52 miles today, went to Seal Beach by way of Whittier Narrows Dam. Head wind for 21 miles. Had a taco, talked to a 78 year old man who used to ride but his knee was hurting him. Windy, some people had two or three layers while i just had my cycling shorts and a top. After a long stop started home. The wind had shifted and was coming for the Mountains, so it was warm and a head wind again! Head wind both ways. Nothing i could do so i just ground it out.

32 easy miles after work, beautiful day.

Did my usual Monday 1 hr recovery ride. I did a lot of yard work and got behind on my timing and didn't get out until dusk. Was a beautiful evening in NE Ohio except for the moths and other bugs which were everywhere and I didn’t wear my glasses. Got home in the dark and still felt like noodling around the yard on the cross bike. I put the P7 light on my helmet and the NiteRider Minewt on the bike and rode around the yard and local wooded area. Was pretty cool, the helmet light would illuminate where I was looking while the bike mounted light would light up where I was headed. I could do sharp truns around trees and see ahead to where I wanted to go. The moth hatch was pretty creepy in the grassy areas as the lights really illuminated them against the dark background.

The only regimen for most of us is time on a bike. That said, two weeks is indeed not enough time to make any substantial difference but I would suggest two things. The first is a heart monitor. By staying in a good, aerobic place you will maximize your effort in terms of your cardio improvement. Secondly is to try to add a bit to each ride. As you move past 20 miles you'll start to need some carbs to keep energy up. Most folks at the 20 mi point are probably riding 12-14mph and can do an hour and a half without much food but very soon you'll need to munch a bit to keep your energy up.
I'm 59 and surprised to learn, as I get back into cycling, that my body isn't working as well as it did 40 years ago. I'm shocked. Just be careful to not overdo the push toward fitness. That's my second point. That's my hardest lesson, having had a recent, minor, stroke when I decided to enter a race and had a stroke as I got off my bike at the finish. No lasting problem from the stroke but now I'm "forbidden" from pushing to my max hr. I used a HR monitor and "ride my heart rate" (and did so before the stroke). Although I have a good feel for my "zones", it's not unusual for my HR monitor to beep telling me I am daydreaming and I should pick up my pace or alternately beep to tell me I'm not 20yrs old anymore and I should back off the pace. Good luck in your endeavor.

My wife had PT this morning so I left late for my ride (12:45 PM). I usually leave home between 10:30AM and 11:00 AM. Way too much traffic later in the day so only did 34 miles. :crash:

20 mile commute home. Still a lot of hills :(

Rode to and from work today - about 20 miles. VERY pleasant sunny day in the Heartland today.

11:30 AM the Temp Hit 96* in my area.
55 miles

With the temp at 79° and 32% humidity it was feeling pretty nice after work today. With that I got in 36 and a high avg for me, 18.6mph. I believe there was a little aid with the wind though but all in all a great ride. I kept the pace up pretty much the whole way without dilly dallying around too much.

Attended the local cyclo cross practice this evening. After drills, sprints and then a couple tempo laps we did some race intensity laps. I was feeling it tonight so I did the "extra bonus hot lap" to end the practice. I can't put my finger on it, cyclo cross racing really hurts, but is really a lot of fun (once it's done).

No ride Monday (rest day after long ride Sunday). No ride Tuesday (wife had health scare, we were at the ER, fortunately it was nothing serious). Maybe no ride today (work all day, 100% forecast of thunderstorms for late afternoon/early evening). No ride in 3 days and I'm just about jumping out of my skin.

Did my stretching and resistance exercises, 45 minutes of swimming, then my 20 mile hill ride.

12 miles as a preliminary run-up to the pie ride.

38 miles today, I love riding a bike! Just sayin'

Short commute home - 12 miles. On the down phase, one more day. Friday off, an' then Saturday an extended ride for endurance.

Not today, but I rode until 11:30 last night, does that count. It was absolutely beautiful outside last night, couldn't stop.

Yeah kr32, I hear you. I went to the gym tonight for the first time this season (see post above about not being able to ride the last 3 days - I was desperate just to get some exercise.). 50 minutes on bent and upright stationary bikes, and man I was BORED silly after 10. I don't mind 4 hours on a real bike out in the world, but less than an hour in the gym and I'm frickin dying of boredom.

The only virtue of being in the gym is that I work damned hard while i'm there because there's no other virtue to the place. So I got a good workout and I felt good afterwards.

I think about getting a trainer, because at least it feels like riding a real bike, but one of the ways I fight boredom in the gym is by rotating machines - 20 minutes on one, 30 minutes on another, a different one the next day. But gym machines are all so weird and uncomfortable - even the good ones. Like, why are the pedals always so far in front of the seats?

I really do not know about that. I tried a trainer for about 5 mins, nephew let me borrow his with intent of selling it to me, and I was thinking this is not cutting it. It felt so weird. I gave it back to him. Maybe I need to try a different one , I dunno.
What I am thinking now is buy a S/S or winter bike and get lights and ride on the nearby Railtrail this fall and winter so as not to ride on the roads at dark. The RT would be quiet and barren of traffic.

I really do not want to stop riding this winter like last winter even though I get frozen toes.

Again, I hear you. But it's MD winters for you and MN winters for me. There are people around here who ride in the winter, but we can get a whole month below 10°F and I'm just not that hardy. At those temperatures and while moving on a bike (and perspiring some), it would be goggles/face mask/etc. OTOH, if I can ride down to say, 20 °F, I can maybe get another month or so on the bike before I retreat inside completely, and that would be great.

I was on mile 13 when I had a flat - the first with my new CO2 inflator. It worked great, except it didnt inflate to the same level Im accustomed to. The tires ended up soft and squishy.
It was a troubling ride, thereafter, and I took the short path home.

56 miles. Sunny, breezy 8 to 15 mph wind all the way. Felt much better at the end than when i started, did not want to stop but have to save some.

84 miles Temps to 96* Texas City Dike

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...6TXCYDK045.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...6TXCYDK007.jpg

:innocent: That is why they make pumps. :50:

:lol: Damn. It must have taken a really big bow to shoot those.:D:50:

Resistance exercises

Swim

Sing

Ride