Okoroire Fun Ride Report (plus weekly wrap)

Kate and I headed down to the Okoroire Fun Ride (starts about 6 km from Tirau), which is a 70km ride around the South Waikato area. I know the weather has been bad for previous iterations, but yesterday was gorgeous, the scenery fantastic, the organisation excellent. This is a great little race (which must have had somewhere between 500 and 600 competitors).

I decided I ride with Kate. I think we started a little bit far back, so we lost anyone who'd be riding at our pace, and spend the first half of the ride passing people pretty consistently (or in my case, dragging large groups along).

The first half was great - but as Kate details on her blog, she started fading pretty badly (unsurprisingly, given the couple of weeks she's had at work, and not being able to ride at all during the last two weeks). So she was grumpy with me, and I in turn got a little grumpy.

But we made it through; 72.8 km (based on GPS measurement), in 2:45. Not super fast, but not too bad (given we didn't have the benefit of bunches at all - indeed, the only time we were in any sort of bunch, it's because we were on a busy road, and I wasn't keen to pass an 8 or so rider pace line, so we were significantly slowed down).

I didn't have HR, but I felt very comfortable the whole way, and apart from the one big climb, and when I was purposely trying to slow down on hills, rode most of the way in the big ring (one of the beauties of the compact). While I've previously gotten quite fit on the bike, and could comfortably spin at 100 RPM + for an extended period, I've never felt like I have been that strong. It seems like this is starting (albeit slowly) to change.

Great ride, and Kate and I will definitely be back.

Otherwise, a very good week's training:

M - 1 hour trainer ride (felt pretty good).
T - good 30 min run, 5.74 km, 5:13 min/km, plus 5 x 30 second "pick ups" - felt pretty good; and 45 minute swim, 1.25 km (pretty pathetic I know, but first swim for 5 weeks or so, so felt gammy, and shoulder not 100% yet).
W - great 1:31.57 ride, 39.79 km, changed my loop slightly to add what I thought would be one biggish climb (instead, added five or six - great loop though) - felt really good.
T - okish 30 minute run, felt a but flat, 5.62 km, 5:20 min/km, technique felt good though).
F - 1 hour aerobic intervals on trainer, felt pretty good; and 45 minute swim, 1400 metres, shoulder feeling a bit better.
S - 25 minute race prep ride (the hard ride up College Hill was hard - I haven't pushed like that for a while).
S - Okoroire Fun Ride (detailed above).