BBBBBack in the Saddle: Ouch!

Bicycling magazine tweeted the other day asking "what is a cyclist?"  I don't know, but I think I have been operating this summer like a non or lite-cyclist.  Yes, I've done some bike rides, but there's none of the focus or concentrated effort I've made since I started riding in 2010.  I've been working, hanging out with the dog, chilling on the deck, but I haven't been slapping on the spandex and hitting the road like I normally would have expected.

Which is weird, because this was going to be the year that I rode bike as many days as possible!  

Here's how I see things, baring in mind I know nothing about finance.  The first quarter of the year (Jan-March) I was pretty solid.  Lots of bike riding, spin class, and gym time.  Even with a pretty serious back ouchie.  

The second quarter of the year (April, May and June), not so good.  Not so much working out and eating right, a lot more boozing and snoozing.  I could beat myself up!  (Ha ha!), but I won't.  I didn't work out very much.  That's not me being mean to myself, that's just a stone cold fact.  And, while the reasons for this are both good and bad, they are not of consequence.  

So, I am going to write off the second quarter, the way Wal-Mart writes off a quarter of the fiscal year when they have an outbreak of Kathy Lee-scandal.  It wasn't my best effort, but I don't want to let it cloud and over shadow the rest of the year.  

So, to paraphrase Steven, I am putting the trolley in reverse and turning it around!  Third quarter: July, August, September: awesome.  

Of course, that awesome is going to come with a bit of hurting.  In just five short days I am going to ride my bike a 100 miles.  Yikes.  Then, just three short weeks from now, I am looking at a long, long RAGBRAI in the saddle.  Double yikes.  

Yikes because I know how much is going to hurt.  Not only is my self not used to the aches and pains of the bike-riding, but the equipment issues, like painful shoes or loose handlebar tape, well, they haven't shown themselves in.  It's time to get ready to hurt.  Whatever, Jensie says that pain is a valuable companion.  I just hope he is a cheerful companion.  

And, in an effort to get the third quarter off to a good start, I rode my bike today.  The Tiger has been doing "time based training," i.e. he just keeps track of how long he rides, not how far.  He's been shooting for ten hours a week.  He even bought a stop watch.  He needed an hour today, but since he knew I wanted to ride too, he offered to let me go first, so we could stagger the dog-loneliness/house-work time.  

So, I went.  I rode to Grimes, because I am newly in love with the city of Johnston trails.  And, I rode on roads, because the trails have me feeling claustrophobic and with all the rain, it is like riding through the Bayou--just waiting for the alligator to snatch me by the foot and pull me off the Neil Smith trail.  And, I rode across the Saylorville bridge for the first time: a little scary, but fun.  And, I rode to Polk City, with a little misdirection all the way to the High Trestle Trail then down to Ankeny.  

Brewery!  Closed.  Bummer.

I had the idea to stop in Ankeny at one of the new breweries in the area: you know, just to train for Thursday, so I Google-mapped my way there only to find they were closed.  Bummer.  So, I rode on home. Over all I did 43.2 miles!  Go me!  My longest ride of the year: wahn wahn--sound effect.  

B100 Training Ruined!

I hope to get some rides in this week before Masinga takes the seafoam devil to Colorado for me.  What a sweet heart!  

We've got just 20 days till RAGBY (oh my god, how I am going to get all the logistics done) and just five till the B100.  It's time start the third quarter off right, and hurt so good, or if not good, at least often.