Exhaust.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  As I train more and more, and especially since Coach is getting into the swing of her Spring Campaign, laundry is building up.  When we were doing nothing, laundry was a once-a-week thing.  Not so anymore.  We love our house, and having a laundry room on the same floor as the main living area is great.  We both come from previous houses with washers and dryers in cement-floored basements.  I can hear the hum of the dryer right now.  But I digress.

Tonight, Coach had me out in the cold while she and a friend hit up The Loop for a post-run dinner.  With the Olympics on later, I knew I needed to book it in order to get back in time for the Women's Slalom.  As bad as the weather has been in NC, I am beginning to think that perhaps cycling should be considered a winter sport.  Ok, not really, and for the first time in a LONG time I did not wear my wind-proof jacket out tonight...it was almost NOT FREEZING at the start.  There, I'm through complaining.

The route was full of nostalgia.  I took a mile to warm-up and started the clock once on Country Club.  I rode by the old Paceline shop (still hurts a little to think of it that way) and entered the famous Monday Night Recovery Race (a.k.a Thursday Night World Championship) course.  I've never ridden the course solo (except after getting dropped on the TNWC rides), so it was actually quite intimate. I have many fond memories of that loop:  The fear in my belly all day before I even get out there, the "easy" first lap, and the rocket-speed at which we descend Dull Rd.  Oh man, I can't wait to get back out there again in the spring.  There's nothing quite like sitting in with the local pros...and being dropped by them.

Just before the usual right turn at Dull Rd., I hung a left on Concord Church, which connects to Williams Rd.  CC has a raunchy, steep hill just before it intersects Williams and I will not thank it for granting me any mercy.  After that, it was a standard ride along the Vineyard Loop.  The sunset was really striking, as it often is during the winter.  I wish I'd stopped to get a photo. 

But I had work to do.  The goal was 30 miles at 18mph, but I ended going a bit father and a little faster.  I think Coach keeps the minimum speeds a little lower at night for safety, so it's kind of like a "Resume Safe Speed" sign when I get out into the country.

Here are the stats:

Route:  As above.
Dist:  30.00mi (measured for training purposes, actual miles = 37)
Time:  1:31.02
Avg:  19.7mph
RPE: I would say 16, for the most part.

Next up:  Big Saturday ride, 50 miles at a smokin' pace.  I would like to submit a preliminary 'ouch.'