10-26-2019 Ride

After no success in organizing a ride with either Zvika or Oren, I ended up riding solo on a simple route, out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 38 and then south.  I started out a little faster than usual, given the planned length of the ride.  About 30-40 minutes into the ride, I started to feel an occasional raindrop.  It got a little more noticeable on the climbing section of the 44, but at that point it didn't really get to the point where the road was wet enough to raise a rooster tail.  I briefly considered heading back, but it wasn't really raining yet, so I continued.  This was the periodic situation for the rest of the ride, never real rain, more very light sprinkles and evidence on the road toward the end of recent heavier rain that made the road wet.  All things considered, it helped out by keeping the weather cool.  I rode on the 38 out to a little past mile 38, coming up to a minor hill crest and turning around at that point.  The ride back on the 38 was pretty nice, mostly downhill with just a couple of short, steeper climbing spots. Toward the end of the ride, I noticed that my watch had run out of battery, which was really frustrating (only a partial workout summary shown below, not sure where the average speed came from).  There were also a couple of times where my cyclocomputer quit registering speed, on faster downhills, where the magnet sensor got pushed up the spoke.  Again, frustrating.  Finally, the workout from MapMyRide didn't sync, so I had to enter it manually, which was a minor pain.  May be time finally to move to Strava.  Alas, these are truly first-world problems.  Home via Bloomfield Stadium, finishing ride before I walked my bike across Yerushalayeem.  This was the first ride during my training where I didn't feel like I ran out of energy during the ride.  I was slower toward the end and didn't have as much push in my legs as I would have wanted, but I felt generally okay.  No real issues with leg muscles, even when I stood up to push harder at times.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 77.0 mi
Avg heartate = 147 bpm (est.)
Total elevation gain = 4320'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3867518161/
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26253404565

10-25-2019 Ride

Short ride in anticipation of a longer ride on Saturday.  From Ben Zvi over to Kibbutz Galuyot, then out to the 461 and then to the 40.  I was slow on this first section (legs felt tired at the start), lots of traffic and the wind seemed to be working against me.  A little bit better heading south on the 40, where I generally kept up a good pace.  On the way home via the 44, the wind was mostly helping me out, so I rode quite fast.  I did take a little detour to Kfar Habad, for a couple of extra miles.  This road looks like it could eventually get me over to the 412, so that is a future route possibility.

Avg speed = 17.5 mph. Total mileage = 31.4 mi
Avg heartrate = 134 bpm
Total elevation gain = 720'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3866060452
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26247298988

10-21-2019 Ride

This was a tough ride to motivate myself to do.  I knew I needed the miles, but it was a chore.  My conciliation was that I decided to keep a low pace, around 16 mph average as the target.  It didn't help that I found a major hole in the tread on my rear tire and had to change it before starting out.  Better at home than on the road.  Headed out Ben Zvi and the 44, wind calm and a nice morning, overcast.  Turned onto the 424 and rode this gradual uphill route to Latrun, feeling okay while not pushing it.  Then I rode Hwy 3 down to the 44 and turned toward Bet Shemesh.  After the first little climb, I stopped for a short break and ate a banana.  Continued on to the intersection with the 38, that moderate climb was a particular chore on this day.  To get a little extra distance, I took the road toward Tsuba but turned around at the roundabout and headed back.  The first climb wasn't so bad, just slow but my legs felt okay, not a lot of push in them.  The coasting downhill from this point was nice.  At the gas station by Hwy 3, I stopped for another break, filled up on an energy bar and some cold flavored water.  Even still, I was slower than I wanted on the climb past the intersection.  I started to notice that the wind was not helping, maybe directed more into my face than I wanted.  As I continued the ride, my pace slowed and the wind seemed to pick up.  It wasn't heavy, but it was noticeable, and it got steadier as I rode toward the coast.  Within the last 2 or 3 miles, I could really feel its effects.  Back home via Shlabim to Kibbutz Galuyot, ending up right at 60 miles and 16 mph average.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 60.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 146 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2940'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3858944410
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26170825948

10-20-2019 Ride

Solo ride on a Sunday morning, still on holiday.  Out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40, taking a steady pace, not so fast but not so slow.  Decent speed on the way out to that point.  Headed south on the 40 to the 411, then rode to Hulda and beyond to Hwy 3, turning left and taking it the short distance back to the 44.  I was aiming for 50 miles total, so I turned right on the 44 and headed up the first gradual climb to a turnoff toward Tslafon and Gizo, two small communities.  It was generally uphill, so that slowed me down.  Got to a suitable turnaround point and rode back to the 44, then toward home.  The ride back was okay.  I could feel the weariness in my legs, but they generally held up.  Not much of a wind to speak of.  Got back home, and I was really hungry, again not eating anything during the ride.

Avg speed = 17.5 mph. Total mileage = 49.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 145 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1690'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3857241274
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26114077813

10-19-2019 Ride

Ride with Oren and Slavik from normal starting point in Netanya.  We headed out to Hwy 4 the normal way and rode north.  I was intent on keeping my pace nominal, so I rode at the same pace as the others for nearly all of this ride, enough so that we were able to form a loose pace line for much of it, and that helped our overall average speed, I think.  We rode north until we had about 18 miles, then turned around and retraced our route, back toward the start and continuing on to the Arcaffe in Netanya for a break before finishing up.  Felt good on the ride, no extra strength to push the pace toward the second half of the ride, but that was okay, considering not having ridden in a couple of weeks.

Avg speed = 17.3 mph. Total mileage = 39.0 mi
Avg heartrate (without AutoPause) = 137 bpm
Total elevation gain = 490'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3855821158/
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26114576235

10-08-2019 Run

Posted long after this run, but I kinda remember it.  We were staying at an AirBnB in Barcelona, and I went out for a run with a general idea about where I wanted to go.  Headed up to the Rambla de Catalunya and turned right, heading down this boulevard for a while before turning around and heading back.  On the way back, I got lost and rambled around until I finally found my way back to the starting point.

Total distance = 3.17 mi

Avg pace = 9:49

Elevation gain = 109'

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3836284216

10-05-2019 Ride

Simple route, long ride.  Headed out while it was still dark on Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40, then turned south and kept riding until the turnoff toward Kiryat Gat.  Felt good on the first half of the ride, even though there were a couple of very slight uphill sections nearer to the turnaround point.  It helped me on the way back, and I made good time all the way back to Gedera.  From there I slowed down as my lack of fitness showed up, even though I had made an effort to stop a couple of times and have something to eat.  So it was slower than I would have liked getting back to the 44, not helped by a headwind that was fairly steady from the general north.  Even when I turned onto the 44, the headwind and my lack of push made it a slow pace for the rest of the ride.  Lots more work to do to increase my fitness and get ready for this ride.

Avg speed = 17.5 mph. Total mileage = 74.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 153 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2030'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3830955859
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/25767360870

10-04-2019 Ride

Easy solo ride in the morning, after having Maxim the bike mechanic lubricate my headset, bottom bracket, seat post, and hubs.  No more squeaks, and maybe I could tell it rolled a little easier.  Simple loop out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40, over to the 4610, then back to the 44 via the 412.  Home from there the normal way.  I tried to keep a steady pace but didn't really push it, knowing that I have a longer ride planned for Saturday.  Nice weather for a ride, not so hot but not cool.

I rode using my old shoes while the new ones were being repaired, after the sole separated on my right shoe.  The repair looked very good when I picked them up later in the morning.  Here's hoping that it holds.

Avg speed = 17.3 mph. Total mileage = 30.8 mi
Avg heartrate = 139 bpm
Total elevation gain = 700'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3829169659
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/25724883538