2009/08/07

Pokin' Along

Distance: 22.9 mi.

Time: 1:15:59

Avg. speed: 18.11 mph

Weather: 77º, 41% humidity, wind NW15 G21, sunny

Song stuck in head: The Yellow Rose of Texas - Mitch Miller

August mileage total: 157 miles

First, I must explain that while I was running errands this morning, I listened to a podcast of On Point where they discussed the Seige of Vicksburg during the Civil War and used today's SSIH as one of the bumpers. I can't even remember who's rendition they played but a childhood of my parents playing Mitch Miller records made it logical that I dredged up Mitch and the boys. Once lodged in the empty vessel of my brain, it stayed all day. I apologize if my mentioning of it infects you as well.

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Easy-to-moderate effort today, stayed out of big chainring, away from big climbs and kept cadence mostly in the low 100's. Don't know if my level of effort fell into the "crap miles" category (ie., no benefit to my fitness level) but it was good psychologically to do a ride where I could pay more attention to the things I was riding past. Excepting for the damage that song was doing as it looped over and over again in my mind.

As I rode up Boon Road past Honeypot Farm, a hawk paced along with me, 25 feet up and to my right for a few dozen yards. That experience alone made the slow pace worthwhile.

I also noticed that the hills that I'd dread riding up at any speed back in May were nothing to me today. In particular, the Pompositticutt Road hill on the way home was always something that would loom in my mind as I neared it earlier this season. Today, it was just another feature on the route, a minor inconvenience, at most.

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