Dec-27: Snapper Days Are Here Again

Snapper days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let’s sing a song of cheer again
Snapper days are here again.

My cares and troubles are gone
There’ll be no more from now on 
My pace will soar again 
Snapper days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let’s sing a song of cheer again.

I was having difficulty getting motivated for today's ride.  If I hadn't publically mentioned that 10k km goal, I might have packed it in.  If I wasn't so close to getting to the 10k km mark, I might have packed it in.

I was lethargically starting to get ready to ride,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a white station wagon with steed mounted atop.
Blasting classic Beetles, I recall not which tune,
With a rejuvinated smile on my face,
I bumped fists and thanked his arrival, for
Snapper days were here again.

The weather was warmer than that which I was partially dressed.
Off with the full-length leg-warmers,
On with the extra pair of knee warmers.
I wouldn't need that pair of shoe-boots
I'd found the day before.
Toe warmers would do. 

Snapper opted for his new Christmas pants, but not shoe-boots or toe covers. 
Mistake.  His toes were almost without feeling after 54+ miles. 
(My feet were fine.)

We made a double horse-shoe course.
Started with Carpenter Pond and Doc Nichols and Cheek roads as if circling the lake.
But we had no need for an Old Stool Tree,
So rode straight on thee Old Weaver Trail to the Beaver Dam Rd.
There we stopped in the sunshine and ate some food,
Then reversed our course. 

The pace increased as we each felt better with food in our bellies,
And warmed-up legs. 

A wheel-sucker was I.
A good lead-out man was Snapper.
We cruised quickly across Cheek Rd,
Rapidly across Patterson,
Kept it together up Doc Nichols,
And Snapper set a great pace across Leesville and CP.

I cut the rubber-band keeping me attached
Some half-mile or more before the CL on CP
As after all I had another 9 miles to ride beyond Snapper.

A dash across the flat of MVC,
A swoop down and up the valley on MVC,
Into PUE with ~ 54.6 miles on my confuser, avg 15.8 mph.

Snapper's avg was less.
I later recalled why.
He rode some small circles in the parking lot waiting for me at the start.

We had a good time.
Snapper Days Had Been There Again.
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I rode an extra ~ 8.7 miles to Bayleaf Fire Station #2, then across to Six Forks Rd on Pleasant Union Ch Rd, back again to BFS #2, and back to PUE.  I managed to maintain the 15.8 mph. 

Interesting that I avg'd faster today than yesterday, and faster yesterday than two days before that. 
I think today's course had less climbing per mile. 
Who cares?
I had fun.
Snapper had fun.

Thanks to Ashley and Elizabeth for letting Snapper come out to play.
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Dec-27:

PUE: Act 1: lake loop to BeaverDam (minus Old Stool Tree), U-turn back to PUE; w/ Snapper; ~54.6 m.; 2hrs, 28+min; 15.8 mph.
 - - Act 2: Fire Station - SixForks - Fire Station; solo; 8.7 m.; 0hrs, 32-min; 15.8 mph.
 - - - - total: 63.3 m.; 4hrs, 0 min; 15.8 avg mph.

1-Q: _20 rides; _755.3 m.; _47 hrs, 31 min; 15.9 mph.
2-Q: _43 rides; 2124.3 m.; 134 hrs, 59 min; 15.7 mph.
3-Q: _36 rides; 1947.2 m.; 121 hrs, 48 min; 16.0 mph.
Oct: __9 rides; _551.4 m.; _35 hrs, 41 min; 15.4 mph.
Nov: __8 rides; _372.3 m.; _23 hrs, 49 min; 15.7 mph.
Dec: __7 rides; _345.2 m.; _21 hrs, 21 min; 15.4 mph.

YTD: 123 rides; 6095.9 m.; 386 hrs, 08 min; 15.8 mph.
 
(A bit less than 200 km to reach 10k km for the year.  A metric Tuesday, another Wednesday.  Then some rest.)