Like A Limestone Cowboy

Rolled a steady tempo ride on the rail trail this a.m.. It was a witch-tit-nip-fest with temps in the low 30's at the start and mid 30's by it's end. Many parts of the trail were soggy due to some rain and snow earlier in the week. That really upped the workout for the the day, and upped the cold factor once the meat sticks got wet. It also left the Mamasita looking like I rode through wet cement all day. Instead of a Zone 2 ride for 2 hours, it ended up being a more of Zone 3. My avg. HR of 149 was on the low side of 3, but much of the time I was working much harder with my HR up near 155 or so.

It would have been nicer to get a longer ride in, but I know my cold weather limit, and as I thought by rides end I could not feel my hands. So 30 miles, and 2 hours of steady tempo pedaling would have to work for me. I'll take that for the end of November!

I borrowed Wifey's iPod Shuffle for the ride. Since I had on the Bikeman.com winter skull cap on underneath my Lazer lid I was able to keep the ear buds in and listen to a combo of Franz Ferdinand (2004 French Radio Black Sessions) and the complete Glastonbury 07 set from Arctic Monkeys. Why do I feel like even at 36 years old I'll always be a big teenage, Brit-Pop music nerd obsessing about tracks I don't have and the next great song? Issues. Then again what the f*ck made me pick doing 6, 12, and 24 Solo races as a HOBBY??? As I said- Issues.

The best part of a cold ride is the hot shower that awaits at the end. That and the knowledge that every hour spent outside is one less on the trainer. Even if it means frozen fingers and endless miles of crushed limestone.

I picked up some Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Goooood. Nothing out of the ordinary, but damn fine. Imagine their Pale Ale, but with the hops turned up to eleven. OR if your a hop head from 37 IBUs to 62. It's got some bight RIGHT were you want it.

Time to split. Watch some Ninja Turtles, have a beverage and make some Mexican food.

Later.