Finally...a breakthrough on the bike...


It's taken me 11 weeks since I started this journey to have a decent bike ride. I averaged 28.1 kph, which is much better than all those 23—and 24-kph rides the previous week, and it didn't kick my butt this time like my last ride, where a 27.3 kph ride kicked my butt yesterday. 

I can tell summer is over. Sunset is happening sooner. I just got out the door in time, and by the time I got home, it was only 15 minutes away from darkness. 

The one thing I realized and remembered while I rode was that I needed to push hard and put myself in the pain zone. The difference between today and years ago, when I was strong on the bike, is that years ago, I welcomed the pain and even enjoyed it. I'm getting back to mentally preparing myself to push myself into the pain zone and enjoy it. 

I'm also feeling much more comfortable on the bike. I was shakey for the most part, but after a couple of weeks of riding my new bike, I'm feeling much more stable. The bike definitely absorbs the bumpy roads much better than my Cervelo. 

I noticed when I got into the aero position, which I have been able to get into more and more. The key is to be relaxed in the shoulders and arms and rest on the aero bars. When I do get aero, I find my speed naturally increasing and my legs feeling stronger. To keep relaxed even more, I may increase the angle of the aero bars. 

Today's session was hard. I didn't do it but pushed myself out the door. It was tough because I didn't want to do it because it was cooler outside, around 66F /19 C. For me, that's cool. I put on a long-sleeve shirt under my cycling jersey. I'm glad I did it to keep the streak alive. I am concerned that I'm not in the shape I need to do the race; specifically, my running is a concern. I haven't been able to run without pain, and when I do, it's at a plodding pace. 

I had my regular protein shake and glutamate post-training session to help with recovery. 

Bike - 55:51 / 26.16 km / 28.1 kph avg pace.

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