I’ve suffered from Charley horses for years, particularly in the summer months, or after longer, more intense rides.  So, to help combat that, I bought a giant jug of Hammer HEED, and add it to my bottles.  It works!  Unfortunately, it sort of tastes like strawberry-flavored piss.

Post-ride, I like to drink about 30-50 grams of whey protein powder mixed with water.  So far, the best I’ve found is Muscle Tech, which is drinkable, but tastes like chocolate-flavored piss.

However, this week, I made a great discovery:  chocolate-flavored piss, mixed with strawberry-flavored piss, makes for the best tasting health drink I’ve ever had the fortune of choking down.  In fact, it’s so good that I feel like I’m drinking something unhealthy.

So, here’s my formula:

– 2 scoops of chocolate whey powder (pick your brand, it’s all the same shit)

– 1.5 scoops of strawberry Hammer HEED powder

– 10-12oz of cold water

Shake vigorously, or put it all in a blender.  Trust me, it’s good stuff.  So good, I actually passed up a plate of beef today just to make myself a chocolate-strawberry piss shake.

Last month, I hit a new personal monthly record of 752 miles, and I was pretty satisfied with myself.  Well, except that I’d intended to do 800mi, and fell short of my goal.

So, when June hit, I decided to go for 1,000, and I’m happy to say I did it–1001.18mi to be exact.  Most of it was spent on my carbon FM015, with a smaller ride on my EighthInch Scrambler, and zero on my MTB.  That poor mountain bike spends most of its time collecting dust these days, and not trail dust–storage dust.  But, we all go through phases, and I needed to fit in miles, which is best done on the road.

Strava

Like many cyclists, I record my rides with Strava, which I only discovered back in late April of this year.  And like many Strava users, I became addicted to it after I discovered the KOM standings for ride segments.  I’ve been in a lull for some time riding around the same city for all these years, so it’s given me a bit of entertainment by challenging me to beat others’–and my own–segment times around town.  Sure, the standings are as meaningless as Reddit karma or points on Whose Line Is It Anyway, but it still gives me something to shoot for each race ride.  It also helped me get through all those miles without giving up out of sheer boredom (sidenote:  the #1 reason I hate riding centuries isn’t fatigue, but because they’re so freaking boring after about the first 60 miles).

Anyway, it’s been a tough month, but a fun one.  My drivetrain is officially worn out after 5,000mi since last May when I built my bike, and is getting louder with each ride.  New chainrings and chain are on the way (I already have a new cassette), so hopefully they’ll arrive before this stuff is too shot to be rideable.

As for July, I plan to cut back to about 500mi, use some free time to take care of things around the house, and try to chill during the hottest time of the year.  My only goal will be to complete the Strava Rapha Rising Challenge, and lose about four more pounds.