I can't help it! I love being a bike dork! I went to the Kickstand and bought myself an orange reflective vest so that cars should be able to see me from 1200 feet away. This sorta completes my initial decking out on safety equipment: thick read biking gloves, big stream-lined looking bike helmet that I can't quite get on straight, front and bike lights that blink but really need to be replaces with something much brighter, and now an orange reflective vest.
Well, I really have not been keeping everyone up on my progress, but it's been about 2 months of biking this year and I am almost up to where I was last year. This really should not surprise me at all, but it does. It's making me think that the ten mile route to work will be feasible this year. It is also possible to put my bike on a rack in front of the city bus. I guess now the task that's left other than gaining a good daily distance so that I won't be sore and unable when it's time to bike to work is learning how to use the bike lanes proficiently. They are actually pretty wide for what I need. Now I just have to learn to trust myself riding alongside cars. It can be done! I actually have done this to a limited degree... The hardest part is thinking of riding the small stretch of road to work where people are thinking more about getting to their job or the movie than some silly bicyclist in the bike lane. I've started to see people use these lanes though, and it makes me happy to see it, because I think the more people who do, the more drivers will become accustomed to our presence.
Today, I biked 6.24 km and hit 33.1 km/hr.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Revisiting My Motives
My girlfriend's in town this week, so I've just began, but I am taking the week off to be with her. She's not into biking and I think I am going to wait until after we're married for her to become a bike widow. ;) Actually, we are enjoying ourselves way up in Santa Fe. Tonight we had vegetable sushi with Mariela, who runs the restaurant Vegan Santa Fe, and now I must say I am quite full and warm from good company and the Santa Fe atmosphere, which just happens to be 32 degrees Farenheit right now.
So, are we over the shock and surprise that I have no bicycling adventures to report at the moment? I didn't really want to start talking about biking to work and leaving the gas guzzlers behind before I was even able to bike halfway to work, but this, I think, is an ideal time to think about why I have the goals I do. I am mainly addressing myself when I discuss these goals, as I think we must all make our own decisions for improving the Earth. I am sharing them with you because I think even though an individual effort does matter, if I can encourage a collective effort, all the better.
Here's my goal/ideal/fantasy: I basically only want to use my car for out of town excursions and in emergencies. Anything that is in town, I want to figure out how I can get there by bike and make that the way I get there. I already know two other people in Albuquerque who do just this, so I know it is possible.
But why? Gas prices are down now, so what does it matter? I am not worried about the price of gas at all. I am worried about the methane emissions on the atmosphere. If you know the basic laws of energy and matter, you know that whatever you emit into the air does not just disappear. You also know that whatever we put into the air has some effect. You also know that methane is not breathable -- by plants or humans, so how can it possibly be good to be filling the air with these gases? So by now, you've guessed that I think Global Warming is a real phenomenon. I've already cut a large amount of my carbon footprint just by eliminating meat, milk, and eggs from my diet -- but that's a different blog. Now, I would like to eliminate my carbon emissions from driving too.
Oil is a limited commodity, but we have a greater abundance of human energy than we could possibly use up. Lots of Americans are fat and I am one of them. I've got a nice reserve of energy right around my waist just eager to fuel my rides to work and excursions to fun places. Not only that. If I start cashing in on that energy reserve, I reduce my chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases that affect overweight people as they age. Pretty much, your health depends on how much you use your body, so why not bike?
Biking improves my other activities. Let's just say that it improves your blood flow, and builds muscles that are useful for tasks other than biking.
Biking also improves my connection to my environment. If I ride far enough, I am rewarded by seeing prarie dogs. I could even bring some old produce to feed them. They love nuts too, but you should only feed them unsalted nuts.
These are all reasons that I want to bike. I think if everyone biked, we'd have a cleaner, healthier world.
So, are we over the shock and surprise that I have no bicycling adventures to report at the moment? I didn't really want to start talking about biking to work and leaving the gas guzzlers behind before I was even able to bike halfway to work, but this, I think, is an ideal time to think about why I have the goals I do. I am mainly addressing myself when I discuss these goals, as I think we must all make our own decisions for improving the Earth. I am sharing them with you because I think even though an individual effort does matter, if I can encourage a collective effort, all the better.
Here's my goal/ideal/fantasy: I basically only want to use my car for out of town excursions and in emergencies. Anything that is in town, I want to figure out how I can get there by bike and make that the way I get there. I already know two other people in Albuquerque who do just this, so I know it is possible.
But why? Gas prices are down now, so what does it matter? I am not worried about the price of gas at all. I am worried about the methane emissions on the atmosphere. If you know the basic laws of energy and matter, you know that whatever you emit into the air does not just disappear. You also know that whatever we put into the air has some effect. You also know that methane is not breathable -- by plants or humans, so how can it possibly be good to be filling the air with these gases? So by now, you've guessed that I think Global Warming is a real phenomenon. I've already cut a large amount of my carbon footprint just by eliminating meat, milk, and eggs from my diet -- but that's a different blog. Now, I would like to eliminate my carbon emissions from driving too.
Oil is a limited commodity, but we have a greater abundance of human energy than we could possibly use up. Lots of Americans are fat and I am one of them. I've got a nice reserve of energy right around my waist just eager to fuel my rides to work and excursions to fun places. Not only that. If I start cashing in on that energy reserve, I reduce my chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases that affect overweight people as they age. Pretty much, your health depends on how much you use your body, so why not bike?
Biking improves my other activities. Let's just say that it improves your blood flow, and builds muscles that are useful for tasks other than biking.
Biking also improves my connection to my environment. If I ride far enough, I am rewarded by seeing prarie dogs. I could even bring some old produce to feed them. They love nuts too, but you should only feed them unsalted nuts.
These are all reasons that I want to bike. I think if everyone biked, we'd have a cleaner, healthier world.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Back on the face of the Earth...
So, the answer to the Oreos, which I must say I do not think would make a healthy snack for this frog are the Chocolate Fudge flavored Clif Bars. I am not saying they're much healthier than Oreos, but I like them almost as much and the center won't melt on your ride inside your satchel bag. Unfortunately, I do not yet have a satchel bag. (*cry*) 
Where was I last time? I still haven't gotten a tune-up for my bike as suggested in my comments, but my bike definitely needs one. My bike has a defective gear shift, or after talking to a gentleman over at Stevie's Happy Bikes, maybe it's not my gearshift but my cable. The cable and the labor is really cheap and I bet they'd even let me watch. Just in case you're wondering, they're out along Corrales road just a bit past the Flying Star and Sunflower Market as you're coming from Albuquerque. Do any other bloggers find the periodic saves while typing annoying? How about the tiny window they give you to type in?
Well, just because I stopped blogging didn't mean I stopped biking. For this blog, though, I might as well have since I am back at square one with my 2.5 mile goal to get started. I read a biking book that said you should progress each week with only a 10% increase, so I am going to be building slowly for a while. No century rides this year! ;)
Actually, my 2.5 mile goal is because I live on a hill. There's a much more interesting and flatter ride at the Nature Center, where I am going on weekends. I took a ride there this weekend to test out what a reasonable goal there should be. It turns out that 6 miles per time is reasonable there. I remember I was doing 15s and 20s over there last year. To encourage myself, I put together a chart for this year of increasing by roughly 10% increments. I was quite overjoyed to see that as I got past the 10km mark, 10% was finally another kilometer, and it just kept increasing from there. Slow start, then progression gets faster quickly. The initial slow progression seems realistic, though I am already starting to really push beyond my goal each time I go out. The larger increments as I get up higher seem like a big relief, but I am not sure when I am going to plateau and find them unrealistic. Hopefully it's not before I can ride to work and back each day.
Because towards the end of last year, it was starting to get dark on me in the evenings before I came home, I got myself some safety gear. I get this set of fancy looking lights for $30 or something. I am uninitiated, so the red back light and front light both had fancy names like "the beamer 3000" and "rocketdock 5500", now all in one package! Uh, they're bike lights. I mean, they have a strobe function which I really like because it lets cars know I am there and that's exactly what I was looking for. I found out though that my front light is not a headlight. It's too dim. I still need a headlight. I also bought a bright orange shirt to bike in. It looks reflective, but I don't think it is. It's just a sports jersey. It's good for daylight.
ETA: I just realized that it's actually been 2 years, not just one, since I've posted on this thing. Last year, I actually had some issues with motivation. I actually bought a bike book -- Bike for Life by Roy M. Wallack and Bill Katovsky -- last time I flew to visit my girlfriend up in Seattle. I buy and read books to motivate myself, and this was a particularly good one, it seems. It has a lot of advice in the areas of setting goals, yoga and weight-lifting for cyclists. It goes into what muscles you don't build when you cycle -- so it seems you can overbuild your quads while your hamstrings are not hardly exercised at all. It goes into nutritional information which I generally agree with, but don't always necessarily agree with their first suggestion as to how to fulfill that nutritonal need.
Oh yeah... I guess I do have more to share than starting the season and being out of breath by short rides. :D It was just around my neighborhood, but I actually dared myself to get out on the road with cars. Remember, I am taking baby steps slowly here. I am not just crossing the street with cars waiting on me. I actually stopped at a stop sign, had a car stop for me and crossed as the car waited. I also rode in front of a big ol' pick up truck and let it stop in back of me. and rode in front of it for a short distance until I got home. Next week's goal is learning to tie my shoes. No, seriously. I am trying to get these rudimentary, very basic steps down before I finally start riding outside of my neighborhood in the bike lanes on busy streets. This is ultimately what I need to be able to do for moderate stretches if I want to be able to ride my bike to work.
I planned out a route to work on a bike map that's hanging on the wall in my bedroom as a motivational goal. Work by car is 7 miles away, but by bike, work will be 10 miles a day, meaning that in my riding, in addition to being both confident and competent on the road, I also need to be able to ride 20 miles a day without a problem. For some, this might sound like a long bike ride (others ride 35 miles or more several days a week as a matter of course) but to me, this sounds like a dream come true. I will still have my car, but for many occasions, there will be no need to actually drive it, saving me gas, further reducing my carbon footprint, and helping me stay fit. I will still have to continue to ride other routes too because the body adapts and actually can use less muscle to perform a set task than what was originally required. This is a good thing, but in terms of building muscle and getting fitter, you have to vary your exercise.
Where was I last time? I still haven't gotten a tune-up for my bike as suggested in my comments, but my bike definitely needs one. My bike has a defective gear shift, or after talking to a gentleman over at Stevie's Happy Bikes, maybe it's not my gearshift but my cable. The cable and the labor is really cheap and I bet they'd even let me watch. Just in case you're wondering, they're out along Corrales road just a bit past the Flying Star and Sunflower Market as you're coming from Albuquerque. Do any other bloggers find the periodic saves while typing annoying? How about the tiny window they give you to type in?
Well, just because I stopped blogging didn't mean I stopped biking. For this blog, though, I might as well have since I am back at square one with my 2.5 mile goal to get started. I read a biking book that said you should progress each week with only a 10% increase, so I am going to be building slowly for a while. No century rides this year! ;)
Actually, my 2.5 mile goal is because I live on a hill. There's a much more interesting and flatter ride at the Nature Center, where I am going on weekends. I took a ride there this weekend to test out what a reasonable goal there should be. It turns out that 6 miles per time is reasonable there. I remember I was doing 15s and 20s over there last year. To encourage myself, I put together a chart for this year of increasing by roughly 10% increments. I was quite overjoyed to see that as I got past the 10km mark, 10% was finally another kilometer, and it just kept increasing from there. Slow start, then progression gets faster quickly. The initial slow progression seems realistic, though I am already starting to really push beyond my goal each time I go out. The larger increments as I get up higher seem like a big relief, but I am not sure when I am going to plateau and find them unrealistic. Hopefully it's not before I can ride to work and back each day.
Because towards the end of last year, it was starting to get dark on me in the evenings before I came home, I got myself some safety gear. I get this set of fancy looking lights for $30 or something. I am uninitiated, so the red back light and front light both had fancy names like "the beamer 3000" and "rocketdock 5500", now all in one package! Uh, they're bike lights. I mean, they have a strobe function which I really like because it lets cars know I am there and that's exactly what I was looking for. I found out though that my front light is not a headlight. It's too dim. I still need a headlight. I also bought a bright orange shirt to bike in. It looks reflective, but I don't think it is. It's just a sports jersey. It's good for daylight.
ETA: I just realized that it's actually been 2 years, not just one, since I've posted on this thing. Last year, I actually had some issues with motivation. I actually bought a bike book -- Bike for Life by Roy M. Wallack and Bill Katovsky -- last time I flew to visit my girlfriend up in Seattle. I buy and read books to motivate myself, and this was a particularly good one, it seems. It has a lot of advice in the areas of setting goals, yoga and weight-lifting for cyclists. It goes into what muscles you don't build when you cycle -- so it seems you can overbuild your quads while your hamstrings are not hardly exercised at all. It goes into nutritional information which I generally agree with, but don't always necessarily agree with their first suggestion as to how to fulfill that nutritonal need.
Oh yeah... I guess I do have more to share than starting the season and being out of breath by short rides. :D It was just around my neighborhood, but I actually dared myself to get out on the road with cars. Remember, I am taking baby steps slowly here. I am not just crossing the street with cars waiting on me. I actually stopped at a stop sign, had a car stop for me and crossed as the car waited. I also rode in front of a big ol' pick up truck and let it stop in back of me. and rode in front of it for a short distance until I got home. Next week's goal is learning to tie my shoes. No, seriously. I am trying to get these rudimentary, very basic steps down before I finally start riding outside of my neighborhood in the bike lanes on busy streets. This is ultimately what I need to be able to do for moderate stretches if I want to be able to ride my bike to work.
I planned out a route to work on a bike map that's hanging on the wall in my bedroom as a motivational goal. Work by car is 7 miles away, but by bike, work will be 10 miles a day, meaning that in my riding, in addition to being both confident and competent on the road, I also need to be able to ride 20 miles a day without a problem. For some, this might sound like a long bike ride (others ride 35 miles or more several days a week as a matter of course) but to me, this sounds like a dream come true. I will still have my car, but for many occasions, there will be no need to actually drive it, saving me gas, further reducing my carbon footprint, and helping me stay fit. I will still have to continue to ride other routes too because the body adapts and actually can use less muscle to perform a set task than what was originally required. This is a good thing, but in terms of building muscle and getting fitter, you have to vary your exercise.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Upped my Goal...
Goal: 10.00 km (6.125 miles)
Yesterday: 10.26 km (6.4 miles)
Today: 10.44 km (6.5 miles)
Yesterday, I rode up East of Juan Tabo to Chelwood Park, and then west to Wyoming.
Today, I rode East to Juan Tabo, and West past Wyoming to Louisana. It seems the trail ends at Louisiana. I've seen the map, but I was kind of hoping it was not true. The trail ends at Louisana and there you have a bus station. I am not using my left gear very often. I think I need to get it fixed... You have to force it so far over to shift it's actually a hinderance to my really learning my gears. I discovered a whole new set of gears that seem to work well for the times I am going really fast. I can pedal and have it mean something. Not that I really am all that anxious to hit 30.... 20 seems exciting enough at the moment.
Hmmmmm..... someone asked about healthy vegan treats on the trail. I find the Oreo suggestion suspect -- not in veganness, mind you, but healthiness. Oreos.... healthy.... Oreos.... healthy..... Hmmmmmm..... I have an idea for my next blog entry.
Yesterday: 10.26 km (6.4 miles)
Today: 10.44 km (6.5 miles)
Yesterday, I rode up East of Juan Tabo to Chelwood Park, and then west to Wyoming.
Today, I rode East to Juan Tabo, and West past Wyoming to Louisana. It seems the trail ends at Louisiana. I've seen the map, but I was kind of hoping it was not true. The trail ends at Louisana and there you have a bus station. I am not using my left gear very often. I think I need to get it fixed... You have to force it so far over to shift it's actually a hinderance to my really learning my gears. I discovered a whole new set of gears that seem to work well for the times I am going really fast. I can pedal and have it mean something. Not that I really am all that anxious to hit 30.... 20 seems exciting enough at the moment.
Hmmmmm..... someone asked about healthy vegan treats on the trail. I find the Oreo suggestion suspect -- not in veganness, mind you, but healthiness. Oreos.... healthy.... Oreos.... healthy..... Hmmmmmm..... I have an idea for my next blog entry.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Experiences with Muscle Soreness, but a Total Lack of Sound Advice
Goal: 8.00 km Actual: 14.12 km (8.825 miles)
Okay.... So I was relieved today, because my arm soreness subsided... Well, specifically, my tricep soreness -- the soreness that would not let me completely lift a tomato to my mouth without some help from my neck -- had subsided. This is a good thing. A coworker of mine, who I would consider to be in enviable shape for his age, informed me that as you get older, your muscles will not just be sore after a work out longer, but also wait longer to tell you about it. You'll get to your height of soreness 2 to 3 days after your workout instead of the next day. I just turned 34 last April. This is about the age you start learning these things from your co-workers. I guess I shouldn't feel bad at all. One of my friends, only a year younger than me, and in better shape than most people ever are in their entire lives, apparently is detecting signs of aging in himself. "I just can't work out like I used to." I usually have no idea what limitations he's facing to be honest. Well, I know maybe one thing about him that I would consider to be a sign of aging, and though it would hold some people back, I imagine it might frustrate him, but not hold him back.
So, what was I getting at anyway? Oh, well right when I came in from biking.... like 5 minutes before I started this blog entry, my arms were taking a breather from supporting me on the handle bars and they immediately announced to me that I was going to have trouble getting a tomato up to my mouth again. (I have no idea what is with me and putting tomatoes up to my mouth... Just keep reading. ;) ) After having sat a spell to write this blog entry, I am beginning to have my doubts that this is the case. I can flex my fist pretty close to my shoulder, which is a good sign..... Yesterday, I had a solid 30 degree angle going and my fist did not want to get any closer. I put my triceps on ice for a short while -- like 10 minutes, because that is such an awkward place for an ice pack -- and then hoped for the best. I am clueless to tell you whether it was ice or time that did the trick. Other cyclists are suffering worse and far more interesting travesties as I write, so on to other things.
The "challenge" of today's route was to bike some on the East side of Juan Tabo.... At least cross the street for crying out loud. So I biked up the trail all the way to the dip and came back. If you haven't caught wind of this already, I worry much, much, much too much. I wonder if that's why my parents bought me the Sweet Pickles' Worried Walrus book. It was cute. I think he worries about something that will happen while he's riding a bike too. I was exhausted, but I think the small amount of anxiety I had about the whole thing just made me slightly more exhausted than I should've been. The incline really was not all that bad.
So, here I go again today biking in low visibility conditions wearing dark colors. The clouds were trying to convince me it could rain in Albuquerque by dashing some water on me. When it became nearly dark, my thoughts were "Hmmmm.... I am not ready to give up biking just yet. I've reached my goal of 8, so I could stop, but I don't really want to." I varied between my living on a bike thought, where I just tried to keep the bike going, then I would forget and try to see how fast I could pedal the bike uphill. I think I'm getting the gears and that I had them backwards before. Going uphill, you switch to a lower gear, which means a smaller gear so that it gets easier to pedal. I am starting to get it now, but it's taken a while for me to learn.... I've noticed that I slow down when I am going uphill, so I switch to a higher gear so I can get more gumption out of my pedalling. You know the results, however. You make it uphill.... You make it uphill faster.... But your muscles are a lot more sore and you exhaust a lot faster. I am keeping this in mind. I had tried switching to a lower gear because I was getting tired and then I would get flustered because it would take me 5 rotations to go 2 inches. I think, perhaps, I was switching my gears down too quickly. It's also simply possible that my gears need some kind of maintenance that I am not aware of yet. Being my third year that I've owned this bike. That's entirely possible. I really should buy and read a biking 101 book, I suppose. I am glad I've made it as far as I have. :)
One final thing before I get some supper. I made it past 20 miles per hour!!! I made it past 20 miles per hour!!! Nope, I did not pedal that speed uphill or anything.... That was a downhill speed. It's good for me, though, because I don't like to go so fast I feel out of control. That was definitely my next experience for the day. Today was also my first day of biking through drizzle. I've forgotten what it's like to voluntarily be out in the rain and not care. Okay, well, here, it is just as often as not accompanied by thunder and lightning so I don't usually consider it real safe to be out in. Today, there was no lightning.... just rain. It felt good.
Okay.... So I was relieved today, because my arm soreness subsided... Well, specifically, my tricep soreness -- the soreness that would not let me completely lift a tomato to my mouth without some help from my neck -- had subsided. This is a good thing. A coworker of mine, who I would consider to be in enviable shape for his age, informed me that as you get older, your muscles will not just be sore after a work out longer, but also wait longer to tell you about it. You'll get to your height of soreness 2 to 3 days after your workout instead of the next day. I just turned 34 last April. This is about the age you start learning these things from your co-workers. I guess I shouldn't feel bad at all. One of my friends, only a year younger than me, and in better shape than most people ever are in their entire lives, apparently is detecting signs of aging in himself. "I just can't work out like I used to." I usually have no idea what limitations he's facing to be honest. Well, I know maybe one thing about him that I would consider to be a sign of aging, and though it would hold some people back, I imagine it might frustrate him, but not hold him back.
So, what was I getting at anyway? Oh, well right when I came in from biking.... like 5 minutes before I started this blog entry, my arms were taking a breather from supporting me on the handle bars and they immediately announced to me that I was going to have trouble getting a tomato up to my mouth again. (I have no idea what is with me and putting tomatoes up to my mouth... Just keep reading. ;) ) After having sat a spell to write this blog entry, I am beginning to have my doubts that this is the case. I can flex my fist pretty close to my shoulder, which is a good sign..... Yesterday, I had a solid 30 degree angle going and my fist did not want to get any closer. I put my triceps on ice for a short while -- like 10 minutes, because that is such an awkward place for an ice pack -- and then hoped for the best. I am clueless to tell you whether it was ice or time that did the trick. Other cyclists are suffering worse and far more interesting travesties as I write, so on to other things.
The "challenge" of today's route was to bike some on the East side of Juan Tabo.... At least cross the street for crying out loud. So I biked up the trail all the way to the dip and came back. If you haven't caught wind of this already, I worry much, much, much too much. I wonder if that's why my parents bought me the Sweet Pickles' Worried Walrus book. It was cute. I think he worries about something that will happen while he's riding a bike too. I was exhausted, but I think the small amount of anxiety I had about the whole thing just made me slightly more exhausted than I should've been. The incline really was not all that bad.So, here I go again today biking in low visibility conditions wearing dark colors. The clouds were trying to convince me it could rain in Albuquerque by dashing some water on me. When it became nearly dark, my thoughts were "Hmmmm.... I am not ready to give up biking just yet. I've reached my goal of 8, so I could stop, but I don't really want to." I varied between my living on a bike thought, where I just tried to keep the bike going, then I would forget and try to see how fast I could pedal the bike uphill. I think I'm getting the gears and that I had them backwards before. Going uphill, you switch to a lower gear, which means a smaller gear so that it gets easier to pedal. I am starting to get it now, but it's taken a while for me to learn.... I've noticed that I slow down when I am going uphill, so I switch to a higher gear so I can get more gumption out of my pedalling. You know the results, however. You make it uphill.... You make it uphill faster.... But your muscles are a lot more sore and you exhaust a lot faster. I am keeping this in mind. I had tried switching to a lower gear because I was getting tired and then I would get flustered because it would take me 5 rotations to go 2 inches. I think, perhaps, I was switching my gears down too quickly. It's also simply possible that my gears need some kind of maintenance that I am not aware of yet. Being my third year that I've owned this bike. That's entirely possible. I really should buy and read a biking 101 book, I suppose. I am glad I've made it as far as I have. :)
One final thing before I get some supper. I made it past 20 miles per hour!!! I made it past 20 miles per hour!!! Nope, I did not pedal that speed uphill or anything.... That was a downhill speed. It's good for me, though, because I don't like to go so fast I feel out of control. That was definitely my next experience for the day. Today was also my first day of biking through drizzle. I've forgotten what it's like to voluntarily be out in the rain and not care. Okay, well, here, it is just as often as not accompanied by thunder and lightning so I don't usually consider it real safe to be out in. Today, there was no lightning.... just rain. It felt good.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Is it the wind or is it just me?
Last week, I went out on my bike suspecting it might be another "weak" day, but I really had no idea. I am not quite to where I have a good feel for what I am going to be able to do on a certain day, but I had no idea this day was going to be so bad. I think the wind was blowing towards the Northwest and I was struggling against it going East uphill. I am not sure how hard the wind actually makes it, but I am certain there's a definite difference. I only made it about 5.5 km that day. :p
I've actually biked a few times since my last entry and will record them here for prosperity:
Goal for each day: 8km
5.5 (the windy day)
10.5
11.5 (estimate)
~5 (I was going to meet a friend for coffee and found a quick opportunity to hit the trail. It wasn't to the Starbucks, though. I will probably not ever have enough audacity to get out on a busy street here where there's no bike lane.)
12.55 (Today!)
I "took it easy" on the bike trail today and actually ended up going further than I've ever recorded myself going. This was a really nice trip come to think of it. It had all the great features I've been seeing lately, including the trail that's not closed when you approach it from the East, but is suddenly closed when you come back to it from the West. Needless to say, I've simply gotta get back home, so I ignore the trail closed sign and keep right on tracing my steps. The "closed" path is through a part of the trail that I think is rather odd. It's in a park near my elementary school and the park usually has at least one family in it. The families like the trail, but it's a park and nobody keeps in mind it's a bike trail, despite the signs. I get to stop and talk to people frequently due to this.
I talked to a family tonight that was getting onto some kids for riding on the handlebar of the bike. They apparently did not realize that here you go with traffic, so they mentioned that too. Nope, here you go with traffic when you're riding in the bike lane. (Am I right or am I right?) No matter.... I seldom ride on the road except when it's necessary to connect to an adjoining bike trail. I know, this blog needs some pictures.
I did not have the bike gear going today for sure. The back reflector fell off my bike, but to top it off, I wore all black today. I was not really thinking about being on the bike until it happened. I really should get some bike-friendly clothes.... but trust me, the city is in no way ready to see me in spandex yet.
So, I wish I could remember names along with faces. Why? Because I passed by someone who had an exhibit at Earthfest and I could not tell you who the heck he is for the world. He had an exhibit that gave a very environmentally friendly plan for the US as a network of eco-villages, one of the features being gravity-driven bike ramps for connecting between the villages. He wore a cap with a solar fan on it to keep him cool. I saw that crisp face and smile right under his helmet as he waved happily to me. I doubt he remembered me, but I can't forget that man. I love idealism in general. If you can't dream far out, how are you going to get half-way there?
Hmmmm?
One thing that gets me is that ever since I started biking, my arms and chest have felt it a bit. It made me nervous at first because I knew about lower body benefitting from cycling, but upper body? Well, apparently the forward lean onto the mountain bike as I ride around is benefitting my arms and chest. After some comments by someone very close to me that my arms had gotten stronger, I decided that I would lift some weights, so on Monday, I went to the gymn and did my first set of curls, bench press, backpress, etc. in at least a year if not more. Let's just say it's Thursday and I am still sore. After my bike ride today, my triceps were really getting to me. I think I am helping the tomato get to my mouth by bending my neck.... I am not totally sure. Anyways, I am sure it will go away in time. Just for now, I am sore as heck and biking did not help. :p We're on for tomorrow!
I've actually biked a few times since my last entry and will record them here for prosperity:
Goal for each day: 8km
5.5 (the windy day)
10.5
11.5 (estimate)
~5 (I was going to meet a friend for coffee and found a quick opportunity to hit the trail. It wasn't to the Starbucks, though. I will probably not ever have enough audacity to get out on a busy street here where there's no bike lane.)
12.55 (Today!)
I "took it easy" on the bike trail today and actually ended up going further than I've ever recorded myself going. This was a really nice trip come to think of it. It had all the great features I've been seeing lately, including the trail that's not closed when you approach it from the East, but is suddenly closed when you come back to it from the West. Needless to say, I've simply gotta get back home, so I ignore the trail closed sign and keep right on tracing my steps. The "closed" path is through a part of the trail that I think is rather odd. It's in a park near my elementary school and the park usually has at least one family in it. The families like the trail, but it's a park and nobody keeps in mind it's a bike trail, despite the signs. I get to stop and talk to people frequently due to this.
I talked to a family tonight that was getting onto some kids for riding on the handlebar of the bike. They apparently did not realize that here you go with traffic, so they mentioned that too. Nope, here you go with traffic when you're riding in the bike lane. (Am I right or am I right?) No matter.... I seldom ride on the road except when it's necessary to connect to an adjoining bike trail. I know, this blog needs some pictures.
I did not have the bike gear going today for sure. The back reflector fell off my bike, but to top it off, I wore all black today. I was not really thinking about being on the bike until it happened. I really should get some bike-friendly clothes.... but trust me, the city is in no way ready to see me in spandex yet.
So, I wish I could remember names along with faces. Why? Because I passed by someone who had an exhibit at Earthfest and I could not tell you who the heck he is for the world. He had an exhibit that gave a very environmentally friendly plan for the US as a network of eco-villages, one of the features being gravity-driven bike ramps for connecting between the villages. He wore a cap with a solar fan on it to keep him cool. I saw that crisp face and smile right under his helmet as he waved happily to me. I doubt he remembered me, but I can't forget that man. I love idealism in general. If you can't dream far out, how are you going to get half-way there?Hmmmm?
One thing that gets me is that ever since I started biking, my arms and chest have felt it a bit. It made me nervous at first because I knew about lower body benefitting from cycling, but upper body? Well, apparently the forward lean onto the mountain bike as I ride around is benefitting my arms and chest. After some comments by someone very close to me that my arms had gotten stronger, I decided that I would lift some weights, so on Monday, I went to the gymn and did my first set of curls, bench press, backpress, etc. in at least a year if not more. Let's just say it's Thursday and I am still sore. After my bike ride today, my triceps were really getting to me. I think I am helping the tomato get to my mouth by bending my neck.... I am not totally sure. Anyways, I am sure it will go away in time. Just for now, I am sore as heck and biking did not help. :p We're on for tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Bleah.... Weak Day
Goal: 8.00km Actual: 8.51 km
I've got to remember that I would have days like these at the gymn as well. Days where easy things are hard and hard things are impossible. I am so not sure whether this is on the list of things you should not do or if it's on the list of things that hardly matter. I had a thick slice of whole wheat bread with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and rosehip jam before I went riding today. Forgetting about the fact that the ingredients sound exotic we could say what I did was equivalent to eating a couple of slices of Hawaiian pizza before my ride. I also downed a glass of water because I am almost always not quite hydrated and then I went for a ride. Did I mention I was tired today? For lack of a better name, I call these "weak days". Nonetheless, I met my goal. As I walked in the door with my bike, I felt like I could have honestly gone further. Where was that feeling when I was on the bike? Now that I sat down, I know I made the right decision. That, and the fact that I am scared of being out in a lightning storm. My bike has rubber tires, my boots have rubber soles.... I might just be in luck.
To think I was going to up my goal to 10km. Days like these are good reminders of why I must be patient with my goals. They have to be something I can attain and raise gradually. One day, this distance for a goal is going to be laughable. Till then, this is my goal.
I've got to remember that I would have days like these at the gymn as well. Days where easy things are hard and hard things are impossible. I am so not sure whether this is on the list of things you should not do or if it's on the list of things that hardly matter. I had a thick slice of whole wheat bread with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and rosehip jam before I went riding today. Forgetting about the fact that the ingredients sound exotic we could say what I did was equivalent to eating a couple of slices of Hawaiian pizza before my ride. I also downed a glass of water because I am almost always not quite hydrated and then I went for a ride. Did I mention I was tired today? For lack of a better name, I call these "weak days". Nonetheless, I met my goal. As I walked in the door with my bike, I felt like I could have honestly gone further. Where was that feeling when I was on the bike? Now that I sat down, I know I made the right decision. That, and the fact that I am scared of being out in a lightning storm. My bike has rubber tires, my boots have rubber soles.... I might just be in luck.
To think I was going to up my goal to 10km. Days like these are good reminders of why I must be patient with my goals. They have to be something I can attain and raise gradually. One day, this distance for a goal is going to be laughable. Till then, this is my goal.
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