Misery Loves Company, Especially on the Bike!

A few days ago we had highs in the single digits, and today it was in the upper sixties. It was overcast and windy, and oddly humid. While there was no precip, the pavement and roads stayed wet due to condensation. I don’t very often work out with anyone because of my schedule (which is rather erratic and often includes kids); most of the time I fit in a workout where I can. Today I unexpectedly found myself with a couple free hours, and with temps in the 60’s, and that meant I could get a ride in.

It was late in the afternoon, and I hastily dressed, got a water bottle, pumped my tires up, all the usual stuff, and set out. I’ve been reading a triathlon training book by Brad Kearns (Breakthrough Triathlon Training), and his explanations are easy for me to understand and accept... which means I like him. Without too much detail, he believes in building a strong aerobic base, which is obviously accomplished with longer aerobic workouts, as opposed to anaerobic (which has it’s place, but I won’t get into that here). So my plan was to go at least 30 miles (time constrained), but not push too hard.

I live on the outskirts of town, so a few miles from my house I can hit the country roads and have a few options for routes. With 20+ mile per hour winds out of the south, I decided on a southern route, taking the hit on the way out and having fun on the way back.

I got the first part of that equation right. A direct headwind, and I was pushing harder than I wanted to… in my granny gear! I was wondering if this ride was such a great idea after all. Then I started thinking about how nice it would be to have someone to share my misery with, and yes, maybe even take turns drafting a little. I’m not big on drafting since I don’t road race, and drafting isn’t legal in triathlon, but there have been plenty of group rides where I have been thankful to latch on to the wheel in front of me and hang on. My trip out took 50 minutes or so. I haven’t ridden in a couple months, and I was pleased at “feeling pretty good”, and a bit dismayed to once again be reminded that spinning at the gym will never the be the same as putting in miles on the road.

My trip back was fast, with a few long bouts of 30 mph. One thing I didn’t anticipate was that at 15 mph, water isn’t much of an issue. However, at 30 mph, the wheels spray water a greater distance, in this case up my back and up my legs. This may not be that big of a deal, but with the recent ice and snow, the roads are covered with black soot. That meant my legs, back (white jersey, ughh…), and my bike got covered in sandy, grimey, black crap! I was wondering why I only saw one other rider out there! And another case of my newbie-ness being readily apparent, I started the ride a little late and finished in the dark. That’s just a little stupid, and it was scary. I couldn’t find my headlight, I guess I lost it when I fell the other night. Bummer. Overall, I averaged 19 mph over 32 miles, so not too bad given the conditions.

While I was riding and thinking about the whole "misery loves company" thing, I first thought about how hard workouts are so much easier when you have a workout buddy. Then I thought about the life application of the concept, and was reminded of a print out I have from a woman who passed away from breast cancer in 2006. Her husband happened to be my mom's surgeon when she had cancer. She left a "Words to Live By" list for her then 6-year-old daughter. I keep the list posted because it encompasses so many things I believe in. The number one thing on the list is "Do not hang around people who drain you or drag you down. They aren't good for the mind or spirit." Isn't that so true.