Those 3 Magic Words

Those 3 Magic Words

Had a change in training plans today. I wanted to run, but discovered my indoor trainer is broken. A very important piece on it is stripped, and since the machine is damn near as old as I am, the part's discontinued and I can't replace it!!

I went to Lowe's, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware looking for the piece, but they all said the same thing: "No can do!"

Needless to say, I'm pretty bummed about it. I've had that trainer for almost 15 years. Someone gave it to me when I was just getting started in triathlon. But it's time for us to part ways.

So in the span of 24 hours, it has gone from "my best training equipment" to "that useless hunk of junk in the 2nd bedroom!" lol

Sad but true!

So today I decided to ride my bike at Flatwoods. I won't be able to ride again until I buy a new indoor trainer, but I can run anytime. Not only do I have 2 gym memberships, but we have a treadmill in the house too. So I will still get quality runs in next week.

Today's ride was quite interesting.  My plan was to ride as aggressively as I could, for 49 miles. That means I was gonna go all out and not hold back.

That meant I'd get to say my favorite 3 words:

ON YOUR LEFT! 

I'm a competitive person when it's to my convenience. Lol  In the pool, I'm quite slow. I get passed by everybody, so I keep a low profile. Can't be competitive and talk trash  when your nickname is The Black Turtle! Lol  I'm a so-so runner, and can pass my share of folks, but I LOVE passing people on the bike. 

When you ride the bike, the faster cyclists get the right of way. All you have to do is say those 3 magic words, and people will move over with no hesitation.  It's like the autobahn in Germany: the faster cars cruise the left lane. Period. Not like here where a person will hog the left lane doing 55 when the speed limit is 65...

Back to today's ride, I was on a mission! I was just gonna go as hard as I could, for as long as I could, and for a while I was! Lol. 

My goal today was to pass as many cyclists as I could. Not talking about the people on mountain bikes or people just out for a leisurly ride. I'm talking about the ones on road bikes who are out there training!

There's an artform to passing these folks. One way is to pass them convincingly: down in your aerobars in the speed position, so fast they won't even THINK about keeping up.

Then you can pass them as if you're not really trying to go fast. Youre sitting up, looking  relaxed and taking it ez. You're simply going faster than them w/o really trying. Lol

I'm sure this sounds pretty bad, but  just keeping it real. I like to pass people, whether in a race or in training. My bad!

So I'm cruising today! Feeling strong! Flatwoods is a 7 mile loop, and I rode the 1st 21 miles (3 laps) in 65 minutes. I passed several serious cyclists, and nobody passed me once.

So I'm rolling along, saying the magic words, feeling like The King of Flatwoods,  when I hear the 3 words I DON'T want to hear:

On YOUR left!

Damn!  They caught me! Lol

I barely had time to look up when this dude FLEW past me like I was standing still. If I was doing 20mph, he had to be doing a good 25. All I could do was bid him farewell! Lol

I was still going at a good pace, still passing folks, when another guy passed me, then a couple minutes later a lady passed me. Nothing I could do once again. Not enough premium fuel in the tank! Lol

But that's  the beauty of this sport: 1 minute you think you're Lance Armstrong, the next you get passed like you're Neil Armstrong. Lol

There's nothing like a good ass kicking to help keep things on perspective! Lol

It's days like this that keep me humble and hungry at the same time. I'm getting better, but I still have work to do. There are still plenty riders out there who can really fly, and they motivate me to keep pushing myself. If they can do it, so can I!

All in all, I was having a good ride. I was feeling strong, and was on lap 5. On the 27th mile I say another 3 magic words that no cyclist wants to say:
Damn! A FLAT!!!!
  

Yep, I got a flat on mile 37. That really sucked cuz I was having a great ride. Instead of getting off my bike and walking, I rode the remaining 5 miles at a slow pace while standing up. 

I ended up riding 6 laps (42 miles) in about 2 hours and 25 minutes. I stopped riding and relaxed for a minute and watched some of the other cyclists ride by. What I like about this place is it's for all to enjoy. You see all shapes, sizes and (sonetimes) all colors out here:







I was happy with my ride, and not really upset about not getting in the last 7 miles. Those things happen. No need to get upset about it. Then I figured this would be a good time to get another type of workout in: changing my tire out on the road.

I always carry tools with me, along with an extra inner tube in the pouch behind my seat:



No one wants to change a tire after riding a bike for 2 hours, but if this were to happen in a race, at least I know I'd have no problem doing it.





It took me about 20 minutes, but I got it changed. It was a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! Lol



After getting my bike fixed I decided to call it a day and hit the bike shop and buy some new tubes on the way home.



I like to keep a good supply of spare tubes, because you never know when you'll get a flat.



While I was there, I checked out some of the new bikes and the indoor trainers:





I saw several indoor trainers I liked and I'll get one next weekend.

Today didn't go the way I planned, but I'm not mad about it. That's how life is.  You may have things planned out perfectly, but something happens and your best laid plans are shot to he!!. As a result, you have to go with the flow and make adjustments. What's getting angry or upset gonna do to change the situation? Nothing. It's part of life. 

So even with the flat and having to buy a new indoor trainer, I'm still in a good mood. I  had a good ride, I was able to change my flat on the road, and I saw an indoor trainer I  liked. Life is good! Lol

And seeing how it's my cheat day on my diet I was able to get my chocolate fix tonight at dinner:



They gave us 2 spoons, but I ate 95% of it! Lol

Next week I'm back at the pool and I'll run on the treadmill again. Saturday I'll ride again and buy my new indoor trainer also. 

My training has been altered slightly the last couple weeks, but it's all good. I'm still going to cross that finish line!!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!