Sunday, September 16, 2012

My son just likes things that blow other things up

German Panther Tank WW II
My son is a typical boy; baseball, basketball, riding his bike and an appreciation for all things large and explosive . Today we spent the day at Aberdeen Proving Grounds; a local military base that happens to have the coolest collection of military vehicles.

They are renovating the museum and a lot of the vehicles have been moved for some cleansing before being put back on display.

They have everything from V2 rockets to a German railway gun and everything in between. It takes a good 2 hours to really go through and check everything out. The base does have a Subway when you get hungry enough.

British Mark I WWI
I remember as a kid coming here and just being overwhelmed by the size of these vehicles. I would bring my guns and pretend to play war while running in and out of the what seemed like and endless chessboard of fun. I still get all giddy inside when seeing these things. He really loves to read the history behind the tanks as well. One of the few places left that doesnt charge any admission; just walk around and enjoy.

If you get a chance to come by this way and you enjoy military history, check it out.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Sometimes you just have to say...

Needless to say, my ride time and intensity have been low for the last month. I have only been riding between 100 and 125 miles a week. Most of the rides are relatively easy, but the  body still thinks they are much harder than they should be. For the first time, I can honestly say I cant wait to get some medicine in this here 45 year old body and get back to normal.

Today was our weekly Bike Doctor group ride and as usual 12 AFC guys including myself started off at a much faster pace than I had hoped. My goal was to ride a little harder, but not try and maintain the usual 20+ mph pace. Well...that didnt quite go as planned. I did find myself moving at 22+mph for the first 15 miles; I even had a pull up one of the tougher climbing segments. I felt ok, but not anywhere near normal. I ended up at 19.9 mph for the ride and 1600ft of climbing for 28 miles.

Overall, I am ok with how I rode, but cant wait to get back to normal (physically, anyway). Tomorrow is the last CM race at Fountainhead and I am not as bummed as I thought I would be. I guess knowing I cant ride like I want makes it a little easier to not be there. Good luck to all.