Hard way around the lake

Got in a great ride tuesday with my cousin Jeff. Didn't bring my bike up but Joel hasn't been riding much so I borrowed his bike and put on about 30 miles. Hard to say exactly what the numbers were on the ride because the computer on Joel's bike was all in german and in kilometers per hour. Headed out north on M-22 with the intention of riding Sutter Rd. hill and Warren Rd. Unfortunately the way to Warren was closed so we were forced to figure out an alternate route. Ended up taking Deadstream rd to Marshall hill which proved equally as challenging as Warren. From there we made our way back down into Beulah and out by way of Benzie Blvd. On a tri-bike it was probably the most difficult it has ever been. The only other exciting thing in the ride was the ride back on south shore. it is a three mile stretch into the wind. I decided as soon as we hit the road that I was going to leave it all on the pavement. Hammered down and quickly lost Jeff who was already struggling because of the intense hills. Since my computer wasn't working properly I decided to time myself. 3 miles in just over 6 minutes. About half way through the stretch I noticed a shadow creeping up behind me. Thought to myself that Jeff found a second wind and caught my wheel so I put the hammer down and continued to pull. By the end of the sprint I finally had a chance to look back only find a new rider trailing me. He thanked me for the pull and continued on his way. It was altogether a great ride and I can't wait for the next one. afterall...I'm only going to the top of the hill.

Whoops

Damn, it has been a while since I've updated this thing. Lets see... bonked out on the tour de benzie at mile eighty due to hip problems, struggled through July riding very little but running more. Yesterday started the first day of my new goal: ride or run every single day. Got 22 miles on the Musketawa trail and finally felt good on two wheels. Took a while to break my legs in but when I did I felt like I could fly. Tried out riding with an iPod and now I don't know why I haven't tried it before. Need to invest in a more secure pair of headphones but otherwise it was amazing. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year thus far so I waited as long as I could to get out and ended up on the trail at about 8pm. Struggled to maintain a steady pace through the first 12 or 13 miles but on the return trip I exceeded speeds of 23mph consistently. Today is supposed to be another scorcher so I'll hold off running for as long as possible. When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm only goin to the top of the hill...