finally…a nice day for a little fast cycling. really worked on pedaling real fast….90 RPM for 30 seconds intervals. on the way back into the headwind, i went for one mile fast. all in all, i felt really strong and fast. a great workout on an even greater day. wooooooshhh…
Author: datruthchronicles
APRIL FOOLS
APRIL FOOLS
a brisk, beautiful morning. the crisp air was actually quite welcomed after weeks of bitter wind. while on the run, an old time runner came up. i remember him as that “Danny Shipley” runner back when Great Neck Elementary had a stadium. he also served as a marshall at a Turkey Trot event years ago. he looks good. we exchanged words and i watched him gingerly vanish into the distant past. our meet gave me a warrior sense of accomplishment as an endurance athlete. we are not April Fools. we are built to endure all the ups and downs of life. change will happen with you…or without our presence. i choose to be there as it happens. thank you Lord!!!
BEST RIDE IN THE RAIN
after a morning workout indoors, i took a nap. upon waking, i noticed the rain had stopped. checked the weather. it showed a 2 hour window. got on my bike and rode my Home 20. worked on cadence. last 1/4 of workout it rained but i pedaled very strongly. my best ride of the year. probably due to good rest and multiple past meals. Lots of energy. very strong. life is great.
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
the blooming of cherry blossoms is my signal to step up my workouts….increase distance and intensity. the weather is still cold…workouts in the low 30s…but i did step up my workout. the cold weather still rules in tempering workouts but the cherry blossoms are a welcome sight. spring is close. life is good.
SPRING HAS NOT SPRUNG
a rather chilly 31 degrees greeted Foxy and I. definitely not springlike. decided to walk at First Landing Park. my Snuggbuds was not working correctly as numerous shorts cause me stop to jiggle and jangle the tunes to come in distort free. add those to Foxy stops of nature, i finally found a nice rhythm for the last 1/4 of the workout. a nice workout…but…sping has not sprung. yet.
PEDROED
wanted to ride in Suffolk. the group had a 60 miler planned. i talked Pedro into riding with me. told him will only do 30 miles at C pace. started off very chilly and windy. since the group was doing B pace, we told them to ride ahead. after a few miles, Pedro couldn’t hang. he had shortness of breath from the cold and being out of shape. He wanted me to go ahead. I elected to ride back with him. He felt bad but i told him we just started off too fast. He then wanted to ride at Dismal Swamp. I agreed. Rode right into the headwind going south. out and back is 16 miles. decided to work on cadence. it was nice going back in the big gear. during a 2 mile stretch i was averaging 20mph. all in all it was a nice day for a ride.
SHAMROCK WEEKEND
JORDAN BRIDGE
the Tidewater Bicycle Association first event of the year
After 3 months of relatively no riding, we were blessed with a rather perfect day for a bike ride. I looked forward to this ride because of the Jordan Bridge…the highest physical landmark in the 757…to practice climbing. Hills are practically nonexistent. I practically learned on the spot during last years Seattle to Portland double century. A couple of hills on that ride humbled me to a walk out of fear I might fall from sheer exhaustion. But to do the STP in one day on my first major bike ride is definitely a proud accomplishment considering last year at this time I almost gave up cycling from falling down consistently by failing to unclip from my pedals. The Jordan Bridge is a nice structure to at least practice climbing. Better this than nothing.
There were about 100 riders. The group split up into the fast riders (A and B) would do 23 miles that would include both the Berkeley and Jordan Bridges. The C and D riders rode 15 and 10 miles respectively. I’ve always considered myself a C rider because I rode to build stamina in staying in the saddle for over 10 hours. As i took off quickly with the B group, I was very fortunate to hook up with Kelly H. and her hubby Rhys who were expert riders and even drew up the routes. All three of us rode at a nice pace.
The beginning was a bit chilly…mid-40s but it warmed up to the high 50s and a couple of hours. I got up the Berkeley Bridge quite easily but on the descent I literally fell off the curb at the bottom since i did not see the driveway. I hit the ground pretty hard. Luckily the only the thing happened was my chain came off. Wow…was i lucky. 🙂
As we approached the Jordan Bridge…it looked like a huge roller coaster as i looked toward the sky. I could see other cyclists slowly moving up to the peak. Rhys advised me to find an easy gear first that could get me up on a nice easy pace. His tip reminded me of Johnny’s tip in Seattle. I had to throw out all the thoughts of spinning up the hill at a certain high cadence. The tip is to take your time and find that easy gear and pedal to a nice smooth and rhythmic cadence. As i found my tempo, I just concentrated on my breathing. A few minutes later, I was on top on now started to feather my way down on a rather steep decline. Jordan Bridge…I own you now!!!
After a few miles of turns in downtown Portsmouth, we headed back over the bridges. Since i was more familiar, I confidently rode both bridges nicely. At the end, the beer and the fresh baked pretzel was a great way to celebrate this first ride and my first triumph over the bridges. Thank you Lord for keeping me safe.
Life is good!!!
datruthchronicles 
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