Rapha 500 Day 5 - Redemption and Recovery

When I woke up this morning my quads hurt and my ass didn't allow me comfort when standing. These feelings were not expected but not surprising considering I've done 5 good days of riding and even some jogging mixed with a lot of IPA and not a lot of real recovery. This morning I decided to go for a light 3 mile jog. Its such a tease, a 3 mile jog, around the block. Nothing really. Barely breaking a sweat. Maybe 7:30 pace, maybe quicker. Spending my entire life running has warped my perception to the point of no return. I accept 3-5 miles is all I can run now but its not training. It will never be part of the conversation. Just something that gets done in between bike rides. But it won't be insignificant either. I read somewhere that running will kill bike riding ability. It will slow you down is what I read. Where it came from I can't remember but I'm sure I can find it. Most likely its true, no arguments here, my lack of understanding with regard to cycling and the training that fuels it doesn't allow me an educated opinion. However, I did OK on the bike in my first year racing and I ran every opportunity I could. A sneaky 5 miler here or there. The only time it hurt me was when I raced that 5 miler in South Boston on a ridiculously hot and humid night with loads of wind. I raced Tour Of The Hilltowns the next day and was wrecked. Lesson learned on that one, no racing before bike races, or ever for that matter. Running however is something I'll never stop.  My love of the sport and the endeavor transcends my love of bike racing and fuels my desire to be great at bike racing. They are not exclusive, rather very much intertwined.

With the sore legs and the light jog in the AM I resigned myself to a day off. It lasted until after lunch when an easy recovery ride in the rain became very appealing. Rapha 500 is for sure getting me out. I don't want to miss a day! So into the elements I went for an easy 60km loop. No water, no food, no breaks. Just a quick 2 hour jaunt around familiar roads and some miles in the bank. Motivation was high because I was meeting Kevin Adams for a beer at the Publick House. That turned into several beers and great conversation. Torpedo Extra IPA was my tipple of choice. Never had it before, will have it again. The music, as per usual was excellent. Lots of The Smiths, New Order, and one song by The Church I haven't heard in ages. Made me feel great. Thats the song of this very good day.

Peace and Love,
Kel