While I was home in Spokane for Spring Break, I reunited with Peter for a couple nice rides along the Centennial Trail (followed by a good meal and some beer of course). As we were both recovering from some injuries, they were relatively easy rides, but as always, it's so much more fun to ride with a friend. Later in the break, I bested my previous distance record! Equipped with my new knee brace, I rode out along highway two to Davenport and back, totaling 80 miles. I was absolutely knackered afterward, but it was well worth it. I feel a bit more prepared for our first official century at the end of this summer in Moab!
My average speed has also improved. While I remember my average speeds used to hover around 18mph on a medium-length ride, they are now consistently closer to 19mph! I've also been working on my climbing quite a lot recently, tackling the very difficult Sehome Hill at least twice a week.
Peter recently visited me in Bellingham and the weather cooperated just enough that we were able to take a quick ride. I was super excited to show him some of the roads I've become so familiar with out here--especially the beautiful Chuckanut Drive. Here's a picture from one of the outlooks:
Oh! And other big news is that I've finally joined the masses and gotten a smartphone. What does this have to do with cycling? Well, now I can use the GPS feature and get all the stats for my rides! I tried to use Strava for awhile but for some reason, it wouldn't work on my phone, so I started using Map My Ride, which works great. Though it just tracks speed, elevation, and distance, it's a lot of fun to see everything laid out in front of me. Maybe eventually I'll be able to get some fancy things like a cadence sensor and heart rate monitor.
