ride my bike around the loop of death seven days in a row

Michele got home and wanted to ride so we rode another time around the loop. That makes my total for the day about 12.7 miles. Since the one way trip to work is only 12.3, I think I am ready to give it a go. This weekend, I’m going to prep the bike for night riding and next week I’ll try to make this thing a reality.

Day Six was hard, really hard. I got home after 11 hours at work and barely had the energy to order pizza and watch television. The vegetable in me sat on the couch arguing with the rest of me about 5 days down the drain and another 7 to go. The pizza arrived and I at half of it. I finished the show on TV and suddenly, out of no where, I got a surprise burst of motivation. 7:30 PM and with flagging light, I decided to try it. Because the light was failing fast, I really pushed hard for 1 lap, and I mean I cranked. By the time I made it to the top of the crux hill, I had symetric, severe cramps in both calves, the front and back of both thighs and both buttocks. With a mantra of “I may die but I won’t quit” repeating itself over and over again, slipping out from between my lips as the pain mounted, I pushed to the top of the last hill in my neighborhood and coasted in for the finish.

Day Seven, I got home a lot later than I intended. I waited for Michele to get home then we tried a small loop for her. After that, I pushed for 1 lap of the loop of death. After the cramps from the day before, riding was very hard. I had no strength in my legs and felt like I was pushing butter with a hot skillet. If I hadn’t been learning how to climb with less effort, I never would have finished the loop.

Day Eight. What do you mean day eight?! The goal was seven days, not eight. Well, I didn’t do the loop today. Instead, I rode nearly halfway to my office and then back home. I believe I rode 10.6 miles in about 53 minutes. I think I may even have had another few miles in me. Next week, I think I will try riding to work for the first time. This goal will pick up at Bike to Work.

Even though I finished 4 laps Monday morning, I forgot to mention I rode another lap later in the day with Michele for a total of 5 laps for the day. Of course, this left me wiped out the rest of the day.

Sunday I rode with my wife Michele and took it very easy. My legs are starting to cramp up throughout the day as my body adjusts to the use. Even though I’m usually exhausted at the end of a ride, my mood still seems to be improving from the exercise. I find it harder to be a vegetable and I want to get out and do things more.

Today, Monday, I tried for distance instead of intensity. I took it very easy on the flats, used my momentum from the downhills and started learning to climb without killing myself. As a result, I completed the Lap of Doom a full 4 times in 50 minutes. That means I averaged 12.5 minutes each lap, equal to my best single lap time before. The 12.5 mile commute to work might not be as far away as I thought. I have to be careful though, there are no long hills on my current route and I’m not sure I’ll have the necessary endurance faced with a mile or more of climb.

Thursday before class. I can’t remember much about the ride but I remember feeling good when I finished.

Friday when Michele got home. I managed to leave Michele with a flat so I did the loop alone. I timed the loop for the first time and the whole thing took me 14 minutes. This was one of the first times I didn’t slack off until the climb up to Ashby and it felt good. I’ve also started hitting top gear on Lackland and the wind feels great.

Saturday morning before Michele woke up. I kept up the pressure at the beginning and as a result, the climb up to Ashby was death. In bottom gear, dying to just keep going, I finally started to learn how to take climbing a little easier and by controlling my breathing, climb without bursting my heart.

Sunday I plan to push it again and maybe ride twice, once by myself and once with my wife.

Monday, I am planning to see how many times I can complete the loop by taking it easy the whole time. I’m hoping for three laps but I’d be happy with a strong two laps.

My starting bike route from home has some great hills for my condition. There is a fairly steep, short hill right after I start that is fun to warm up on, then about two thirds of a mile to the crux of the loop. The crux is where I have to climb from one street up to the top of an overpass. I know to experienced bikers, this hill is nothing but the first day I tried it, it left me bent over my bike at the top thinking my heart would explode.

The first time I rode the loop, I had to stop and get off the bike for a while after the crux. After a couple times, I managed to get to the top without too much pain by taking it easy until I got close then sprinting up to the bottom and letting momentum help me most of the way up. Now, to increase the overall intensity of my workout, I’ve started pushing myself all the way up to the crux and by the time I get there, there is no sprint left in me, I just gut it out. Finally, I am starting to learn how to climb without devestating myself and I am almost up to pushing the entire route of the loop.

The loop is about 2.1 miles and in the near future, I intend to add a second trip around. The last few times, I have been timing myself and I finish the loop in 12 – 14 minutes. When I can complete the loop 7 times at once at about 10 minutes per loop, I think I will be ready to try riding to work which is about 12.5 miles.