Training Log Archive: PG

Time to visit another fire tower. Decided on the one at the top of Moore Hill in Goshen, since I hadn't ever been there (even though I'd been real close), and the 40 miles needed to get there and back seemed a reasonable distance.

Upper 60s, bit of sun, some clouds, got rained on several times but never hard. Wind from the SW to W, about 10 mph, but in the hills things really vary. It did mean a headwind for much of the way out, and then a tailwind for the last bunch of miles, always a pleasure.

Only the last little bit of the climb, less than half a mile, was not paved, and it was pretty straightforward. Not that I was complaining at that point, as I'd been going uphill for what seemed like a long time. I did stop for a few minutes at the tower -- take a selfie, send it to Gail to let her know what part of the world I was in, have a bit to eat, and swat some black flies. The BFs don't bother you if you're moving, so before long I took the message and headed home. Forgot to climb the tower.

Legs were getting tired the last hour. The best indication is when you look at some little uphill, have a good idea of what gear you should be in given the slope, and then look down and find you are in a gear or two lower. And struggling a bit. Fortunately there weren't many ups in the last hour, and I made it home without any significant distress.

And having really enjoyed myself. :-)

C • Selfie 3

Perfect day. I was thinking about possibilities for where to go, not really sure, when Mt. Grace popped into my mind, and in an instant I knew where I was going.

Last (and only) trip there had been last December. A fair bit of snow and ice. Made it up but only by walking quite a bit. Time from the gate to the tower was 26:33, right about one mile, a little over 600' climb. Lots of walking.

So Phil showed up a week later, by then most of the snow and ice had disappeared, and he did it in 16:45. He was clearly younger, fitter, and smarter, the latter referring to his feeling no need to drag a bike all the way to the top. I was clearly old, slow, and stupid.

Six months later I am at it again. Even older, still stupid. Also still slow, but not so horribly slow. 18:51 this time.

Made it all the way up without getting off, but it wasn't easy. The average grade is about 12%. That's OK. But the grade varies a lot and there are a lot of shorter sections in the 15-20% range, I'd guess. That's mostly OK. If it were paved.

It's not really dirt either. Dirt would be better, it compacts nicely, gives you a firm surface with good traction. There's usually a bit of loose sand and gravel too, but it's mostly avoidable.

This had a bunch more of the sand/gravel stuff. Often it was packed enough that it was no problem. Other times, well, when they coincided with the steep pitches.... Came close to losing it several times, but didn't.

Not sure I need to do this again. No way I am going to threaten 16:45.

But I should point out that the time that matters in these summiting efforts is not the ascent but the round trip. And in that regard, Mr. Phil has some catching up to do. :-)

C • Thank you ... 1

Tour de Heifer, a tour of the hills of southeast Vermont. Almost entirely on dirt roads. At most maybe 5 miles paved and about a mile of much worse than dirt, the latter to add a little spice. Minimal traffic, gorgeous scenery, lovely day.

I was clearly not prepared for this, having done not so much riding this year and certainly nothing of much duration. But I managed. I like to think I am pretty sensible in such matters, though that may be open for debate. Got an early start, about 7:20, when it was still chilly, low 50s, and downright cold the first couple of downhill miles, but the first uphill took care of that.

Then it was just a matter of pacing, which I think I did just right, and eating and drinking, which I also think I did about right. Never pushed too hard on the ups. Never got competitive. And the one time I suddenly felt really tired legs, at the start of a climb at just over 50 miles I quickly drank more and ate and the remaining hills were no worse than any others.

My Garmin, on the other hand, did not pace itself so well, dying at 57.5. Reasonably annoying, but easy after the fact to add the remaining time and distance, if not the track, pace, and heartrate.

By now, and particularly as I slow down more and more, I am used to getting passed by lots of folks, and only passing ones who are standing still (at aid stations, where many linger but I don't). Today I think I actually passed four people who were moving. An uncommon experience.

Finished, went to get some of the advertised lunch, and what was available was beer and salad. Neither appealed to me in the slightest. So I packed up and headed off, first stop in West Brattleboro at a pizza place, got a slice of pizza and a Coke. Not really very appealing, and I though I might manage just a bite or two, but 25 minutes later my plate was clean and the Coke mostly gone. And in the meantime a guy had come in to collect 4 pizzas, and then another guy had come in to collect 4 more pizzas. Turned out they were for the ride, food having run out. So they were making an effort. My timing just hadn't been good.

Overall, quite trashed, especially my quads. When I got back home, parked in the garage, collected my stuff and headed up the stairs, well, it was only on the third attempt that I made it more than one step, on the first two attempts having had not enough momentum to keep going. A precursor of the future perhaps. Who would have thought, having already climbed about 7,500' that day, that the last 10 would be the hardest? But I managed, and as was true all day, no falls. :-)

C • nice 2

And after a nap, and then a little more nap, it was time to head out for a nice dinner with Gail, because 46 years ago we got married.

C • Happy Anniversary! 3