Twenty neighborhood laps helping with my stamina

I hit the neighborhood at 6 a.m. this morning, much to the surprise of my wife (and me), after rolling from side to side in bed fighting the urge to train! But each training opportunity missed, will be one step backwards for me in my goal of riding 160 miles on October 4 and 5 in the Valero Bike to the Beach.

But I double-surprised myself this morning. Approaching the usual 15-lap mark, about 13 miles, I continued to feel strong. So with no regard for the time I just decided to round it up and rode 20 laps around the outer perimeter of the neighborhood for 17.5 miles (28km). And, for the first time since starting training, my thighs ached as I walked to the office and for much of the day…but it was a good pain. A pain that told me that it’s good to be alive and that I clearly must be doing something correct finally!

Something I didn’t share with you from Saturday was that I actually peed on that training ride! Another first for me, and I was so proud (LOL)! And I had the urge again during my 75-minute training session this morning. Many of you were telling me that I must “take care of business” while riding, and if I’m not, then I’m not drinking enough fluids.

Anyway, I pushed my envelope a little today and kept the bike operating in the big ring only, shifting up and down the rear cassette as needed. This clearly was a contributing factor to my thigh ache throughout the day, but I also felt that it pushed my bike workout to the next level.

I plan to “ride the hood” Wednesday and Thursday mornings. I’m heading out of town to Kemah, Texas, this weekend, where the event I’m involved in will hold a non-drop, relatively easy 30-mile or so ride both Saturday and Sunday. We’ll see if I can pickup my cadence and/or speed this coming weekend.

I haven’t been able to report exact, computer-generated statistics since the weekend. I found that a wire became dislodged from my bike computer, likely a result of the fall I had on Saturday. I can’t see where to plug it back in, so home my cycling buddies on the weekend can help.

C ya on the road! Tony
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