I was feeling really tired by the end of the week and started off my Friday morning by getting up at 3:45 so I could spend a hard two hours on the spin bike up at the club before school. I have to admit that getting up at 4 A.M. all week long is starting to get old. Saturday found me once again getting up at 5 A.M. so I could get out and enjoy a bike ride during the coldest part of the day. A good test both mentally and physically.The lake was somewhat firm, but the going was still slow and hard due to drifting from the snow and wind we received on Thursday. The cold, the layers of clothes, studded tires, spotty soft conditions, not a lot of fuel in my stomach, and pushing the 32 x 16 summer gearing on the old Hardrock all left me physically exhausted. Which in reality is not a bad thing at all. It was a hell of a good workout.
I had no idea how long I would ride or the route I intended to take. However, I did end up hitting some of the local lakes which is always fun in the winter. The ice fishermen are now driving on the lakes so I do my own version of something I call "Ice Road Bikers" kind of like the series on Discovery Channel "Ice Road Truckers". Then of course there is the option of also following the snowmobile tracks around the lake. It opens up some pretty interesting riding opportunities.The trails in and around the Maple Grove and Plymouth area still suck. Some have been cleared and some haven't. The trails near roadways are covered with snow plow debris so any riding from the house is a hit and miss proposition. Plus many of the trails especially those in the open areas were drifted over in spots due the snow and wind from earlier in the week.
The ride ended up being 3.5 hours long. Mileage....Who cares? My average speed was probably about 6-7 mph even slower on the lakes and trails. I didn't ride many streets or roads. Oh, and if you think you can't max out your heart rate at 5 mph...you're a sadly mistaken. It took all the strength I had to get up the last series of hills before home.Jill in Alaska shed some good light upon the subject of speed in relation to snow biking. In a normal race 5-6 mph is average, 7-8 mph and you're doing pretty good, hit 10 mph and you're going fast.
This morning would have been nice to get out on the bike, but I just wasn't motivated to put all the clothes on and I haven't changed over the gearing on the bike. I ended up going to the MG Life Time and spent two hard hours in the spin studio or "The Cave" as Kenny calls it.
The two hours (actually 2hrs. and 15 minutes) was almost all steady continuous climbing. My legs were still tired from Saturdays slog, but I forced myself through it spending most of the last hour suffering alone.
Just some thoughts and happenings...
On the lighter side of things one of my students apparently saw Michael Jackson's ghost in his computer. Stood up in the middle of their research class, screamed out loud and fell on the floor.
Just another day at work.
One of my colleagues had a student that needed to use the restroom. It went something like this..."Mrs. W., can I go to the restroom? My underwear have crept to where they don't belong.
The 32 x 16 is not winter gearing.
I need to re-evaluate my footwear for really cold weather riding. It seems I'm having a much tougher time keeping my fingers and toes warm this year than in the past.
Ten + pounds have to come off this old body. Along with that I need to spend much more time working my core (to save my back and the two herniated discs in my lumbar) along with flexibility.
Plantar fasciitis has returned with a vengeance.
The Pugsley build...This is really not a good topic for discussion right now. It took forever to get the parts and now that they are all here... Maple Grove Cycle is in the process of moving to a new facility and not much is happening with the bike. If they can't have it done by the end of this week I may just bring it elsewhere. I hate to do this, but I'm growing impatient.
What the hell is with QBP sending what appears to be a used bottom bracket?
2 comments:
Bill, you don't have 10 lbs to bring off the "old body!" Now don't you go all anorexic on us.
It's been nice spinning with you the past couple Sundays. The cave gets lonely!
hope you can get your pug built soon bill...everyone building one this now seems cheesed off getting parts...for me its the wait for a larry tyre over here....
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