Monday, January 14, 2008

108 miles in a weekend and Angry's marathon

Ok so I didn't get a full century ride in...but I came close..72 miles before darkness forced me to get of the bike last night.
Saturday:
I managed to eek out a nice 30 mile "hill" workout descending into Southington and earning the ire of local motorists. Now its not my fault there's no shoulder on route 322 and I have to ride hugging the white line and I have to swerve for sand piles and storm drains , but the teen bopper in their impreza can storm troop over all that crap without spilling a drop of their mocha latte. But except for the one pissed off dude in the subaru laying on the horn at me most people gave me room, and it was a fairly good ride. Sadly I did not take TBS up Southington Mountain, the thing has a 12,23 rear cassette and from expereince those extra two teeth on the big rear ring make a lot of difference, no I will save that excursion for the spring when I am a little more comfortable with my climbing progress, ie I can descend without fear that the infamous sandpile of doom is waiting at the bottom of the hill. But the golf course climb was no cake walk either, granted it was more of short steep rollers with some false flat but it'll still burn the quads.

Sunday:
I went to mass and then it was off to the Lake to ride with a couple of guys from the Y. As I stopped in Thomaston for gas and a quick cup of Joe. I got a text from Angry:

"Bob-o I'm leaving this distance shit to you."

I called him up to try to get a race report. Some things I was able to decipher from our brief conversation:

1. If the race started @ 7:00AM he beat P Diddy because I received his Text @ 11:16
2. He beat runner girl making the two people who voted for him very proud. ( He was receiving texts from the Canadian Super Studlet and she was at about mile 20 or 21 when we talked. But it also depends on which corral she was in I'll check official results for details on this.)
3.It was humid as hell, I don't mean Connecticut in July Humid I mean Nashville marathon Humid, The Great Chicago Deathmarch...I mean the 07 Chicago marathon humid, Kona lava fields humid: His exact words "I was pulling what you did in Nashville and downed a couple of salt packets."
4. He is pretty certain he's sticking to half marathons and less.

After leaving Dunkin Donuts in Thomaston it was up to the lake, for a 9-12 lap love fest.
Now one of the guys I was riding with had been giving me the whole " You really don't think you'll finish in 6 hours, because that's averaging close to 20mph, and you haven't done a full century yet." After two loops of the lake he changed his tune ...I had dropped him at mile 6 and he stuck back to ride with the other guy in our group so I was in no man's land once again, for a couple of loops when I reconnected with Century rider, a we rode for a bit until his chain popped. I managed to get nine loops of the 7.75 mile lake for about 72 miles so all in all it was a good day in the saddle. I averaged about 17.5 mph, in the 4:02 ride, including three stops one to put on gloves, one to use the bathroom( no "letting it fly" during the winter.) and one to turn on my flasher and put on a headlamp. I also decided to get in a loop of the lake on foot. Now it's weird running with a headlamp but its definitely better than when I tried to run in the pitch black street lamp to street lamp. I managed to get the most dangerous section of my loop ( the run along CT 45) out before the sun set I stopped at the State Park to relieve my bladder ( once again no using the super absorbent chamois in winter.) I managed to get the run in including restroom stop in about 1:12. My legs were a little tight when I got up this morning but other than that I fine from my bike focus weekend. This week will be devoted to running ( since mother nature just had to remind us it's winter and dump a couple inches of the white stuff.) and as alway swimming. The weekend will hopefully yield another long brick , with the added chance for a ride ( weather permitting) on Monday. Well that's all I can write for now.

The basher of the Brick.
R.D.

4 comments:

Mr. Satan A. Chilles said...

I'll leave the desciption of the Disney Marathon to Angry himself, I'm no expert on that course, but when I checked the weather online at 6:30 Sunday mrning, I saw that the humidity level was 96% THEN. So you must've heard correctly from Brotha-A. Sheesh. Choice words will be spoken by The Angry One soon.

In somewhat happier news, thanks for the workout description(s), they're taking on new meaning for me now that I'm getting all messed up over spending, swimming, biking, running, discussing and obsessing. I'm nowhere near your level of training, and may never be, but it's always nice to know we're all out there in the same boat. Which reminds me, I need a boat, because swimming SUCKS.

rocketpants said...

woohoo!Yea, I'm glad to see bike ride of length got in. Tough to do when New England winter decides to be a pretty nasty one.

Speed Racer said...

Wow, sounds like a huge weekend. After something like that (in the winter, no less), I'm surprised your crotch was even working well enough to pee (in your shorts or out).

PS Disney started at 6, but don't tell Angry I told you that.

Bob Almighty said...

Thank you for you're comments guys, like I said I apologize for not too many visuals due to lack of home internetage.

Satan: Don't worry man, keep up the master's practices and you'll be cutting through the water in no time.

Pants:Thank you for the encouragement, if the weather keeps up like they say its going to keep up expect a New England Refugee at your door.

Speedy Claire: bicycle shorts with a thick chamois, bicycle tights and toe warmers are a beautiful thing...