Got a Good One In Before the Rain Returns

Distance: 39.3 mi.

Time: 2:03:30

Avg. speed: 19.07

Weather: 58-70º, 790-40% humidity, wind calm-S5

I had "Going Mobile" by The Who in my head again today, great song for a ride. It was only a matter of time before my "brain's radio" did this. I'll only post "Song stuck in head" when it is new and unique to this blog.

This will be a brief summary of the ride as I am spinning many plates today.

Got my (nearly) 40 miler done today in good weather with very little wind. The route goes up Stow Road into Harvard, across Pinnacle and down Oak Hill into LIttleton. From there, it goes along 2A/110 for a stretch until it turns east on 225 to take me through a corner of Westford and into Carlisle. Then it turns south into Concord, through Concord Center, east into West Concord and then southwest through part of Acton and back home (map at end of post).

I targeted my HR at 150 bpm (actual was 151) and tried to keep my cadence as close to 100 as I could (avg. ended up at 95 rpm). The early climbs into Harvard went very well. I completed the section of Stow Rd. from the green mailbox at the bottom to the stop sign at the top in 6' 8", I'll have to check my previous logs but that may be my best time yet by 20 seconds or so.

Ever have one of those rides where you swear you're grinding into a headwind only to realize, "Hey, I'm going 24 mph on this stretch"? Nice when that happens.

I felt good all the way up to mile 25 in Carlisle when my left hamstring started to feel a bit twitchy. I dialed down the effort a bit and that seemed to take care of it. I wasn't very happy with my performance heading down Concord/Lowell Roads into Concord, but with the hamstring in the back of my mind, I didn't push it.

By the time I got to Parker St., I was feeling like I was just about spent and had just enough oomph in me to power over the final rollers and put up a feeble sprint for the last few hundred feet.

OBSERVATION: If you start failing/flaggin/flailing or otherwise underperforming on a ride, you can usually trace it to one of 3 things (mechanical failure notwithstanding):

1. motor - you've overdone it and your legs are giving out
2. tank - you are under fueled or under watered
3. control panel - you have psyched yourself out or simply given up

Today, it was the motor - but I still feel I got a very good ride in, right at the limit for my current state of fitness.