After a week of one day on, one day off training, I lapsed and took an unintentional 6-day hiatus. I had planned to ride on the 20th (Saturday) or the 21st (Sunday), but the weather got very hot, very fast, Dash's nap schedule got all fercocked and Sunday happened to be Father's Day. Being a father myself, I elected to spend the day with my family rather than torture my legs and lungs.
Which brings us to Tuesday, June 23rd (just couldn't get my shit together on Monday night after a busy weekend). According to the training schedule I had planned out, this was the week I needed to step it up from 4 miles to 5 miles. Since I'm not a fan of the "there and back" kind of route, I mapped out a 5-mile route with the help of Google Maps (true that--DOUBLE TRUE!) and headed out.
My new route called for me to continue past the spot where I previously took my second right and basically just make it a bigger loop by going up and around a street a little further down. While I've driven this route dozens of times in the past, I've never been on it on my bike. At night.
OK, quick sidebar. The city I live in is covered by paved paths and trails that wind behind and through neighborhoods, and makes extensive use of tunnels and bridges so that you can stroll through the city without ever having to use a crosswalk. This will be great for Dash when he can walk to school, but not so much for me when I'm trying to get my fitness on!
So, I'm riding along on the sidewalk (which is extra wide to allow for a two-lane bike path) and I come to a bridge, where the bike path part of the sidewalk actually ends. So now it's either ride in the street (where there's no actual bike lane), or follow the friendly sign that points to the right and says "Bike Path." I knew I'd be turning right at the next street anyway, so I figured I'd avoid the temptation to become roadkill and took the quick right.
Now I found myself on one of the aforementioned trails, which allowed me to continue my ride without flinching every time a pair of headlights came up behind me, hoping I wouldn't get clipped by one of the monster trucks that frequent our area. This was working out great, except for one caveat: this appeared to be the one trail in all of Santa Clarita that isn't lighted. So now I'm pedaling along a trail, not really sure where I am or where the trail is taking me, unable to see except for what's illuminated directly ahead of me in the by the weaker-than-I-realized beam of light emitted by my bike light. But I live in a relatively safe city, I'm a fairly big guy and I have a t-shirt that says, "It's just safe to assume that I know karate." So I'm not all that worried about a rapist jumping out of the bushes or anything, but I start picturing myself getting all tangled up with a coyote or a skunk or a raccoon or something messy like that. And on top of that, the trail sort of winds its way leisurely along the banks of a dry river bed, so I'm having to focus just a few feet in front of me so I don't suddenly veer off the path. This is when I realize, despite the fact that it's 9:30 on a Tuesday night and I'm pretty much in the middle of nowhere, there are pedestrians on the path. So now I'm trying to look at the path directly ahead of me, avoid raccoons, skunks, rapists (you never know) AND pedestrians, all the while trying to figure out where the hell I am!
As I continue along the path, I realize that it doesn't seem to be doing anything but go straight(-ish), and I start picturing myself 10 miles away with no idea where I am. I decide it's best to turn around and find my way back so I can focus on getting my fitness, not worrying about running over someone (or something)!
Eventually, I found my way back to civilization and -- after heading the wrong way and adding about 1/2 mile to my ride -- finished the most unplanned, unanticipated and unusual training ride to date. More importantly, I once again set new personal records for distance (5.73 miles), average speed (12.26 mph) and pace (4:54 per mile), and thanks to my unexpected detour I ended up going nearly 6 miles.
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