Weeks end

"People who love cycling - those who live to ride - know that a bike is no mere toy. It is an expression of who you are, an instrument that can coax music out of the road and your body, a friend to keep close for some of the best days of your life."

- Peter Flax, Editor in Chief, Bicycling Magazine

This week I rode 4 days and a total of 108 miles, not great, but not bad. Friday I did a 22 mile loop that I have done before. Left from my house and rode the Burke-Gillman Trail to Freemont then back up brushing past the east side of Ballard and hooking up with the Inter-urban trail to Shoreline. It was a nice day and a great ride. I had to stop at a bike shop in the U district to set my seat higher. I have been riding in my new shoes and cleats which are apparently taller then my others. :) I was feeling it in my thighs for sure. It felt much better after about 1/8" raise to the seat post.

Yesterday Tiffany and I rode 40 miles around Mercer Island and the southern part of Lake Washington. The day started with me running late and then Brown Town (the brown 1990 Subaru Legacy) overheated making me even more late. I finally made it to her house and we left from there. About 6-7 miles from her house I got a flat. I ran out of water and almost left my glasses on a chain link fence where we stopped to pump up the flat. I remembered about a mile down the road and had to turn around. Needless to say, Tiffany was very patient and the ride was not quick, but it felt good to ride and I felt pretty good after. I was a bit dehydrated and didn't stretch properly after so got stiff. I need to remember to keep moving for about an hour after I ride or I get stuck in my lower back. Here is the link to the ride. My computer may be off, it said we went 40 miles, but the mapmyride map said we went 38. :( We'll see I guess, it seems to have been spot on in the past.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30469748/?open_ive_done=1

We are planning to ride 50 miles next Saturday. I have also learned that the schedule I created for myself just isn't going to work. I don't know where I am going to fit in another long ride during the week. I will try again, but not sure how to make it work with work and my church volunteer work, both important things. We'll see how this week goes. The light is deciding to hang out longer at night now which helps the training efforts greatly.