2008 Bike Ride #16: Redmond to Fort Dent (Tukwilla)

[wickedwords]

Ride Length: 82 miles/132 km (approximately)
Elevation: No data
Where: Redmond to Fort Dent, via Trails
Start Time: 8:15-ish
End Time: 6:30 pm
How long: appx 10 hours
On bike time: 7.40 on-bike time. 10.7 mph avg speed.
Total Calories: 5000

This was my last big training ride--Next weekend I get to go back to a 50 mile route, then it's the STP--and I wanted to get close to 90 miles, since last year, my energy flagged between 30-60 miles, and again between 70-80. (Once I got through that one, I was pretty much 'death march home'.) I made it to about 82 mile yesterday, in 91F/33C heat, which I think is pretty darn good, though most of the ride was along very flat trails. (We did get into some rolling hills cutting through downtown on the way back to the burke-gillman trail) Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day for a ride. Most of the route takes us by rivers or along the waterfront, so sometimes we had a stiff headwind, but I felt like it was a lot cooler than it would have been out on the regular road.

The good news was no cramping the way I had cramped back in May during similar weather, so I guess taking is slow and making sure I had enough electrolytes helped. By the time I got to the Woodinville park, it was getting dark in some places on the trail as there's no lighting, so I decided to bail on the last 7 miles and called for a pick up. It's another 20 miles on top of this for the first day of the STP, but I will be starting 2 hours earlier, so I think I'll be fine--as long as it's not so hot.

Comments

[gattagrigia.livejournal.com]

That is quite a route! I'm amazed that that is mostly trails - actually makes me quite hopeful. Next weekend should be cooler, at least on the long range predictions so far.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

The STP is on the 12th, so I have one weekend where I can 'laze around' and do a 50 mile route before the real event. The trails are great--there is one hill that between the Fremont bridge and the Elliot bay trail that is no fun, but there is a lot of flat if you poke around. It just takes awhile to build put some distance.