Last Mile Driven Training Ride & Adjusting on the Fly: A 35 Mile Ride
It is hard to believe that Tour de Fuzz is 8 ½ day
away. Where has the summer gone? Today is my last official half day, where I
take time away from the office to get my distance rides in. Depending on which Satellite you use, I either
road just over 36 or just over 35. I
tend to lean towards Coospo being right but mainly b/c it usually has me going
further and climbing more. What?! Of course, I like the one better that gives
me better results. Who doesn’t.
I had no defined route for today. I had an idea of what I was going to do. Go out Northfront to the Narrow Subway, turn
around, take Dyer to the end, turn around go back to Northfront, come down out
of the hills, go left on GreenBill, left on Patterson Pass, to Cross, up and
down cross, turn around come up Cross and then down patterns, to the end of GreenBill
and that should be a day, between 35 and 40 miles. Not too shabby. There was just one little problem and I do apologize
in advance for the topic, but last night I had GI distress, and I did again this
a.m. However, I thought it was out of my
system, and I am being literal here, so I casted off about 8:15 and head to my
business with Northfront, the Hill God, and any damn head wind they were going
throw at me.
I was excited to being going out Northfront. I love riding out
there. I am not sure exactly why, but I
do. The Siren’s call was back. Beckoning me to come up Carroll Road to
Flynn. I flipped flopped on it the
entire way out and up Northfront, but I told myself I had nothing to prove
right now, that I was in taper, and that big hill riding wasn’t going to get me
to the finish line any faster or better next weekend. I didn’t need to blow my legs out. I have business with Carroll and Flynn I know
I do, and one of these days I am going to take it on but not when I needed to
save some energy and rest for a good performance in a week or so. So, I road on
by, but I glanced back at Carroll as I passed, and I started to size it
up. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could
make it up the first part.
I went past Dyer and came across the Summit Garage and Auto
Repair. While I did the dueling banjos
music in my head, I realized I sort of like the little shop in the middle of nowhere. It made me happy to ride by it. Even it had just creeped me out a few days
before. I pressed on to the Narrow Subway
and the Waste Management Landfill. I had
to be careful turning around there it was Semi Central. Also, the traffic on Northfront is awful in
the morning coming west. I found my
moment and took my turn. I stopped and popped off the bike and took a quick photo
of me and the Narrow Subway sign, or as good of one as I could take. You won’t be surpsied that as soon as I
started heading west on the bike though the wind hit me in the face, and it hit
me hard. The head wind was back, and it
was not backing down. Damn you Hill God, damn you and you wind power.
Then I got back on the bike and head to Dyer. Something about Dyer gave me a really creepy
feeling today. I kept calling it in my
head Ed Gein’s Blvd. He of the inspiration
of Norman Bates and Leatherface fame. I
don’t know what it is about being alone in the country on an isolated street
with old houses that gives me the willies but man, it was in full force
today. I would say maybe I have seen to many horror movies,
but I don’t watch them. Anyway, turns
out the only creepy thing I saw on Dyer today was a dead snake. Think it was a Garter, saw no rattle on it. I
actually felt sorry for the poor deceased beastie. It was just trying to cross the road and got
hit by a car. It made me sad. Anyway,
I road down and back Ed Gein BLVD as fast as my thunder thighs would take me. As I was coming back towards Northfront on
Dyer the head wind and the Wind God decided to start blowing in my face. This is what really annoys me about this head
wind, it can’t make up its mind which direction it wants to come from. I mean it was coming head on at times, sometimes
from the side. Always strong and trying
to knock me over. My mind told me to apologize
to the Hill God and the wind, but I said no.
I said we were going to be enemies from here on out, but build a healthy
respect for one another, it would try to blow me over and I would just keep
riding into it.
It was at this point my tummy started to feel sour. It just sort of felt like a little cramp or
something. No gas, no bloating, but it
felt off. The last thing I wanted to do have
to go potty in the middle of no wear, so I toyed with the idea of riding home. The wind was beating me so hard in the face
though, I sort of said fuck it and just kept going and when I got to GreenBill,
I decided we aren’t going home b/c if we go home there is a chance we don’t
leave home again and we need to these miles in.
So, left head wind and the idea of going home and head down GreenBill.
Patterson Pass you are a bastard. You are always very hot. You also always go up and aren’t easy. At least you don’t have a head wind. From the time I turned on Patterson my tummy
just felt off. It was bugging me. I was trying to enjoy my ride but was worried. I mean you get to parts of these rides in Livermore
where there is no bathroom for like 10 to 15 miles. I climbed all the way up Patterson with what
felt like a stich in my side, and I said fuck it, I was turning for home. So, right at Cross, I turned and headed back home. Funny thing about heading home as soon as I
got home, stomach felt fine. Didn’t have
to go potty. So, I let Shiner out and had
a protein drink. I toyed with the idea
of calling it a day. I had 22 miles in
but I said no, I wanted to get my 35 miles in, so I put my helmet back on and
got back in the saddle and headed back for GreenBill.
I had fully intended to go back out Patterson to Cross. Then do Cross to Patterson. Then climb more on GreenBill. However, as I road towards GreenBill I
realized that I felt like I was peddling in mud and I had low energy. As I got onto GreenBill although the peddling
got easier the energy wasn’t really there.
I asked myself did it make sense with 8 days before my event to go and blow
my legs out on hills? I was riding again
on Friday, even if it was just an hour.
Climbing another 700 feet wasn’t going to prepare me anymore for my
ride. I was in taper after all. I wouldn’t go walk the Stanford dish a week
before Nike Half Marathon. I wouldn’t
got do an hour and half master swim a week before a mile swim at Pac Grove. So, should I really be blowing my legs out?
This is what happened.
I got all the way over in the left turn lane to go out on Patterson Pass,
as I was going to do it. I had planned
it, I needed to do it right? As I
coasted towards the light, I said no, I don’t need to do it, so I got back in
the middle lane to go straight and just do the hills on GreenBill, then at the
last minute I pulled off and turned right on Patterson and said no, I don’t
need to do the hills. I am going to ride
flat as I can from here to home and get my 35 miles in. Climbing one more hill today won’t make next
week any easier or harder. I have trained
for this ride. I have climbed pretty
much 3 to four days a week every week in June, July, and August. If I am not ready by now, then I never will
be. My legs were very grateful for the
choice I made. I could have done
it. I just want to conserve as much energy
for next weekend as I can. There really was
no reason to push it. So, I went Patterson,
to Mines, Mines to East, East to Maple, Maple to 4th, then some
other side street back to First and I took first back pretty much to Northfront
and came on home. I was proud of my
ride, it was a good ride. It has been a
really good summer of riding. I freaking
love it and riding isn’t going to stop after next week. I think I might like riding better than
swimming. Plus, the Sirens are still calling me and I have a call
to answer 😊
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