lame catch-up post

Last weeks commute: 1:20 in each direction. This is about the limit of my gearing I think- much faster and it gets annoying spinning that fast.

Today I went on what's become my usual mountain bike circuit. It was really muddy, really windy, and really hot which was kind of a strange combination. The views of the highlands from up there are spectacular, and I'm a little bummed that I haven't been able to get out hiking more of those hills. That's life with a new baby though, so no real complaints. Different stages in life and all that.

I ended up cutting my ride a bit short since I was feeling pretty dead-legged and I wanted to see how the Tour stage shook out. Of all the days to not watch live, I chose today... oh well.

putting the hammer down

the title is self deprecating. I've been keeping an eye on the tour, which is on at a normal time now that I'm living only one time zone away, and so I've started biking faster on my commute with visions of dominating a field sprint in the back of my mind. Also I only have two months to train for the race in September. Since I have one gear and the same route, the only thing that can change is the weather and me. Now that I think about it I have two routes... damn. Whatever, time recording starts now.

Way in today: 1h 17m. Way home: 1h 20m.

This is a lot faster than the first few times I biked in, so that's good. And not surprising, since I was in zero shape at that point. If I start biking in twice a week and sneak in a few midweek after-work rides, I could be in decent shape for the race. I'd start running again to supplement the biking, but life is short and I'm in an 'I hate running' phase. The delicate balance between tourism, training, and a newly expanded family continues.

dolphins!

We went on a not-so-traditional British road trip over the weekend, and that involved a lot of sitting in traffic. I was really looking forward to riding in to work today and leaving the car behind, and the weather is fantastic. But- I got a late start this morning, I felt a bit guilty for leaving a fussy baby at home with my wife, and I was having trouble enjoying the nice day. Then as I was biking along the Tay, I saw a flock of Dolphins jumping around. What a mood brightener- I watched them for five minutes or so, not sure if they were just playing or eating delicious fishes. Anyway, good commute, although my shoes are starting to make squeaking sounds when they get wet.

Also, I've been entered in a 50 mile mountain bike race in Wisconsin in September. I may need to start biking twice a week to get more training in- also need to find a good loop with lots of long steady hills.