On The Road...

Today is the final day of my spring break and I'm trying to be responsible and get caught up on paper work and planning for school tomorrow. The sun is shining brightly and part of me feels like I should be out riding. It has been a good week and I feel somewhat relieved of the stress I was feeling before break.

I had a nice visit up north and had two days of phenomenal northwoods hiking. The upgrades on my 29er are complete and it is now 3.5 pounds lighter than it was. I was able to get some small projects done around the house. Taxes are done and for the first time in quite a while we are actually getting money back. I was also able to get in some top quality workouts.
Yesterday was the first true test of where I am fitness wise. With two weeks to go before I turn 51 I'm feeling pretty darn good. Temps yesterday hovered in the mid thirties with very little wind. I headed southwest to the Baker Park and Maple Plain area. I love riding out in this area for several reasons. First of all...hills, hills, hills. Second the roads are fairly safe and people who live in the area are accustomed to seeing cyclists on the road. Lastly...beautiful countryside with farms and a lot of horses.

I rode laps around Baker and Lake Independence with the sole purpose of riding the hills to test my strength. I feel way ahead of where I was last year at this time. My legs felt really good and strong on the hills, but I still got somewhat winded on the bigger ones and the harder pushes. About three hours and 47 miles later...I felt temporarily satisfied. Now...we get ready for another 4-6 inches of snow and another wet cold week.
Bella, our pooch is feeling much better. She had some oral surgery done earlier and the week and was feeling a bit under the weather for a couple of days. She is definitely back to normal and we are pleased with that.