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Staying Cool It was quite a week, weather wise… The DMV’s (the DC, Maryland, Virginia metro area) three airports (DCA, BWI, and IAD) reported 4 consecutive days of 100° or higher. That’s hot for us for this early in the summer and for that many days. I pretty much hunkered down inside for my workouts […]
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 […]
A Ride Around the Gettysburg Battlefield Back in the good ole days, I’d run in the Firecracker 5K on Independence Day morning with my running friends. But since 2020 I’ve traded in my red, white, and blue running outfit for a patriotic jersey and joined my husband and Dawn Patrol friends for a covered bridges […]
A Likely Story I had invited two new-to-gravel-grinding friends to join my husband and me for an introductory ride on a relatively easy gravel route (20 miles with only 1,019 feet of climbing). Neither were able to make, but we wanted a chill ride so we decided to ride the course anyway. After driving about […]
Summer Came in Hot, Hot, Hot Thursday was the first day of summer and it’s already time to start complaining about the heat. Check out the the screenshot from my phone when I finished my bike ride yesterday. And it got a little hotter after that – the highest I saw was 101, but forgot […]
If I Can’t Run… If I can’t run, I might as well ride, right? And that’s exactly what I did, totaling 132.3 miles over four rides for the week. Broken down, they included one event, one hill workout, and two chill rides. Would I rather be running? Of course. Am I glad I love cycling […]
National and Global Days for the Fitness Enthusiast On my post this past Tuesday about Global Running Day, Catrina asked if there as is a Global Cycling Day – little did I know, but Global Cycling Day had been the previous day. Catrina got me to thinking so I did a little research and came […]
Beautiful Weather for the Win This week we were blessed with mostly phenomenal weather and I was lucky enough to be able to spend quite a bit of time outside enjoying it. The temps were warm, but not hot, and the humidity kept its distance. Rain came in the evenings and the wind was mostly […]
Memorial Day As we enjoy time with family and friends over a three-day holiday weekend, it’s important to remember that Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember and honor our military members who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. These heroes gave the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom. Overview of […]
Easy Week of Recovery With last Saturday’s Gravel Grinders Nationals 100-mile race behind me, it was time for a chill week to give my body some time to recover. My week included more time in the car than my body would have liked, but I countered that with lots of stretching. For exercise, I enjoyed: […]
Too Much Time Stressing Since registering 10 weeks ago for my first bike race, a 100-miler on gravel no less, it’s felt like I’ve spent every waking hour thinking about it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been competitive in an endurance event and I’m older now. Old people fret about everything! LOL In […]
Taper Mode After a 10-week training cycle, Saturday’s ride was to be our last mid-distance gravel ride before our big 100-mile race scheduled for this coming Saturday. Non-stop rain on Saturday had me changing gears and declaring that I was ready for the race, and a soggy and slippery ride wasn’t worth the risk. I […]
The W&OD Trail, a Longtime Friend I stopped during Saturday’s ride to chat with volunteers of the Friends of the W&OD Trail who had a tent set up celebrating the trail’s 50th anniversary. My husband and I have logged thousands of running and biking miles on the W&OD Trail over the years and enjoy supporting […]
Spring Time in Virginia I’d hoped the wind would settle down over the course of the week (but it didn’t) as the temperature rose bringing us mostly delightful, albeit breezy, spring weather. The animals, both wild and domestic, have been out in abundance so I’ve had to keep a watchful eye out for the unfenced […]
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: 50 miles • Average speed: 11.9 MPH • Bike: Salsa Warbird • Surface: gravel • Elevation gain: 3,648 feet • Start time: 10:29 AM • […]
Dressing for Cold and Windy Days I don’t know about you, but I’m so over the wind (and rain), and ready for warmer weather. These cold windy days remind me of the first few weeks of high school track practice every spring. We didn’t have the wide range of athletic clothing choices back then so […]
Rough Draft to a Training Plan My husband and I have been researching various websites and YouTube channels of cycling experts while working on a training plan for our upcoming bike races and tours. I made a rough draft of a training plan several weeks ago that I’ve been loosely following and it seems that […]
Spring Break with the Fam We spent six days in Richmond, VA for spring break. It worked as a good meeting point for our growing family and provided plenty of activities for all ages. Pablo lived his best life, joining us most days for hikes, visiting breweries, and outdoor lunches. My husband and I took […]
In My Happy Place Gardening was the theme of the week, or at least in my spare time and when it wasn’t raining. This time of year keeps me busy with spring cleanup before my lawn guy comes to spread mulch. I find working outside with my flowers and plants to be very therapeutic and […]
Training for a Bike Race As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I registered for several spring, summer, and fall bike races and events. I’ve never raced on a bike, but it’s been a goal since I got back into cycling with more consistency in the summer of 2020. Don’t be impressed, […]
