Mileage PR

I just wrapped up another week of cycling, which ended in a weekly mileage PR of 169 miles:

MON: 32.2 mi, 1:48:20, 313' vertical
TUE: 57.4 mi, 3:34:35, 1371' vertical
THU: 40.4 mi, 2:14:03, 482' vertical
FRI: 39.0 mi, 2:19:24, 902' vertical

TOT: 169.0 mi, 9hr 56 min 21 sec (17.0 mph avg), 3068' vertical

Tuesday's ride (with Tom) included loops around both Newman Lake and Hauser Lake. Newman is a challenge due to some pretty good climbs, but this week it was even more of a challenge because of the road work I wasn't aware of before the ride. They had laid down chip seal for about 1.5 miles on the northern side of the lake. That slowed us to a crawl. For some reason, the rocks kept sticking to my tires and getting stuck under my brake levers just above my tires. Other than that (and a stiff headwind on the way back), it was a great ride. Monday and Thursday were pretty standard Centennial Trail rides, but on Friday I decided to ride from my house, which meant I'd have a nice climb at the end of the ride. It's only the second time I've ridden that climb, and I was much more prepared this time (I'm 8 lbs. lighter and in much better shape). Not to say that it was easy. It's still a pretty grueling climb for me. It'll be a nice gauge of my strength and fitness in the future.

Speaking of which, I've really felt a boost in fitness the last couple of weeks. Summer is half over, so it's nice to finally "feel" like a cyclist. By the time the Coeur d'Fondo comes around (I'll be doing the 108 mile Gran Fondo, around lake Coeur d'Alene, on Sept. 26th), I should be ready. There's a lot of climbing on that ride, so I'll have to step up my game in that department leading up to that ride. Next year at this time, I fully plan on being a monster on the bike. Mark my words, I will never allow myself to get out of cardio shape again, like I did in 2014. If it's too nasty to ride outside during the winter months, I'll be burning up my trainer and catching up on some Netflix garbage (maybe I'll save season 5 of the Walking Dead for such occasions ;-)

Yes, this is still being written by The Resurrected Runner, but I think I'm slowly morphing into a cyclist. If and when the day comes when I can run again, it'll be as part of a program that contains plenty of two wheel workouts. I might even throw in some swimming again if the mood strikes!

So, if injuries are keeping you from one activity, find another one that keeps you fit and healthy. No excuses!

A Wee Bit o' Speed

Due to a quick trip out of town, my cycling efforts are being limited this week. Thanks to bad weather, I rode my trainer for an hour on Monday. After a day off on Tuesday, I rode outside on Wednesday. 32 miles (out and back course) in a tad over 1:45, for an average of 18.2 mph. That's my fastest pace of the year so far, and it felt good (although I think I strained my upper left hamstring pushing hard uphill). The speed is slowly coming around, although I'm not out there racing. What was encouraging was that my legs felt kind of flat during the ride, not fresh like they did during last Friday's 40 miler, and yet the pace was still quick.

There are obviously some similarities between cycling and running, but I feel like a novice cyclist. I'm still discovering what I can do on the bike, and how things should feel at a given pace, or under different conditions (i.e. wind). I may never have the deep love for cycling that I've had for running, but it's growing on me every time I ride.

I have a new (modest) bike mileage goal this year: 2015 miles (See what I did there? Clever, right?) I know some of you run that much in a year, but I'm keeping it conservative as I ease into the sport. I've ridden just 249 miles this year, but with the nice, warmer weather on the way, I'll likely be putting in a lot more mileage. I hope to ride regularly into late fall, and even a bit during the winter, if conditions allow.

I'm also tentatively planning on doing a long ride in late September with a friend. It's a big, organized ride, with many distance options. I'm leaning toward the 84 mile ride. I'll be training myself to ride longer distances leading up to that. With a relatively easy 40-miler under my belt already, I don't see any problems with building up to that by September.

Ride on!

(maybe I should change the name of my blog? Or will I be resurrected as a runner again someday...?)