Cycling

•

A big stress eating day...not good.

~~~

But I got my bike tire taken care of...maybe.   My back tire has a different valve stem and it doesn't seem to be quite long enough.  There's a screw thingie on it that I didn't know could come off and when it does, the tire will pump up all the way.

I also have really little tires that pump up to 145 psi.  the guy at the bike store says 125 should do it, but if I can get them to 145...nice.  So we'll try for 125 and see if that works.

~~~

The dogwood are blooming and the pollen is so bad it looks like it's snowing...my eyes itch.

~~~

So...even with itchy eyes and a (hopefully) short meeting after school tomorrow, I'm taking my stuff to ride after school.

~~~

and politics...

this is from "Being Conservative" on facebook:

So we're sending 1200 UNARMED National Guardsmen to help secure our southern border. Only Obama could look at our border security problem and determine the solution is more paper pushers.

•

Cycling

GOAL:  Ride a "Century" by the end of the cycling season  - perhaps "Apple Cider Century" or "Middle of the Mitten", both in October

I most likely will not be riding outdoors until March or April (I don't have a snow-ready bike), so some of this will be indoors.

Objective: Ride 50 flat miles by May 1 and 50 hill miles by June 1.

At home (winter work)

  1. Watch one movie each week while riding a stationary bike
  2. Three times each week, listen to 20 minutes podcast while "sprinting" on stationary bike
  3. Strengthen "core muscles" using Pilates

As soon as roads are clear and dry:

  1. Get out on Musketawa Trail (flat work)
  2. After 50 miles on Musketawa Trail, begin with 20 miles of "hill work"  (route on Mapmyride and including Grand River Ave and Five Mile Road.)
  3. Beginning May 1 (because of sunrise times) ride to work 3 days per week.

GOAL: Ride my bike to my parents' house (180 miles) by July 4.

That should fit in with the rest of the bike work.

Financial piece:

  1. need panniers and trunk bag

Notes:  for riding to Mom and Dad's house, a good idea might be to either have a "volunteer" ride with me, or have Tom drive ahead and "camp" at a hotel.  I'd like to do the ride in 3 or 4 days.

•

I'm on my way out the door for my Tour de Cure ride.

There have been thunderstorms all night, although it's not raining right now.  In Middleville (where I"m going) there's a 50% chance of thunderstorms during the ride.

It's an hour away from here and I'm stopping for Biggby (quad mocha and chocolate chip scone).  I'm not sure if they'll call the event for weather or not - I hope not, but if weather threatens I don't have weather gear.

  • iPod (for the drive
  • sunglasses
  • tire pump
  • extra tube
  • shot bloks
  • GPS (for the drive)
  • water bottles
  • bike shoes and socks
  • I'm wearing my glasses for the drive so I have my contact case in my bike bag
  • inhaler and epi-pen (I always have one in my "trunk bag")

and away I go

•

(I run from Saturday to Friday, but I think I'll change from Frida to Thursday, so that "Fit Friday" will cover all seven days.)

Weight...stayed even.

Weight Watchers:  was within points (but this is my last weight watchers week, since I'm going more low-carb -again- and I can't eat the higher fat and stay within weight watchers points)

Exercise:
General Road Cycling,
06/14/2009 (Sunday), time, 01:56:53, total distance:24.25 mi., calories burned, 1,063

6/16/09 (Tuesday); time 1:58:48; distance, 25,09, calories burned 1080

6/18/09 (Thursday); time 1:25:03; distance, 17.46, calories burned, 773  (I had a flat tire and Tom came to pick me up in Conklin)

Total exercise: 5 hours, 20 minutes and 44 seconds.  Total miles on bike: 66.77.  I have a 40 mile ride tomorrow, which will go on next week.

My triglycerides are up and my gynecologist suggested I try to get some exercise in.

•

Moving my bike cleats back just 1/2" requires a whole different movement to click out (un-attach my shoes from my pedals when I stop so that I don't tip over). Photos of the subsequent bruise can be available upon request.)

Riding with a migraine = bad idea.

If you have a bruise from tipping over with your feet attached to you pedals
AND
you have a migraine
AND
you're a bit sick to your stomach from the headache...

AND
You see lightning ahead

YES...it is okay if you turn around and go back after just 4 miles.

•

On my first bike ride in a long, long while.

(Thanks to my son, Tom.  Who adjusted my seat, put on my odemeter - with bad instructions and we're still not sure it works right.  Who went with me to buy bikes for his sister and me - and took the wheels off so that they would both fit in
I'm anticipating not going for long, or very fast.  I'm just going.

~~~~~~

My seat was about 3" too low (made me feel like I was riding a little kid's bike) and I decided to not take another bike ride until I have a padded seat.  Which a quick trip to Walmart fixed.

Hills were harder than I remember - which might be because the seat was too low.  Thanks again to Tom who is adjusting the seat.

Anyway...I rode for 23 minutes.