Day 24 is the day I show my complete and utter ignorance.
For some unknown reason, I decided to check the air pressure in the tires before I rode today. The rear tire - the one that propels the trainer and gets 100% of the resistance - was at 40 psi. The recommended minimum is 115 psi. So, for who knows how long, I have been training on what amounts to a FLAT TIRE.
I am an idiot savant, without the savant part.
After inflating both tires to 120 psi, the difference in results is simply ridiculous.
Time: 38:58
Distance: 10.07 miles
Avg. speed: 15.5 mph
Max speed: 25.5 mph
Music: The National - Boxer
Relevant lyric: "you're dumbstruck, baby . . . racing like a pro now"
That's a full 2.5 mph more than I've been averaging, an increase of about 20%!
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Cumulative Experiment stats:
Time: 11:27:11
Miles: 150.12 miles
Avg. speed: 13.11 mph
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Even though I am happy that I pushed the cumulative total past 150 miles today, I can't help but wonder how many miles I've left on the table because of my stupidity. I would guess another 15-20 miles easily, and probably more. And the sad part is that I know better. I mean, they were 120 psi back on January 31 when I set this whole thing up, but I don't know why I thought they would just magically stay there.
Today's relevant lyric could not be more prophetic (or pathetic, depending on how you look at it).
If Bill Maher were here, he'd say "NEW RULE: Check the air pressure before every ride, because air in the tires is a good thing, but air in your head is not."
I'm out (and ignorant) -
KWass
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