At school today

I tried to make it in to work early today and considering riding in the entire way, but I hitched a ride with Amy partway. It is nice to spend time with her because my riding and work schedule is so different than her work schedule. I ended up riding into work about 12-13 miles in 45 minutes, only to realize I had left my keys at home and no one was at the shop yet. It was fine because I used the time to study for a test I have tonight (which I should be studying for now) and also forced me to take the train towards school and then ride 5 more miles. I had planned on driving my car (which I left parked at work the night before) but this time my disorganization lead me to add miles unlike times in the past where it cut into my workouts.

Back to the books.

Report on last night's ride home

So I skipped out of 10 miles on the ride home last night. I have been scouting a route that cuts through the foothills between my home and school instead of going around them. It involves riding through land owned by a development company which they set aside to meet required "conservation" leases in order to receive huge tax breaks. In reality, as soon as the "conservation lease" expires the land will be promptly developed. To make matters even worse, the land (and the paved roads throughout) are gated and off limits to anyone. I finally gave them the figurative middle finger and rode on a paved road that basically runs due north to my house. While it was ten miles shorter, the climb was brutal, both due to the grade and my lack of planning. It ended being an elevation gain of about 1,300 feet in four miles. Add to that the ass kicking I gave myself on the 25 miles to school, and the fact that it was 7:00 pm when I left school and my last food intake was at 11:00 am and it equals me making noises similar to that of a pig shitting a football and fleeting feelings that crapping my pants was a distinct possibility. I actually stopped pedalling at one point to fart because I didn't think I could work both my leg and sphincter muscles at the same time. I also felt like I was going way, way to slow to make it home in the two hours I told Amy to expect me in, so I kept pushing. It turns out I made it home in an hour five or so over the 14 miles.
I am not sure if the threat of overtraining is becoming a possibility now or not. But at this point I am just happy in being able to push myself so hard. And I didn't work out at all today, so in this case I am sure I am fine.

Arrived, under goal

I am at school right now. I am not sure exactly how long it took because I couldn't find my stopwatch, but based on the time I left and the clock at school, it looks like 1 hour 30. Not too shabby, especially since I had to change a flat!
I went at a quick pace, and added a bunch of sprints to stoplights, both to avoid sitting at them wasting time and to build my acceleration. It really worked me. The last portion of my ride is a long false flat that is really a gradual uphill. I spotted another rider a couple miles distant and poured on the juice to try and catch him. I ended up within 30 yards before I had to turn left, while he continued straight. It really helped to finish stronger than I would have otherwise.

Off to school

I skipped the ride to work today (I have Tuesdays off, but I was going to pick up some extra hours) but I still have a 48 mile round trip to school. I am going to time the ride and use the MP3 player to distract myself from the pain that sometimes occurs when I try to make it under a certain time limit. I am shooting for an hour and twenty minutes on the way there and one hour fifty on the way home. I have a half hour to get ready so I need to pack a change of clothes, hit up the ol' toilet, charge up my light and fill water bottles now. I'll report back.

No rides in the last three days. I attended a wedding on Saturday, I wanted to ride into work, work for a half day and take the train to meet up with Amy. But the train was canceled over the weekend for rail maintenance. Luckily I noted this valuable info the night before, thus driving in to work instead. Sundays have lately become my days off the bike and it remained that way again. Today I was all set to ride into work and then ride home, but realized my shoes were in the car, parked at Amy's parent's house. I thought I could jump to the backup shoes, then remembered pillaging a cleat from them last week. I was upset that I was disorganized and missed a ride, but at least I remembered two minutes before Amy left so I carpooled to the train station.
I will no longer be able to leave things in my car, I am selling it. I had planned on buying a cheap motorcycle and saving up my car payments for awhile. But I may be buying a nice roadbike instead. Banning (the shop owner) offered me a spot on the race team, which would also mean a free carbon frame. I would still have to put a few hundred dollars of parts into it, but they would be at wholesale prices and could be paid off interest free over a few months. This off course means I would have to start having to taking my riding rather seriously. I wouldn't have to change my mileage by a huge amount, but I would need to stick to a regular training schedule. Of course if I have no motorcycle, then well...
I worked out a schedule:
Mondays I would ride at a hard pace into work (1 hour 20 is my best time right now, 25.5 miles) and them hard home (1 hour 40 thanks to climbing the hills.)
Tuesday is my day off and I normally don't ride much lately due to school, but I would add a long mountain or road ride of 3 hours or more at a moderate pace.
Wednesdays I would drive my bike into work, but leave it there and ride home at an easy pace. I think it will be about 2 hours 10 a night.
Thursdays I would ride into work at a moderate overall pace but turn certain sections into mini sprints or climbing each hill as fast as possible to keep my time within 1 hour 35. Then I would drive my bike to school (Or pedal) an d then home (or if pedalling, have Amy pick me up after her workouts).
Fridays would be an easy ride into work, taking about 1 hour 50. Then I would probably have Amy meet me for dinner or a ride home. I took Friday nights off for years and it is hard to ride or workout still.
Saturday i would leave open to either the motorcycle or a ride at "Saturday pace."
If I have a motorcycle, I would still have to pedal every other Saturday. "Saturday pace" varies and depends on the other bike traffic. There are always more rides on my route than normal, but sometimes I still only see riders on the opposite side of the road. But sometimes I see four or five riders and end up chasing them down. And I never like to be passed. Saturdays on the way home are the same, but I generally back off the pace, but the other riders out seem to be doing the same.
That adds up to a weekly total of 230 miles plus another dirt ride or 40 road miles if I don't end up with a motorcycle, which is actually pretty close to the amount of miles I should be riding to compete at the level I want to.
Anywise, I need to get some sleep and ride in tomorrow morning and then off to school.

This looks like a fun course...

Back on track

So since my last my last post I have been back on the bike. The very next day I rode into work. It was a good ride, I felt strong and pedaled well. I wasn't sure what time I left the house, but I thought it took about an hour forty. I took the train and met Amy at the station. The next day I rode in with a watch on. I kept it running as a stopwatch. It was awesome, but I think I will have to limit myself to that once a week. I ended up pedaling my ass off. I kept glancing down, estimating my mileage (I refuse to use and computer, and this reinforces that decision) and then trying to make up the time to get to work in an hour and a half. When I was about five miles away, I noticed I might be able to make it an hour and twenty minutes. Which I did… with twenty seconds to spare. I was very excited, especially when I realized I averaged over 19 miles an hour including stoplights and other road crossings. That day a coworker asked if I wanted to go watch speedway motorcycle racing, which is racing smallish single cylinder motorcycles on a very tight oval. It sounded like fun which it was, a lot. Check it out:


More details on the wacky, brakeless, bikes later.
But getting to the races involved another ten miles of riding in under forty minutes. I did, but I was dead at the end of the day.
I didn't ride on Sunday, but I rode partway into work after carpooling with Amy. It was only ten miles and I kept the pace slow. That night I took the train and met with Amy.
The next day I was all set to ride the 40 mile round trip to school and back but I broke a spoke within five minutes of starting off. That is the one drawback to rough commuting miles, it really beats up your stuff. I fixed the wheel tonight, did some homework, and got my mountain bike ready for some dirt tomorrow morning.
Woo-hooo

Redhook ESB (Redhook Brewing; Seattle, Washington)

I had it for lunch today on tap. Smooth with maltiness and hops, but not bitter. Not as malty as Fat Tire and much hoppier. It's awesome.

Blah

So I was a lazy ass this morning and didn't pull myself out of bed in time to complete my checklist, and therefore ride. I felt down about not getting out to ride, but I managed to make a healthy breakfast of whole grain hot cereal for Amy and myself.

Ended up driving my car in with my bike in the back. Work went really quickly, and I looked at the clock and realized I had 15 miles to change a tube and get to the train station...

My plan was to leave my car at work (also forcing myself to ride in the next morning) take the train a few miles closer to campus, and then ride my bike the remaining five miles at a wicked rate of speed, sit in class, and then continue once again at a blistering pace a few miles further and carpool with Amy homeward.

I swapped the tube and hauled ass out, got jammed up and at a street crossing thanks to the two ton death boxes, missed the train and ended up driving to school.

Leaving my car at school invited logistical nightmares and possibly financial consequences, so I drove home as well.

One last chance invited itself once I finally did make it home, saying, "ride up the hill, out to the end of the road." I turned it away.

So, I rode: 0 miles

In the morning...

I will wake up early, shower, eat breakfast, pack a change of clothes, change he flat on my bike and ride to work. (Total: 25.5 miles)

Then I will ride the train from work to the train station and ride to school. (3 miles)

Then to eat free pizza and beer with Amy's softball team. (7 miles)

I need to wake up by 6:00 AM, at the latest!

I am putting this in print to make it so.

The reward is 35 miles in, spread out over 12 hours so it is a soild way to build mileage.

WAKE UP!

I wish I was a diurnal creature, but I am wired to stay up all hours of the night typing and clicking away in front of this computer.

Results

So I rode after I set my goal last post. I only ended up riding 20 miles or so. I did a three mile warm up in 8 minutes and 17 miles in 50 minutes. I felt really good about my time. It is one of the first ocassions I have timed myself. I also did an eassy pace 10 mile ride with my sister last week and a 5 mile sprint. Yesterday I rode 24 miles but without the clock. I was glad to be riding despite it being 104 outside.

Today I will ride home 25 miles from work.