Dedicated to the guy swimming in the lane next to me who kept trying to race me this morning:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
It doesn't count
If you're wearing paddles.
What can I say, I was a science major. :)
I got to do my longest bike ride to date this Saturday: 2.5 hours out into the Ohio countryside. It was a pretty ride, with some dramatic clouds and springtime farm vistas. It was also the first time (okay, this might embarrass me...) that I put my front gear in the big ring for any extended period of time.
Wow, it really makes a difference.
Now, I know that in a tri, I usually should be in an easier gear so as to keep some legs for the run, right? But it was sure fun to see what I could do. I'm sure they're not great numbers for experienced bikers, but I was excited to hold stretches up in the low to mid 20's, with a max in the high 20s. (28ish? I can't remember now.) Getting out of the city, and even out of the suburbs, made riding a lot more fun. I'll have to get out that way more often on the long rides.
What else did I learn on the ride? I definitely need more calories, whether it's before the ride or during. I took one Hammer Gel with me to eat at the turnaround, along with two bottles of water, but sometime near the 2 hour mark, I really noticed my effort level going up to maintain the same speeds. Next time, I should at the very least have one more gel with me, and it might be good to have a gatorade and some pretzels, or something of that sort.
3 comments:
Fun, did you go by yourself? Where? I'm looking to start doing some medium/long runs on the weekends... (Sundays, of course)
Yep, Meredith decided not to go that day, so I was on my own. I assume you mean rides? We don't have a long one this coming weekend since it's fallback week, but we'll have a 2 hour ride next weekend. Maybe we could all do a ride together.
Oops, forgot to answer the other part of the question - I rode out to Croton and back, mostly along county roads.
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