#30daysofbiking – final week

  
#30daysofbiking ended this past Thursday. I rode 242 miles total and finished up with 71 this week (with a few May rides). 

This 71 mile week is definitely a lifetime PR. I had some summer months in college where commuting from my parents’ to the lab I worked in probably gave me 60 over the course of the week (which, on top of 50-60 miles of running, was utterly exhausting), but I’m fairly certain I never exceeded 65 til now! Woohoo for a new weekly-mileage PR 🙂

More importantly, I’m actually really enjoying riding my bike! The only biking I’ve done in the past has been either commuting, or biking because I’m injured and can’t run. Commuting tends to be a drag – I guess I don’t like sweating and suffering when I’m just thinking about trying to get to work on time. Forced cross-training is miserable because of the whole Not Running part. 

Some of my recent riding has been commuting, but it’s a short commute and I often add on some fun/workout type riding on my ride from work, so the focus is more on riding for fitness rather than just trying to get from point A to point B. I’ve also done recent rides on days that I didn’t run due to pain/twinges. But I’ve been running often enough that my rides feel more like complimentary workouts than dull substitutes for running workouts.

I’ve actually managed to keep going right through the 30-day finish line and have ridden every day so far in May (just 3, but still!). I’m enjoying it, and do want something to supplement my relatively low running mileage, so I’m planning to carry on into summer. The plan so far is to throw in a few rest days, a couple workouts, and some longer rides when I feel like exploring. 

I haven’t fallen in love with a non-running sport in quite some time, but I think I may be finding a new passion in flying along over my two spinning wheels!

Things I’ve learned halfway through #30daysofbiking

1) I can manage a run right after a ride if I take a 5-10 minute break. That weird bike-to-run transition feeling is barely there at that point, just enough to force me to ease into the run.

   
 

2) Once I get out the door it’s never as crappy as I envisioned from my comfy indoor perch. There’s a larger activation energy for me to get out the door for a ride than for a run. The extra gear, the tire check, the fact that my rides usually take longer, etc. I always vaguely dread starting my ride. But once I’m out I get to zoom down the hill from my house, wind in my hair and ground flying under my wheels, and everything about biking is instantly less horrible than it was just a few minutes before.

   

 

3) It is sometimes necessary to leave the house looking like this: 

  

When it’s 36 degrees and windy out looking stylish/not like a total weirdo gets tossed off the priority list and the only thing that matters is being WARM, dang it! Add some *stylish* neoprene fishing gloves borrowed from MM and some fancy shoe covers and this look is absolutely toasty. 

15 days to go, hopefully I can push through the last 50%!

Running update – more slow & steady but adjusting to the altitude

Running has continued to go well after getting back on my feet towards the end of March. I’m still being cautious and focusing on pacing myself and supplementing my running with plenty of cross-training. However, my mileage is slowly creeping back up (hopefully 16-17 mi this week after my ‘long’ run tomorrow) and I’m starting to be better at adjusting for the extra effort required at my new elevation. Hopefully I can add some strides in next week to help hold the altitude shuffle at bay and keep my stride mechanics from totally going to heck.

  

I still feel a little bummed by my mileage, but with the more consistent cross-training I’ve actually been getting more physical activity than usual, which is definitely helping me to stay positive through the stress of adjusting to a new location/living alone. The additional biking has also let me explore more than I would on foot.

 

Speaking of biking, I’m just over 1/3 of the way through #30daysofbiking and have hit some decent cycling mileage (for me). Last week’s weekend long ride was my longest recorded/remembered ride! I still don’t get how people survive 50 – 100 milers, but at least I’m improving my own (somewhat pitiful) bike endurance!  

I may need to find some warmer cycling gear…

I just signed up for 30 Days of Biking (30daysofbiking.com) with a pledge to ride my bike every day in April. For every thirty pledges the group plans to donate a bike to Free Bikes 4 Kidz. It looks like a good cause and I needed some motivation to get back on the bike for some cross-training.

However, this might be a little tougher than I expected, as the weather the next few days is supposed to look like so:

I may regret this decision shortly…