Monday, May 25, 2009

Decision undone


In two weeks, I have a bike tour.
Here are the facts:
1.) I have been riding three times per week.
2.) The riding has been on my trainer.
Here are my concerns:
1.) My a$$ might not be ready for a longer ride.
2.) My legs might not be ready for any hills.
Here are some other things to think about:
1.) Do I really want to go on a 62 mile ride without really being prepared?
2.) Am I being too hard myself? Could I pull off the 62 without any outside riding? I also don't want to overstate my abilities. I'm not a very good cyclist. Although I've gotten better over the years, some the of the hills on this tour are really hard on me. There are a couple of very steep short climbs that are very tough.
3.) Look at the profiles, after 30 miles, the 62 mile ride becomes a (mostly) downhill.
4.) The difference in climbing is 1200ft. Is that that enough for me to say "Don't do it".
5.) The century and the 62 mile ride start out on the same route. I did the century last year and know the first half of the route. The 32 miler starts out a different direction, so it's a decision that I have to make prior to starting.
6.) The following weekend, I have a half marathon. Again, this one will not be for a PR. However, I will treat it more race-like in the sense that I am going to correct mistakes that I made in last week's race. Does this change my decision for the bike tour?
The decision:
I'm changing my previous decision of dropping down to the 34 miler. Instead, this week I'm going to get outside and ride some hills to see how I feel. If I do a shorter but still hilly ride and feel pretty good, I might try the longer ride.
If I ride outside and start cussing at the first larger hill, then I'll stick with the 34 miler.
If you have any opinions, either way, please let me know.