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Spring Cycling Season
The Gravel Grinder National Championships will be held in just two weeks and there’s even an event called the Mini G for average cyclists like me. Several of my friends and I are registered and I’m looking forward to my first bike race. Two weeks later we’ll be riding the Tour de Madison Metric Century and three weeks after that we’ll ride in the 1725 Gravel Grinder. I’m no where nearly as strong as I was in October, but that’s par for the course for me with the minimal cycling I do during the winter months.
Overview of the Week
Before discussing each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Running: 5K
• Average pace: 8:59
• Start time: 6:58 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 45° and sunny
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, nylon shell, gloves, mittens, and visor
Monday
Strength training : 1 hour of total body
Tuesday
Running: 5K
• Average pace: 9:15
• Start time: 9:41 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 44° (feels like 38°) and sunny
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, nylon shell, gloves, and visor
Rolling: 10 minutes
Stretching: 10 minutes
Wednesday
Strength training : 1 hour of total body
Thursday
Cycling: 10 miles
• Average speed: 16.7 MPH
• Bike: Life Fitness Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:58 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 62°
• What I wore: bike shorts and jog bra
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 13:49
• Start time: 8:11 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 48° (feels like 45°) and sunny
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, gloves, and velour jacket
I got some quick cycling in on my spin bike (affiliate link) and since it was so pretty outside, I squeezed in a walk before seeing my next client.
Friday
Strength training : 1 hour of total body
Balance and stretching: 45 minutes
Saturday
Cycling: 50 miles
• Average speed: 13.1 MPH
• Bike: Cannondale Topstone
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,831 feet
• Start time: 9:12 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail to western Loudoun country roads
• Weather: 57° and cloudy, climbing to 74° and sunny
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, jacket and mid-weight gloves (switched from jacket to arm sleeves and switched to fingerless gloves about 8 miles into ride)
Once again, Bill and I rode the 8 miles to Plum Grove Cyclery to meet the VeloPigs, this time a brewery ride. We had close to 50 cyclists roll out from Plum Grove in two different groups – business casual and party pace. By the time the party pace rolled into Harvest Gap Brewery, there was no open space on the wall to park our bikes so we made the most of an open field.
Reentry is real when getting the legs moving again after a prolonged break during endurance exercise and I couldn’t imagine adding alcohol to the mix so I stuck with a Coke (plus I don’t like beer). The soft warm pretzel, on the other hand, hit the spot!
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
- • Sunday – Weekly RunDown: April 10 – 16 / Happy Spring
Questions:
- • Has the weather improved where you live? ~ After a cold rain all day Monday and a cold Tuesday, our weather gradually improved to a glorious weekend.
- • What’s your favorite pre-long run/bike fuel?
- • Did you run in a race this weekend?
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
This is your first bike race ever? I swear you are always doing cycling events! Are those just not official races? You will do great I’m sure, you’re such a strong cycling (in my opinion!) Good luck!
So far all of our cycling events have been tours, not races. This will my first time with a timing chip and competing in an age group. Gulp!
how fun that you are going to do your first bike race! I love how you are embracing cycling and really going all in. Can’t wait to hear about it
It’s been really fun digging into a new sport.
Our weather is up and down and a very windy week. Today it was perfect and yes I had a 5 mile race.
Pre-race or run is always coffee and oatmeal.
I need to take my bike up from the basement…
Yes, bring your bike up from the basement so you can cross train. 🙂
I agree with you, I cannot imagine beer after a long ride (or a race). YUCK. But give me a Pepsi or a Cherry Coke, and I’m a happy camper. You’ve got some interesting rides on the calendar, Deb! I wish I lived closer (though I’m not too keen –yet–on gravel riding). You’ll hear all about my race on Tuesday 😉
To make it even more “interesting” the beer was during the ride, not after it.
I wish you lived closer, too!
Wow, those are all exciting events! I’ll be interested to hear about the race. The only bike racing I’ve done is the bike leg of a triathlon, and to be honest I thought the cyclists were jerks. But maybe that’s just triathletes- it sounds like the people you ride with are very nice! Even though you’re not as strong on the bike as you were in October, it sounds like you’ll be prepared for these. I hope you have fun!
Thanks, Jenny, I hope so too! My bike friends are nice, but I’ve run across some jerk cyclists over the years, too.
Well yup I did finally race. Mmmmm, soft pretzel! Thumbs down on the beer. Never a fan. What can I say, I’m weird that way.
I like sushi or pizza before a race! But not for a 5k, although I did have sushi last week, LOL!
It’s always good to have things to look forward to!
I have never learned to like beer either and at this point I’m sure I never will. And I always scrape the salt off my soft pretzel; although, I do like the slight salty taste left behind. How about you, salt left on or no salt?
It sounds like you’ve got some exciting things coming up! I feel like you’ve been riding so much, I’m sure you will do great. Is the Madison metric in Wisconsin?
Thanks, Wendy! And no it’s Madison County, Virginia.
I thought I left a reply yesterday (Sunday) but I must not have “posted” it correctly. Anyways, it’s exciting to see all these races and rides you have on the calendar! Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for our weather to warm up enough to get outside on either of my bikes.
I hope the weather warms up for you soon. Your bikes miss you!
It’s nice to see the weather getting better at better! It’s the same where I live. I have finally been able to walk outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Then it’s good enough for me.
I always find it a struggle to eat the right things before a long run. I try to drink a shake consisting of oats, whey protein, banana, and different berries. Sometimes it works perfectly and I feel energized for the whole run, other times the first couple of miles feels like my stomach is filled with rocks.
How long before a long run do you eat?
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Ideally, I like to eat about 1.5-2 hours before a longer run, but that isn’t always feasible for early morning starts.