Sorry my dear blog followers, I've been terribly busy with this new module in school. I haven't had much time for fun stuff, so I really don't have much to blog about. We have restarted the Chicky ride at met for the first time this past Wednesday on Mill Mountain. We had 6 chickys come, and we had a great time. I hope this same group sticks together for the remainder of the summer. I hope to also have some group rides on the weekend, but with school who knows!
Heading to Raleigh, NC tomorrow to see Keith Urban in concert at the RBC Center. FUN FUN!!! Back on Sunday to write another stupid paper. SIGH!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Two Rides One Day!!!
Started off my day at Carvins Cove where I enjoyed wonderful weather. Mid 60's, low humidity. I felt great. I took my time and still managed to have a 7.5mph average for 13 miles. A vast improvement over the race Saturday. Today's route was: Four Gorges, Brushy Mtn Fireroad (explored looking for new trail), down BMF,; Songbird, EF, Little Bell, Schoolhouse, Happy Valley Fireroad, Arrowhead, HVF, Benett Springs Road. Loved it today.
Got home and decided to clean both mountain bikes, so they would look spiffy. Then I got a text from P wondering if anyone wanted to ride on Mill Mountain tonight at 6pm. Sure why not. I'm sure it's going to be rough, but oh well.
So I met Paula at the Discovery Center and we headed out down Zoo Poo, Ridgeline, Monument, Crystal Spring, cut through the neighborhoods to Fern Park, climbed it to the Parkway, then went down WoodThrush, bushwhacked to JPFish took it back up the the intersection where we went back to my car. All total this ride was 7.6 miles. Good time, I climbed better than I thought I would have given the earlier ride today. It was a blast just to be out and even more fun to see my long lost buddy!!!
We're hoping to fire up the Chicky Ride again soon - gotta figure out a day that's good for most. I'll just work school around it. I need my bike fix!!
Speaking of which, while I've been off from work I've ridden a total of 110.6 miles!! That includes road and mountainbike! That's probably a tad short of what I really road given some GPS gaffs!
Alright, gotta go!
Got home and decided to clean both mountain bikes, so they would look spiffy. Then I got a text from P wondering if anyone wanted to ride on Mill Mountain tonight at 6pm. Sure why not. I'm sure it's going to be rough, but oh well.
So I met Paula at the Discovery Center and we headed out down Zoo Poo, Ridgeline, Monument, Crystal Spring, cut through the neighborhoods to Fern Park, climbed it to the Parkway, then went down WoodThrush, bushwhacked to JPFish took it back up the the intersection where we went back to my car. All total this ride was 7.6 miles. Good time, I climbed better than I thought I would have given the earlier ride today. It was a blast just to be out and even more fun to see my long lost buddy!!!
We're hoping to fire up the Chicky Ride again soon - gotta figure out a day that's good for most. I'll just work school around it. I need my bike fix!!
Speaking of which, while I've been off from work I've ridden a total of 110.6 miles!! That includes road and mountainbike! That's probably a tad short of what I really road given some GPS gaffs!
Alright, gotta go!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Fat Tire Frenzy = FRIED
Worst race I've had in a long time. Poor preparation on my part equaled poor result. This is one of the best race courses Kenny has ever designed (with the exception of the first mile). It was supposed to be fast, but I couldn't make it that way. I am disappointed in my result and am determined to do better. I'm not even going to get into what all went wrong for me. It's not productive to do so. I'm off work tomorrow - my last day of vacation - and I plan to go ride. Time to right the wrong.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Vacation Ride #2
So yesterday morning, I decided to go on a longer ride. This one was called Pinetown Covered Bridge on Lancaster Bicycle Club's website. I was looking forward to seeing another covered bridge; the ride I did earlier in the week took me to Belmont Covered Bridge as would this one. I actually got a later start than I wanted, but that's ok. Mother Nature waited until I was done to crank up the heat.
There is absolutely no way I can remember each road I was on, as I said in my other blog post this week; so much of the scenery looks the same here. I get so twisted and turned around that I can't figure out where I'm at in relation to anything else. As it turned out, I would get lost three times on this ride. When I started off I forgot to have the GPS start the course file and when I started it a mile and a half into the ride, I picked the wrong one. I turned the direction of the GPS which didn't match the cue sheet, so I had to turn around oops. It wasn't a bad error though. I got to Pinetown Covered Bridge around mile 12.5. I decided this would be a good time to enjoy my banana. I took several pictures (will post them once I get home). Watched a farmer in his field and noticed that his dog had spotted me. I hoped that she wouldn't chase me or try to bite. As it turned out, she was friendly and soon ran back into the fields with her owner.
I could have sworn the cue sheet said turn right. It was on the fold as I had it in my holder. I rode for a good bit before realizing I wasn't seeing the next road to turn on. I found a tree in the edge of someone's yard for some shade (not too many shade trees here). I grabbed my phone, turned the GPS on and figured out my mistake and worked out a reroute to where I needed to be. The roads again were awesome - mostly void of traffic. I did see a lot of bikers out. Once I was back on the cue sheet I felt more relaxed. Soon I would find myself at the Sheetz gas station we had stopped at the day before for Diesel for the truck. I locked my bike to the rack, grabbed the expensive items (I trust no one) ran inside for more water. Flopped under a nearby tree to hydrate and eat a Honey Stinger wafer (YUM). Rested there for a few minutes before continuing on my ride.
Eventually I wound my way to Belmont covered bridge and crossed Rt 30 onto some other roads. At this point I was off of the printed cue sheet and using directions I created from Google Maps. Not too bad except I didn't have distances between turns, so I turned onto a road that was unmarked thinking it was what I needed - WRONG. I stopped to ask some cows for directions - no not really, but they did have a shade tree. Grabbed the phone again and voila! I knew exactly where I needed to go. What sucked is my legs had pretty much given up on me at mile 33. I wasn't going to let it ruin my fun. I kept going forward. It was such an awesome ride.
I ended up riding 41.5 miles as best I could estimate. I can remember some funny stuff about the ride. 1 - PHONAK Floyd - there was this one guy riding near some fancy houses in a full on Phonak team kit including helmet and yellow shoes. I half wondered if this was Floyd Landis since he is from this area. I pondered for a while, had it been him, would I want his autograph? It was also funny on this one road, the vehicles were me on my Lemond, an Amish guy on his Raleigh, a horse and buggy, a tractor and a big delivery truck - I laughed at the variety. And finally, the only time that I sweated really bad was when I had to stop and figure out how lost I was. As long as I was moving I really didn't notice being too uncomfortable. I did have my jersey unzipped for a bit then felt bad about it once I rode past a few Amish people. OOPS, didn't mean to be offensive.
The road riding scene seems to be fairly active here. Their bike club has a ton of rides on their websites, cue sheets for tourists and from the markings on the roads, I'd say there's probably more to be discovered. They do have an annual fundraiser ride in August called the Covered Bridge Metric Century. I think this would be an awesome ride to do, but not so sure August would be too comfortable temperature wise.
Anyway, gotta wrap this up. Traveling back home tomorrow - bike race Saturday! YIKES! =) Will post pictures when I get home.
There is absolutely no way I can remember each road I was on, as I said in my other blog post this week; so much of the scenery looks the same here. I get so twisted and turned around that I can't figure out where I'm at in relation to anything else. As it turned out, I would get lost three times on this ride. When I started off I forgot to have the GPS start the course file and when I started it a mile and a half into the ride, I picked the wrong one. I turned the direction of the GPS which didn't match the cue sheet, so I had to turn around oops. It wasn't a bad error though. I got to Pinetown Covered Bridge around mile 12.5. I decided this would be a good time to enjoy my banana. I took several pictures (will post them once I get home). Watched a farmer in his field and noticed that his dog had spotted me. I hoped that she wouldn't chase me or try to bite. As it turned out, she was friendly and soon ran back into the fields with her owner.
I could have sworn the cue sheet said turn right. It was on the fold as I had it in my holder. I rode for a good bit before realizing I wasn't seeing the next road to turn on. I found a tree in the edge of someone's yard for some shade (not too many shade trees here). I grabbed my phone, turned the GPS on and figured out my mistake and worked out a reroute to where I needed to be. The roads again were awesome - mostly void of traffic. I did see a lot of bikers out. Once I was back on the cue sheet I felt more relaxed. Soon I would find myself at the Sheetz gas station we had stopped at the day before for Diesel for the truck. I locked my bike to the rack, grabbed the expensive items (I trust no one) ran inside for more water. Flopped under a nearby tree to hydrate and eat a Honey Stinger wafer (YUM). Rested there for a few minutes before continuing on my ride.
Eventually I wound my way to Belmont covered bridge and crossed Rt 30 onto some other roads. At this point I was off of the printed cue sheet and using directions I created from Google Maps. Not too bad except I didn't have distances between turns, so I turned onto a road that was unmarked thinking it was what I needed - WRONG. I stopped to ask some cows for directions - no not really, but they did have a shade tree. Grabbed the phone again and voila! I knew exactly where I needed to go. What sucked is my legs had pretty much given up on me at mile 33. I wasn't going to let it ruin my fun. I kept going forward. It was such an awesome ride.
I ended up riding 41.5 miles as best I could estimate. I can remember some funny stuff about the ride. 1 - PHONAK Floyd - there was this one guy riding near some fancy houses in a full on Phonak team kit including helmet and yellow shoes. I half wondered if this was Floyd Landis since he is from this area. I pondered for a while, had it been him, would I want his autograph? It was also funny on this one road, the vehicles were me on my Lemond, an Amish guy on his Raleigh, a horse and buggy, a tractor and a big delivery truck - I laughed at the variety. And finally, the only time that I sweated really bad was when I had to stop and figure out how lost I was. As long as I was moving I really didn't notice being too uncomfortable. I did have my jersey unzipped for a bit then felt bad about it once I rode past a few Amish people. OOPS, didn't mean to be offensive.
The road riding scene seems to be fairly active here. Their bike club has a ton of rides on their websites, cue sheets for tourists and from the markings on the roads, I'd say there's probably more to be discovered. They do have an annual fundraiser ride in August called the Covered Bridge Metric Century. I think this would be an awesome ride to do, but not so sure August would be too comfortable temperature wise.
Anyway, gotta wrap this up. Traveling back home tomorrow - bike race Saturday! YIKES! =) Will post pictures when I get home.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Vacation Ride #1
My first ride of my vacation was Monday - it ended up being about 25 miles. One thing to note, this the first time I've ever brought my bike to Lancaster. I've ridden a bunch in Gettysburg and hence I know my way around pretty well. I've only stayed in Lancaster 3 times prior to this trip. The odd thing about riding here is the scenery pretty much all looks the same. Farmlands, barns, houses, silos, windmills, poop, animals, etc. At home we have natural landmarks which help you stay oriented to where you are. Gettysburg likewise has landmarks and things you can look up, see and have an idea of where you are, but here it is completely without landmarks. I was not too far from the campground where we're staying, but had no idea which direction I was traveling in. It will be funny to get home and hook the GPS back to the training center software to see where I was.
Tomorrow, I am planning to go on a longer ride - 40 miles hopefully. I will try to blog again soon. I want to blog about navigating with Garmin and cue sheets, but I need to get to sleep.
Race day is on the horizon as well - Saturday! Yee haw!
Tomorrow, I am planning to go on a longer ride - 40 miles hopefully. I will try to blog again soon. I want to blog about navigating with Garmin and cue sheets, but I need to get to sleep.
Race day is on the horizon as well - Saturday! Yee haw!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
So... the early bird gets the worm?
Yesterday morning, I got up early to go ride. I was on the bike and rolling by 715. I wish I could do this everyday! It was so peaceful that early, but I sure rendered a lot of spiders homeless. I rode:
Bennett Springs Road > Songbird > Little Bell > Schoolhouse > Fireroad > Arrowhead > Eforest > Comet > BS Rd
A few observations: 1 - people have placed 1/2 - 1" sticks in some of the low points on the trails - if there is mud there and it bothers you, then perhaps you need to wait another day before riding. These sticks are not going to help anything dry, but surely will get stuck in a wheel or derailleur. Your 50 cent repair could cost someone a lot of money. 2 - there are way too many people riding wet trails - this has result in bad ruts in many places - deep ruts that again take longer to dry and when they do make the trail very rough. 3 - the water holes/streams have water in them still, despite the 90 degree spell we've had there is still water running at the Cove. Good sign for us City residents and our water supply, but again trail erosion near them is bad.
I wish there was a way to make the idiots stop riding wet trails, but there is no way to keep people out other than trusting their good judgement, which obviously they are lacking. Sheesh.
Meanwhile, as I'm riding back to my car after my 10.5 mile ride, I feel something splatter on my face from my front tire which loves to shed mud in my face... I reach up thinking it's mud, nooooo it was a small worm! ICK! So see, the early bird does catch the worm.
Leaving for vacation in PA tomorrow - I have a few road rides planned. Will try to blog about them ASAP. Hope to include pictures as well!
Bennett Springs Road > Songbird > Little Bell > Schoolhouse > Fireroad > Arrowhead > Eforest > Comet > BS Rd
A few observations: 1 - people have placed 1/2 - 1" sticks in some of the low points on the trails - if there is mud there and it bothers you, then perhaps you need to wait another day before riding. These sticks are not going to help anything dry, but surely will get stuck in a wheel or derailleur. Your 50 cent repair could cost someone a lot of money. 2 - there are way too many people riding wet trails - this has result in bad ruts in many places - deep ruts that again take longer to dry and when they do make the trail very rough. 3 - the water holes/streams have water in them still, despite the 90 degree spell we've had there is still water running at the Cove. Good sign for us City residents and our water supply, but again trail erosion near them is bad.
I wish there was a way to make the idiots stop riding wet trails, but there is no way to keep people out other than trusting their good judgement, which obviously they are lacking. Sheesh.
Meanwhile, as I'm riding back to my car after my 10.5 mile ride, I feel something splatter on my face from my front tire which loves to shed mud in my face... I reach up thinking it's mud, nooooo it was a small worm! ICK! So see, the early bird does catch the worm.
Leaving for vacation in PA tomorrow - I have a few road rides planned. Will try to blog about them ASAP. Hope to include pictures as well!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Fitness Test
So tonight my most excellent trainer/friend Lisa decided it was time to do a fitness test. Here's what resulted.
| TEST | RESULT |
| 1-mile run on flat treadmill | 8:29 |
| 1 minute of body-weight squats | 62 |
| 1 minute of push ups | 47 |
| 1 minute of situps | 27 oops! |
| Plank Hold | 1:38 (my foot started to hurt) |
| 1 minute of pull ups (diagonal, not traditional) | 30 |
| 1 minute of bench dips | 51 |
I am not sure I've ever run a mile in 8:29, not sure it will happen again. And to think no one was chasing me. It's obvious that my strength is in my legs. Cardio may not be as poor as I think. I am good at pushups and dips, but pull-ups suck. I was disappointed with the 1:38 for the plank hold, but my foot started to hurt. And situps, not sure what happened there. I like to have my feet braced and she didn't let us do that, so it was too hard to keep feet down and do sit-ups quickly.
We have to repeat this in 6 weeks, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'll be sure to post an update.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Anyone see Spring leave??
Someone forgot to invite spring to stick around for a while. 95 already? Give me a break. I hate this weather. I needed to be getting ready for my race in two weeks, but I can barely stand walking outside much less riding or running. I'm really bummed out about it too. =(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)