August 2018 - SpokEasy

Don\’t Forget!

Don\’t forget! Tomorrow begins Cycle September; so I\’d better be sure I don\’t wear myself out tonight like this fellow. The forecast for the next few days is full of rain and T-storms. I hardly need say that I\’m none too pleased about that! We\’ve already had heavy downpours two days in a row. I hope the weather doesn\’t force me to \”ride\” inside. \”Riding\” on an indoor trainer/spinning bike doesn\’t count towards Cycle September miles, as far as I know. It didn\’t count during previous challenges; so I assume that it still holds. If want my miles to count, I have to go for real rides. I don\’t like riding in the rain. That\’s partly because of reduced visibility; and anxiety about when the lightning might get close. Sometimes the wind is so strong in a storm that it\’s all I can do to control the bicycle. I haven\’t been caught in a hailstorm yet, as hail is rare around here; but you never know. But the desire to get out there and ride often wins. And don\’t forget, it\’s Cycle September. So let\’s get out there and make it a big success!

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One-Wheeled Wonder

BACK ISSUES / CAL

I\’m not a one-wheeled wonder; and I never thought of doing a hundred miles by — skateboard? Well, it really would not surprise me if somebody has done it, or at least tried. But several years ago I began to wonder whether anyone had done a century by unicycle. Following is part of the text of the blog I posted about it at the time: \”…Sure enough, some people have. It makes me think that my century on an adult tricycle isn\’t such a big deal. The trike at least had a big basket, so I could carry stuff with me. On a unicycle I, for one, wouldn\’t be able to take along much at all. Maybe I shouldn\’t criticize, but this guy should have gotten a helmet-mounted headlight for the ride. Then he wouldn\’t have had to wear out his cell phone trying to get a little bit of light. Otherwise, I say Good for him. If few people have done centuries on adult tricycles, I\’m sure even fewer have done it on a unicycle!\” So that\’s a one-wheeled wonder; but I\’ll stick with two wheels, myself. A single wheel is too unstable for me; and I can just see a skateboard skidding out from under me!

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Getting Up There!

BACK ISSUES / CAL

I sure hope I\’m as happy as this lady when I get to be that age. And I hope I\’ll still be pedaling happily away! But being a senior citizen cyclist isn\’t the same as being a twenty-something cyclist, I\’m sure. I didn\’t start riding until I was 51 so I don\’t speak from personal experience; but it\’s easy to figure out. Older cyclists have special concerns such as osteoporosis. Or arthritis. Here are some articles I\’d like to share about cycling for those of us who are no longer spring chickens: Five Things Athletes Need to Know… Cycling for Seniors Benefits of Cycling… Biking for Seniors It\’s hard for me to realize that I\’m a \”senior\”. I sure don\’t feel like it 🙂

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Should I or Not?

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Should I, or not? You know those days when you just don\’t feel like riding? Some days you\’re tired; or you didn\’t sleep well. Or you even feel like you might be coming down with something. How do you know whether to ride as usual; take it easy; or to take a day off? The part of this article headed, \”When Stop Does Not Mean Go\”, is helpful. I keep a printout of it with my weekly ride plan, where can easily refer to it. There certainly are days when I need to ease up the efforts; even when I planned to ride hard. One day about two weeks ago, I had force-development exercises on the agenda. Maybe I got into a gear that was a bit too hard; or maybe I was actually too tired for such attempts. It was a \”should I, or not\” moment. I just didn\’t seem to have the legs; so I decided to forget about force and ride for the fun of it. And what about the training schedule? Another article I read about training says, keep your plan \”etched in clay\” so that you can mold it as needed; it shouldn\’t be \”chiseled in stone\” so that you use it to beat up on yourself. Planned to ride hard today, but it simply isn\’t going? Ease up. There\’s always tomorrow.

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