Training Tuesday August 18-24
Goal: 61 miles shifting toward 2 longer rides
Actual: 63 miles
Tuesday 18th 24 miles
Saturday 22nd 28 miles
Monday 24th 11 miles
This week I got in the two longest rides I’ve done since Shelter-In-Place (SIP) and I feel really good about that, both mentally and physically. I met my total mileage goal and put most of those miles in 2 rides. That helps me move toward two rides a week for better transportation economy while training. I had settled into three 16 mile rides at the Greenway before SIP. The Greenway is the closest multi-use trail to my house so it was my primary location pre-pandemic. I would think about riding it twice per trip to up the ride miles and keep up with former levels of fitness, but I was near often at the trail to take a child to their sport and I was fitting the ride into available time rather than making time for a longer ride. General fitness was the goal then and I feeling lucky just to get to ride at all.
I’ve increased my mileage more than the recommended 10% per week for a couple of months now. I’m not too worried about that at this point because my mileage had gotten so far below what it was a few years ago, but staying really close to the goal rather than exceeding it is the point. This week was also higher than a 10% increase over the one before it. I’ll have to be more careful as I get further beyond recent norms, the increases will take a toll soon enough.
The 28 mile trip this week was from Rockmart to Cedartown and back. Russ was with me for that ride. It was the first time I had ridden to Cedartown in years, and the first time Russ had ridden there ever. This section has some of the prettiest views and some of the biggest hills. We did walk up some hills. The toughest hill dubbed “Trash Mountain” got its name for being beside the landfill. It’s a place where many people turn back. On a hot afternoon when the landfill has it’s full bake goin’ on, it’s the last place anyone want to be walking slowly, or pumping heavily. I won’t be able to capture the full essence of every aspect of the ride on video. That’s not a bad thing.
The Cedartown Depot is a popular place for a Support and Gear (SAG) station. There was one waiting on a large group of riders when we got there. In Cedartown, we went to Pirkle’s Deli, the place where we picked up sandwiches for our own groups when we worked SAG for whole trail rides. It’s still yummy. There is more outdoor seating than there was pre-pandemic. I was wearing a new Headsweats cap, so there was something on my head that I don’t usually have. Not noticing its absence, I forgot to put my helmet back on. When I realized it, we were looking at a hill and far enough away that I wasn’t sure I could make the whole trip back to the car if I went back for it the helmet. We called. They found it and are saving it for us. I have another helmet we got when we supported a Lumos Kickstarter and so I have something to wear until I get back. I was taking the really carefully on the way home. There are some curves close to hills in some places.
