Lake Lemon Loop

Time: 3:03:55

Distance: 44.444 miles

Average Speed: 14.4 mph

Max Speed: 38.0 mph

Calories Burned: 1569.4

Fat Burned: 181.0

I haven't been spending near as much time on my bike since Seth is now back from Purdue and I don't have to commute every day and I'm doing the half marathon training. So, since I enjoyed riding along South Shore Drive so much during The Goat Ride, I decided to do a little ride around Lake Lemon this morning.


I left my house around 8:30 after a bowl of oatmeal and a Chocolate Outrage Gu (not too bad). I had thought about leaving earlier, but it was pretty foggy out this morning. There was still some fog hanging around when I left, so I put my lights on and headed out, hoping it would clear up before too long and that I would make it home before it got hot. I'm loving these cooler mornings.

I started out really strong this morning and was having a great time. My legs were a little sore, no idea from what. I've been sort of lazy this week. Traffic was light, even on SR 45. I did see some road kill. A deer that startled me (it was hidden by tall grass until I was like two inches away from it. Ew.) and a snake. I didn't even know there were snakes in Indiana. Also the typical small things like squirrel, possum, and skunk.

South Shore Drive was just as nice as I remembered. Possibly even cooler with the fog hanging over the lake. It really is nice riding through there. And I was flying. When I checked between North and South Shore Drives (approximately halfway through the ride) I was averaging 16.0 mph for the trip! And I ate a second Gu for the day (Mandarin Orange, kind of meh, but fairly easy to eat on the move although I did get a little sticky). Despite the new Gu infusion, the second half of the ride was tougher than the first half.

North Shore Drive is a rougher road than South Shore Drive and although it follows Lake Lemon, you can't see it for the most part so the view isn't as lovely. It's also much hillier. By the time I got off North Shore Drive my average speed had dropped to 15.3 mph.

I made the turn onto Anderson (which wasn't marked and in fact, I passed it at first, but realized it almost immediately). I think that I don't really like riding on Anderson. My first time was Memorial Day, and I didn't do so hot on it then either. It's pretty flat, but maybe it's actually slightly uphill or something. I feel like I work really hard on that road without going nearly as fast as I think I should be. Also, it doesn't have a lot of shade so I feel like I'm baking.

Finally, I turned onto Old 37 and headed back to town. That climb through Cascades Park gets me. It's a long uphill, but is so slight you just feel like you shouldn't be working that hard and going so slow. Also, there's usually a fair amount of traffic on it. I enjoy watching the kids play on the playground though.

Once I got towards downtown, traffic was nuts. Students are starting to move in, which was evident from the line of moving trucks parked in the road with traffic backed up to go around them. So I headed over a block where I had to fight Farmer's Market traffic instead. Everything was pretty jammed up for a couple miles there and I took it pretty slow.

This post sounds sort of complainy, but it was a nice ride. I'm happy with how well I did, especially at the beginning. Maybe I should have planned for three Gus so I wouldn't get wimpy there in the middle? Although my legs never did loosen up. I learned from my bike fit that I have a tight IT band. Based on location, I'd say that's what it is today. My hips feel clenched. Ouch. Also, I got a new helmet just over a week ago. I dropped my old one and the plastic on the outside cracked. I've had it quite a while so decided it was about time to replace it. I wanted to get a Giro Skyla, but got the Indicator instead since our Dick's Sporting Goods didn't have the Skyla. Of course, I took the visor off first thing, but my shoulder sort of hurts after my ride today. I'm wondering if maybe the Indicator is too big for my tiny head.

Finally, I saw lots of other cyclists out today. A few young guys in team kit, a few old guys taking a leisurely roll, and even a group of four ladies, just to mention a few. I love that I live in an area with a high degree of cycling advocacy. It makes me happy to see others out enjoying life on two wheels too.