Slick Slicks and the Velodrome

The Workout:
12 mile road/track ride
5 hs push-ups on wall

Since Jason and I were rained/snowed out of our mtn bike ride Sunday morning, I was eager to get out and do something when I got back to Asheville yesterday afternoon. I mounted some slick tires on the hifi and rode an easy 3.6 miles down to the velodrome on Amboy rd. Temps were in the low 40s so I bundled up pretty well with 2 pair of gloves and a warm hat. Once on the track, I rode one mile warm-up that included a lap with each leg individually (harder than I would have expected) and a lap focusing on efficient spinning. I pulled off in the center grass for about 10 minutes, did some push-ups and crunches and loosened up with some good stretching. Back on the track, I got into a good rhythm and zoned out while reviewing my Windows Server study in my head. My goal was to ride 10 miles but after 4, my phone rang. I have been on high alert lately waiting for Bethany to call and tell me it is go time so I careened back into the grass, threw off my pack, dumped it out and caught the last ring. Fortunately it was just Dad. I attempted to get back on and ride and talk at the same time but the wind noise was too high for him to hear me. I ended up getting off and chatting for about 20 minutes. That interruption really ate into my time so I finished up with one more mile and hit the road back home.

While the scenery doesn’t change much at the velodrome, the not having to worry about traffic, pedestrians, dogs …etc makes it easy to crank and just focus on riding technique. Have I mentioned that I L O V E my bike?! With slick tires and locked out suspension, it totally mitigates the need for a road specific bike and is f a s t.

Once I got home, I spent about 15 minutes doing lots of handstands, with varying success, and attempting to to a balanced hs push-up. My best effort resulted in a smooth descent but I started to fall over about 1/3 of the way back up. Before my energy was totally shot, I eeked out 5 hs push-ups against a wall. After my 4th up, Ellie walked right up to me, turned her head upside down and asked me to put more chips in her bowl. It was so funny seeing her right side up while upside down that I barely got up again.