72.68 Miles for George Washington's Birthday

After loafing around yesterday and doing absolutely nothing (other than feed myself and watch TV), I woke up today at 6:45Am and decided that I was going to make up for it by riding my bike 50 miles. A fitting way to celebrate George Washington's Birthday (well, aside from joining a re-enactment group and marching around with a musket).

I left the house at 9:30AM and headed for the trail, catching up with a group of 3 guys in their late 30s/early 40s (maybe older, judging from the short grey beard on one guy) heading East and I struck up a conversation, starting with "Nice shorts" to one guy, who was wearing the same shorts I was. I followed them East on the W&OD and up the Custis Trail, to the guy's house (his house is literally 30 feet from the trail) and exchanged information (remind me to carry a bunch of business cards wherever I go, now).

Then I jumped back onto the Custis, back to the W&OD-East to the Arlington end (which was my original plan for the day). Got to the end and noted the winds had picked up and it was getting a little colder, even though it was about 12:00PM at that point. After I had fed and watered and took a picture for posterity, I headed back West. I figured out why it was windy and cold: rain clouds were rolling in. Yay for low-pressure zones, sucking in the weather.

It wasn't supposed to rain today, but it did as I was passing through Reston (teh suck), and Winston Churchill's words "If you're going through hell, keep going" rang through my mind, pushing me on. I decided while it was nice and warm and sunny that I would try for a century, but now that it was cold and rainy and not-fun, I was seriously reconsidering. I decided that I would at least get to Partlow Bros. Barbecue in Ashburn and make a final decision.

So I got to Rte. 28, stopped, stretched, ate some food, and got back on the bike for the gradual-uphill slough and made it to Partlow Bros., which was open (thankfully). I went inside, had a sandwich and bought some supplies (I'd eaten both of my Clif bars by then, and I was out of Powerade and only had half a bottle of water left) and headed back out...into the cold. I decided then that I was done for the day, that I would head back.

Going back was a bit easier until just after Rte. 28, as it's all downhill and pretty easy to maintain 25mph. Then I got to The Gauntlet and my speed dropped to about 13mph--teh suck. Once I got to the parkway, I decided to make a pitstop at my parents' house, since it's essentially on the way back to my house anyways. Getting there, though, was pretty hard (and I knew it would be, so I wasn't surprised).

I pulled up, got inside, and knew that was it--I wasn't going to push it by going the final four miles to my house; I was already pushing it by going 70ish miles today, as the longest I had gone since the Sea Gull was 60 miles, and that was so long ago as to not be relevant to this season anymore (and the longest this year had been about 35 miles). My body gave up the moment I sat down inside; it was 3:30PM. I had been on my bike for 6 hours today.

My mom came home, and I got a lift to my house.

Oh, and I found out what happens when you don't clamp the cable down tight enough on the rear derailleur: your bike becomes a 2-speed, only being able to shift the front derailleur between the two chainrings of the crankset. Good times. Good thing I had my multitool--I was able to get it back to semi-working condition, but I'm going to have to go back and tweak it some more, as well as clean the whole bike now, since it was wet and muddy in some parts (like the very beginning this morning).

Statistics:
Distance: 72.68mi
Saddle Time: 4h42m09s
Actual Time: 6h
Start Time: 9:30AM
End Time: 3:30PM
Start Outside Temp: 55°F
End Outside Temp: 52°F (felt like 45°F for the wind, though)
Max Speed: 33.1mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 15.4mph
Avg SPeed (actual): 12.1mph

TNT Training Ride #2

Rode up and down Rock Creek in D.C. Beautiful ride, with the sun and clear skies and 30°F cold air =). I guestimate that I did an average of 15mph for two hours, since I didn't have my computer mounted to my bike (I forgot it was in my pocket!). And I was late to start, because I got lost in D.C. and didn't get there until 9:05AM (and the start time was supposed to be 9:00AM)--juuust missed the start, but I was able to follow where they went and I caught up pretty quickly.

Met a few more people, but I'll probably forget all of their names--I should start learning their names by their bikes. I know "Jeff" rides an old, steel Trek 520 w/ bar-end shifters and a kickstand..."Kim" is riding a comfort bike, uhh...can't remember too many other people =) Seriously, when everyone's dressed up, they all look the same to me. Once it gets warmer and the windbreakers come off, then the personalities will come out--I'll be wearing my VT or Speed Racer Jersey for most of the time, definitely =)

Good times!

Friday Training Ride: Let There Be Light!

Brought my bike to work so I could leave early and go for a ride, since it was going to be such a nice day today. Met up with my brother at the 7-Eleven, rode to Rte. 28 and back, both of us making good use of our lights, although mine kept flashing the "low batts" warning. Maybe I should look into dynamo-powered lights, hub-generators.

Statistics:
Distance: 14.47mi
Saddle Time: 1h00m01s
Actual Time: 1h10m
Start Time: 5:30PM
End Time: 6:40PM
Start Outside Temp: 55°F
End Outside Temp: 52°F
Max Speed: 29.0mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 14.4mph
Avg Speed (actual): 12.4mph

Second TNT Training ride tomorrow! W00t!

Smile! you sonnuva-

Roy Scheider, star of Jaws and SeaQuest DSV (my favorite role of his, since I grew up with it) has passed away. How does it relate to my training? It doesn't really, except that he had been diagnosed with Myeloma, one of the three main blood cancers that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team In Training are raising money to fight against. Even famous people die, and even famous people get Myeloma...

Call all hands to raise the anchor.
In the West, the sky is clear.
And tonight we'll sail together
For New England, home, we'll steer.
(source)

Goodbye, Mr. Scheider.

First TNT Training Ride: Hains Point

The first official TNT training ride. Rode around Hains Point, Washington, D.c. about 7 times (it's a 3+ mile loop) with the rest of the team...or at least, I leapfrogged from group to group; it was fun, albeit cold (and I forgot one of my ski gloves).

Statistics:
Distance: 22.65mi
Saddle Time: 1h30m39s
Actual Time: 1h35m
Start Time: 8:00AM
End Time: 9:35AM
Start Outside Temp: 37°F
End Outside Temp: 39°F
Max Speed: 25.9mph (I was chasing a car here; I could keep up for a minute or two =)
Avg Speed (saddle): 15.0mph
Avg Speed (actual): 14.3mph

Friday Training Ride: GO LANCE!

I got my first "GO LANCE!!!" shouted to me out of an SUV window today! W00t!

All the while I was sitting in the Great Parking Lot of Route 66 (rubberneckers for a 3-vehicle accident), I was thinking "if this takes me any longer, I might as well have ridden my bike today"--which I should have, since it was damn nice today.

Oh well. I rode when I got home, opting to go up Walney and Poplar Tree and exploring Jacob's Neighborhood instead of my "usual" route, going to my parents' house and back. I got over 12 miles out of it (up 4 from the 8 I would've gotten with my usual route), plus I learned that practically every road winds back on itself and/or leads to Stringfellow or Route 50. Good times. There was one part where I got a little more-lost than I wanted to be, but when I saw super tall, slender trees, I figured out where I was instantly and was able to orientate and bring myself back to Stringfellow...where I got my "Go Lance!" shout.

I was all ready with a "GET A HORSE!" comeback, too (preemptive against "GET ON THE SIDEWALK!"), but the shout put me off guard and all I could do was grin =)

Statistics:
Distance: 12.62miles
Saddle Time: 44m21s
Actual Time: 50m
Start Time: 5:05PM
End Time: 5:55PM
Start Outside Temp: 49°F
End Outside Temp: 49°F
Max Speed: 26.9mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 17.1mph
Avg Speed (actual): 15.1mph

First TnT ride tomorrow! 8AM! Hooray!

Wednesday Training Ride: Ride Against The Wind

Woke up early, got to work early, left work early, got home in time to ride a few miles. Better than nothing. The wind on the way back was killer--going downhill, if I wasn't pedaling, I was slowing down--it was that bad. But I made it home--thankfully, I was riding my Trek 1500, and boy did I make good use of that granny ring, I'll tell you what.

Statistics:
Distance: 8.37 miles
Saddle Time: 31m26s
Actual Time: 35m
Start Time: 5:30PM
End Time: 6:05PM
Start Outside Temp: 63°F
End Outside Temp: 62°F
Max Speed: 34.3mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 16.0mph
Avg Speed (actual): 14.3mph

Sunday Buddy Ride

Absolutely. To Partlow Bros' and back with my brother and his fiancée (my Dad and my friend Mike--who is also doing TNT--were called into work--bummer!).

Statistics:
Distance: 36.94mi
Saddle Time: 2h23m26s
Actual Time: 2h50m
Start Time: 1:50PM
End Time: 4:40PM
Start Outside Temp: 49°F
End Outside Temp: 55°F
Max Speed: 35.0mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 15.4mph
Avg Speed (actual): 13.0mph

I'm happy that my body's remembered how to go long distances, although mentally I need to remember that I need to eat every so often...nearly bonked on the Hill of Doom on Walney--I was just completely out of gas by that time that my speed dropped from a good 17mph to 10mph down to 7mph. But it was good.

Had a guy (his name is Gaston) on a Cannondale mountain bike pull up next to me and comment on how nice my bike was. Then he asked what Cat(egory) I raced, to which I said that I didn't race. And then he takes off, on his mountain bike (with full-knobby tires) at about 20mph (which is absolutely bombing-it for a MTB). Nice =)

A Day This Nice...

with a day this nice, who wouldn't? Took the 5200 out for a spin again, again to my parents' house and back (slightly different routes in and out, though). It was warm enough to wear the Under Armor, VT Jersey, shorts, and nothing else thermal. Fingers are still frozen, but they're functional enough right now =)

Statistics:
Distance: 8.83mi
Saddle Time: 30m (on the nose, according to my comp)
Actual Time: 35m
Start Time: 4:45PM
End Time: 5:20PM
Start Outside Temp: 51°F
End Outside Temp: 49°F
Max Speed: 36.3mph
Avg Speed (saddle): 17.6mph
Avg Speed (actual): 15.1mph

Good times.

The Inaugural Post

Welcome to my training blog! In the coming days, weeks, and months (and years?) I'll be posting here about my cycling training.

If you haven't heard by now, I've joined the National Capital Area chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training program. I've signed up to train for, and to participate in, the America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe this June.

As part of the training, I've pledged to raise $4300 for LLS' cause, and I'm asking anyone who reads this to help by making a contribution. Each donation goes towards accelerating cures for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and brings hope to the patients and families who are on the front lines of the battle against these diseases.

Please use the link below to donate online quickly and securely. Upon donating, you will receive a confirmation by email and I will be notified right away.

You can learn more about my efforts, check on the status of my training (I'll be updating it regularly), and make a donation by visiting:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/kentridestahoe

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I thank you very much for your support and generosity!