It all started early this morning. I pulled out of the Brownell Travel parking lot alone this morning on my bike at 4:55 am. Its peaceful to ride so early. All the late night owls have gone to sleep but the early risers have not risen. In almost an hour of riding I saw only 3 cars. At 6 am I was back at Brownell to meet a group of about 40 riders. The 70 mile route started out at a slow pace, catching up with friends and how they spent, or survived, their weeks. The pace picked up as we meandered along, through Mountain Brook, Irondale, Leeds, Camp Winnataska, Moody, Cook Springs, Brompton, Vandiver, over Double Oak Mountain on HWY 25, Dunnavant, and back into Leeds. Through the country we saw aggressive dogs, passive dogs, cows, goats, horses, and too many churches to count. The group had narrowed to five as we came back through Leeds and up Cemetery Hill on HWY 78, back towards Irondale. At 10:30, 87 miles later, I racked the bike and 3 of us headed out for a 7 mile run. It was hot. It was painful. It was lovely. The workout ended shorty before noon. Not quite 140.6, but closer than I've ever been.
A few hours and a few beers later we're taking it easy. Mrs. G. is grading papers. Teaching continues to be a challenge. They are lucky she's not getting paid by the hour.
A 15 mile run is posted on the schedule for tomorrow. The legs will be heavy, but I'll make it.
JG
1 comment:
Dude, I'm not worthy! Them's a lot of miles and 15 on foot today to boot. I'm backing off from 13 planned to 8 given the extra riding miles yesterday. Have a good run.
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