7 Challenges in one ride

I normally like to get my ride in first thing in the morning - but today that was not possible.  This morning was our first pine wood derby (his is the yellow #17), so my youngest son and I went and  had a great time.  He won 1st place in his den and had a couple of 2nd and 3rd place finishes against the whole pack.

It ended up being a little after 2 PM (challenge#1) before I was finally on my bike and heading out for what I was hoping would be a 60 mile ride - hoped..., but with the late start I wasn't sure I would have enough time.  When I left it was sunny, with a cool/cold wind from the NNW.  I figured my light biking over shirt and my regular biking gloves would be fine to keep my warm (#2).  Riding down my street my hands were cold, but I figured I'd warm up and it wouldn't be a problem (#3) - I should have went back and got my warmer gloves as my hands never did get warm enough.  The ride out to my turnaround point went pretty well, other than still being cold.  I was going south and enjoyed the benefit of the wind to my back.  I was just over an hour for the little over 20 miles so I sat down briefly and ate an orange and part of a granola / nut bar at what is becoming a regular grassy stop for me.

  

With in 5 minutes I was back on my bike and heading into a stronger wind and the wind (and I) was even colder now (#4). Ten miles further and I was just wanting to finish the ride with out adding the extra mileage at the end.  By the time I was 3 miles out, I had several numb parts on my body (#5), I was cold, tired and fatigued (#6).  My HR was low (under 120) and I just didn't want to push any harder (#7).  I was mostly struggling mentally, with a fair bit of physically discomfort too. Not one of my fun memorable rides. The ride back I averaged ~13 mph ... much slower than my target and usual 18 mph.

I did learn a few things: keeping my hands warm is important for me, riding the return leg into the wind is very challenging for me and I do much better when I ride first thing in the morning - when I'm fresh. I am thankful that I had no problems with my bike, cars, animals or things on the roads! I always take my cell phone, but am very thankful when I don't need it.  I have one rear "Bike Planet" super flasher light that I like VERY MUCH as it is very bright and has a very catchy flash pattern that is visible from a long distance away. It's a bike safety feature that is worth the cost - and I'm considering adding a second as it was a bit gray this afternoon and there were a half dozen cars that tried to share more of my lane than I would have liked.  Two 'Blinkies' has got to be better than just one ...

I don't have my chart in front of me, but I think my mileage for this week was ~150.  I'm still ramping up time on the trainer and time out doors - this week was split at about 4 hrs each.  My long rides aren't where I was hoping they'd be by now, but that's just the way it is. One can't live the 'chart', one has to live their life!  Next weekend I'm hoping to get a 3 1/2 to 4 hr ride in.  (The 6 day 600 mile ride is getting closer and closer ... see the "Going the Distance" link in the side bar for more information on this up coming ride / challenge.)

It's late and I'm tired ... that's all for this week.  I'm looking forward to a full day of rest tomorrow.