Saturday musings

It's a drop dead gorgeous Saturday afternoon here. I'm not very capable of doing much however as I went for my ride this morning armed with a Grade 2 overhang. I decided I needed punishing for my alcohol fuelled fun yesterday afternoon by riding hard. I was down for a 80k/50mile ride and did exactly that (at an average of 28.3kmph/17.6mph) mostly by myself and mostly because it is harder that way.

The difficulty I now have is that walking is bloody painful and the last time I came down the stairs I felt like crying! Yep, I can hobble through a marathon but the stairs at home make me cry! I wonder what it is going to be like tomorrow?

Mrs W doesn't do massages so I am left feeling sorry for myself. Virtual massages can be sent to the e-mail addy in the profile bar and will be gratefully received! I think I will do a little bit of painting with what is left of the afternoon - ease my way into it as it were.

I wish I was in Sydney for the City to Surf right now. I just re-read my blog entry from last year. What a great weekend that was! I will be thinking of everyone anyway and hope everyone running and cheering have a great time!

The Weekend whiz

Yes folks, this weekend seemed to spin again by like a whirling dervish. Which by the linked photo somehow doesn't seem like an adequate expression anymore...

Last week I created a road-riding training program which has me riding 4 days a week and increasing long rides most weeks so that I have 4 x 100+km (62mile) rides and including 2 x 130km (80mile) rides before the 210km (130mile) Around the Bay in a Day ride in mid-October. Any guesses on what the final % of completed training will be punters? After 15 October I'll start my running again.

Early in my ride on Saturday morning I was passed by the "Hell Ride" which is a large cycling pack that rolls along Beach Rd at about the same time that I ride. I normally leave big fast packs well alone- particularly the Hell Ride, but this time I thought I would join in for a while to see what the fuss is about. White knuckled, fast paced, adrenaline pumping, wheel-to-wheel riding at about 44+kmph (27mph) is how I would describe it. Wow, what a ride! After 15kms I was spat out the back when I was unable to accelerate quickly enough after a sharp turn. It was exhilarating and left me exhausted and panting. Hell Ride story

My destination on Saturday was the beautiful Morning Star Estate winery which is about 5k past Mt Eliza. It is home of some "to die for" cool climate white wines.
The lure of a cellar door assisted rehydration session was diluted by the fact that it was only 8am by the time I got there. It was an uneventful ride home followed by a very quick shower and change to meet up with fellow cool runner and blogger from Sydney Lulu. Wobblette #2 also came along to provide some entertainment. We went to one of my favourite Japanese cafes in Port Melbourne which didn't disappoint. After a quick coffee in Brunswick Street via a quick trip to the Vic Markets we said our goodbyes to Lulu.

Saturday night Mrs W was away and I had invited my my rat-bag sister to come over for dinner. Fettucinni Carbonara was quickly followed by some yummy chocolate profiteroles with peppermint and chocolate ice cream. With a full tummy I confess I was satrting to fall asleep at the table towards the end - it was a huge day!

Sunday was a good ride down to Station Pier and back with a yummy coffee and custard doughnut at Cafe Racer thrown in on the way back. A little nana-nap this afternoon was perfect. I must set aside some serious time next weekend to do some painting! I keep meaning to start it but never do...