not fast, but fearless

inspired by the hill workout and quote - "you don't have to be fast, but you'd better be fearless" (born to run) - dailymile's barb g posted today, i decided to ride interval training straight south, INTO the wind.

my five-minute warm up got me out to the highway, around the corner and up and over railroad hill. from there i began the self-torture some call intervals. i accelerated sharply at the 5-minute mark and hammered for a minunte. after a two-minute rest, i did it again. it took two sets of six efforts each with an extra two minutes between to get to my turn around point 8.58 miles out. at times, pushing hard into the wind, i was barely able to hold on to 12mph. the wind was wicked. my outbound average speed was 11.5mph. it took me 44'45.

what a difference a u-turn can make. i did my about face just in time to start a third set of six. my first acceleration took me up and over 33mph. i think i had a higher top speed, but my odometer decided to take a hiatus today. stupid thing. didn't matter. i felt strong and fearless as i flew down the road. at the end of this set of six i was just to the south of town. as i rested, an idea popped into my head. what if i ended my intervals with a final push the entire length of town? crazy idea, but i couldn't shake it. so at the south edge of town i jumped on the pedals and charged into the heart of argonia. i shot over railroad hill and past the city building. i roared past the post office and bank and clinic. i continued pushing until just before the turn back onto the highway. it took just over two minutes. after that effort, i shifted down and enjoyed a three- or four-minute spin back home. i covered the same distance in 23'28 for an average of 21.9mph!

i was not fast, but i was fearless today. i probably worked harder on this ride than i ever have on any ride. the work i did ought to help me achieve a better time in boni's dailymile 20k TT challenge on thursday when there's not supposed to be much wind. we'll see. i'm aiming to catch mark e, who's just ahead of me.

thanks, barb for the shot in the arm! (17.16 miles @ 15.1mph)