Gosh, do you call this training? If I\’ve got any idea of riding a century in April, I\’m already far behind!

On the one hand, my Sunday long ride is primarily about maintaining a steady, moderate pace. On the other hand, I probably should spend part of those miles working to push my pace; otherwise, how will I ever improve my speed?

Today I finally got my mileage back up to 40. Well, OK, 40.40 to be exact; but I averaged a plodding 11.84 mph. The wind was 6-7 mph; and that\’s not nearly as strong as it was yesterday.

How can I get more energy, so that I can ride a little faster? Is a banana and peanut butter too little to eat before I begin a long ride?

During the weekly long ride, I begin to eat on the bike after 15 minutes; and I keep an eye on my bicycle computer, so that I remember to take another bite every 15 minutes. But do I need bigger bites?

Today my ride data showed that I burned 1000 calories; and the food that I ate added up to 900 calories.

That slight deficit looks about right, especially as I\’m not trying to lose weight; so maybe I\’m doing OK as far as food goes. Maybe the problem lies elsewhere.

I\’m too slack about my off-bike exercises; and can you call that training? Leg-development exercises such as lunges are a problem because of arthritis in the base joint of my left big toe. Flexing that joint while putting weight on it is painful.

Too Much?

Today I was loaded up with layers; and that probably didn\’t help my pace. Slacks over leg warmers and cycling shorts somewhat impede leg movement; and a vest plus two jackets just might have been too much. I was afraid I\’d be too cold if I wore less; but do you call that training?

We read all over the place that it\’s better to be slightly underdressed, than to wear too many layers. That\’s well and good as long as you can keep moving; but suppose you have a flat tire? That\’s where having a Camel-Bak with large pockets is useful: you can stash a spare jacket in there.

Anyway, I got home from my ride today; and after my recovery drink I put some wild rice blend to cook for another Hoppin\’ John variation. The kitchen work, like efforts to improve on the bike, never ends!