43 days

Ok, maybe starting to get concerned. Got to get more time on the bike in.

Today I had a short ride in cold weather, so I really pushed hard to stay warm. Got heart rate up in the 150-165 range a few times pushing hard up the hills of Austin, and kept my speed up around 15MPH. Otherwise, discovered something important. I noticed the bike easily cruises at 15MPH turning over at a very easy cadence (speaking of which, the cadence meter is not working - hmmm...what did the bike shop do to it?).

What this means, is that if the terrain of the MS 150 ride is reasonable, it will be relatively easy to make each 10-15 mile segment last an hour or less. So now the 150 miles is really just a series of short rides with well taken rest stops in between.

This "series of short rides" was an idea my friend Craig suggested, and maybe I even mentioned this earlier in the blog. But now that I have ridden the bike enough, I feel the strategy will work quite well. So this helps guide the rest of the training strategy for the rides...build up strength and endurance to do many consecutive short rides. Big difference in training for short rides rather than an 80 mile straight through.

Although one worrying thing is the Tour de Cure in the following month. That's through Texas Hill Country. Ouch!

Also, had my first panic attack trying to get my feet out of the clips. Tried to "pull up" instead of "twist out" when stopping, and at the last minute bumped not too gently into a piece of wood in my garage to stop. No harm done, and probably a good lesson to learn now. TWIST OUT to bail!!!

Miss you boys! Can't wait to see you at Spring Break!