June 2016
On June 8, we had a beautiful baby girl which has had a big effect on the amount of time I have to sleep, much less ride.
Most of the month was spent getting used to the new routines involved in tending to our tiny human.
As the last weekend of the month approached, I decided to make the most of a sunny day (with Sarah's blessings) and try keeping the hundo streak alive.
I decided I would start with the NCC Saturday Morning group ride, then add smaller loops as necessary to the end.
After a few weeks entirely off the bike, and a big foggy from the sleep deprivation, it took a few miles to get warmed up, but once I reached Northampton, I felt like I was back at my earlier fitness level. Sometimes the mind can play tricks.
It was summery but not oppressively hot for the first bit of the ride, but the respite from the searing temperatures was short-lived, as the temperature went up and up.
The group took it easy coming out of Northampton and the pace started to pick up on the Ashfield Road Climb. The cumulative effects of absent slumber became evident about midway up the climb.
We kept riding on a mostly rolling loop, which was generally sustainable for me in the group.
At McCuskers Market, the group split, and myself, Pete Crisci and Chris DeHahn continued north, with Pete and Chris mostly pulling me around.
We stopped at Greenfield Coffee where I had a double espresso in hopes of bringing my legs back to life.
It worked for a bit, but only a bit.
The combination of the heat and the fatigue kept pushing me further and further in to my red zone, but Pete and Chris were good sports and kept the pace mellow. Pete had to head home, but Chris kept riding in front as we got closer to Northampton.
On River Road, after another caffeine stop, I decided I would put on music and just find a sustainable, leisurely pace for the remainder. I thanked Chris for pulling before he continued on, and I started again slowly.
I got back to Northampton around mile 72, and I knew I needed to bolster, so I rode to Look Park (Home of the Cycle Smart International CX race) and back, then to Umass Amherst and back, and finally home.
The ride was a humbling reminder of how big a factor fatigue can be on athletic performance, hopefully I'll be better rested for July's hundo.
Tech note, I got a heart rate monitor to use with my phone, the 4iiii Viiiiva. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy to transmit, and it paired flawlessly with Strava on my iPhone SE. Most impressively, and this may be more to the phone's credit, I started the ride with a fully charged battery, and despite 8+ hours of Strava tracking including heart rate, a few hours of music streaming, and several photographs, I still finished with almost 30% left on the battery.
Most of the month was spent getting used to the new routines involved in tending to our tiny human.
As the last weekend of the month approached, I decided to make the most of a sunny day (with Sarah's blessings) and try keeping the hundo streak alive.
I decided I would start with the NCC Saturday Morning group ride, then add smaller loops as necessary to the end.
After a few weeks entirely off the bike, and a big foggy from the sleep deprivation, it took a few miles to get warmed up, but once I reached Northampton, I felt like I was back at my earlier fitness level. Sometimes the mind can play tricks.
It was summery but not oppressively hot for the first bit of the ride, but the respite from the searing temperatures was short-lived, as the temperature went up and up.
The group took it easy coming out of Northampton and the pace started to pick up on the Ashfield Road Climb. The cumulative effects of absent slumber became evident about midway up the climb.
We kept riding on a mostly rolling loop, which was generally sustainable for me in the group.
At McCuskers Market, the group split, and myself, Pete Crisci and Chris DeHahn continued north, with Pete and Chris mostly pulling me around.
We stopped at Greenfield Coffee where I had a double espresso in hopes of bringing my legs back to life.
It worked for a bit, but only a bit.
The combination of the heat and the fatigue kept pushing me further and further in to my red zone, but Pete and Chris were good sports and kept the pace mellow. Pete had to head home, but Chris kept riding in front as we got closer to Northampton.
On River Road, after another caffeine stop, I decided I would put on music and just find a sustainable, leisurely pace for the remainder. I thanked Chris for pulling before he continued on, and I started again slowly.
I got back to Northampton around mile 72, and I knew I needed to bolster, so I rode to Look Park (Home of the Cycle Smart International CX race) and back, then to Umass Amherst and back, and finally home.
The ride was a humbling reminder of how big a factor fatigue can be on athletic performance, hopefully I'll be better rested for July's hundo.
Tech note, I got a heart rate monitor to use with my phone, the 4iiii Viiiiva. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy to transmit, and it paired flawlessly with Strava on my iPhone SE. Most impressively, and this may be more to the phone's credit, I started the ride with a fully charged battery, and despite 8+ hours of Strava tracking including heart rate, a few hours of music streaming, and several photographs, I still finished with almost 30% left on the battery.
Bike - Pioneer Valley Hilltowns, Michelin Pro 4 Endurance 700x28
Apparel - Short Sleeve jersey and Giordana bib shorts
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