Saturday, July 18, 2015

Speedwork

I haven't really been all that inspired to go biking for the past week or so. Between increasing my mileage in preparation for the Sick Trail Run, summer classes, and learning to drive--on a stickshift no less--I've had less time for riding. I still didn't want to go for a long ride even yesterday, so I settled for something that would be a change of pace, both literally and metaphorically: a short, fast ride. I did the old 12.2 mile course that I used to ride on quite regularly. Since this was to be an all-out ride, I didn't take any pictures on this one, but it's a scenic course.

From the house, I rode down to Fifth Street and then Central Road, before crossing Pennsylvania Route 487 to Papermill Road. I did a decent clip, reaching 32.7 miles per hour on Dennys Hill and doing the first mile in 3:53. Then Papermill Road flattened out and went alongside Interstate 80 for a while. Eventually it crossed under I-80 and became a gravel road that wound first through some fields, then through the woods. I got to test out the new, highly aggressive tire that I got from the Dutch Wheelman last week (the old one was worn completely smooth). I didn't really notice much of  a difference.

After turning into the woods, Papermill Road ran along the side of a steep hill. I caught a few glimpses of a large and beautiful private lake down below. After several tenths of a mile, the road became paved again and headed into Lightstreet. I then began a long, gradual ascent on Ridge Road. At the top of the hill, I stopped for some zero, then headed down a little hill before beginning to rise again.

For most of Ridge Road, I stayed a few seconds ahead of a 4:00/mile pace (15 miles per hour). Towards the end, as I rode down a little dip and back up, and then entered the Briar Creek watershed, I began to creep a little further ahead of 15 miles per hour. I then turned onto Hidlay Church Road, rode past Hidlay Church (where else?) and began the long climb up Horse Farm Road, the second-most-difficult hill on the ride. It wasn't terribly steep, but it went on for a while. I can see how it would've been difficult when I was a beginner. One I made it to the top of the hill--passing fields and houses along the way--it was a short ride to the radio tower that marked the turnaround point.

The next four or five miles were mostly downhill so I really made good time: the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh miles were all under 4:00, and the fastest (the eleventh) was 3:12.7. Those miles passed by pretty uneventfully and by the time I was on Papermill Road, breaking 46 minutes came to be a real possibility. That would've been interesting, since there are those who speculate that the course can be done in under 45 minutes.

However, the tough climb up Dennys Hill slowed me down and made 46 minutes impossible. 47 minutes was still a possibility, so I decided to aim for that. After waiting for the light at Route 487, I headed off down Central Road and into the neighborhood.

I did make it to sub 47 minutes: 46:56 to be precise. That corresponds to a 3:51/mile pace (15.6 miles per hour). I think my previous record for the course was a 3:58/mile pace, but I didn't stop the watch for breaks. Then again, discounting traffic stops, I was probably only stopped for about three minutes or so. The fastest mile--as mentioned--was 3:12.7. The slowest, which was naturally on Dennys Hill was still fairly fast for a hilly mile: 4:53.8.
Elevation change: 1392 feet. Highest point: 781 feet. Lowest point: 515 feet.
 Route map. (source)(license)

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