Riding hard, riding long...

Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday evening was just one of those nights cyclists die for.  Though it was windy, the temperature was hovering around 70 and the skies were clear and blue.  To me, it all said ‘long ride’.

I’ve been riding more in the past 10 days than I have since last summer.  Since it’s all I’m really supposed to do, I’ve filled my exercise craving by doing more of it.  I’d ridden 50 miles with Bruce last Friday and been in the saddle for over three hours that day, but half of it was easier than my normal pace.  Not so today.  I was going to ride alone and try to push myself.

I left the house thinking I’d head out Pekin Road and turn around at Burton/Windsor, a ride of 54 miles.  When I reached the turnaround though, I was feeling good and decided to keep going deeper into Amish country.  I like riding the roads through their farms since the traffic is lighter and the scenery is unique.  It’s like stepping back into a time when the bicycle would be an advanced form of transportation.  I rode a little beyond the 30-mile mark before turning and heading for home.  Throughout the return trip I waited for the cramping in my thighs that I’ve been experiencing on almost every ride over two hours...but it never came.  I was facing a strong headwind for the return trip and expected to take ten minutes longer going home, but managed to keep it to five, arriving in my driveway about three and a half hours after I’d left. 

So...two weeks after surgery and I’m riding hard for over sixty miles.  Not bad.  I jumped in the neighbors pool, destroying his pH balance while cleaning off the salt caked on my body.  I made a wonderful smoothie but found that my sweet cravings had not be satiated and found myself downing a sweet roll and some chocolate milk later that evening.  You burn a lot of carb calories on a sixty-mile ride and I needed to replace them, though I hate doing it with simple, crap calories.  I’ll punish myself tomorrow with another hard ride.

Bike Duration: Three hours and 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2900.