Training Log Archive: PG

Short jog with a bit of walking to see how things are. Right butt seems better but left one is not good at all. Discouraging.

Raining much of the day so passed on a long ride.

Corn ride, easy pace.

Thinking of doing this on Sunday (the 108 mile version) if the weather cooperates.

Easy ride with a stop to get corn. Route included the newly reconstructed Greenfield Road in Montague, quite fine compared to the old collection of potholes that sometimes was mistaken for a road.

I don't remember if there have been other times in my life when I imagined I was in a movie, but it certainly was true yesterday. I should make clear from the outset that that was not a good feeling. The role I had in mind was in a film where someone like Gene Wilder was playing a mad scientist, so far so good, and he was experimenting on me, definitely not so good.

Actually, I was at the dentist. Regular cleaning visit. New hygienist. A little odd right from the get-go -- not so young female, hair going in all directions, spoke with some sort of accent, no, take that back, mumbled with some sort of accent. Clearly just off the boat from Transylvania.

Nothing that she did gave me any confidence that she knew what she was doing. She was using an ultrasonic (?) gadget that was new to me, it sprays a bit of water in the process, so there was a suction thingy in the right corner of my mouth -- when she had to clean the teeth on the right side of my mouth the suction thingy was in the way, and it's like she'd never dealt with this before. Things were fumbled, dropped, pretty soon my whole face was soaking wet. And every so often she said something to me, but she was mumbling, and facing away, and the suction thingy was making its noise, and I couldn't understand a thing.

Really, I was just hoping I survived with no damage. And I promised myself I would never ever let this woman close to my teeth again.

Then into the dentist's room for his check-up, where I registered my complaints. And I've been going to him for a long time and we've always communicated well.

And when I said I'm never going to her again, he said no one else has complained. Really?

Am I the one who's going nuts? Or just well along in my transition to a grouchy old man? :-)

(I did decline to make a 6-month appointment for my next cleaning, will be looking elsewhere...)

C • Hygienist 7

My brother was in town, and he was going to Dublin, NH, to say hello to an old school friend, so I took advantage of the situation -- put my bike in the car and did a one-way ride from Winchester, NH, back home.

It felt a bit strange being dropped off at the side of the road, double-checking that I had everything I needed. Missing one non-essential thing, an extra long-sleeve shirt -- it was foggy and 44F and one LS and my bike shirt weren't really enough. The saving grace, and I'd actually planned this, was that the route started flat and then up. Pretty chilly the first couple of miles, but then the climb warmed me up and by Warwick at the top the fog was gone and just blue skies. And stayed like that the rest of the way home.

Put out a good effort all the way.

The first few miles in NH seemed to reflect the state's motto ("Live Free or Die"), the former in the lack of zoning and the resulting hodge-podge of structures, not real appealing, the latter in the absence of road maintenance and the possible outcome of too many bike rides. Not that I'm always a fan of our commonwealth, but things certainly improved when I crossed the state line.

The highlight was doing more testing of my latest theory about bikes, that a heavy bike is better because you can go downhill faster. This was certainly proved last weekend (or maybe it was a certain lack of nerve of my riding partner?). And today, well, sometimes it's nice to just let it rip. Though I did make sure no one was coming in either direction.

To Millers Falls and back, a reminder that Rt. 63 is not the best place to ride (faster traffic, bad pavement so the shoulder isn't really useful). Much more pleasant when I got off it.

Thinking some more about my test lifting my and Phil's bikes yesterday. Seemed like a significant difference. I've always maintained that I don't need a super light bike because I'm just riding for the exercise, but, hmm, maybe it would be rather nice to go uphill a little easier. There's some part of me that thinks it would be very appealing to be on a lighter machine (especially when I'm out with Phil...). Maybe a large part?

Who knows. Maybe there is a local rental program I could use just for when I ride with him? :-)

C • lighter machine 14