The change over from car to bike is going well, I have been upping the number of days I commute as my rear and my legs get used to being on the bike (and a new one at that!) after some 8-9 months off.
Since buying the new bike I have logged 287 miles on it, most of which have come from commuting to work/school or running short errands that would have required the car before. There have been 5 family outings of 4-6 miles round trip and the one father & son ride of 10 miles.
Unfortunately the commute route is not a, shall we say, forgiving route. There is no path between here and Avery Point that does not include a number of relatively short but intense hills. Considering my current 200+ pound weight any hill over a 5% grade can be a pain. The end result is that my commute ends up being a real workout with my heart rate spiking into zone 3 or 4 within five minutes of the start and staying between 145 and 164 for almost the entire commute. Not a leisurely aerobic commute, but rather a hard 45-50 minute anaerobic workout with brief respites (downhill!!!!!).
The good news is my average heart rate has been steadily coming down for the commute route and the max heart rate I hit have been coming down as well. The bad news is my legs have been very carefully and emphatically letting me know they do not like this new situation at all!
That’s all well and good and I know the pain will pass with more time in the saddle and (hopefully) more miles in the aerobic zone to balance the hills.
Yesterday I had my first class which will lead to my “certification” as a science diver with UCONN and the AAUS. Since I already hold recreational open water dive certification I can get by with a 1 credit class that builds on that to the base AAUS dive qualifications. My dive physical came out with a great result…strong heart, good lungs (Miracle considering 20 years as a smoker – makes me wonder what my lungs would have been like without smoking!) so yesterday came the first lecture at 9:30 followed by a swim test in the afternoon.
Leading up to yesterday, as my legs built up in soreness I considered biking in, but possibly having Tammy and Johann pick me up in the afternoon. That way they could have the car to go to the library in Stonington. Tammy suggested yesterday that I go ahead and drive in as well, but I decided to bike in anyways since I thought they were still going to the library. (Little did I know, since I didn’t ask, they needed to stay home to finish getting ready for a visit from Tammy’s sister and her boyfriend.)
So…off I took at 8:40 for my commute, sore legs and all. As usual when the legs are heavy the first few minutes really felt off, even hurt a bit, but slowly they loosened up and I found a rhythm. After that the ride went fine, I finished more tired and with my legs a little more leaden than after Thursday’s commute in, but still a good ride.
After the lecture was over I worked for a bit, and found myself invited to the Graduate student orientation lunch which was refreshing. I met the new professors and grad students and was able to talk with the professors and grad students I hadn’t seen over the summer. The lasagna was mighty good too.
Of course just as I finished the lasagna I realized it was time for the swim test down at the docks.So I changed quickly and ran down to the dive locker, then on to the docks for the test. First up was a 400m swim test (in under 12 minutes) followed by treading water with legs only for 2 minutes, a 25m swimmer rescue tow and finally an under water swim for 25 meters. The water was 60 degrees and felt down right frigid as I dove in.
After only one 25m leg of the 400m swim I knew I was in trouble…already swallowed some seawater, felt the lasagna like a brick in my belly and my legs felt as if they were made of lead. Only the desire to get the dang thing over with and to not have to be fished out by the DSO kept me going. By the end my arms were burning as much as my legs had been and my whole body felt like lead.
Unfortunately I was taking this swim test with two other people, both far younger and, erm, in much better shape than I. Fortunately I was able to keep from “feeding the fish”, passed the test and finished only a minute behind the young lady and a minute before the young man. The rest of the test went rather smoothly, though the underwater swim is far easier in a pool!
Somehow I managed to ride back home at the end of the day, though it was the slowest commute yet that direction. now, two days later…my legs are screaming at me even harder! Thank goodness tomorrow is an “off” day for the commute!
Last Ride
Date: August 31
Distance: 33.10 km (20.57 miles)
Ride type/Bike: Commute / Tri-Cross
August Distance: 461.9 km (287 miles)
Year To Date Distance: 461.9 km (287 miles)
Weight Lost/Gained: +0.95 kg (+2.1 pounds)
