Last Day of the Month Desperation Push

For the third month in a row I started to mildly panic because my total mileage numbers were down in a month-to-month comparison with the previous year. I know it's just a game and that mileage totals is not a complete measure of success in training. However I'm not one to shy away from such mental games.

I knew that I had to ride 30 miles to match last June's total, so I explored a familiar route with some new variations, namely Lounsberry Rd., Burns Rd. and Creamery Rd. in Brooktondale. It's a very pretty stretch with broad vistas of Ellis Hollow and Buffalo Hill. What a gorgeous day, though the winds offered quite a challenge on a low-energy day.

I managed to eke out just over 37 miles, surpassing last year's June total, though I doubt I'll be able to match last July's total of around 900 miles.

Some stats for the year:
Total mileage through the end of June: 2520 miles
Average miles per week since January: 100 miles
Average miles per week since May: 166 miles

June 2011 Summary

Wildlife out in full force!

It finally started warming up. No in-between this spring, so I'm getting out earlier and earlier.

Working on climbing. This Ringwood Mt. Pleasant route is a great way to wake up...at 5:30 am and before breakfast!

Not my best race. Tummy problems all week plagued me.

Definitely my best race yet. It felt good to be in it at the final sprint.

Looking forward to this relay tri in August.

After months of saving, I placed an order on this great Fuji Cross 1.0. Hopefully I'll get it soon.

This ride was very scary indeed. When will I learn that lightning and cycling don't mix?

May 2011 Summary

I really had the jitters before Hollenbecks. 

It was a really good Masters race, and I had enough energy in reserve to push hard on the final climb.

Gail had a 5K race on the same day as Hollenbecks!

Pretty decent pace, for sure.

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Yellow Barn Rd. is always imposing. Bill is teaching me to stand less frequently...makes sense.

Humbled by the As.

Longest ride of the year thus far. Good tempo and it rained all the way.

I'm happy with my improvements, though it turns out that I finished 6th overall, not 5th.

This is a beautiful circuit.

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April 2011 Summary

Though I didn't write in my blog for the last three months, I did microblog about cycling on Facebook and Twitter. Here's a summary of April activities:

In April I started a weekly family bike ride, which heads out on Saturdays at 10:30 from our house. This has been loads of fun for all, the kids all get along nicely with each other, and it's hard to beat the snack options at the Farmers Market.

My friend Bruce joined me for part of this ride. Warmer days meant longer rides and hillier terrain.

I was so eager to get back to the Tuesday Night Races. No one else showed up, so I rode through some pretty intense conditions. 

Still working on form after a long winter.

We participated in the annual cleanup of the Waterfront Trail. We're loving the Phase 3 section of the trail between the Farmers Market and Stewart Park, and were happy to help.

Who knew that bladed spokes could cause a bike to be so unstable? I really thought that I'd be pushed right off the bike at the crest of Snyder Hill Rd.

I naively thought that the cold, rainy days would soon be over...

Longest ride of the year to this point.

Hiatus is Over!

Yes, after a 3-month hiatus, I'm finally getting back to the blog. Family, work and cycling have been priorities, and if I ever had to choose between cycling and writing about cycling, you can probably guess what I chose.

It's been a very fulfilling spring and early summer, in spite of endless rainy days and colder-than-usual conditions. Lots to share, so I will submit several summaries of the months that I've been away from the blog, April, May and June.