Decent ride

I'm back from a nice ride on what can only be described as a beautiful day.The sun was shining, the temperature was about 24C and there was only a slight breeze so conditions couldn't have been better. I had been off work the previous week and managed to get in close to 200 kms so I have done some good rides and usually I ride with a purpose so they were good training runs. Due to bad weather and other issues I hadn't been on the bike for a week so I was really looking forward to a good pedal. I started by heading over to Creemore and then turned west and made my way towards Mennonite country and Badjeros. At Badjeros I headed north to Robroy and then down the Pretty River road and back home. My ride time was 3:09.27 with a total distance of 82 kms at an average speed of 26 kph. not bad for an old guy. What really surprised me on the ride though were my heart rate stats. Like I said earlier I was on a weeks rest after some good training so I felt strong right from the start. I didn't think there was any way my heart rate would go much higher than my previous old guy high of 172 but while climbing a tough little grunt I looked at my watch and the monitor read 186. Wow. That's as high as I had it up to about 17 years ago. I hit 185 a couple of other times on the ride and for anything strenuous I was in the 170's constantly. For a ride that lasted over 3 hours my average heart rate was 160 which is easily the highest average I have had for what is certainly the longest period of time. Now the question in my mind is whether or not this is a good thing. I think it is because I am getting in better shape and I suspect with this improved conditioning my heart as well as my legs are able to perform at higher levels. I know that while I was a bit tired at the end of the ride I still felt pretty good and could have continued on for quite a while longer. Overall I am pleased with the results.
After the ride I went to the Admirals Post for the last day under the ownership of Leanne and Phillip. They have sold the Post to move on to other interests and I would like to wish them all the best. The Post has been a home away from home for me and the reason I started going there was because Leanne was the owner and she was a friend. I hope the new owners retain all the staff and things stay just about the same.
All in all it was a great day in Collingwood and a wonderful reminder of why I moved up here 12 years ago.