Friday, August 31, 2007

Owensboro Club Ride



I took Monday off from work to drive back from Chicago after doing the Accenture Chicago Triathlon the day before. Despite a long drive back to the 'boro, I was feeling pretty good and itching to get on the bike again. So, I joined the Monday night club ride. It meets out at Waymond Morris Park on Todd Bridge Road at 6pm. There was a good group, maybe 30-40. My legs felt okay until about mile 7 and then I was feeling the burn. However, I still averaged over 16 mph and rode for about 18.3 miles on country roads.



Today's Mileage: 18.3 miles
2007 Year to Date Mileage: 276.5 miles

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Sunday was a nearly perfect day for a swim, bike ride or run. Or all 3 together in the Accenture Chicago Triathlon, certified by the Guiness Book of World records as the largest in the world. My friend Kristine, who inspired me to do a triathlon, joined about 8,500 people on the Chicago lakefront for swimming, biking, and running. All week leading up to the event, Chicago was hit by heavy rains and flooding. But, this weekend, the sun came out, the sky was blue, and the temps were in the 70's, with a slight breeze off the lake. The swim took place in the Monroe harbor and was illuminated by a beautiful sunrise. That view almost made up for the frigid 68 degree water temp. But, once I got moving I warmed up. I just wish it would've made me swim faster, too. The bike ride was a course I knew well, going north on Lake Shore drive to Foster Ave and then turning around and riding back to the Harbor. I had done part of this route with some fraternity brothers during Memorial Day weekend's Bike the Drive. The run went south towards the Shedd Aquarium and around the Adler Planetarium, with a finish near the Buckingham Fountain, which celebrated it's 80th birthday this weekend. All-in-all it was quite a day! My unofficial finish time was 2:06:55. I had hoped to break 2 hours, but will have to wait until next year's Owensboro YMCA Triathlon for that mark. The afternoon was topped off with a short nap and an ice cream social at Ken and Rebecca's, which tasted very good after some exercise on a warm, summer day. M & M ice cream was my favorite, but the Orange Popsicle was pretty good too!
Today's Mileage: 13.7 miles
2007 Year to Date Mileage: 258.2 miles

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Owensboro Club Ride

I joined the Monday night club ride, again, tonight. It meets out at Waymond Morris Park on Todd Bridge Road at 6pm. There was a good group, maybe 30-40. It was still hot - in the low 90's and very windy. We still averaged over 16 mph and rode for about 18.3 miles on country roads.


Today's Mileage: 18.3 miles
2007 Year to Date Mileage: 244.5 miles

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Monday, August 20, 2007

Bike Paths not Transportation?

According to this action alert from the League of American Bicyclists, the US Transportation Secretary feels that Bicycle Paths are a waste of transportation infrastructure funding. Instead of building more roads, we need to encourage more multi-use trails and bike lanes. The economic and health benefits would be huge. If you'd like to comment on this, contact the secretary and tell her.

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Friday, August 17, 2007

Thursday Club Ride

Joe Hayden organizes rides out in western Daviess County. He lives just off Hwy 144 on Hwy 1389. Supposedly, we did the flattest of the routes he has mapped out, but I couldn't tell. I wanted to get some hill work in, though, so I got what I wanted. It was generally rolling, country hills with a flat area on old Hwy 60. It was actually a very nice route, but I need to get better on the hills.

Yesterday's Mileage: 22 miles
2007 Year to Date Mileage: 226.2 miles

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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Owensboro Club Ride

I joined the Monday night club ride tonight. It meets out at Waymond Morris Park on Todd Bridge Road at 6pm. There was a big group, maybe 40-50. It was still hot - in the low 90's, but okay for a ride. We averaged about 17.6 mph and rode for about 18.5 miles on country roads.

Today's Mileage: 18.5 miles
2007 Year to Date Mileage: 204.2 miles

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