Doing what I can.
The fat droplet of sweat rolled off my nose and splattered on my top tube. I pondered it a moment before making a half-hearted attempt at wiping it away with my already soaked glove. It was promptly replaced by two more drops. Giving up, I glanced at my power output and tried to nudge it higher. After a feeble rise, it sank to where it had been before. I focused on the road ahead, counting out the seconds I estimated it would take to get to an arbitrary point up the road. Anything to keep my mind occupied and quiet the voices that kept telling me to go easier.
A weeks worth of volume bump continues to drive me further into fatigue, conspiring with the heat and humidity to rob me of motivation at crucial times. I fight it, but it's not always a battle I can win.
I wish we had a road like the Foothills Parkway in Anchorage, without the heat and humidity. The long, steady uphill sections make it easier to pick a pace and maintain it. Our climbs are usually steeper and shorter, with stair-steps that make them great for intervals but not for extended efforts. The lack of traffic is also nice, as is the fact that this road was built just for sight-seeing. We don't build many paved roads in Alaska just so people can look at pretty stuff from the comfort of their cars. Usually there's a compelling reason for a road, like to connect our handful of towns and cities, or because a rich guy wants to build houses on the mountainside. They certainly aren't as smooth or gravel-free as the Parkway. It's just a nice place to ride a bike, if you like grunting and sweating.
I have one more riding day before I collect the baby and head back home. It's been nice to get in the extra riding time, but I kinda miss the family and I'm not sure I have much left in the tank. I'll do what I can to use what's left, then recover next week and see what the long-term effects will be. I never really know. Last year's spring training camp/business trip didn't yield much, but I didn't ride as long or climb nearly as much.
Maybe this year will be different. Or not.
A weeks worth of volume bump continues to drive me further into fatigue, conspiring with the heat and humidity to rob me of motivation at crucial times. I fight it, but it's not always a battle I can win.
I wish we had a road like the Foothills Parkway in Anchorage, without the heat and humidity. The long, steady uphill sections make it easier to pick a pace and maintain it. Our climbs are usually steeper and shorter, with stair-steps that make them great for intervals but not for extended efforts. The lack of traffic is also nice, as is the fact that this road was built just for sight-seeing. We don't build many paved roads in Alaska just so people can look at pretty stuff from the comfort of their cars. Usually there's a compelling reason for a road, like to connect our handful of towns and cities, or because a rich guy wants to build houses on the mountainside. They certainly aren't as smooth or gravel-free as the Parkway. It's just a nice place to ride a bike, if you like grunting and sweating.
I have one more riding day before I collect the baby and head back home. It's been nice to get in the extra riding time, but I kinda miss the family and I'm not sure I have much left in the tank. I'll do what I can to use what's left, then recover next week and see what the long-term effects will be. I never really know. Last year's spring training camp/business trip didn't yield much, but I didn't ride as long or climb nearly as much.
Maybe this year will be different. Or not.
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