Originally Posted by
cmolway
Thanks Jim.
My commute isn't too far...If I slack too much, I'll never be able to hang with the cat 3's at the Saturday morning hammerfest out of cycleloft.
My goal is to get at least 200 miles of riding in every week. On top of the 90 miles I do commuting, I try to get to a couple of group rides and do an early morning ride or two--probably in the range of 100-120 miles...
Thanks for the reply. My own personal 10 week century training schedule on week number 7 called for a 71 mile ride on Saturday. At about 5:30 AM there were some vague predictions of rain but the Doppler looked clear, so I took the road bike. I went from Kenmore Square to Norwood to work for few hours, by way of Salem.
The first few miles through Everett are gritty urban; Revere Beach Parkway is nice in the early morning; Rte 129 and Atlantic Ave are particularly nice through Swampscott and Marblehead, and a prime destination is Marblehead Neck up to the lighthouse. When I arrived I even turned off my radio to listen to the quiet and had a snack overlooking the beautiful ocean coast and all the sail boats in the harbor. They even have a public restroom there. I then went to Salem and got lost for a few miles but found my way to Peabody and my pleasant inland route from the North Shore back to Boston.
Usually I do a wide loop to Norwood through exurbia, but yesterday I came back through town, and traffic was pretty crowded on Route 60 through Malden and Medford. I had my second snack in Medford and a the pedestrian came up and we chatted about my Bridgestone RB-1. I bought it back in the 1980’s (at
Cycleloft) mainly because it fit and I've since learned it's considered somewhat of a classic. That pedestrian was quite knowledgeable, and he even knew the Japanese name for it. He had bought an RB-2 back then, because he couldn't afford a RB-1. I then it made my way to Norwood via Cambridge, Allston, Brookline, West Roxbury, and Dedham. The day turned out to be perfect weather, and I did 71.25 miles.
For me, I consider 70 miles and greater a
long distance ride, with two immediate benefits. First is the feeling of what I call “profound fatigue,” only achieved through that much effort. When I arrive at work I'm glad to just sit down and get to it. Secondly, I rise the next morning particularly early and refreshed. I'm a lark anyways, but this morning I was out of bed at 3:30 AM; going to sleep at about 10:30 PM the night before (after an evening of ballroom dancing).
BTW, nice to see SBP after an absence, our Fearless Leader and OP of this thread. I have on occasion cited “Metro Boston; Good ride today?” as a virtual subforum for us Metro Boston riders, and one of the most congenial threads on BF. And I have cited SBP himself for his excellent and gracious writing style.
