Hooker Farm Loop Solo

 by Tony - Our Hooker Farm Loop is a pleasant and picturesque short ride, and, today, I further enjoyed being entertained, on separate occasions, by not one, but two drivers eager to display their ignorance to me and to the world. Now, I am a courteous cyclist. I observe traffic laws. I travel with the traffic, and I stay to the side if it's safe. I strive not to make unexpected moves, and I observe common safety rules, but some drivers in this country, ignorant of traffic laws and bicycle rights, are just infuriated by the mere presence of a bicyclist on THEIR roads. Oh, well, not my circus, not my monkeys...

 On another note, I had a little more trouble keeping my heart rate down in the target zone today, but still had some stuff for the last hill.

Weather: 80°F, mostly sunny, moderate humidity
Terrain: rolling
Distance: 10mi Speed: (avg) 11.6mph; (max) 33mph;
Avg Cadence: 72rpm

Great Ride with Debbie - Arlington Pond Loop

 Had a wonderful ride over the picturesque18mi Arlington Pond Loop with Debbie today. Paced myself using the heart monitor, and was able to go strong on the last hill, and finish feeling refreshed and exhilarated.

Weather: 73°F, mostly cloudy, moderate humidity
Terrain: rolling
Distance: 18.1mi
Speed: (avg) 11.6mph; (max) 44.6mph;
Avg Cadence: 74rpm

(We did it in just under 1 h 34 min)

Nice Ride on Hooker Farm Loop with Judy

 I've been struggling with a lack of endurance, even on the short 6mi rides I've been doing. Wondered if my heart rate wasn't increasing with the demand, so I got the heart rate monitor out of mothballs, and started riding with it. Discovered that my heart is responding appropriately, but that I'm just very slow to recover from any anaerobic bursts. Decided I would try to ride exclusively in the aerobic zone and avoid  any anaerobic efforts until I get fitter. Finding the target zone can be a challenge. There are many formulae for finding it, and they sometimes yield alarmingly different results. In the end, I resorted to trial and error, and arrived at a target zone that I knew would make me work, but not blow me out. My anaerobic threshold seems to be just under 140bpm, while anywhere below 112bpm I feel like I'm loafing, so I set my target zone for 117-134bpm. Today, Judy and I set off on the picturesque 10.1mi Hooker farm loop. The zone alarm on my heart rate monitor reminded me if I was pressing too hard, and I backed off, even on the shorter hills to stay in the zone.  On the last hill of the ride I still felt fresh with plenty of leg left, so I went ahead and let myself go over a little. The last mile is a refreshing downhill, and I pulled in to our driveway feeling refreshed and exhilarated. Best bike ride so far this year!
  
Weather: 80°F, sunny, moderate humidity
Terrain: rolling, some shade
Distance: 10.1mi
Speed: (avg) 11.5mph; (max) 32mph;
Avg Cadence: 72rpm

Short Ride with Debbie

Hip and knee pain kept me off the bike for a couple weeks, but yesterday I felt good enough to try the short ride via Crystal and Broadway with our friend, Debbie. Felt much better this time. Looking forward to more.

Weather: 80°F, sunny, light breeze, moderate humidity
Terrain: rolling, some shade
Distance: 6.3mi
Speed: (avg) 12.1mph; (max) 36mph;
Avg Cadence: 73rpm 

Short Ride with Judy

Rode the short ride via Crystal and Broadway with Judy today. She let me set the pace, pretty much the same as it has been, but today, don't know if it was from battling the wind, but I got home tired. Up until now my rides had left me feeling refreshed, and I had enjoyed marginal improvement in my ability to sustain an anaerobic effort, and noticeable improvement in recovery rate since my coronary artery stent surgery last July. Today I found I was having to abbreviate my anaerobic bursts, and taking much longer to recover -- more like before my surgery. We'll see what develops in upcoming rides...

Weather: 82°F, sunny, wind: W 20-30mph, moderate humidity
Terrain: rolling, some shade
Distance: 6.3mi
Speed: (avg) 11.8mph; (max) 34mph;
Avg Cadence: 69rpm 

Fun Day with Debbie

Judy and I had a lovely day and a nice ride in Chester today with our dear friend Debbie. I won the "Little Old Lady Award, averaging 10 mph.
Weather: 77°F, sunny, with a gusty wind
Terrain: hilly
Distance: 9mi
Speed: (avg) 10mph; (max) 38mph;
Avg Cadence: 66rpm

Two Little Old Ladies

(by Tony) Had a nice ride with friend and neighbor Preston today between the storm fronts:
Weather: 77°F, cloudy, still, very muggy
Terrain: rolling
Distance: 6.3mi
Speed: (avg) 11.7mph; (max) 36.4mph;
Avg Cadence: 67rpm