Hitting New Milestones in Training – Please Help with RAAM2CC Fundraiser 

This past week in Southern California brought near perfect weather to increase my base miles with 225 miles as my target. Got off to a good start with a few evening mountain bike rides early in the week followed by a very much planned ‘off’ day for Wednesday as my work schedule was totally slammed. 

Thursday morning I woke up energized and ready to start riding towards 225. Easy (right!) I only needed about 195 more miles. Fortunately road bike miles are a lot easier and faster to accumulate than mountain bike. Although the scenery when riding some of the same paths/routes repeatedly does get rather monotonous. That’s yet one more reason for the all-important coffee break. 

Quick summary, Thursday I went out solo seeking both miles and some climbing objectives with 61 miles and a little over 2,400 feet of climbing. All while keeping my HR / effort in a comfortable zone, one I could maintain for 100 miles, with enough food and water stops. Friday was our local bike shop ride. Great turn out with more efforts at higher intensities. Good for interval training but not a pace I could repeat three, much less five days in a row, Saturday, fun ride with my wife. Excellent cruising pace although we kept the overall miles on the low side. 

So for Sunday I had to go out a wee bit further. This time seriously focused on what is my zone 2 HR staying between Z1, very easy and Z2, comfortable endurance for over 80% of the ride. 49 miles and a little over 3-hours later I nailed 233 miles for the week. Well on my way towards 350/400 miles in a week, once I retire. No practical way to achieve those numbers while working, even part-time. 

The week in review details below. Note the calories which are still averaging just over 500/hour despite significantly dropping my overall intensity. My estimate of 100,000 calories for the RAAM2CC ride of 3,000 mikes in 200 hours still holds up.

Finally, the City of Hope Fundraiser is now live. Your support is greatly appreciated. See the HomePage of RAAM2CC or QR code below.

Thank you!

Jack