Today was the last training ride before my very first metric century ride! I've never done anything like this before, so I'm kinda' pumped about it. Way back in high school I ran the Cotton Row Run two consecutive years, but that's it as far as competitive endurance anything. A metric century is 100 kilometers, or 62 miles.
The Clarksville Labor Day Classic [link] is supposed to be a good "1st Century" because the course is very flat. No hills and smooth roads make for a pretty easy ride. If you can stay on the bike and keep the crank turning for 3-3.5 hours then you've got it made.
Since last May when I began keeping track of my training, I've ridden 1881.5 miles. Not too shabby, if I may say so. That would more than get you from here to Los Angeles. And I had 7 months off in the middle to recover from the broken elbow that resulted from a bike crash last August [blogged]. That really slowed me down for a while. So most of my miles have been in the last 5 months.
Today's ride was just a short 15 miles to keep up the conditioning... and remind my legs what they need to do on Saturday. The longest ride I've done so far was a great 50 mile Saturday morning ride with Brad. The weather was glorious during that first week of August, and we felt like we could have just kept going. Of course, the next morning my legs were a bit noodle-y. I had to prop myself up in the pulpit - no walking around during that sermon!
Most of my rides are on my own, but riding with other folks is fun, too. The Shoals Cycling Club has group rides that would be cool, but they are all in the evening.
Occasionally I get to ride with Brad. I've also enjoyed riding with
Chuck Worley and Zeke Haseldon several times - they're a couple of
preachers, too. Not many people want to ride with me at the crack of dawn, but that is the best time for me. Get it done and get on with the day. And I enjoy the solitude of 30 miles on my own. It's a great time think about what's going on and work out plans. I spend a lot of time praying for you guys, and just thanking God for the beautiful outdoors.
The bike I'm riding is an amazing piece of equipment. It's a really nice Trek, which is much better for riding on the road than my mountain bike mounted with slicks. HUGE thanks to the saint (you know who you are) who lent it to me. Evidently it was "resting" in his garage. I really appreciate it.
Well, that's enough for now, when I'm supposed to be preparing for tonight's Bible study. :-) I'll let you know how it goes on Saturday.
Good luck! Be safe and enjoy the ride. Praying you have a wonderful experience:-)
Posted by: Mom | August 28, 2008 at 10:53
Thanks Mom!
Posted by: clericeric | August 28, 2008 at 12:57