Getting back on track...

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day here in Boston, so of course I was trapped inside at work for a majority of it. Another long weekend looms starting tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure to take advantage of at least some of the day. After dinner and groceries, (and a day of eating properly for once) I got on the bike and hit the trail.

It's really amazing having such a beautiful place to ride so close to home. It doesn't just give you a place to ride, but it also gives you so much to look at while you're riding. Even if you're out for a workout and not just to take in the scenery; there's always something new you notice.

Across the street from the park is a rail line and rail yard running along behind much of Boston University. Last night, as I rode past the CSX engine yard, I noticed some chemical tanks painted in pastel colors. Among the mix of train engines and industrial buildings, the pastel tanks stick out, and provide an interesting juxtaposition to the rest of the scenery on the far side of Storrow Drive.

On the river side, of course is the water, and at evening time this means rowers. Being that I was out for a workout, I look for things to push me. Passing a couple of boats in the distance ahead was the goal I set, knowing I wouldn't have a ton of time before I lost the light. It's amazing how quickly the rowers can get the boats going, especially for the big boats with 8 rowers.

I started in a gear that gets the leg muscles feeling it a bit before switching into more of a spinning gear. The path has long stretches of open road mixed unfortunately with starts and stops for the various bridges along the river. It's great that you can use these bridges as part of any bike commute, but for workouts it causes some unwanted breaks. I was cruising at 16 MPH for most of the ride, but my average speed was closer to 13 MPH because of the starts and stops.

About 3 miles in, I saw that I was going to lose the light fairly soon, and I currently don't have a helmet or bike light; it was time to turn around. On the way back, I saw other cyclists with their bike lights on, and it made me realize we really need to get those on the bikes for safety concerns. I got back without incident, and managed a nice pace.

In the end, I did a little over 6 miles in 27 minutes of riding. Not bad for all the starts and stops, and with the pacing I had around 40 minutes for 10 miles seems like a manageable pace for the Season Opener race.

Notes:

- I was basically dead on for points yesterday before my bike ride. A good sign, but I'm not giving myself too much credit yet. Gotta keep this up all week.

- I'll be on the road again this weekend, this time it's a much shorter drive. I'll be at the casinos out in Connecticut with one of my best friends. There's a lot of open road in the area, perfect for running. I think the hotel has a workout room and pool, but because "gambling" is filtered at work, I can't get to the hotel to check. (It's funny how filters work. You can't gamble at a casino web site, but it's blocked anyways).