Yesterday evening was a hard ride. I rode 5 miles to a local cemetary and did a 1.25 hr Zone 3 interval around the .86 mile crit course I set using the drives in the graveyard. One of my riding buddies was also riding the interval. We didn't ride together as he kept going a little harder than my Z3 pace, then would drift back and draft me a lap or two, but we stayed close until the last 10 minutes where we took turns leading laps. Riding the same .86 mile lap can be mind numbing but it is good practice for crit races with tight turns and wash, rinse and repeat cycles for what seems forever. I kept my HR in the upper end of Z3 (around 148-150) the entire time and refrained from racing my buddy. My average speed for the 1.25 hr interval was 21.1 mph, a new record for the course. I'm feeling really good about having my ankle fused on Dec 1st and that I've fully recovered my fitness and even have better from now that the ankle pain is gone.