This Weeks Training - The B52 Ride!!

This week was a great week for training. During the weekday I was able to get in 1 hr each of chest, back and shoulders. I also able to do a weekday swim and run.

The weekday run was in the rain with Bonnie and Chewie (my dog). The dog loved the run and made it about 2 miles before he pooped out. He is only a 20lb dog so he can not go to far. He was soaking wet when we hit the door. I dried him with a towel but he was is spazo wet dog, run crazy around the house mode. Why do dogs do that when they get wet? After a quick dog drying Bonnie and I continued the run without Chewie.

A bonked Chewie!!

One day during the week Bonnie and I also had a cycling class at a local bike store. We are doing the Taste of Vision Quest classes. The classes are pretty cool. They are 1.5 hours of training focusing on getting your cycling wattage up. They do kick your butt.

On Saturday I did a 3K swim followed by a 8 mile run. This was the first and longest run since the last 70.3 and it was slow and it was HOT HOT HOT. The run started at 10:30 and ended around noon. The FL summer heat just beats you down.  I ran 7 loops around the lake.  On one of the loops I saw 3 otters eating some fish.  That took my mind off the heat for a while.

The winding Heintzelman loop

 Sunday I skipped my normal cycling groups and did my own thing. I found a new local riding area near the airport.  It starts on Heintzelamn Blvd and rides completly around the airport.  The looped ended up being around 33 miles.  I did two loops for about 65 miles.  It was really winding and really hot. 

It's a bird!! Nope its a plane.

The cycling loop is pretty cool though.  You get to see all the airplanes taking off and landing.  They are right above you for most of the ride.  It is a nice distraction from the wind and the heat.  There are also a ton of wildlife in the area.  I saw a ton of Sand Hill Cranes, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga and Herons.  I also saw a wild turkey who ran off as soon as I pulled out the camera.
  

Sand Hill Cranes (SOURCE)

ROCK LOBSTER!!

I was also able to ride into B52 Park.  The Orlando Airport use to be a McCoy Airforce base.  According to Wikipedia Orlando airport was once home to B52 bombers.  "During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, McCoy AFB became the primary forward operating base for U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and associated Cuban overflight operations, as well as a forward operating base for over 120 F-100 Super Sabre and F-105 Thunderchief fighter bombers. SOURCE"


PBS Historical Interuption



I have never seen a B52 bomber in person.  I knew they were big but I had no idea how big was big.  I included a picture of one of the landing with my bike in front of it to give you an idea of how big the plane is.  I made for a cool SWAG stop.

This is how big is big!! (SOURCE)
Length: 159 ft 4 in (48.5 m)

Wingspan: 185 ft 0 in (56.4 m)

Height: 40 ft 8 in (12.4 m)

WOW That's big!!  It makes "Old Blue" look tiny!!

Front View

Side View

BINGO!!