Thursday, August 14, 2008

Training for the Big Ride

I realized it is time to start training for the Buffalo Bicycle Classic that I am riding on September 7th. I've never done an actual century ride (100 miles), but I've come pretty close. I did the MS 150 several years ago. It was from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, riding 90 miles the first day and 60 miles the second day. I also did the Shiner G.A.S.P. about a year ago which was 85 miles from Austin to the Shiner brewery. Still, neither count as an actual century ride.

Yesterday I rode up Vail Pass at lunch for the first time in over a month. My time was about the same as usual and I felt great after the ride. I even went for a fast-paced 2.4 mile jog last night when I got home. I was pretty excited about the jog because it was the first time in over a year that I felt like I could lengthen my stride. Two things determine your speed: cadence (how often your feet hit the ground) and stride length (how far your foot travels between each hit). Not sure why my stride was suffering. Maybe tight hip flexors and IT bands?

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