just like Jan, sort of

Today was big day for Cupcake in a few ways.

First I left the house without my sunglasses. Rookie mistake that fortunately didn't affect me too much. Maybe the color on my face will even out a bit more.

Since I slept in a little longer than anticipated I needed to truncate today's ride (had to come to work early enough to get home to watch some football - specifically to see if I can spot Bags in the crowd in South Bend).

Two big things happened. As Bags will attest I am neither good at nor comfortable with being out of the saddle for very long, although I did get better with his instruction and motivation. On two small climbs today (out of the neighborhood and the first hill up Briarcliff) I did them entirely out of the saddle. And I didn't feel bad.

The other big accomplishment was that I stayed in my big gear for 90% of my ride and pushed myself more than usual. I discovered while Bags was here that even though I felt like I was getting good rides the reason I didn't feel like I was getting any better was because I wasn't pushing myself hard enough.

Overall, a good day. Since I've got no plans tomorrow it should be a longer ride. Counting down the days until NJ...