Flatlander in Western Maryland

It wasn't that far into today's ride out of Kelley Acres that I asked RB why it was that I'd traveled 75 miles to suffer such as I was suffering a climb up a narrow little gritty, damp road somewhere in Frederick or  Washington County.  It was really a rhetorical question, we both knew why we were cycling up the hill.  I do it because it supplies the element that is missing from my riding in Southern Maryland - long climbs.  It's not that our roads are truly flat down here - not like the Eastern Shore and Delaware.  But our hills (which are the product of streams cutting valleys while making their way to the river)  are short, measured in fractions of a mile, and steep, more often than not going into double digits on the percent grade.  So the long climbs that happen out West supply something that is missing from my training.  But the distance involved to get to that sort of riding means I don't do it all that often.  And so I end up feeling like a Dutchwoman cycling in Belgium.

 The downside is that because of that, I'm always last, well almost always, so I feel bad cause folks are always waiting for me or riding back a bit to check on me.  They're always nice about it, but it's gotta suck for 'em. 

Part of the problem today is that I was tired.  Today was my third ride in as many days, and I haven't ridden three days in a row since August.  Tough on the old body.  And of course it's not like I come home from rides and just sit around.  I've been busy with working on painting and cleaning up and fixing things up in the utility room.  As far as I've gotten looks great. 

So my days have been pretty much get up, ride, come home, lunch and clean up, spackle/sand/paint, make dinner,  then another round of spackle/sand/paint.  There's some cleaning involved too.  Toss in doing some laundry and cleaning up the bike and the days are long and tiring.  In all, pretty hard on the old body.  So tonight I'm taking it easy.  After the ride I got some lunch then stopped by the Container Store to get stuff to improve the storage situation in the utility room.  But I'm not putting it up tonight....or doing anything else.  Just watching the House marathon and blogging a bit.