Feb-27: Sunny, Warm and Windy

Solo for 39.

Flashing blues on Falls of the Neuse.
Take Morning Dove, then Old Deer.
(Now, looking at a map, I should have taken Running Cedar.)
Iceman standing on his driveway, putting up some yard tools.

Stop and say hello.
We chat for 20 or 25 minutes.
Event timing, and the changes in the last 20 years.
Bar codes have replaced electronic chips which replaced ... the "stone age" approach I used to do.
More female runners than male.
Reversed completely compared to 20 years ago.

7000 participants for Crispy Creme.
7000 for ... was it ... Myrtle Beach Marathon.
20 years ago, except for the Old Reliable, the Great Raleigh Road Race,
And the Charlotte Observer Marathon,
Could never approach 1000 in the Carolinas.

Remembering the old Big Ten basketball traveling partner days.
Playing on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons.
Purdue and Illinois benefiting from being traveling partners.
The year both teams went 15-3 in conference play.
See you later.

Went thru the "Y" neighborhood.
Down the "Carrington Wall."
Onto MVC.
Seems that I have more power with the saddle slid back a bit,
And saddle lowered trying to maintain the same "leg reach".
Butt fitting well on the saddle.
Those two things could be v-e-r-y nice.

Bang into the 15-25 SW wind on Carpenter Pond.
Somewhere before reaching Leesville Rd,
I found my "speed legs".

Leesville Rd NOT bang on into the wind.
Still with speed legs.

Decide to see if I can use the DocNichols downslope
To catch the guy that passed me back on CP,
Before I found my speed legs.

A little over a mile down DN, he stops.
Waits for a car going the opposite direction,
Then U-turns just before I get to him.
Strange.

Decide to do Baptist to Southview.
For the tailwind.

Across Southview to NC-98 ... still with the "speed legs".
"Speed legs" seemed to disappear on Southview between 98 and Kemp.

Up Kemp to Coley.  Nice pace.  Not slow.  Certainly not fast.

On Kemp from Coley to Carpenter Pond. 
Must have been easy ... I have no recollection.

Carpenter Pond from Kemp to MVC, with a tailwind.
Powered up and thru the Wake County Line in the big chain ring.
No CP memory after that.

The turn off CP onto MVC at 20 +/- mph.
Glad there was no gravel.

Quickly across MVC to 50.  That section is falling apart.
MVC down to the creek and up to PUE,
And across to Norwood,
Then down again
And up past Leslie Dr. and all the way to Six Forks Rd.

Not much traffic on Six Forks.
Had to wait with other traffic at the light across I-540.
Had to wait for the light at Strickland.
Tried Bryan-photo's trick.
Can't verify if it would have worked.
Cars joined me waiting for the left turn signal.

Across Strickland with a tailwind.
Ease up before Falls of the Neuse.
Ease on in to the end of the ride.

Nice ride.  Sunny and warm (hi temp approx 78 F), with some wind.
Short sleeves, shorts.
No arm-warmers, no leg-warmers, no knee-warmers, no shoe covers.
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Feb-27: 

--> PUE:  modified "TT" course -->; 38.9 m.; 2 hrs, 30 min in-motion; 15.5 mph. 

Jan tot: __9 rides; __671.4 m.; _46 hrs, 38 min; 14.4 mph.
Feb tot: __7 rides; __606.0 m.; _41 hrs, 18 min; 14.7 mph.
YTD tot: _16 rides; _1277.4 m.; _87 hrs, 57 min; 14.5 mph.
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The end of February finds me with: 

• 1534 RUSA credit kms so far this year,
• M-24 (my notation for 24 straight months with at least one ride of at least 100 kms),
• P-0 (the RUSA notation for consecutive months with a RUSA qualifying "P" ride),
• C-12 (12 straight months of at least one ride of at least 100 miles),
• R-7 (standard RUSA def'n -- I told Dean I wasn't counting, but ... ).

 _