I have several frinds doing the HHH this year. They also are trying to cajole me into this idea.... I am a very firm, "We'll see" at this point.
I think two 20 mile rides and a couple of pleasure rides may not be sufficient experience for racing in traffic.

Not racing. Riding. Traffic isn't horrible. You won't crash too hard.

Most of my past experince with crashing as been on motorcycles, long ago! ::knocks wood, throws salt and spits::
And that sux!

How do you ride and not race....?

Life is a race, but the first one to the end doesn't really win...


These darn push-ups are starting to take a lot of time!

At this point in my cycling career, my goas is to finish a set distance. When I ride a 25 miler, I am now to the point that I am racing my PR. The problem with a short distance ride is that nobody is racing. You'd be racing yourself no matter what.

At this point for you and your unavoidable saddle soreness, let's get your mileage up and THEN we can race.

In my experience, the choice to ride not race is usually made for you. The experienced racers will usually leave you behind, lol. I've had some success in bike races, but it was either dumb luck or in timed events. When it comes to drafting and racing in a pack, it is an art that I do not have enough experience to be any good at. I have ridden and drafted in a pack and it is amazing how much easier it is and how much faster you can go. That is where I get into trouble because I think "I am so much faster than these guys" and try to break away to join another pack. What happens is pretty comical as I break away for about 5 minutes, the pack I left reels me in, they laugh and spray me with water bottles as they blow past me like I was standing still.

As for pushups, I did 16 this morning. For the record, they are the first 16 I've done since June when the kids got back with me. They shipped out yesterday, so I am trying to get my sleep pattern back to allow for some morning workouts again.

Matt you are right! I'm having to break them (pushups) into sets of 50, just to make the time thing work. I will still try to do 100 in one shot about once a week in the gym, But my shoulders hate me for that. The 50 sets are more manageable and easy to work in the schedule. As for the odd number (28 today) I'm ok with the last short set.

On the bike thing, I don't mind getting pushed by the faster riders. I'm still re-learning a lot. Just the bike itself is so much more responsive than the ones I've had in the past. Also still learning gear choices to keep my percieved effort at an even pace for different hill and wind situations. And I would like a higher level of skill before getting into a long road ride where there are no bike lanes (basically anywhere in Oklahoma)
It will take a little bit as I am still running, working out, playing racquetball and riding my motorcycle...Oh and that work thing! I have to get that in somewhere too!

I'm doing sets of 30-50 depending on the day. It's find on Wed/Fri when I'm at work doing stuff in the "gym", but the rest of the week when out running is when it's a real pain. Interval day is fine, I do them during my rest period, but the other 3 days stink. I do them all in the morning or they'll never get done.

Can't you use the horse lane? Same thing basically, just a little more important to pay attention so you can dodge the...speed bumps

LOL!! You sound like one of my friends aunts that live back east! She is older and sometimes asks how the "indian problem" is going in Oklahoma! She still thinks it's Fort Apache out here!
Although in the SE there are some Amish that still do the buggy thing. I think there are more up where Jen lives.

you may not want to draft behind me......

I am always careful about the "Emissions" factor...

Speaking of biking, some jerk teenager buzzed me on the sidewalk this morning without announcing his approach. He nearly ran into me and scared the carp out of my dogs.

punk.

you should have let the dogs handle it....

No question, they could catch him!

I get that on the trails all the time. Some of them are technically two lanes, and I run on the right edge generally (track habit I think, like running next to lines). When passing, I always give as wide a distance as possible, but every time I'm out, I get people that seem to think we're on a 4-lane highway and they have to stay on our side of the path while passing, so they're within inches of me. I have my music low enough to hear announcements and that covers me most of the time, but you get someone on a fast bike, you might not hear them coming until they fly by!

I don't know how he expected to pass us on the sidewalk. When I let out the leash, the three of us take up the whole thing.

punk.

I do not get that! Granted I've ridden all of 40 miles in the last two weeks (and 6 years), but I always try to anounce my pass, slow down when needed and keep at least a foot between me and the other folks (runners or riders). Its just courtesy! We also have mostly seperate trails for bikes and runners, with big signs to that effect. But there are both runners and cyclists that transgress that seperation. It has led to both bad tempers and some coillisons. Some less accidental than others. Some of the cyclists go into or through crowds way to fast. And some of the runners insist on running in the bike paths.
I guess Ron White is right, "You can't fix stupid"

Oh, you're THAT person. I ride on bike trails that are used by a lot of walkers, too. It drives me nuts when I see someone walking a dog ahead of me on a 20 foot leash, and the dog is running from one side to the other. Fortunately, most dogs are smarter than their humans, so the dog gets out of the way.

But, manimal, the kid should have been on the street, not the sidewalk. IMHO, sidewalks are not bike paths.

A bigger irritant is having three or four women walking abreast and taking up the whole trail, and talking so loudly they can't hear me yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!!"

I totally get where you are coming from, but I am not that person, I will move for anyone coming towards me or anyone who calls out as they approach. I just need to know they are approaching!

And I use 6 foot leashes.

If I had a kid, I'd put them on a 20 foot leash.

Random and unrelated, just saying.

I hate icing muscles.
JS

I hate sleeping through my alarm and screwing up my whole day!

Can't remember the last time I shut off my alarm and fell back asleep, woke up, looked and saw it was 8:00, freaked out! Glad I've got volleyball tonight, but now I won't be able to feel okay about drinking a beer afterwards, knowing I missed my run .

Lunch run?

On the bright side, it was storming until about 7:45 by the accounts I've heard, so my interval run probably would've been an indoor one.

I have a lunch meeting, so not really a chance there, and I don't like deviating from the plan/routine, it messes me up!

Cut yourself some slack, Matt. Your body needed a little extra rest; nobody died because you slept a little late.

Enjoy your volleyball, and substitute some beer-flavored water for the beer this one night (Miller 64 or the Bud 55 are good choices, low in everything (sadly including flavor)). Then add a couple minutes to your run tomorrow and get back on track.

A tiny stumble will not have any long-reaching consequences. I know this personally because the flight of beers I sampled this past weekend while out with friends at a very cool brewery. I still lost weight (2.8 pounds in the past 2 weeks).