on the back of the car, and...
Officer: "Well, obviously you haven't been drinking because it looks like you just got back from a ride. How far did you go"
Me: "About 15 miles."
Officer: "Man, I'm tired just thinking about it."[hands over "This sobriety checkpoint was brought to you by the Ohio Department of Public Safety" card] "You're free to go once it clears up in front of you. Have a nice night!"

I wasn't terribly thrilled about the existence of the sobriety checkpoint because I was hungry, but I chuckled for while afterward...

[redrhodie]

I had a chiro appt yesterday, but realized I had more than enough time to do my 18 mile loop and still have time to shower. Off I went.

I realized I can pump, dress, and get on the bike in about 10 minutes. I remember when it used to take hours of planning. Funny how that works.

[Catrin]

I originally posted this in the wrong thread so just moved it to here:

Lase night was 78 degrees, next to no wind or humidity, drivers were courteous and cyclists were everywhere I wanted to keep going but I was good and took it easy. Rest the leg again tomorrow, hit it harder Wed if it isn't raining. 13.5 mile loop in right at 55 minutes

I've had a few people advise me lately that it would be better for me to focus on time on the bike rather than total mileage. I tried to do that once before but it is so easy to focus on miles! It isn't like I've a more specific goal outside of a metric in September and to improve in both trail and road riding... Considering how....focused....I get in my activities I think this a better approach.

[Roadtrip]

Rough ride. Started bad. I hadn't eaten much all day and no time for dinner before ride. Also not much saddle time in this year, but you gotta start somewhere right??

DH did a "beginner" (no drop, 12mph avg speed, few hills) ride with the locals last week which I begged off of due to bad back spasms and otherwise just feeling unwell. He enjoyed it.

Tonight was the next ride and DH talked me into joining him on the ride. I was stressed from the start. First real road ride with a group. I also struggled (I'm a flat lander rail trail rider) with the term "no hills" and was always on the limit and by the time we got a few miles in I knew I was in trouble. Legs were gassed and rubbery.

The group stopped at the next light and I decided I wouldn't be able to do the scheduled 12 miles, plus didnt want to keep holding up the group, so the sweep rider escorted me back to the ride start. I felt horrible. Lungs on fire and just couldn't recover. DH went on with the group.

4.5 miles and 360 feet of climbing... Not my shining moment.

Shan

[Catrin]

Roadtrip - congratulations on the 4.5 miles, that was a great beginning even if it didn't feel like it. I hear you about the hills - the definition of a "hill" is at least partially subjective and related as much to to what we are used to/conditioned for as the actual topology.

I think you did great, and you did what you needed to do for your body. The important thing is you listened to what you body was telling you - which makes you a wise woman!

[Catrin]

Just under 17 miles tonight, and it was beautiful! My leg felt better than it has in a week or so, so I appear to have taken the right approach

Instead of increasing actual miles, I think I will focus on increasing time in the saddle, regardless of the miles. Knowing me that will be a better way to rebuild my endurance and a less likely path to over-use injuries because I am too stubborn to stop before I reach my target mileage. sigh

[goldfinch]

I too had a great ride today. Thirteen miles over a mix of rolling hills and flats, averaging 14.5mph (fast for me) and that included a half mile worth of gravel driveway. Beautiful day! Saw a Nashville warbler, so the migration is making its way here. The white-throated sparrows were singing and the chipping sparrows were mating.

I am home in Minnesota! I love being home!

[Owlie]

Rough ride. Started bad. I hadn't eaten much all day and no time for dinner before ride. Also not much saddle time in this year, but you gotta start somewhere right??

DH did a "beginner" (no drop, 12mph avg speed, few hills) ride with the locals last week which I begged off of due to bad back spasms and otherwise just feeling unwell. He enjoyed it.

Tonight was the next ride and DH talked me into joining him on the ride. I was stressed from the start. First real road ride with a group. I also struggled (I'm a flat lander rail trail rider) with the term "no hills" and was always on the limit and by the time we got a few miles in I knew I was in trouble. Legs were gassed and rubbery.

The group stopped at the next light and I decided I wouldn't be able to do the scheduled 12 miles, plus didnt want to keep holding up the group, so the sweep rider escorted me back to the ride start. I felt horrible. Lungs on fire and just couldn't recover. DH went on with the group.

4.5 miles and 360 feet of climbing... Not my shining moment.

Shan

Miles is miles. Good for you--both for getting out there, and listening to yourself.

19.2 miles today. Really pretty out, and I made it up the long incline around or above my overall average. (Usually it's lower). I started out late, made a last-minute decision to add the extra 5 miles, and so didn't get back to the car until nearly 9. Oops!

I'm going hiking (maybe) with some friends in Yellow Springs tomorrow, then I'm taking Friday off, since I'm planning to do 50 miles on Saturday...