Rides Rides Everywhere

Since I posted last I've gotten in one fairly long and one short-ish ride.

Thursday:
Distance: 45.5 mi
Avg. Speed: 18.7 mph
Duration: 2.5 hours

This was a very pleasant ride - I had eaten a large lunch about 45 minutes before starting, so I didn't get too hungry. This did wonders for how I felt in the latter half of the ride. This tells me I'm still not eating enough while I ride. I have yet to really pin down a system of eating and drinking that works for me. I've had pretty good luck with Clif bars, but until I'm pretty hungry they are not terribly appetizing.

I also got chased by four dogs on this ride - it seemed like all the loose dogs in the county were out. When I hear a bark now I reflexively reach for a water bottle. Even on large, very aggressive-looking dogs, a quit squirt to the face of just water stops them cold.

Saturday:
I originally planned to do my normal Paceline groupride, but when I woke up the roads at my house were soaking wet. The rule is wet roads @ 8 am = no ride, so I assumed the ride was off. Unfortunately, the roads were dry in town, and I missed a fun ride for no reason at all, which was not thrilling. So instead...

Distance: 27.2 mi
Avg. Speed: 18.7 mph
Duration: 1.5 hours

My dad, who hasn't ridden since Thanksgiving because of back issues and work, rode with me for the first 8 or so miles, and it was nice to have the company while I warmed up. After he peeled off I essentially went and got lost for 20 miles. Although I could have gone longer, it's good I didn't because it started to rain as I pulled into our neighborhood.

It's interesting that my average speed is exactly the same for both of the rides. I don't really know why that is - I consciously work a little harder on the short rides, so my average should be a little higher. However, the decelerations for stops, turns, and the like constitute a larger portion of the ride, as does the warmup. I guess when I've really got the hammer down on longer rides I'm working just as hard.

The other thing this indicates is my base/zone 2 is quite strong, but my zone3 and up is pretty weak and needs work. The cycling team's coach is starting to throw in some hill climbs and spinups into our workout routines to strengthen our upper zones.

Tommorrow I think I'm going hill hunting... time for some hill repeats. :-)