Last week's training

I managed to get in two nights on the trainer last week even though I had daddy duty for a good part of the week. I just felt motivated. In fact I was so motivated that I got on the trainer at 8pm on Thursday night to ride. I usually go to sleep around 9 :30....

I had planned to get in a good ride on Sat with nice weather and all. It did not happen. We were doing some server upgrades at Horst Engineering that took longer than expected. They were successful though.

I made up for it on Sunday. I had to go into work again for Kevin to get in and finish the updates. I figured that I would maximize my time and ride to and from the shop. Sounds like good time management right? Well, just as I left home it started to sprinkle. I figured that I would just tough it out. The forecast was for the low 50s and sunny. Plust, it was only a few drops and the road was wet from melting snow anyway.

Wow! I was wrong about that. About 20 minutes into my 1:15 ride to the shop the rain really started to come down. I was beyond the point of turning back as I had to meet Kevin at 10am and it was 9:15 already! I just kept pushing along. When I got the the I291 bridge where I usually take the bike path across the Connecticut River, I discovered that it had not been plowed. Since we still had a good 8 inches of snow I had to find an alternate route. I put my navigation skills to work and headed into the North End of Hartford taking turns where they seemed right. They were! Kevin had just pulled up when I arrived soaking wet and freezing.

Fortunately, we have a shower at the shop. I took a hot shower and got some tea and oatmeal while Kevin got to work. I attempted to dry my clothes with a portable heater while we were there. About 2.5 hours later he was done. Now it was time to put on damp clothes and head home. The sun had come out and it had warmed up nicely. It should be a nice mellow ride home...Not!

Since the storm pushed through the wind had kicked up. I was headed north and the wind was out of the north at about 20mph. Now, this ride was becoming a mini epic. I finally made in home in 1:45. It normally takes about 1:10. Everything was still dry and my feet were numb. I quickly got in the shower to warm up. My feet stung as the hot water hit them. I guess this is what it takes to get fast again.....