Training Update

In the past two weeks, I've put over 350 miles in on my bike in preparation for the Pan-Mass Challenge, just three weeks from today. I had two noteworthy rides in that time period - a century and my fastest ride ever!

Rich and I decided to ride a century route (over 100 miles) that had been mapped by the Charles River Wheelmen that took us from Wakefield up over the New Hampshire border and back. It was a very long day, but we finished with a respectable time and average speed for such a distance. The first day of the PMC is 111 miles, so riding a century beforehand is good for the legs.

The second notable ride was today - the Saturday Morning Fitness Ride organized again by CRW - only this time I was joined by fellow cyclist Rob and about 50 other riders. They sent riders out in groups based on the distance they wanted to cover and their average speed. We set out with the 42-mile, 19 mph group. I knew that would be a stretch in terms of speed, but I was up for a challenge.

And what a challenge it was! I stayed with the group for the first 10 miles or so, averaging around 21 mph (WAY faster than I usually go), but I couldn't keep up. I lost the group at a curve and never caught up (I actually missed a turn for the 42-mile route, so I inadvertently rode the 28-mile route). I wanted to keep the challenge level high still, so I tried to keep my speed up. I finished with an average speed of 19.0 mph (my previous record was 16.9!). I'm pretty satisfied with my effort.

Only three weeks left until the ride! I'll spend the next two weeks around the same mileage level I've been at. Rich and I are going to ride CRW's Climb to the Clouds century on the 20th. We rode it last year and it was the single hardest ride I have ever been on. I'm looking forward to doing better this year.