Over the Hump
I think I am over the hump. I did two strong workouts this weekend and I felt pretty good while doing them and afterwards. I can feel my inner beast starting to break free of its chains. It’s not quite free yet, but it busted 3 out of 4 arm and leg shackles. Hopefully it won’t be long before he is roaring along. He definitely came out today as I ran a hard 14 miles in the rain. He could be heard shouting at me to move my fucking ass.
Saturday’s workout consisted of my first “big” ride of the year; a 75 miler up to Nyack, with some extra hills thrown in. I wasn’t as weak as I feared. I was afraid that my dearth of 2006 bike mileage would make me a laggard. I rode with Todd and several other guys from the Prospect Park peloton. In the end I finished strong and had no problems keeping up.
During the ride I wondered at several points if I would start to become overly fatigued as the miles ticked on. Perhaps any fatigue was staved off by our stop at the famous coffee shop in Nyack. I’ve ridden through Nyack dozens of times, but I never made this stop. I’ve always preferred to just hammer through my ride and only stop for water refills and bathroom breaks. Chilling at the coffee shop for about 30 minutes was pleasant, but it was not my cup of tea when it comes to training. After all, I don’t have such a luxury when racing.
The place was a cyclist’s version of a Hells Angels gathering. There must have been over 50 bicycles in racks and leaning against any available wall or post. The crowd consisted of showboaters, weekend warriors and many other types sporting untold sums of the fanciest bicycle gear and a montage of colorful cycling clothes. I wonder if the fancy stuff makes you go faster. I think I’ll stick with my secondhand jersey with the broken zipper.
On the way home from Nyack, we formed a paceline and flew back to the George Washington Bridge. We probably averaged around 23 miles per hour. Once back over the bridge, we leisurely strolled back down the Westside and to the Brooklyn Bridge. I could have ridden longer, but I was glad to be home.
After the ride, I still felt good and had minimal fatigue. I started to wonder what type of run I would have today, considering I haven’t done a run, followed by a hard ride in a very long time. My legs still felt fresh this morning and I was eager to get started – another feeling I haven’t had in a while.
It was raining when I began the run, but the temperature was almost warm. The day called for 2 miles warm-up, 10 miles acceleration run - 8:30 mpm down to as fast as possible increase pace every mile, 1 mile warm-down. I did the workout pretty much as proscribed. During my penultimate lap, I wasn’t able to keep increasing the pace. I suppose the sogginess of my sneakers added weight and made it harder to maintain an increasing pace. I actually went over distance for the day. The last few miles were slow, but not laborious. I guess the rain made it easier to go on. I’ve always enjoyed running in it.
Run Stats:
Saturday’s workout consisted of my first “big” ride of the year; a 75 miler up to Nyack, with some extra hills thrown in. I wasn’t as weak as I feared. I was afraid that my dearth of 2006 bike mileage would make me a laggard. I rode with Todd and several other guys from the Prospect Park peloton. In the end I finished strong and had no problems keeping up.
During the ride I wondered at several points if I would start to become overly fatigued as the miles ticked on. Perhaps any fatigue was staved off by our stop at the famous coffee shop in Nyack. I’ve ridden through Nyack dozens of times, but I never made this stop. I’ve always preferred to just hammer through my ride and only stop for water refills and bathroom breaks. Chilling at the coffee shop for about 30 minutes was pleasant, but it was not my cup of tea when it comes to training. After all, I don’t have such a luxury when racing.
The place was a cyclist’s version of a Hells Angels gathering. There must have been over 50 bicycles in racks and leaning against any available wall or post. The crowd consisted of showboaters, weekend warriors and many other types sporting untold sums of the fanciest bicycle gear and a montage of colorful cycling clothes. I wonder if the fancy stuff makes you go faster. I think I’ll stick with my secondhand jersey with the broken zipper.
On the way home from Nyack, we formed a paceline and flew back to the George Washington Bridge. We probably averaged around 23 miles per hour. Once back over the bridge, we leisurely strolled back down the Westside and to the Brooklyn Bridge. I could have ridden longer, but I was glad to be home.
After the ride, I still felt good and had minimal fatigue. I started to wonder what type of run I would have today, considering I haven’t done a run, followed by a hard ride in a very long time. My legs still felt fresh this morning and I was eager to get started – another feeling I haven’t had in a while.
It was raining when I began the run, but the temperature was almost warm. The day called for 2 miles warm-up, 10 miles acceleration run - 8:30 mpm down to as fast as possible increase pace every mile, 1 mile warm-down. I did the workout pretty much as proscribed. During my penultimate lap, I wasn’t able to keep increasing the pace. I suppose the sogginess of my sneakers added weight and made it harder to maintain an increasing pace. I actually went over distance for the day. The last few miles were slow, but not laborious. I guess the rain made it easier to go on. I’ve always enjoyed running in it.
Run Stats:
posted by Rebel at 5:03 PM
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