Today I trained at Island Beach State Park with a few members of team DOWN ONE. Island Beach State Park is 8.6 miles long from gate to the end of the road. It is a flat road and does not have any hills. It made for a great place to help build up my stamina and get used to cycling. John and Lissa joined me and it was their first time in years on a bike so it made for a great ride. We were all inexperienced and took on the days challenge together.
The weather was a cool 45 degrees and with 10 MPH winds. Not ideal for cycling, but I had to deal with what we had.
We found the first 8.6 miles to be a good ride. We averaged 14.5 MPH and kept a steady pace the entire ride. No issues with stamina and no issues with breathing, but each of us had our issues with our seats.
Last night after my ride to John’s house I realized I needed to get a GEL cover for my seat. I went out to Modell’s Sporting Goods and picked one up. It made a world of difference, but still had a little discomfort today.
We took a 5 minute break before turning back. Once we started back we knew we were in for on heck of a challenge. The wind had shifted and was right in our face. There is nothing like a bike ride in 49 degree weather and 10 MPH winds.
The ride back was a slow one to start. For the first 2-3 miles we stayed together doing 8-9 MPH. I found that to be too slow as I kept thinking how cold it was and if I went faster I could be in my car getting warmer….with that on my mind I told John and Lissa I was going to pump this ride out and get moving. I left them behind and brought my speed up to 13.5 MPH and before I knew it I could not even see John or Lissa so I kept riding.
I kept a steady pace and found it to be fun. Once I was back to my car I waited for John and Lissa. They got back 11-12 minutes after I did. Overall a great ride. Each of us felt good and no issues.
We will be back at Island Beach State Park next Saturday to do it again.
LIVESTRONG!
2 weeks ago