Resting up for the Big Race

With a race coming up on Saturday, my plan was to rest my legs just enough to to have a strong ride, but not as if I’d be seriously racing the event. At 66 years old, I’d be in the 50 and over age group and that leaves a lot of younger and far more talented riders I’d be competing against.

This adventure-cycling race is called GRUSK which is an acronym for Gravel Ride Up Spruce Knob, West Virginia’s highest point. The 54.4-mile course is a combination of some paved and mostly unpaved (gravel and rocky/grassy double track) with 4,477 feet of climbing.

My original plan had been to go out for easy rides on Sunday and Tuesday, and a short chill ride on Thursday. Mother Nature had other plans, though, and threw a heat wave our way. The heat and humidity suck the life out of me so I opted to stay inside on my spin bike rather than riding outside. I did my typical full body strength training sessions on Monday and Wednesday, but limited my workout on Friday to core only.

 

Overview of the Week

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Cycling: 20.1 miles
• Average speed: 16.7 MPH
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 12:16 PM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in basement, 93° (feels like 97°) and sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Walking: 3.05 miles
• Average pace: 16:01 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 95 feet
• Start time: 2:24 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 96° (feels like 99°) and mostly sunny
• What I wore: shorts, tank, and visor

Even though I got up early, it was mid-day before I had a chance to get my workout completed. For my ride I decided to stay inside on my spin bike, but decided to take my walk outside even though it was quite toasty.

 

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

 

Tuesday

Cycling: 20 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:29 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 65° in basement, 79° (feels like 86°) and mostly sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Walking: 3.43 miles
• Average pace: 13:48 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:18 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 66° in basement, 87° (feels like 101°) and mostly sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

I multitasked by hopping on my spin bike while working with my early morning virtual client. With the heat and humidity rapidly rising, I once again turned to my treadmill rather than dealing with the miserable conditions outside. My walking pace was a 15 minute/mile despite what my Garmin spit out (the indoor run feature just isn’t accurate on my older watch).

 

Wednesday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

 

Thursday

Walking: 4.19 miles
• Average pace: 15:41 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 92 feet
• Start time: 5:40 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 74° and mostly clear
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

When my husband left for his ride at 5 AM the previous morning, the temperature was 82° (feels like 92°) so imagine my delight when I woke up to a much cooler 74°. I was thrilled to get outside with Kim for our weekly virtual workout together which consisted of a 4-mile walk for each of us.

Collage credit: Kim

Friday

Strength training: 15 minutes of core

Drive to Petersburg, WV

Once we got to West Virginia we drove past our destination for about 45 minutes to Blackwater Falls State Park.  We made the short hike down to the waterfalls viewing platforms and even with a few back-and-forths for pictures our hike totaled less than a mile. With a bike race the following day, we were happy the hike was so short.

 

Saturday

Cycling: 54.49 miles
• Average speed: 10.7 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 4,262 feet
• Start time: 10 AM
• Location: Pendleton County, WV
• Weather: 72° and sunny with reasonable humidity, climbing to 87°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

With the blink of an eye, our much anticipated second bike race of the season was upon us. We were beyond lucky with decent weather for mid-July, but the east-coast drought left the roads extremely dusty with more cars than I anticipated kicking up dust. All-in-all it was a fantastic adventure and I can’t wait to share more in a recap later this month.

 

Our view from the top of Spruce Knob – what a glorious day!

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • Were you able to workout outside last week? ~ Yes and no
  • • Where does your community stand: too much rain, not enough, or just the right amount? ~ Last week, our county was declared to be in severe drought.
  • • Did you run in race this weekend? ~ No, but I rode in one!

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.