Joanne and I rode to work today and put in 32.68 miles. We ran into a few showers on the ride home but over all it wasn't too wet for us. We're going to hope for Thursday for our next ride to work before the big training ride on Saturday followed by "Day II" training on Sunday. Then we'll rest up and only do a minor ride on the Wednesday before the STP.
I think we're just about ready for it, at least we have to be!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunny start, cloudy finish
Joanne and I put in 54.3 miles today. The ride to church started was very sunny in the morning, cloudy in the early afternoon, then much cooler and cloudy on the way home.
The good news is, we both felt that we could have kept going and put in more miles. It was getting late so we called it good with what we had ridden so far. There was plenty of light left but our decision for a coffee break around the 38 mile mark required a "bio break".
So, we're riding to work tomorrow too to get another back to back ride set in.
The good news is, we both felt that we could have kept going and put in more miles. It was getting late so we called it good with what we had ridden so far. There was plenty of light left but our decision for a coffee break around the 38 mile mark required a "bio break".
So, we're riding to work tomorrow too to get another back to back ride set in.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
No riding the last few days
I took Friday and Saturday off from bicycle riding. Joanne put in over 9 miles walking in the Relay for Life yesterday and was hoping to do another 4 miles tonight.
We will be riding tomorrow. The plan is to go for over 50 miles, maybe as close to 80 as time allows!
I've been working on re-working my other web site, The Goal Farm
We will be riding tomorrow. The plan is to go for over 50 miles, maybe as close to 80 as time allows!
I've been working on re-working my other web site, The Goal Farm
Thursday, June 23, 2011
More miles - more thoughts
Road to work again today. Got a total of 31.8 miles. The route home was a little different than the way in so it added more miles and "Military Rd" hill at the end of the ride. It was beautiful on the way in and on the way home. A bit windy here and there and a cloud every once in a while but the majority of the route was blue sky.
Our inner athlete. This notion always strikes me when I'm riding on the trail. There is a big mix of folks out walking, running, or riding in the more populated portions of town.
There are:
We are all put together to move and be athletic. We are at our best when we are moving and in motion. The vast majority of us are not paid to be active or play sports. Most of us have to outfit ourselves and even pay to participate in activities. This could be why so many of us are not active and forget how much fun being active can be.
Take time to play and let your inner athlete out as often as you can. Playing football and being in competitive sports tainted my outlook on sports for a very long time. Play to win or don't play at all is what my football coach preached. We had an undefeated season and that only reinforced my "winning is everything" approach to sports. It has taken years and experience (OK, getting older and growing up some) to appreciate "It's how you play the game" and "The journey not the destination" approach to life and sports.
Ride safe and ride often. Train hard and ride easy!
Our inner athlete. This notion always strikes me when I'm riding on the trail. There is a big mix of folks out walking, running, or riding in the more populated portions of town.
There are:
- Young and Old
- Big and Small
- Fit and Challenged
- Friendly and Reserved
We are all put together to move and be athletic. We are at our best when we are moving and in motion. The vast majority of us are not paid to be active or play sports. Most of us have to outfit ourselves and even pay to participate in activities. This could be why so many of us are not active and forget how much fun being active can be.
Take time to play and let your inner athlete out as often as you can. Playing football and being in competitive sports tainted my outlook on sports for a very long time. Play to win or don't play at all is what my football coach preached. We had an undefeated season and that only reinforced my "winning is everything" approach to sports. It has taken years and experience (OK, getting older and growing up some) to appreciate "It's how you play the game" and "The journey not the destination" approach to life and sports.
Ride safe and ride often. Train hard and ride easy!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thumbs up and some more miles
I've added another 35.66 miles to the training log. It will be good to ride to work tomorrow if it's not too much of a soaker tomorrow. I'm getting nervous about the STP but feeling pretty good that I can ride back to back days. The goal this week is to ride to work 4 days this week (2 down and 2 to go).
I stopped for a short water break before climbing one of the bigger hills on my route home. A car approaching the intersection I was standing at slowed down and took waited for me to give him the thumbs up signal. It was great to have someone show their concern for a total stranger!
Ride safe and ride often!
I stopped for a short water break before climbing one of the bigger hills on my route home. A car approaching the intersection I was standing at slowed down and took waited for me to give him the thumbs up signal. It was great to have someone show their concern for a total stranger!
Ride safe and ride often!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Only 28.8 miles today
Last month it would have been, "Wow, Ouch! Over 28 miles!". Today, it really was "Only 28.8 miles today?". It took about an hour and 1/2 to get to work this morning, with a coffee break on the way in. This after noon I rode the 14.2 miles almost none stop and got home in an hour and 5 minutes. There wasn't a lot of distance but there was lots of cranking out the sweat while pushing up the hills. The shortest route to work was taken today so I could get home and mow the lawn... doesn't seem like something to race home for does it?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day
Well, Joanne and I stuck out the dedication to training and put in our 40.25 miles today. It was chilly and windy most of the day. Mom & Dad came down for a Father's Day BBQ this afternoon. We still used the grill but ate inside instead of outside.
My math was bad on reaching 2,000 miles on the current speedometer. I still have 7 more miles to go so I'll reach that on the way to work tomorrow morning (about the 1/2 way mark on the way to work). The sun started to come out just in time to go down so I'm hoping the morning part of the ride to work tomorrow will not be too chilly or wet.
My math was bad on reaching 2,000 miles on the current speedometer. I still have 7 more miles to go so I'll reach that on the way to work tomorrow morning (about the 1/2 way mark on the way to work). The sun started to come out just in time to go down so I'm hoping the morning part of the ride to work tomorrow will not be too chilly or wet.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
More miles tomorrow
We didn't get much training in today but that is OK since it was wet most of the day. Tomorrow the plan is to put in another 40 miles in. Not much more news to report on the training effort than this. I adjusted the moon saddle to try the suggested angle from the maker. They recommend 20-30 degree angle. If been riding with it around 0-10 degrees at most so the ride tomorrow will be a good test ride.
I've been tweaking and tuning the "Bike Friday" bike and made a few changes to the Giant Cypress (new rear cassette with 11-32 gears and bar ends to give myself some different positions). Next up is some serious cleaning of the Cypress and Joanne's FCR, both have dirty chains and need a good clean up.
Oh, it looks like the 2,000 mile mark will be passed on our ride tomorrow. That's the total miles on this speedometer not the total miles on the bike!
I've been tweaking and tuning the "Bike Friday" bike and made a few changes to the Giant Cypress (new rear cassette with 11-32 gears and bar ends to give myself some different positions). Next up is some serious cleaning of the Cypress and Joanne's FCR, both have dirty chains and need a good clean up.
Oh, it looks like the 2,000 mile mark will be passed on our ride tomorrow. That's the total miles on this speedometer not the total miles on the bike!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Miles to go before I sleep
Actually, 40.36 miles to be more exact :)
OK, that's a good amount of miles for commuting to work and back. I added some extra miles during lunch to make the 40.36 miles a combination of 3 rides during the day. Joanne rode today too. Her total was just over 50 miles but I should let her add an update to the training progress.
The good news... the miles today seemed minor overall and I feel like I could have easily done at least another 20 miles. Then again, it's easy to feel this way after you stop riding!
OK, that's a good amount of miles for commuting to work and back. I added some extra miles during lunch to make the 40.36 miles a combination of 3 rides during the day. Joanne rode today too. Her total was just over 50 miles but I should let her add an update to the training progress.
The good news... the miles today seemed minor overall and I feel like I could have easily done at least another 20 miles. Then again, it's easy to feel this way after you stop riding!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
More training miles
The weather helped out on Thursday (6/9/11) for some training time. I got 49.6 miles in on Thursday afternoon after doing some yard work. It felt like November at times yesterday but Joanne and I stuck out for a 50.6 mile ride on Friday (6/10/11).
Goal #1 to ride 100 miles in three days - completed.
Goal #2 to ride 100 miles in two days - completed.
Goal #3 to ride 100 miles in one day... still needs to be hunted down!
This is a really brief training schedule since serious riding didn't really start until May. We have been able to get some time in but then had to put riding aside for other activities. This is almost like starting over.
We going to ride again tomorrow (6/12/11) and to work on Monday. It's going to be hard to find a day to dedicate to a 100 mile ride before for the STP in July!
Goal #1 to ride 100 miles in three days - completed.
Goal #2 to ride 100 miles in two days - completed.
Goal #3 to ride 100 miles in one day... still needs to be hunted down!
This is a really brief training schedule since serious riding didn't really start until May. We have been able to get some time in but then had to put riding aside for other activities. This is almost like starting over.
We going to ride again tomorrow (6/12/11) and to work on Monday. It's going to be hard to find a day to dedicate to a 100 mile ride before for the STP in July!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Ghost Riders in the Sky
I've been struck by the need to blog something, anything, just a thought or two. This has been a strange week. There were training rides and it looks like we might get more in Thursday and maybe one day on the weekend. It's hard to find the time this year to fit training rides in.
Joanne is off on a hike on Saturday. I'm bowling that day in a Big Brother's Big Sister's benefit. My bowling is really off since the crash but this is all just for a good cause and fun.
I've been following "Weiner Gate" as it develops but one bit of news regarding the passing of James Arness is behind the title of this post. I was a huge "Gunsmoke" fan and Marshal Matt Dillon was one of my first childhood heroes that I can remember. It struck me while I was out weed whacking this evening (a perfect activity for reflecting between dodging high speed bits of weeds and gravel) that the actor just passed but the hero will live on forever. Heroes, whether they are cowboys, solders, policemen, teachers, doctors, or a good Samaritan, will always be a vital part of society.
Children seem to have an easier time believing in Super Heroes and their super powers. Adults tend to forget their childhood heroes and look for real people to inspire them.
OK, what does this have to do with biking?
Well, this is this Lance Armstrong guy...
What a bummer again. I've been avoiding news related to Lance on purpose just because I don't want to deal with it at the moment. Lance became one of my inspirations for bicycle riding and wanting to ride the Seattle to Portland. It doesn't matter to me if he doped or not because he inspired me to push myself further and harder than I thought I could.
An old cowpoke when riding out one dark and dusty day... :) - Dude
Joanne is off on a hike on Saturday. I'm bowling that day in a Big Brother's Big Sister's benefit. My bowling is really off since the crash but this is all just for a good cause and fun.
I've been following "Weiner Gate" as it develops but one bit of news regarding the passing of James Arness is behind the title of this post. I was a huge "Gunsmoke" fan and Marshal Matt Dillon was one of my first childhood heroes that I can remember. It struck me while I was out weed whacking this evening (a perfect activity for reflecting between dodging high speed bits of weeds and gravel) that the actor just passed but the hero will live on forever. Heroes, whether they are cowboys, solders, policemen, teachers, doctors, or a good Samaritan, will always be a vital part of society.
Children seem to have an easier time believing in Super Heroes and their super powers. Adults tend to forget their childhood heroes and look for real people to inspire them.
OK, what does this have to do with biking?
Well, this is this Lance Armstrong guy...
What a bummer again. I've been avoiding news related to Lance on purpose just because I don't want to deal with it at the moment. Lance became one of my inspirations for bicycle riding and wanting to ride the Seattle to Portland. It doesn't matter to me if he doped or not because he inspired me to push myself further and harder than I thought I could.
An old cowpoke when riding out one dark and dusty day... :) - Dude
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Seeing straight, training rides... good weather, and it's about time
We were close to being at four members for the 2011 STP. Bob was checking to see if he could get signed up this month as some spots open up. That makes us four riders this year, Joanne, Shannon, Bob, and myself. This week Shannon developed a torn/detached retina (ouch, ouch, and ouch again). She was treated a few times and isn't quite sure if she will need further surgery or laser surgery. We're hoping she heals quickly and can get back to training.
I rode 34 miles Friday (to work and back).
Joanne and I rode 33 miles yesterday and are heading out for about a 40 miler today (6/5/2011).
More later... * Update, we got in a 37 mile ride today. It looked overcast and we weren't sure if it would start raining. It feels good to put in 104 miles the last 3 days. The next target is 100 miles in only two days. My plan was to ride to work tomorrow too but I'd better check a few forecasts. Yep, I'm pretty much a fair weather rider and don't like to ride when it's not at least 50 degrees out.
I rode 34 miles Friday (to work and back).
Joanne and I rode 33 miles yesterday and are heading out for about a 40 miler today (6/5/2011).
More later... * Update, we got in a 37 mile ride today. It looked overcast and we weren't sure if it would start raining. It feels good to put in 104 miles the last 3 days. The next target is 100 miles in only two days. My plan was to ride to work tomorrow too but I'd better check a few forecasts. Yep, I'm pretty much a fair weather rider and don't like to ride when it's not at least 50 degrees out.
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