Floats, bikes, and a donut

First Saturday of the month is the TatoNut ride. In Ocean Springs. Along the beach. Through a wildlife preserve. Couple of parks. Some cool bridges. Very scenic and mellow. Haven't gone in a while, though. Usually too slow for my tastes. Went today. To see how my legs would hold up.

Started off slow, but picked up quickly. Hum of tires on pavement. Breeze on our face. Sunshine. Meeting new folks and catching up with old friends. Altogether, I thought I did fairly well. Lead the pack of 60+ some times. Broke away and rode the long course (with the steepest hills) not once, but twice. Picked a flat stretch of straight-away and cranked it up to 27MPG at one point. All felt great. No problems with the shins at all.

On the way back, we passed the early stages of the first parade on The Coast, in Ocean Springs. Floats lining up along the seawall. Music already cranking ungodly loud. Riders starting to drink. Unpacking their beads and throws. The parade rolled at 1P. They were starting their preparations at 10A. Three hours of booze and sunlight. Not the best combination. And they PAY hundreds of dollars for the privilege.

Finished the ride. Ate a sugary glazed from TatoNut. Then tried a bit of a run. A trail run, at that! My first challenging steps in almost two weeks. 1.5 miles through the woods. Not much pain involved. Mostly tired from the riding and needing some chow. Felt a bit of a mechanical issue, right foot turning out. But I think the new shoes will help keep that in check.

Feeling much better about my triathlon season. Not sure about the half marathon, though. I'll keep at it, but the shin splits were a major setback to my training. Hoping I can get past it.

At least I have to month to work on it!