MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011

This past weekend the plan was to extend my normal 5-6 mile run on Saturday into a long run, so I could ride rather than run on Father's Day morning.

I found one buddy and a newer member of the local running club to run 8 with me early on Saturday. I should not have trusted my friend Steve's assurance that 9-9:20 mile pace was fine with him. We averaged 8:50 pace with the final miles faster, down to 8:30. I did not whine too much. Then I hopped in my car and joined my normal running buddies and ran an easier 4 miles with them. That was more sensible on a hot, humid morning.

Sunday morning I drove a bit to ride with a faster ride group that I had not ridden with before. Eight or so folks showed for the 44 mile ride - all clearly very experienced riders who knew one another. Almost out of the gate one guy had a flat, so we waited and chatted. The slower of the group (judging by the stretch we had ridden) were a woman triathlete who did IM Florida last year and was winning her age group in shorter tris this year, and a guy who had raced 5-6 IMs and was also doing well in shorter races this year. It sounded like the others rode crits or time trials, either actively or in the past. One guy was talking about the 200 mile ride he had planned again this year on July 4th

Today's ride was supposed to be 19-23 mph pace (with the understanding that with a whole lot of stop and go the true average pace would be a lower). You know what happened. The pace when not negotiating stop signs and lights was well above 20 and good stretches were 25-27 sustained.

My spring riding has been much less this year than in past years, in part because of our rainy spring and also because I am focused on my job search. So I was in a bit of trouble here! This became apparent when we hit the first long hill. I started on the back and was spit out, and after making the top cranked for all I was worth in my bars to eventually reconnect. Wake up. legs!

I decided I needed to get into the pack and let them pull me. I do not like to suck a wheel, but if I did not let that happen I would be dropped, for sure. I wanted to ride more in my bars, but of course that was not appropriate for a pace line.

We rode, places I had not ridden before, which was cool. In several stretches I did know I jumped out front for a bit so I would not be viewed as a total wheel sucker. They humored me, but soon I found myself falling back in the pack.

Toward the end I was getting pretty toasted, but luckily another guy was also lagging a little so he pulled me. Just then I had a flat (a tubular - rare event!). The group was good and came back to us and I got great help changing out the tire, which happened in a snap. I continued to hang on for the rest of the ride - but it was a struggle.

Note to self: Ride more and ride harder so next time I am less like dead meat!