"Training" on My Old, Heavy, Commuter Bike

Even through I'm still waiting on my broken bike (update posted over the weekend), I'm still getting out on my old heavy "commuter" bike for a few rides.

About 10 days ago, I headed out for a quick ride that turned into 15 "tempo" miles with a longer cool down. I didn't really think about what the workout was going to be until I had been biking hard for 5 miles.

I didn't shy away from hills as I headed straight down the long hill behind Coffman on the U of M campus, then up the other side, then turned around to go down and up it again. Then I crossed the Franklin Ave Bridge to hit my first 5 mile split. Then I headed down the Greenway to my 2nd 5 mile split, and finally back along River Road a few miles unitl I finished my 3rd 5 mile split to end the "hard" miles:

I pushed from the start through split #3.


Heading south to split 3 before easing up for the last 5+ miles home.


Those 3 faster splits were within 10 secs. I finished those
tempo miles with a 17.0 mph ave on that beast of a bike.


A slightly noticeable drop in speed after 15 miles, and a very noticeable drop in HR.

Then I did an easier ride on Thursday morning. I had to drop off something at our church, so I ran that errand on my bike. I did the 5+ mile loop that I like to run along the river on easy running days, and then I did the 15 mile tempo loop that I like to ride, only I did it from the other direction:

Loop to the NW, then a normal loop with an added on hill across the 35E bridge.

I didn't push it on this ride - it was just a slightly easier ride before some intervals the next day. Where the ride a few days before that was at 17.0 mph through mile 15 (and then down to 16.1 mph by the time I took it easy the rest of the way home), this ride never got out of the 15s and ended with a 15.3 mph ave. I wasn't pushing it - just riding.

It's an old heavy bike, but still not a horrible way to get in some miles!

Bike pic from Thursday's post about biking to the pool.