I have Queen’s "Bicycle Race" song on my mp3 player. Most of the lyrics are pretty stupid – were they high when they wrote that song? Or, maybe they weren’t š I love the chorus, tho…
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
I was riding on Orange Grove Road and took a picture with my camera phone to show what a pretty day it was. This has become my favorite route – it’s a long stretch of road with no stops in rural Orange County. It is smooth with a decent shoulder, and has just the right amount of rolling hills to keep things interesting. Oh, and there’s that llama I saw last time – I saw him again today!
I was riding down one of those long hills which is immediately followed by a long gradual climb. The picture doesn’t do the hill justice…it’s one of those hills – not terribly steep, but long – that I used to look ahead at with dread. Now I just think, “Yeah, look at that hill”!
The temperature was 53 degrees. I was wearing my cycling shorts, jersey, a long sleeved technical shirt and my cycling jacket, sleeves removed and tucked into my back pocket early on in the ride. I also had my cycling gloves on. I don’t usually wear them (what are those for, anyway?), but thought they might help keep my hands warm. I was chilly going fast downhill, and I was warm going uphill. I felt just right otherwise. I don’t think it’s possible to dress so that you feel perfect during the entire ride. My toes were a tiny bit cold when I got home.
I once read this tip on how to dress for workouts: If you are going out on a bicycle ride, dress as if it was 10 degrees colder. If you are going out for a run, dress as if it was 10 degrees warmer. That advice works well for me!
Ride Stats: I rode 41 miles today, average speed 15.8 mph. Average Heart Rate: 141. Max HR 222 (I get those spikes when I go under power lines). I Tackled Borland Hill w/out a problem. I didn’t use my granny gear at all. Don’t know why – I just didn’t feel the need to. I decided next time I ride I will time myself going up Borland Hill, and try to beat the time each subsequent ride. While I feel I am at a very good place with my cycling skills, I think I need to start giving myself challenges so I continue to improve rather than merely maintaining the status quo.
When I am riding my bicycle, I don’t fret over my average speed. I just relax and have fun and focus on riding well (see earlier post). For some reason, my bike race splits are alot faster than my training rides. I think part of that is having to stop at intersections and traffic lights. I also think race day adrenaline plays a role.
Hmmm…maybe I need to apply these same principles during my runs: forget about pace, relax, have fun, focus on running well.
As you and Dave mention, the contrast between your last run workout and your bike ride speaks volumes concerning training. You can try too hard and make training tougher than it needs to be.
I loved your bike ride. I just finsished a short 11 mile tempo bike ride–that is all the time I have during the week days. With the rain expected, that may be all I can ride for awhile.
Bob
That sounds like a lovely ride! Personally, I’d love to have temps in the 50s — it looks like I’ll be riding today when it’s in the low 40s, and I’m grateful for that amount of warmth! But that’s what I get for living in the north … thanks for stopping by my blog and encouraging me, by the way.
Hey Carol – that’s exactly what you need to do sometimes: forget about the electronic parts (i.e. take off the HR monitor), don’t start the timer, and just enjoy whatever you set out to do (I read your last post too). Look around when you go out on these types of runs/rides. You see things you miss when you’re concentrating during the training days and it kinda picks one up to see something new. Plus after a while whether running or biking, I just think “Gosh, it’s great to be out here doing this!” Remember that no matter what, you’re a triathlete and there are a lot of people out there who can’t do what we do and who are in awe when they see what we can accomplish. So train to improve, but enjoy what you do as well. P.S. on your Evolution Running DVD: I like what is being said though there’s a bit too much fluff (commentary) and the drills are okay, but the one thing I’m afraid I don’t get in the DVD and book is where the speed comes from. More on this after you’ve watched a few times.