145 Mile One Day Ride Across Michigan Caps Off Another Great Week

Monday – Rode 47 miles with Joel and Jen NW of Albany with some hills and finished in the dark along the trail from Bowlus to Albany. So much fun riding with good friends!

Tuesday – Rode 19 miles SW of Richmond with the group. Turned it into an interval training exercise by sagging back and/or waiting for the slower riders, then blasting it to catch the riders up front. Felt great with no after effects of my hard ride on Saturday.

Wednesday – Worked until 10:45 p.m. to get ready to leave on my trip. Not the best preparation for a long ride.

Thursday – Drove to Manistique, Michigan on my way to ride ODRAM. Enjoyed my updated songlist on my phone that kept me entertained.

Friday – Drove from Manistique to Muskegon, but enjoyed an easy 25 mile pre ODRAM warm up last Friday along the West Michigan shoreline trail overlooking Lake Michigan between Charlevoix and Bay Harbor along the way. After all the driving, I wanted to stretch my legs before riding 145 miles the next day. Picked up my ride packet in Montague, then early to bed.

Saturday – Wakened at 5:00 to get to Montague to be ready to ride at 6:00 a.m. Hit the road at 6:30 in the early dawn with wet roads (spray for many miles, but no rain the whole way), about 100% humidity but temperatures below 70 (which didn’t get much warmer until after noon with a high of 75 – pretty lucky in terms of temps).

Rode the 146.2 miles in 10 hours and 5 minutes of riding (12:15 total elapsed time arriving at 6:45 p.m.) with at 14.4 mph average with Anne and Glenda. They were great riding companions and their husbands played SAG with a wonderful supporting spirit, meeting us every 20 miles or so (15 miles near the end).

The hills early on were not as much an issue as the profile would indicate, with few very steep or very long. The mile 72-95 stretch was the worst, with crappy roads, some hills and a nasty headwind. At 95 miles, we were not especially looking forward to another 50 miles of this. But, the next 20 were great, with smoother roads, lessening winds and no hills. What a morale booster! After that, it was just a matter of grinding it out on 30 miles of flat roads at an easy pace. I was glad to be done, but nowhere so tired that I could not have gone further.  Another milestone passed – in fine fashion. Bring on DALMAC with 4 centuries back to back planned – another test.

 (Sorry, I don't look too happy in this photo.) :)

(It was a long day, getting up at 5:00 and not getting to bed until the next 1:30 a.m. after the bus ride back to Montague.)

Sunday – Drove back home in nine and half hours. Walked the 4 miles around Cleary Lake with Linda to stretch my legs and get the blood moving. Felt pretty good, with little stiffness and soreness – a great sign that I am getting in shape.

Goal: 80-100 miles during the week, plus whatever on the weekend

Total week miles: 91 during week plus the 145 mile ODRAM on Saturday. Weekly goal achieved.

B+ Grading My Following My Training Plan Through the First Nine Weeks

Here is a progress report on my implementing my training plan since my announcement that I will ride the Fast America South next spring.

Here are the miles I have ridden, in my attempts to meet my goals of 80-100 miles during the week, plus whatever on the weekend.

Week     During the Week     Weekend  Total

1                        101                     25           126

2                        115                     30           145

3                          94                   152           246

4                        105                   216           321

5                          19                     50             69

6                          91                     32           123

7                          65                     52           117

8                        127                     18           145

9                          95                   102           197

Total                  812                   677        1,489

I worked my plan 7 of the 9 weeks. In addition to the 90 miles I rode April 26 in the Minnesota Ironman and the Fulton Gran Fondo century, I have ridden the Tour de Pepin century, the back-to-back Paul Bunyan centuries and the Tour de Tonka, for a total of 5 centuries so far this year.  

I have improved my 100 mile ride performance from a 15.0 mph average I did on the Tour de Pepin to 16.5 on the Tour de Tonka, on somewhat equivalent terrain and temperatures. Riding the Tour de Tonka 100 miles in the six hours met the requirement to ride the cross country tour next spring (other than being documented), so this makes me all the more confident that I will be physically ready for the tour.

I have only lost maybe 3 of the 8 pounds I had intended to lose by August 1, and I have totally failed to implement my plan to be able to run 5k by this time. Those goals will need to be pushed back, perhaps with the running occurring during the winter in the school field house as part of my attempt to hold onto my conditioning during the winter. I also presume that as I continue this training I will lose some more weight.

I need to improve my strength to weight ratio, as I really slow down on hills compared with those I ride with. On the Tour de Tonka, early on I was doing much better than on other rides, going up some grades at 16+ mph, but in the last 30 miles I just had to spin my way up the hills in low gears. I had planned to do some weight training for my quads and hamstrings in the school weight room during the summer, but that was not to be. I will simulate hills on my Keiser training bike to improve here.

So, progress was made, but I was not totally able to work my plan. As the initial enthusiasm waned, at times it has been hard to stay motivated. The 147 mile One Day Ride Across Michigan next Saturday and the 5 day Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw City (DALMAC) ride before Labor Day will help to keep me focused for the next month.

But, my friends, you will be critical to keeping me on track. Simply your reading this (or knowing you might) is a way to hold me accountable and means much to me. Thanks for reading!

Minimum Goal Achieved - A Century in Six Hours of Riding Time

Monday – Rode 20 miles with the Central Minnesota Bicycle Club from Avon. Mostly rode slowly in the heat, except for some higher intensity surges. Just didn’t feel I had it in me.

Tuesday – Rode 40 miles on my Keiser while watching a movie. Four minutes of relatively low intensity followed by a minute of pedaling standing up. Getting my miles in while avoiding the heat.

Wednesday - Rode 35 miles on my Keiser while watching a movie. Four minutes of relatively low intensity followed by a minute of pedaling standing up.

Thursday – Rest day. Had a Board meeting until 8:30 p.m. so really didn’t have much time anyway.

Friday - Rest day, other than walking the 4 miles around Cleary Lake.

Saturday - Rode the Tour de Tonka. Completed 102 miles in 6 hours and 5 minutes, 16.5 mph average, in 7 hours total elapsed time, including breaks. This meets the minimum requirement for riding the cross country ride next spring - just barely. With 3 more months of road bike riding left this year, i should be able to improve upon that. I was at 17.5 mph average at 55 miles and 17.2 mph average at 72 miles, but the hills and heat in the last 30 miles were tough.

 I got there late, so had to park at the High School, ride the 1.5 miles to the start, and got there just as everyone else was starting out, while I still had to go pick up my packet.

Sunday – Walked the 4 miles around Cleary Lake with Linda.

Goal: 80-100 miles during the week, plus whatever on the weekend

Total week miles: 95 during week plus the Tour de Tonka 102 miles on Saturday. Weekly goal achieved.