heart rate monitors? power taps?

sport has really evolved
there is not just sport psychology
there is sport phisiology
sport has become a science

not just on the dirty side of sports with steroids and doping
but on the good side of things
like working out and training smart
training for the task
being effiecient in training efforts

I know nothing about training
I ride my bike
part of this is the fact that I am just not that analytical
well... perhaps a little lazy
heart rate monitors and power taps would not do me much good
they would take too long to come out of the box
the batteries would go dead
the instructions would go unread
and the application would never be understood
so I just ride my bike

in the number of races that I did this season thus far I have reminded myself of one thing
I have no endurance
my race approach is always the same
go out hard
die
and hang on
in events like the Shenandoah Mountain 100 it is the only way it will work for me
I know that I am going to die on the bike no matter how fast I start out
so i start out fast
I die and then I am forced to use spirit instead of stamina

so many times I walk away from an event and tell myself that I had fun... but would have had more fun if I had been in better conditioning
with the best intentions I promise myself that I will be better prepared next time
then next time comes around.... I am no more prepared

so today I tried to mix up my ride a little bit
knew that it was vital to stay out on the bike more than an hour I plotted my course
a simple up and back on the capitol crescent trail seemed like it would give me the hour thirty I was seeking
as I got closer to bethesda avenue I decided to turn around before the tunnel
thinking that the gravel and mud would be more work and less pleasure due to the flooding and rain
so I kept it to the pavement and turned it downhill
turning back early shortened my loop
forcing me to rethink the last thirty minutes of my ride
haines point crossed my mind
then the hills of rock creek
the top of park road from the bridge into mount pleasant got the call
I looped this short several minute climb (if that... I should time it.... but I am not really that techie about my riding) for just about thirty minutes
it was a hoot sprinting up and screaming down
as time passed the up hill got slower and so did the down

got home to a happy family
the boys wanted to hike the dogs with me
which was perfect
after the chore of finding shoes and leashing dogs we all took a short hike in the woods
the dogs got to poop
the boys got to splash in some puddles
lisa got to cook
and I
well... got got hike the dogs in the woods where I do not need to pick up the dog's poop