Drove to Chesterfield for run and Babler. Almost didn't ride!

RUN 7.2 miles in 70 mins, ave HR high at 154! 35 feet elevation gain
BIKE 9.32 miles in 35 mins on levee path, ave HR 123 at 16 mph
BIKE 14.3 miles in 1 hour in Babler, ave HR 126 at 14.4 mph

I expected the HR in Babler to be higher. Eh.

Up kinda early but not really that early to drive out to Cfield for something different. This is my first 7 miler since the snowy Fo Pa loop I did in February, before foot pains and dog fall injuries cut me off running for the rest of the month. So it's kind of a "first". Parked near this ridiculous-to-me golf facility, the parking lot was pretty full so I can only guess that hitting little white balls is somehow appealing.

Felt great, but why was my HR so high? This was with the external HRM. Is my run HR always this high, and I've been misled by the wrist read outs to think it's lower? My cadence good, average 174 spm. Out n back on trail, this is what I considered my main workout of the day. Had to go the extra few 10ths of a mile because that's where the trail ended. And because it gave me an even number of minutes. And I found a golf ball!

Then to Frea for a ride from the levee trail, planned to go out to Wild Horse to Babler but there was flooding under the I-64 overpass. So back to the truck, planning what to do next.

I decided to drive across I-64 to pick up the levee trail on the other side of the flooding instead of biking on the over passes. But once there I really lost momentum. Really lost it. As in, I sat there eating a nearly disgusting banana I picked up on discount this morning instead of riding. I actually decided not to ride! Got back in truck and thought I'd drive the unfamiliar roads so I could remember where they go (haven't ridden them since... 2012?). Turns out I don't remember most of it.

Drove into Babler, not sure why, turned around and started to leave and I just asked WTF?! to myself. Turned around again and went back. I did want to ride, I was just having a lot of doubts, low energy, and more. [At this point, I was thinking my parents were coming to town with K&J that night so I kept watching for the text and the clock so I could be home on time].

Got out, readied to ride, and remembered back to riding Babler in prep for Savageman 2011 with JM, TH, and IT. My plan was to ride every hill in each direction at least once, I think we used to call these Babler Butterflies for the shape of the route?

Ooooooh Frea is not the best bike for Babler! And I'M SO OUT OF SHAPE lol. Took my time and didn't press the effort too much. But on the climb up the middle segment I really suffered to the point I was worried about my HR in the 160s. People were skating down this hill on luge-like sleds and that was a good distraction, but oooooof. Gotta get better.

Down and around and up the east climb, another sufferfest of fun. But I did my usual 'fragmenting' of the hill -- pick a point a few feet up ride to it, pick a point and ride to it, repeat repeat repeat and don't look up to see the top. Stay in the moment. Good life advice if I could only take it.

Oooh and one more hill -- the out n back to the exit gate and road.

This felt great, wasn't the 40 miler I had planned but I'm happy I stuck it out and did the ride. I almost didn't!