Getting my butt kicked...

Sunday, March 20, 2011


Riding your bike on a trainer, though similar to riding outdoors, is far from the same…and my muscles were reminding me. John and I headed out on what was a perfect riding day, but we hadn’t gone 5 minutes before the aches of yesterday’s ride were visiting me in earnest. When I ride on a trainer, I stay mostly in one position and don’t change the gear settings. The resistance remains a constant throughout and there are no hills, wind or traffic with which to contend.

Hills are the biggest difference because I get up out of the saddle and begin to pull with my legs on the upstroke and my arms on the handlebars. The muscles of my butt get a much better workout and since I’d spent almost two hours riding the day before…the first outdoor ride of the year…those muscles were screaming the loudest.

John was cruising ahead on his new, ultra-light bike. He’d been working out most of the winter…running and riding a stationary bike as well and was in great shape. I stayed within myself and let him go. We climbed Old Mill (category 5 climb John tells me…which means the easiest as hills are ranked…but hard enough to have a ranking) and I fell 20-30 seconds behind, but felt good. We rode out Pekin Road, turning around at the 17-mile mark, which had taken us an hour to reach. The return trip was much quicker with the 20 mph head wind now at our backs. I felt strong for the entire ride…my conditioning is good, but not very fast. John was toying with me and had to back off to keep me company.

Two days in a row of close to two hour rides had left me fatigued that evening…and with carbohydrate cravings that always seem to accompany hard training for me. I made it until about 10 p.m. before succumbing to the urge and went to the kitchen to make some chocolate pudding…to which I added about three tablespoons of peanut butter. Holly had a little dish of the ‘four serving’ dessert, but I wolfed the remainder. Still…I’m losing weight again and I know it’s just the increase of activity I always manage to get when the weather breaks.

Bike duration: 1 hour 55 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 biking.
Calories Burned:  1750