Training Log Archive: PG

Went to Sunday lunch with Lina and Angelo (and a couple of their kids, and a couple of grandkids). Headed home about 4, it was a nice afternoon with rain predicted for Monday, so I stopped at Charlie's favorite spot and went for a ride.

The plan was up to the MA state line via Sandy Brook Road, and back. Gently uphill all the way out, wind was more or less out of the south so mostly helping as I was climbing, and then the reverse coming back, down gradually but into the wind. And for some reason I thought it was a good day to work hard. And so for the next 99 minutes that's what I did.

Well, almost 99 minutes. To resurrect a term I used to use about my orienteering efforts, there were still a couple moments of weakness, where the fighting spirit just waned. But they really were just moments.

Quite trashed when I was done, but the feeling was so fine.

C • Charlie’s favorite 1

Event: ROC - Rochester Map Adventure
 

Rochester Map Adventure. Wonderful event. 100 controls spread out over the city, got to all with a little time to spare. Great way to see, and learn something about, the city.

Wonderful ride with Rick Worner in Rochester, all sorts of variety, the only thing really missing was cars, just a few here and there. I can deal with that. A good bit of bike trails, mostly paved, some dirt, some wood-chipped. Some loop-de-loops in a deserted cemetery. And some back roads with little or no traffic.

Though at times I had to put out a good bit of work to keep up...

Entered the ROC the Map Adventure, this Saturday. I've done it twice, once on foot, once biking, and enjoyed it immensely. Looking forward to it.

Remarkably good outing.

My usual routine is to put in frequent but short bits where I stand on the peddles, takes the weight off my butt and relaxes various muscles. I tend to do this on all short uphills. Adds some nice variety.

I did yesterday's climb almost entirely in the saddle, getting up just one time for 10 or 20 seconds. By the last 10 or 15 minutes my butt was complaining, not from chafing or pressure spots but just general muscle/tendon complaints. But I guess I was pretty focussed on getting up the hill, so I didn't really pay any attention to it.

Until I got off my bike at the top. At which point things really hurt, right side, some sort of muscle or connecting tissue. Worst I've felt since I was running and such ailments were all too common.

Got back on the bike, coasted down the hill to the car. Took a bit of effort to get in the car, hobbling around. Not good.

But it got a little better by evening, and a good bit better by this morning, and so I thought I'd go out and take a gentle and probably very short ride and just loosen things up.

Started off, felt pretty good. Easy pace, standing on all the hills, after a few minutes felt even better, no pain at all. Rode for an hour, good effort, feels pretty good now.

Guess I need to learn how to stand on long/steep climbs. Because the variety sure helps.

And thankful to be feeling so good. Without even taking any vitamin I.

A bit of warm-up. Legs didn't feel dead. :-)

Another go at the Mt. Ascutney climb.

Picked up Phil in South Deerfield, his training for Mt. Washington being the motivation for this outing, and headed north. Lovely day, sunny, light breeze, low 70s, though I would have been happier with 10 degrees cooler. He was running, I was biking, not clear who had the advantage. Generally the steeper it gets, the more it favors him. He can beat me on the B-17 climb on Mt. Tom (15%??), but I think I could dust him on South Sugarloaf (10%). Ascutney is about 12%.

A bit of warm-up and then at some point you can't put it off any longer, so off we went. For the first 2.5 miles (of 3.6 total) I don't think we were ever more than 50 yards apart. He'd gradually gain on me on the steeper sections, I'd gain on him a little when it was a little more gradual. Not that we were racing, just doing our own thing, rather nice to see how the other was making out.

Someplace around 2.5 miles was the first of the "flat" sections. This got me from 50 yards behind to 50 yards ahead. The next at 2.8 got me outside of sight on the curvy road. And the last one, this one actually flat -- I upshifted about 5 gears -- must have saved me a minute.

Then the last steep pitch. Very surprised to see the finish as soon as I did, also surprised to see the time (54:42), a little over a minute faster than last year. I think this was a day when I happened to have better legs. Phil came in at 56:4x, also very glad to be done.

Just to keep things in perspective, the bike record as far as I know is 24:44. Don't know what the running record is.

Overall, very pleased. And especially pleased for the outing as a whole, excellent company not just up the hill, but also on the ride up and back. That matters.

Note: This site has a bunch of interesting stuff about climbs in the Northeast.

And then back down, hanging on to the brakes, also trying to avoid the frost heaves and potholes. Went down slowly, but wan't about to take any risks.

I've run down the road at least a couple of times, and it's no fun. And Phil had never been to the actual top of Ascutney. So the plan was to meet in the summit parking lot (which is in a saddle, a ways below the summit) in 30 minutes, me now with the car, he with an actual summit to claim. Timing worked out perfectly.

Mountain bike mode. Up N. Mountain, over to the gate, down to the river and back through Gunn Farm. Nice ride, although already getting warmer than I would wish.

C • You were missed 9

Up to Northfield Mountain, and then up the road to the pump storage reservoir on top. The climb is a pretty steady grade, maybe a little steeper at the end. I felt pretty feeble to start, but just kept turning the pedals and it wasn't any worse by the top.

Back down, part on the trails, part back on the roads. Got down to the dirt road along the river, time to work again, and the legs really felt dead. Hmm, not good, maybe 10 miles home into a modest wind. But I've taken to carrying along a Cliff Bar for times like this. It went down the hatch with no difficulty, and a few minutes later the legs were certainly doing better. And lasted all the way home. :-)

Though I can't help thinking, if this little hill was hard, Ascutney is going to be awful.