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Archive for September, 2009

That was a great ride. Unlike the last Sunday where 45 minutes seemed like days, I got through this one with no problems at all. At the halfway point I felt strong and still had plenty of energy. The weather was really good, I would have to say it was just a touch cold when I set out. Warming up pretty fast now though!

Lots of other bikers and plenty of runners out there. Looks like people are taking advantage of the cooler weather in the mornings.

Of course since I worked off all those calories there’s bacon and eggs sitting on the table. Curse you wicked temptation!

The group was ride was fantastic, except for that stretch where they left me for dead, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Fantastic weather this morning, although a touch on the humid and sticky side. I really liked this ride since everyone was doing a great job of sticking together. They all kept the same pace and even though it was a pretty brisk pace one, it wasn’t beyond anyone’s abilities. It was great to finally get back out there after missing a few weekends.

I followed the group that was doing the 40 mile trek. I figured I needed the miles and the workout. Everything was going pretty well until the pack started to drift away. I thought I was keeping a pretty good pace of 20mph, but it seems that wasn’t good enough as they started to disappear around the corners. After a couple minutes they were out of sight and two other guys and myself did our best to try and catch them. I couldn’t let these guys get out of sight, I had no idea how to get back to the car! It really didn’t work though and the group had to take a breather and wait for us; oh the shame of it all… At least I wasn’t the only one.

They seemed quite rested so who knows how long they were waiting there. Perhaps they had a pizza delivered, ate it all and discarded the box discretely before we arrived. With a twenty second respite we were off again. I did fine for the rest of the ride and kept pace no problem so I’m not sure what happened back there. I wasn’t fatigued I just couldn’t get any more speed going. Head wind! Wind shear! Cross wind! If I had that new 2010 Specialized Roubaix I could have kept up! It was the shoes, I need different shoes! No wait, I didn’t have the right flavored Gatorade.

Anyway, it was a really good ride and I’m glad I went. Now we’re off to the AutoFair at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. My buddy Harvey and the Porsche Club will be out there and hopefully there will be some VW Bugs to check out.

I would like to say I spent the weekend covering hundreds of miles on my bike by spending hours in the saddle. Sadly, this was not the case. I did spent several hours in the saddle, but it was affixed to my trainer not in the carefree outdoors as I had envisioned in my mind. I did ride 20+ miles a day and pedaled like a loon, but I was in front of my computer. What stopped me you ask? Crockpots.

Yes, crockpots. In a strange turn of events Donna and I decided to do some Fall cleaning by re-arranging our living room, moving my computer setup known as “The Command Center” to another room (out of our bedroom much to Donna’s excitement) and starting a slew of cooking which involved multiple crockpots. And in these crockpots I crafted two very exciting meals that I’m sure will become world famous. Who can resist the mighty power of roast beef? And with that slight chill in the air it’s the perfect time to make some. And in crockpot number two I put together a festive pork dish with spicy Dijon mustard and tangy BBQ sauce.

I let that simmer for 8 hours and it was something pretty damn special.

Sunday’s ride was put on hold as I eyed the crockpots once again. A cooking epiphany had come to me during the night. A vision of spices and sauces I wanted to combine. So, down to the freezers I went to retrieve more roasts. I went with a slight change in spices for my pot roast and added a touch more onion. For my pork roast I went with spicy Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes and curry. Oh it was a delicious blend that tickled the nose.

I should have gone out after refilling the pots, but moving the Command Center had generated so much dust and chaos that it needed to be addressed. I will refrain from describing the carpet and the army of dust bunnies which had taken up residence where my desk used to stand, but suffice it to say the carpet was not a uniform color.

After spewing dust all over the house and sending everyone into asthmatic fits, the massive cleanup was complete. Then, and only then, did I feel comfortable in riding my bike, on the trainer. Another 22 miles.

You should labor on Labor Day, right? I should have labored outside and ridden 60 miles since it was so nice. And that was my plan. I even laid out my new Aussie shirt so I would be a sight to behold as I went sailing by.

Nope.

I slept later than I expected and reveled in the idea of not having to go to work for the third day in a row. After a hearty omelet breakfast and scouring the freezers for more beef and pork to roast (Donna was the voice of reason and said four pounds of each was plenty and made me put it back) I tidied up some of the messes I had made and then hopped on the bike. A quick 22 miles and I was ready to hit the BBQ with bratwurst, hotdogs, chicken and steak. And yes, I had some of all of it! That’s why we ride! So we can be gluttonous when the occasion calls for it!

So all totaled I went nearly 75 miles for the long weekend. A far cry from what I wanted to do, but at least I did some. I did check on my heart rate and found it sits around 170-180 while I’m pedaling. Not sure if that’s good, but it sounds like a cool number!