20 mile ride

Training is continuing and going well.  We actually completed our 20 mile ride yesterday, it was a beautiful day around 55 degrees and sunny, we had some spurts of very windy weather, but it was a nice challenging ride in Wheeling a mixture of small hills but mostly a flat ride.  We started at the Mason Rehabilitation Center road all the way to the end of the trail in Benwood and then to Warwood and back.  Right now we are still  having fun and not getting to worn out from the rides, but as our distance starts increasing we are having trouble coming up with routes that seem to make sense to ride.  We need to start doing a little better planning. 

This weeks ride was a slight challenge, but a great ride.  Since we were riding in our old neighborhood it was a great measure of our physical fitness.  Small hills that were extremely challenging to us in 2007 (when we lived in Wheeling) we not too challenging at all this weekend.  It is sometimes difficult to measure how much things in your life change, until you take a step back to a place you haven't been for a while and this weekend we had the privilege of taking that step back and realizing we are in much better physical shape today than we have been for a long time! 

We also found a great snack that keeps Clay from getting headaches - LARA BARs really seem to help keep his blood sugar elevated. 

Trip Distance: 21.38 miles 

Trip Time:  1:30:19

Average Speed: 14.21 mph

Maximum Speed: 25.5 mph 

For some reason though we ride together, there is a slight discrepancy in my odometer and Clay's in previous weeks we have posted mine but it got reset so this week Clay's odometer was the one we had to use this week.  My odometer showed 21.9 miles, but we can't remember all of the other specifics. 

Weekend Ride

On Sunday Clay and I conquered a 17 mile ride,  or close to it.  After a fun day of trying on bridesmaid dresses for an October wedding Clay and I went to the Montour Trail to ride our 17 mile trek - an interesting ride filled with a lot more people than we are used to seeing. 

No hills, but the peddling speed was fairly good and we were NOT worn out after the ride: 

Trip Distance: 16.62 (not exactly 17 because we didn't realize the trail was going to end) 

Trip Time: 1:11:04 

Average Speed: 14:04 mph

Maximum Speed: 21.43 mph 

Not too bad considering the fact that we were peddling the entire time and there were no hills. 

On friday, I completed a power pacing class at the gym - moderately difficult but a great accomplishment considering the first time clay and i tried the class three years ago we weren't able to complete it! 

morning ride

I went out for a ride this morning, seeing that it was 50 degrees, I put a long sleeve shirt tobogan and jacket but figured that my legs would stay warm because of the ride.  I quickly found out due to the fog that it made it much colder than 50 and any exposed skin was covered in dew from the fog.  So after only 3 miles in 18 minutes now cold and wet I came home the shortest way, quickly warmed up dried off and finished the ride inside on the cycle trainer for 25 mins

The Neighborhood

The goal was to ride 20 - 30 minutes at a moderate pace:

Today I took a ride through the neighborhood after work trying to conquer several climbs can prove difficult, but overall it was a good ride.

Total Distance: 5.71 miles

Total Time: 00:28:24

Average Speed: 12.07 mph

Top Speed: 27.39 mph

Not too bad after just completing a 15 mile bike ride yesterday.

First Long Training Ride

We took our bikes to the bike shop for a tune up and to get new tires in preparation for the race. Yesterday was suppose to be our first long training ride, but we delayed it until today based on the temperature outside.  Yesterday's ride would have encompassed 35 degree temperatures where as today we were able to ride in temperatures around 50 degrees.  

One mistake was deciding to ride our local rails-to-trails, which is all gravel.  The first three miles of our ride were pretty smooth, but around mile 4 we started into terrain that was filled with soft mud and larger rocks, not the best situation given the new tires we just had put on our bike.  This affected our time but the ride was a test of our endurance while allowing us to increase our muscle strength.  When we turned around we got on the road at the first available intersection and found it was a lot easier to move at a faster pace even with the uphill climb. Next week's long ride will be on pavement.   

Total Distance:  15.41 miles 

Time: 1:19:15

Average Speed: 11.67 mph 

Maximum Speed: 25 mph 

Deciding to Ride

Last year we decided to start an endeavor of setting physical fitness goals.  It started as an attempt to reduce our cholesterol levels but has turned into a lifestyle.   Our challenge of the spring is riding 50 miles.  

Clay has been an avid bicyclist his entire life, I have become more adventurous riding on the mountain bike trails over the past year.  As a challenge to ourselves we decided that 50 miles would be a great physical challenge.  Through the next few months as we start increasing our distance, we will try to use this blog as a journal.  

Though it was difficult to find a training program for a 50 mile bike ride, we found many for the century ride and revamp them to accommodate our 15 weeks and counting until it ride day. 

We call it a ride because it is the accomplishment of completion not the accomplishment of doing better than another that is the focus of the ride.  We chose to ride in our local Tour de Cure and raise money for diabetes.  Diabetes is a disease that has affected three of my grandparents and led to complications that took the life of both of my grandfathers.  Clay has chosen to do this with me in honor of my grandparents as well as all the other individuals who we know that suffer from diabetes. 

We have currently been riding stationary bikes in order to prepare and keep our riding muscles in shape, but tomorrow we will do our first long ride starting out at 15 miles we will gradually increase for one long ride each week until ride day.  During the week we will do shorter rides of 20 to 30 minutes of varying intensity and inclines.