Training Sunday, 4/27

Went out for my second group ride today, this time just two of us as my friend Target joined me for a 33 mile trip out to Pultneyville and back. We started off slow and easy into the wind, at about 15.5 mph, hanging out a couple miles off the lake. Sun was out, but wind was just a bit coolish off the lake, still quite beautiful however.

We avoided traffic by taking back roads, and caught up on recent news on the way out. Started having a bit of knee pain at the front of my left kneecap about five miles in, but nothing too terrible, so we kept up our pace, and I focused on keeping my cadence up in the 95-105 rpm region to avoid stressing my knee too much further. Took a five minute break at Forman Park out in Pultneyville before turning around for the trip home. With the wind at our backs, we were a bit faster on the return trip, including pushing a bit on the last mile or two (I didn't tell Target, just wanted to see if he could keep up). All in all, a very nice training ride.

Ride Stats:

• Distance: 33.4 miles
• Avg. Speed: 16.2
• Avg. HR: 139 bpm
• Max HR: 166 bpm
• Calories Burned: 2072

Post-ride notes: Gave my left knee the RICE treatment (rest, ice, compression, elevation) in the evening, but it's still a bit painful on stairs. May need to take it easy for a day or two (which coincides with some ugly weather).