Self Absorbed Post About Cycling

So I got the second 4 hour plus ride done in a week. Jerimoth Hill and its environs. I'm psyched for this as I've almost gotten 200 miles in this week. I hope to near 250 by the end of tomorrow. Prior to this block of training I've managed only about 150 miles max per week. This year actually 150 miles would have been an epic week. My motivation is coming back big time, I'm getting more focused and excited to ride and race. Not having a car is helping me get the training in I need. Just got the hot water heater fixed which is cool because not having hot water kind of sucks. I went to the Y to take a shower but my membership expired when I changed my bank card and they told me that it would cost nearly 100 bucks to reactivate it. So I had to ride over to my brother's and take a shower. I did the cold shower thing for the past couple days but it really sucks and I wanted a hot shower after riding. The benefit to this is that I got an extra half hour of riding in. Everyone wins in this situation.
My plans to go up to Wells tomorrow have gotten complicated. I still might ride if I get up early enough but I'm not sure if I want to put in a 50 mile ride before the race itself and then another 10 miles to sit in the sun and wait for the train to Providence. Especially since I just got invited to a BBQ which I did not plan for. I've ridden up, raced and ridden back before but it was kinda awful - almost 140 miles and almost 8 hours. Honestly though, it was one of my best races at Wells Ave. If I can't get up there I'm doing a 4 hour ride to the flat lands of eastern MA. I changed my position and this has made my knees feel better but there still is some pain so I don't want to really push it on the hills. My knees hurt like hell all week.
Car news is forthcoming. Soon enough Mr. H will be flossing around the East Side in a phat whip.

Sunday of Memorial Day

I finally got lucky and rode away from a rain shower today. I was riding about and it started to rain. Thunder was heard and a few streaks of lightning lit up the sky. The big drops of rain were just beginning to fall so I decided to turn around and attempt to go towards the blue sky in the distance - like at red zone intensity. In the past every attempt at this operation has failed, except for today. Yesterday was Stafford Springs. Millwork One had a strong field out for this race - we had six guys in the 1/2/3 and five guys in the 35+. How about some 30+ races folks? On a personal note, I have decided to boycott all 35+ races for the next three years. I wish I was in it though because one of our guys bridged up to a strong break with three to go and overtook the riders in the break, which destroyed the break when one of the riders attempted to stay on Alain's wheel and he couldn't. Matt Kressy got fourth in a strong finish while Murat came through with a 7th place. The 1/2/3 race was characterized by a blistering first few laps which resulted in the stronger guys forming a series of splits which subsequently lapped the field with 17 to go. Millworks had three guys out in the break which was great. Honestly, I just wanted to finish the race so I guess my low expectation was met, although I'm starting to feel stronger and more confident. I'm going to put in some solid training over the next few weeks as my schedule lightens a bit, hopefully getting five solid days per week in. Three of these days should feature LT+ intervals while at least two should be longer rides at a reasonable pace. One of the days of LT+ needs to have sprints, not that they will ever help my sprint as I'm probably the shittiest sprinter around but they might help. This might be the last summer where I can really focus on stuff like this so I have to dedicate myself to it now. Tomorrow its a long ride - maybe to the Blue Hill to do some repeats. We will see...

Lazy Sack of Shit - Stream of Consciousness Post

I feel like a lazy ass. Today it was raining in the AM and I did not want to ride in it so I decided to pack up the dog and go somewhere different than the usual spots for a walk. So I went to this place in North Providence - yeah it was fine. Leah said my car sounded funny last night but I was ignorant and dismissive and just let it go. On the way back up the hill to my house the stupid car stops dead. It started making a shitload of noise on Douglas on the way to my house. I thought I could get it home. I failed. Cost $60 to get towed like one mile. Not liking this but at least it didn't crap out on me somewhere else further away and cost me a lot of money. Anyway I totally had plans to ride today but I ended up just riding around town in between searching for vehicles on the internet and periodically checking Facebook - like something going to happen in the two minutes from when I checked it last. Anyone ever keep going to the kitchen cabinets in search of food when there isn't any? Same effect. Instead of riding, I went and hung out w/ Leah on Thayer for a while, went to the Brown Bookstore and stopped in at City Sports. BTW: The Brown Bookstore smelled like shit in there, some nauseating stench was coming from there and it wasn't from the dirty hippies around there. Anyway I'm going carless for a while - because I can. I've just got myself to worry about these days so there is no reason to have a car around if I don't want one. I'm eventually going to get one but I'm not in a hurry. My old red Bianchi is going to be my car for a while.
Tomorrow is the first day in my LAST sit down class at PC. Nobody rides bikes at PC - at all, ever. Everyone thinks I'm crazy and they don't understand. It is a very traditional type of school which could benefit from a cycling team. I was full time last semester so I guess I could have started one (and raced collegiate at that!) but I didn't because I was too caught up with other stuff. Wouldn't a Millworks 1/PC cycling team partnership be some cool shit? Speaking of PC, today would have been a great day to waste on a hangover but I felt good (because I didn't go out last night and thus did not drink anything) and thus have nothing to blame my lack of motivation to ride on, except myself - because I'm essentially a lazy sack of shit. I actually felt truly good today mentally for the first time in a few months - mostly due to not having a massive amount of shit to type up and prepare for the week. I do have to admit the stress of what I was doing last semester was getting to me a bit.
Its time to break the sack of shit open and listen to old school rap music (Wu Tang, Geto Boyz, old Outkast...) while watching internet highlights from the Giro on the trainer.

OK. I just followed through on the trainer ride. It felt OK. Didn't get 2 x20 but did get a 7, 10 then a 5 minute interval in...fucking display driver failed on the computer so I watched the Celtics instead. Right now I am going to look through the cabinets (again) and somehow magically appetizing food should appear. So - Stafford next weekend? I figure I can ride to Wells and then take the train back. That should be good for like 80+ miles, miles which I sorely need. Psyched for it. I can't do Ninigret until this class is over anyway. There is a fast RI ride on Tuesdays from Providence I guess anyway which can substitute for Wompatuck.

Can the Celtics Pull it off?

Can the Celtics pull it off? 5:55 left. Down by 9.
Can I pull off a solid cycling season? I think so. I feel as if I'm down a month and a half. Things should get much more chill in my direction over the next few weeks when I finish with school for good. One more class - data and technology with should be right up my quasi OCD alley. Handed in my final portfolio today which was a huge relief. Its kind of silly that you need a Masters Degree to basically suspend teenagers from school as a vice principal but I guess it keeps people out of the profession that don't really want to be there. Back to riding, getting quality rides in about 3 to 5 times per week. All inner city trips of mine that don't involve carrying tons of stuff are on the bike - which I think helps fitness somewhat. Trying to hit Ninigret & Wells as much as possible but I've got to take a raincheck on tomorrow. I hope to rock some sick intervals tomorrow instead. No Sunappee for me but I'm up for Stafford Memorial Day weekend.
2:08 left: Celtics 83, Magic 85.
Hope is sill alive