Steve in a Speedo?! Gross!: 2026

First Tempo Ride of 2026

>> Monday, March 23, 2026

I got out for my first "real" bike ride of the year (meaning on my tri bike and not on my big ole' mountain bike) about 2.5 weeks ago, and that was a nice 37 miler just ridden moderately - staying above a 20 mph ave through 34 miles before dropping. And I've had some good trainer rides and decent weeks in the saddle...

... so when we had record warmth on Saturday, I had to get out in the 70+ degree weather and try to ride hard!

I took off on a very normal tempo route that I've been using over the last few years: River Road to 35E, across the river, down to Big Rivers, up Big Rivers to the end, a little extra on Hwy 13, and then back down Big Rivers (and onto Water Street) until I hit 20 miles. Then limp home like a wounded puppy.

I realized on Big Rivers (around mile 8) that I was going into the wind. This part is uphill as well. So I suffered into the wind until about mile 13.5. My average speed was 21.8 mph around mile 7, 21.0 mph after climbing across the river and slightly into the wind, and then it DROPPED through mile 13.5: it was 20.1 mph on Hwy 13 when I turned around.

I had one big climb left (the dark blue just north of split #3), but otherwise it was slightly downhill and with the wind, so I was trying to get my average back up over those last 6.5 miles!

20 mile tempo through split #4 (they are 5-mile splits).

The red line is where my tempo effort ended: see my speed and heart rate drop?

I finished my tempo at 20.9 mph, and I was happy with that for my 2nd ride outdoor all year! And then my splits TANKED on the rest of the way home: it was 19.7 mph when I finally turned off River Road and more into the wind again, but it still dropped to 19.5 mph on the gritty roads home. I was happy to have gotten in 32 miles with the first 20 being fast!

Snowy Track Workout

>> Sunday, March 22, 2026

I did my first track workout of the year a few weeks back. Then just over a week ago, the track was too icy for a workout. Two days later, we got EIGHT INCHES of snow. And then the sun came out and I was able to hit the track on Friday!

A track that was too icy on Friday, 8 inches of snow a few days later, and then ready for a track workout the following Friday - just a week later and in the SAME week as 8 inches of snow! Wild.

I did a lap before running hard to check on the condition of the track. The homestretch had some pooling in the first lane:

Wet, but not icy. (45 degrees.)

But the first turn was still kinda nasty...

... areas were thick and icy.

These areas were the worst!

Still lots of melting snow from the outer lane along the homestretch.

I did a version of the workout I did a few weeks back (which was alternating 800s and 400s). This time, I didn't alternate and did 4x800 with 2:00 rest, then 4x400 with 90 sec rest.

With the issue of running wide and avoiding the ice on the first curve, I knew times wouldn't be THAT fast. I did my first 800 in 2:45 and was a little bummed. So the goal was to descend times and try to suffer.

When I got to the 400s, my first one was decent at 1:15, and then I thought I'd try to knock them down to 1:11-1:12. But my 2nd one was 1:12, so now I was just trying to hold on. This is what I ran: