Hot Tub Concoction

Antonio sessioning the log on
the Bonus Loop

Here's what happens when you ride hard for 2 hours and 45 minutes then plunge into a 104º hot tub to continue planning for the June 2011 Durango to Moab trip...

...your blood vessels dilate, the blood pressure in your brain drops to about 60/40, and you concoct a brilliant revision to your training program:

• Since our rides in June will be 5-6 hours of pedaling in 6-7 hours duration, we will increase duration of Sunday rides to max out in early June at 5+ hours.  "Practice like you play" as they say...
• Schedule the rides now. Move them around to ensure variety. Locate them to accommodate increasing durations and intensities We are all busy people, pre-scheduling just makes sense.

Kirk sessioning the same log

So after our 3 hour ride and hot-tub soak I did the only thing that made sense. I went out in the sun and drank beer and played kickball with the kids (and dads) for 6 hours, then came home to tap out this blog post. And here is what I came up with:

Date	Duration	Location	Depart	Start	End	Home
10-Apr	3:00	Harmony Hill	8:45 AM	9:00 AM	12:00 PM	12:15 PM
17-Apr	3:15	Marsh Creek	9:00 AM	9:00 AM	12:14 PM	12:14 PM
24-Apr	3:29	White Clay	8:00 AM	9:00 AM	12:29 PM	1:29 PM
1-May	3:45	Brandywine	8:30 AM	9:00 AM	12:46 PM	1:16 PM
8-May	4:04	Fair Hill	8:00 AM	9:00 AM	1:04 PM	2:04 PM
15-May	4:24	Wissahickon	8:15 AM	9:00 AM	1:24 PM	2:09 PM
21-May*	4:45	Blue Marsh	8:00 AM	9:00 AM	1:45 PM	2:45 PM
29-May	5:08	French Creek	8:30 AM	9:00 AM	2:08 PM	2:38 PM

I've fixated on a 9:00 am "clipped in and pedals spinning" schedule, increased Sunday ride times by 8% each week, cranked in the drive times (from Lyndenwood), and calculated estimated time of return to facilitate scheduling and family planning. I think that's pretty damn impressive.

Now we can quibble about start times and whether it is possible to ride 3 hours at Harmony Hill. I suspect we will shuffle locations and maybe repeat a couple to make this work, and we do have a rest week 5/1 to consider, but that sort of discussion is  A-OK because that's a productive conversation that gets us closer to Durango.

Note also that 21-May is a Saturday ride. A ride is organically organizing via the Pennsylvania forum on MTBR for that date, and that's just about the time we need to bang out a long ride. Where better than Blue Marsh (remember our first time)?

Oh and the hot tub produced one other minor breakthrough. Our recruiting efforts have moved yet another rider from unrated to "47-50%" probability for the June trip. That is a ways from 100% but is real progress and would make it 8 riders total and that my friends is exciting news!

We'll see how this "hot tub concoction" looks in the morning after a good night's rest...

Chris

"Chasing records doesn't keep me on my bike. Happiness does."
     -- Lance Armstrong after his third Tour de France victory