Long ride week 4

I am laughing at myself, the first twenty minutes or so were blissful and easy and I thought - this is going to be such a relaxing ride, Ironman training really works! About five minutes later I encountered a brutal headwind that basically affected 80% of my remaining ride. IT WAS ARDUOUS! (Only partially compensated for by occasional shortish stretches where I was coasting along at 22mph!) Next weekend I need to ride the loop counterclockwise, as everyone else does - I have had a mild preference for the clockwise direction, mostly related to location of my preferred gas station (water top-up) and "saving" the easy part for the end, but really the time is disproportionately spent riding into the wind in that direction, there is a reason everybody else rides it counterclockwise...

3:06, 49.80 (mighty tempted to ride a bit extra to make the round number, but that way madness lies, I'd already ridden a few minutes over goal - hit the junction where B. was going to pick me up at the 2:20 mark, rode :20 out but it then took :26 to ride back against the wind), 16mph, HR zones 2 and 3. Max speed 25.1mph, which given that it is flat as a pancake here speaks to the intensity of the wind situation!

I think I will go to 2pm slow flow yoga, I need some stretch. Bring on Week 5 training!