Day 158 - Mixing it Up with the Roadies

My buddies and I decided to participate in a road race on Saturday morning. The race, sponsored by Bike Masters in Mission, was a fundraiser for Mission Crime Stoppers. Tweezer, Grape, and I rode our mountain bikes and Nico rode his road bike. We signed up for the Beginners 36+ group. Our race was four laps for 25 miles. We started the race strong, moving to the front of a pack of 25 riders. We took turns leading the group, averaging about 19 mph, up until the fourth lap, when the roadies accelerated and dropped Grape and me. I maxed out my gears but didn't have enough energy to keep up. Nico and Tweezer stayed with the lead group to the finish line, making respectable finishes. I came in 3rd to last. I didn't care. We had fun mixing it up with the roadies. I have to admit I enjoyed riding with a pack and drafting off other riders. I might just buy me a road bike.

Day 153 - "You're Fully Healed"

Saw my orthopedic surgeon this morning. Took an x-ray. After studying my x-ray for a moment, he turned to me and proclaimed "You're fully healed". I looked at the x-ray and he showed me where the bone had grown back. While I was happy hear him tell me the bone had healed, I don't feel fully healed. I have a slight limp, I don't have full mobility of my leg (I can't sit Indian style), and I can feel there is something in my hip. I don't feel 100%, more like 75%. I'm hoping that my leg/hip will get better in the coming months and I won't eventually notice it, but from the few people I have talked to who have broken bones, they tell me that it is never the same. I hope they are wrong. The other positives from my doctor visit today is he cleared me for full activity and I don't have to see him anymore. Hopefully, I have fullfilled my quota of broken bones and won't have to visit him ever again.

Day 152 - Did You Wreck?

It rained in Mission on Friday. Didn't ride on Saturday because the trails were still drying out. Waited under Sunday afternoon to go for a ride. When I got there I hit the trails and they were nice and hardpacked from the rain. Sweet! Did a lap of the new loop at a pace close to race pace. Heart rate was in the mid 160s to 170s. It was a pace I can hold without going anaerobic. Did a second lap as the sun was doing down. Slid out in Pooh's when I took a turn a little too wide. It was a minor wipeout. Jumped back on my bike and finished my second lap. I felt good. I was able stand and crack on a few of the climbs, something I had been reluctant to do because of my back. Rode home. When I got home my wife was watering the yard. She looked at me and ask "Did you wreck?". At first I said "no", but after repeated interrogation I cracked and admitted I had a little fall. She didn't make a big deal of it.

Day 149 - 184 BMP

Thursday is group ride day. Took off work early to get in a ride with my riding buddies. It's great that we can get together at least one day a week to ride together and forget about work, family, and other stresses of life. We met up Mission Trails at 5:30 p.m. We hit the trails. As usual, Nico put in a fast pace for the first few miles. I took over and slowed things down a little to catch my breath. Then Grapeape flew by me and it was off to the races. We all struggled to keep up with Grape. My heart rate monitor maxed out at 184 bpm trying to keep up, the highest I have gotten it. We slowed down after a while. Came across AC, Richard, and Hector riding on the trails. They put the pedal down and it was back to the races. AC and Brian led the charge. They rode strong, dropping us. We finished and rode back to the parking lot. It was a good, hard workout.

Day 145 - Cool Front Ride

We got our first cool front this weekend. The temperature dropped to about 70 degrees and drizzed on Saturday and Sunday. The trails were packed down from the drizzle and the overcast skies kept the sun from coming out. It was perfect riding weather. Went for a ride on on my mountain bike Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m. I had lowered the stem about an inch and moved my shift levers inward about a 1/2 inch and wanted to test out the changes. Left my house and rode to the trails. Put in two laps on the course that we used in our last mountain bike race. Put in a fast pace, near race pace, on the second lap. The lower stem helped the bike corner better and kept the front end down on the climbs. The movement of the shifters allowed me to hold my grips better. I rode home, happy with the changes. Put in a good hour and a half ride. Stats: 23 miles, average heart rate 139 bpm, max heart rate 177 bmp, average speed 12 mph, top speed 22 mph.

Day 143 - Bike Computer/Heart Rate Monitor

I bought a bike computer and heart rate monitor earlier in the week. I had resisted buying one and relied on my feeback and perceived rate of effort. But I finally broke down and bought a Sigma 1706 bike computer/heart rate monitor on eBay. Part of the reason to buy it was to get more accurate feedback on my heart rate so I can train better. Another reason was to keep track of the miles that I am putting on my bike. The Sigma 1706 tracks speed, heart rate, miles, time elapased, and a bunch of other things. I was excited when I got it in the mail on Friday evening. Spent the evening setting it up, positioning the sensor and wheel magnet correctly, and learning how to use it. I can't wait to take it out for a spin this weekend.

Day 142 - Hit the Tree

Got out of work early so I could get in a ride. Met up with some of my riding buddies Tweezer, Grapeape, and Nico at Mission Trails at 5:30 p.m. Nico took the lead and set a fast pace, followed by Grapeape, me, and Tweezer. We I rode near the back trying to keep up. We played a game where if you put your foot down for whatever reason, you would have to go to the back. We played the game for several miles, with the lead changing several times. The pace was fast. Too fast. I was following Tweezer around a turn in Poo's Forest and cut the corner too quick, and was headed straight for a tree. I quickly grabbed my brakes, which stopped my bike, but my momentum carried me and I hit the tree with my right shoulder. Bam! Fortunately, I was ok. I quickly shook it off and we took off again. We rode this way for a good hour and a half until the sun went down. We made it back to the parking lot, exhausted. I was a little beat up, had a few scratches, and a slightly sore right shoulder, but wow, what a good, hard ride!

Day 137 - Sweating Out the Toxins

Last night my wife and I went to a Mission Trails Club night out at the Kave in Mission. We arrived at the club at 9:45 p.m. A couple of club members were there drinking and talking. My wife and I started drinking. She was drinking wine and I drank vodkas and cranberry juice. It was a small club that played mostly Spanish pop music. There was also a band that played. Two hours and several drinks later I was feeling tipsy. My wife and I said our goodbyes and drove home. We stopped at Whataburger to pick up some chicken strips (yummy!). Made it home, ate, and fell asleep. Woke up tired. In the late afternoon I went for a mountain bike ride at Mission Trails. Put in a hard pace and was sweating out the toxins from the night before. Rode from my house to the trails, did a lap and a half at the trails, and rode back home. Probably about 12 miles. Ended the ride with a 24 oz cold frosty. The perfect postride beverage.

Day 136 - Ride to You Drop

Woke up at 6 a.m. in the morning. Had an early morning mountain bike ride with my ridin' buddies -- Nico, Tweezer, and Grapeape. We all met at the parking lot at Mission Trails at 7 a.m. We unloaded and put on our gear and headed out to the trailhead. Tweezer took the lead and pushed a fast pace. We did a few of the older trails including the Up and Over, Thornwood, and the Rattlesnake. I took over and we did the Bikebreaker and the Cactus Run. We stopped the Quicksand Drop to take a couple of pics (that's Tweezer dropping into the Quicksand Drop), a 8 to 10 foot drop. We completed Tweezer and took the Cactus Run out to Champain Run and the end of the new lap. Nico took over and we did Jackhammer, PsychoPath, and Shady Oaks. We did the Bike Breaker again. Yeah! Grapeape took the wheel and we headed over to check out Los Ebanos Road. We raced down Los Ebanos to Old Military Rd. Then we caught in and rode the Up and Over backward to the end. It was a great ride. Everyone was riding hard. It was one of those "ride to you drop" kinda of rides. I got home exhausted and happy.