Holy Flaming Cheeseburgers!

From my Garmin 800 Edge

First ride of Spring, or The Snow Has Melted.  Finally, finally we get to ride!  I spent several days getting the Mighty Trek all set to go.  I took off Celebrity Spin tires and put back on my riding tires--which are still in pretty good shape.  I hooked up the Garmin 800, that you may remember I won at the Lawrence Bike Club's annual, "Let's All Drink a Bunch of Beer" Christmas party and, well, while I was not sure what I had gotten myself into, Gentle Readers of This Blog--I got some data.

I am still trying figure out how the Garmin works (huge learning curve, plus I'm not a gadget person) but it did record all my data from my first Spring Ride--which you can see by my HR--was a Sufferfest.  The headwind was 25 mph Saturday morning,--Spring in Kansas comes in like a Lion!  

I have to tell you that I as hard as I tried, I got dropped right away--even the guys I usually ride with dropped me (There's the fast group, mainly racers--and then our second slower group) so I battled the headwinds by myself.  Actually I wasn't that far behind them--they were just out of my sight.  But I could see from the thing above that my Garmin gave me, I was really working hard and in my Zone 4/5 for most of the way out to Lone Star.  You can see there about after mile 15 we come back and its all tailwind.  Even coming home, in our group--nobody said much as we were all wiped-out.  

So, what the Garmin tells me is what I already know: Damn but I am out of shape!  The hamburger I had the night before this ride certainly didn't help--and it got burned away I'm sure, by me struggling to keep my ass up with the group.  Garmin also told me I burned almost 1600 calories.  It sure felt like it because when I got home I was running on fumes.

The Mighty Trek

It sure felt great to get outside!  Even though that headwind was brutal, it didn't have the cold bite.  Ahh!  Spring.  I think my Brooks, now about nine years old, is shot--my butt hurt for most of the ride.  The saddle really sags and one of the guys says next ride he'll bring a Brooks saddle wrench. I'll see how a slight turn might help.

You can see that coming back in the tailwind was much faster.  I think the Garmin thing is kind of cool and maybe I'll be able to see my progress as the summer goes.  Some of my mates say this kind of stuff wares off after a bit but so far I think its okay.  I mean, this was a rough day to ride and the stuff I see up here doesn't surprise me.  I did average 14 point something, which I think is pretty okay.  If I had not been in Celebrity Spin Class I'm sure I would left both lungs on the road, and not just the one I coughed up getting out to Lone Star Lake!  

Coming home after the first ride of Spring!

 Really you guys, I have to loose weight--like 40 pounds.  Riding more and getting out and going to the Jim Thorpe Fitness Center will help.  I've been spending a ton of time looking and applying for jobs.  I spend much of the day on the computer writing cover letters, etc.  Just takes time to do it right and fill out the applications and adjust the CV and all that.  I'm actually getting faster and better at cranking out the stuff.  I see jobs back in Tucson and would really like to get back there.  I am not a cold weather person.  Give me 100 and burning sun over snow and cold bitter wind!

Desert San Campus Bike

I still do all the errands and chores by bike when I can.  I'm trying to work in Lawrence and in particular at KU.  Landing a job at KU is very very hard.  Usually there are up to 200 applicants for a job.  I had an interview for a position at the KU Library--I was one of four candidates (the other three were current KU library staff) but one of the managers (whom I'd met via friends awhile back) told me that he knew they had already picked who they were going to hire--so I went through an entire half-day bullshit interview, with some Sophomoric librarians on their 'lil search committee.

The thing about that interview was that it was only a few weeks after I had torn my quadriceps tendon--and the pain trying to hide my awkward limp was excruciating...

Okay well thanks for stopping by the Blog!  Take Care!

Cheers!  Bruce