Today I rode outside for the first time this year up here in the mountains. A month ago we were in Las Vegas and rented bikes for a fabulous ride to Red Rocks, so I can’t count this as my first ride of the season. But I can count it as the first outdoor ride of my training program for the Giretto! And right on track, too.

My husband is building us a new house in Eagle Ranch, Colorado (he’s a builder by trade. Hmmm, building and travel, our two primary income sources….I think both have been a little hammered by this recession!)  Eagle is about 20 miles west of Edwards, where we live now, and 30 miles west of Vail. I haven’t seen the house in a month since the drywall has been started, so I rode to Eagle today to check out the house and to get my ride in. It was a fantastic ride, mostly flat, and the weather was in the mid-50’s, low 60’s, so pretty mild for this time of year. (Got a winter storm warning for tomorrow, so timing was perfect)

The ride was 45 miles total. Slight downhill on the way out, but a good headwind. Coming back I felt great, and added another 6 miles to the ride once I got home (it’s 19.3 miles door to door to our new place). Heart rate was on average 10-15 beats below my threshold (High Zone 2, low Zone 3) – a good aerobic workout. I was only at or above LT for the short gradual climbs on the way back. Total time (including a few short stops, but not including the stop at the house) was 2 hours, 51 min.

My legs feel a little tired and back a little achy, but overall I’m amazed at how good I feel! I’m very pleased with today’s ride, and how strong I felt. 

This is how much of the road looks like west of Edwards along the Eagle river on Highway 6.

Me and Rosie at the front of the house. Jeff was there working with the drywall sub-contractors all day (poor guy, he was jealous of my ride).

And if I can brag for a moment, this is what my amazing husband’s creation looks like!

The rest of the week will be indoors on my Spin bike. Next weekend I’ll be in Jamaica for a Spinning training, so it may be 2 weeks before I can get back on my bike. But I’ll be sure to get a lot of hours on the Spin bike in between sitting on the beach in Jamaica. I’m going to help with a Spinning marathon fundraiser they’re doing at the club where I’m doing the certification. Should be a lot of fun!