This is Randonneuring

The first official Brevet of the 2010 occurred Saturday. The ride itself was unremarkable. The wind out of the southeast made the southward trek a challenge, but the final 40-50 miles were very enjoyable. The company was remarkable, however. I reconnected with a few riders I had not seen in a while and had plenty of company throughout the whole 200km. Even with a dead cyclocomputer, I managed a 10:14 finish, a new best for me on the fixed-gear.

The (bad) Luck of the Irish

Feeling guilty about not having worked on the old house lately, I decided to forgo a long bike ride and instead run the St. Patrick's Day 5-mile race so I might have my afternoon free. I have never been superstitious, but one mock superstition I hold dear is: never wear the race shirt to the actual event. For 25 years, I avoided doing so. Initially, because I felt I needed to earn the shirt. And later, so not to look like a total piker. But this morning I wore my new shirt because it was one of the few green shirts in my wardrobe. Sure enough, I spilled boiling water on my leg minutes later while making coffee. Apart from a few minutes of cursing and a small blister, I was no worse for the wear. The run went fine, though I did switch from tights to shorts.

In other news, I was disappointed "Up in the Air" failed to gain the Oscar attention it deserved. I think that was in no small part due to this scene below having been deleted from the final edit. I know, this is really Facebook content, but I was reading the 2009 Boston Marathon results:

Build up Ride #2

Last Saturday I rode 100km for my first official Brevet Series training ride. Yesterday, I went out again. To more closely simulate battle* conditions, I started from Edwardsville and rode a portion of the 200km course in reverse. The weather was cold (but not as cold as some people made it out to be - sheesh, thin-blooded biathletes!), but not too bad. I rode out the MCT trail east before heading south on Marine Road toward New Baden. Once in New Baden, I rode further south to check out Mascoutah where my buddy Patrick resides. A nice little town, I'd say, and fairly accessible from the course (only a small stretch of Rte 177 to deal with). I turned around and headed back north. All together it was 85 miles on the fixed gear or a shade under 150km.

I'm pleased with the effort, the weather was cooperative with winds out of the southeast. Mechanically, the bike worked fine but the rear tire needs to be remounted because it has a flat spot. And I ought to lube the chain. Physically, it was what I might have expected. I was tired at times and I felt a little metabolic burn but no bonking. It was a steady effort thanks in part to a quartering wind that helped push me home. My shoulders and neck bothered me, but they always do early in the season.

Mentally, I tried to focus listening to my body rather than "pushing past" rest and stretching opportunities. I was helped in that regard by my dead computer. Because I wasn't obsessing over average pace, I was able to stretch out every hour or so. I also tried to cultivate positive mental imagery by concentrating on the scenery, the terrain and good thoughts and not the effort. I resolve to remove the "no pain, no gain" stream from my internal monologue. The first thing to go is the martial vocabulary; I'm not out to "do battle" or complete a "campaign" this season. Rather, I'm focusing on the memorable (good memorable) aspects of randonneuring.

San Juan Solstice

It does seem, as I contemplate another Springtime of traversing the featureless expanse of south central Illinois by bike, that there are certain, undeniable positives to trail ultras.

(photo credit, Blake Wood)