17 mile ride to Yellow Barn

Time: 1:36:05
Distance: 17.273 miles
Max Speed: 31.3 mph
Avg Speed: 10.8 mph

Decided to go for a bike ride just as a storm hit. It rained all the way from home to Ringwood Rd, and then again as I was heading up the hill on Irish Settlement Rd. I was able to make it up Ringwood Rd without a problem, but the hill on Irish Settlement was too big for me. It's a 400 ft gain in elevation in a mile. I was cold and wet so Dad came and picked me up. I knew I made the right decision when after a bowl of hot soup and a 20 minute shower, I still couldn't feel the tips of my fingers.


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Other activities

8/20/09: running, 1.8 miles of Week 1: First Day to 5K
8/21/09: swimming, 0.43 miles, 20 minutes
8/22/09: running, 2.0 miles of Week 2: First Day to 5K
8/24/09: running, 2.1 miles of Week 2: First Day to 5K
8/25/09: squash
8/26/09: 20 minutes of Yoga Today: Twisting Away Tensions
8/28/09: 30 minutes on the elliptical
8/29/09: running, 2.2 miles of Week 3: First Day to 5K

29 mile ride to Willseyville

Bike computer finally works! Ride stats:
Time: 2:15:46
Distance: 29.357 miles
Max Speed: 27.2 mph
Avg Speed: 13 mph

This was the most painless ride 30 mile ride I've done so far. Snacks and gatorade make a huge difference. I also took a few short breaks, especially before big hills, and was able to make it up even the biggest hills without walking. Only downside with this ride was dealing with the motorists. I got honked at once and had some kids roll down the windows and yell.


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11 mile bike ride around Ellis Hollow

I was feeling too lethargic to ride my bike today, but I forced myself to do it and I was full of energy as soon as I started riding. I installed my new bike computer so I was excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, nothing but the timer worked. But apparently keeping track of my time makes a huge difference. I set the goal of doing the ride in 50 minutes so I knew I wanted to be at the halfway point by 25 minutes. I ended up doing the entire ride in 45 minutes, which is a full 15 minutes shorter than my usual time. Amazing!

I'm also feeling a lot more confident in my clipless pedals. I realized that unclipping my left foot when I'm approaching intersections makes me feel a lot more comfortable. This biking thing isn't rocket science, but I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it.


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11 mile bike ride through Snyder Hill

Went for a quick ride on the hottest day of the year. I went early, but by the end of the ride, I was s-w-e-a-t-y.


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22 mile ride to White Church Rd

It hit 90 for the first time all summer so it was the perfect day for an early ride. I made it 2 miles from home before I realized that I had forgotten to put on my helmet, so I had to turn around the retrieve it. I was about 7 miles from home when I got the call that everyone was going swimming, so I decided to abridge my ride by cutting from Valley Rd to Coddington. Made a wrong turn on Caroline Depot and ended up going a lot further than expected.


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Ride for Life

I'm officially signed up to the AIDS ride for life so now I'm in full training mode.