Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Back on track after Saturday's abort

Rest, cool weather, and good fueling? A good night's sleeep last night? Lots of stretching over the weekend? All of the above? Anyway, I left the driveway at 7 am and finished the run at 1:38.

Three loops of 20.1 miles each, topped off with one of 6.7 miles = a tidy 67.

Strangely, I rode each of the 20.1 mile loops faster than the previous one. The first I rode in 1:48:53. The second was more than a minute and a half faster, at 1:47:22. And the third -- although I was definitely feeling more tired -- I rode in 1:46:03. These are figures from the bicycle computer, which only measures the time that the wheels are turning, not the time stopped at traffic lights, etc. But even total elapsed time, as measured by my stopwatch, showed me speeding up rather than slowing down as the ride progressed. Rounded off to the nearest second, my notes show 1:52, 1:52, and 1:50.

Could I have gone farther, at the same speed? I really can't say. I felt like I was on my last legs during the last loop, yet that was my fastest. And then I went on to ride the final 6.7 -- which has more hills than the long loop -- in 39 minutes, for an average of 10.3 mph.

I really don't understand it. But I'm not complaining.

3 comments:

  1. Great job! Sounds like you're getting stronger.

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  2. Maybe that's it. And I feel pretty good today, too. A little tired, a little stiff, but nothing like I did after much shorter rides six months ago. Frankly, I'm amazed.

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  3. Feeling tired after 66 miles sounds very normal to me.

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