SpokEasy

August 2018

Diet

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My diet needs a lot of improvement! This video was produced by a dancer; but as she states, it\’s not for dancers only. I ought to take a hint or two from it. Junk food is so hard to avoid when I\’m away from home during the working week; and I need to make a greater effort to pack along carrot sticks, apple wedges, etc. to munch on. Aside from their being more nutritious and lower in calories, I could  save the (shocking!) several bucks PER DAY that I all too often spend for snacks! On-bike food is another story; at least for me. My rice cakes come out too soft. Once I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and cut it into four; but it was too bulky to fit into my on-bike snack bag very well.  That\’s why I\’ve gotten into the habit of using Clif Bars, and the like. I eat far too many sweets, that\’s for sure! Avoid salt? I\’ve been told — by at least one doctor — to eat salt, because my blood pressure tends to run low. Avoiding gluten would make sack lunches rather a problem, unless I could find gluten-free bread. Sandwiches are much more portable than, say, rice and beans. But as Ms. Morgan says, find out what works for you. The problem with me is, I\’m lazy; both when it comes to diet and my training!

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Big 100

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Today is a Big 100. And for once I\’m not prattling on about Big 100 as in riding a bicycle one hundred miles in one day. Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein! The only music of Bernstein that I\’ve ever become familiar with is the Overture to Candide (after Voltaire). I enjoyed listening to that YouTube very much, although I must say that Mr. Bernstein gets some odd expressions on his face at times. And that bassoonist puffing up his cheeks — that\’s a no-no! (I played a wind instrument for years, so I know). On the whole, though, being able to watch the musicians up close is fun. These professionals make it all look so very easy; even effortless. I know that it\’s hard work, which lets me appreciate it all the more!   

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Frugal Cyclist?

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Am I the frugal cyclist? Or not? For nearly ten years I\’ve been trying to get myself into the tightwad mindset; and it\’s not easy. Maybe it would have been easier if I started when I was in my twenties; but as they say, there\’s no time like the present. If I could just get myself to kick the soda habit, I bet I\’d save at least $50 a month. That money would be  far better spent for things like tune-ups on my bicycles; or to buy GU-Gels and other ride food; or to buy groceries. I\’m thankful that my circumstances don\’t require that I painfully pinch and scrape at every penny; but I could be more careful about my discretionary spending! Like riding a bicycle, it\’s about balance: once necessities are taken care of, spend enough to give myself a few pleasures; but don\’t be such a penny-pincher that I\’m miserable. Speaking of pennies, I\’ve often seen people throw them on the ground and walk away. Why? One penny won\’t buy anything nowadays; but they do add up over time. So I save my pennies; and in that respect, I guess I am the frugal cyclist, after all.

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If the Bike Fits

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If the Bike Fits How does your bike fit? If the bike fits, ride it! I took the road bike for its initial Specialized Body Geometry fit in November 2015. It’s expensive; but my interest in long-distance riding made me decide that it would be worth the cost.  The fitter first asked about my cycling goals; and how long I had been riding. Next he fastened my bicycle into a stand and took various measurements, such as saddle height. Then I climbed aboard and pedaled; and the fitter watched my pedaling technique. He also checked my reach to the handlebars; and watched the angulation of my forefeet; my hip flexion; and neck flexion. To my surprise, he lowered my saddle a bit. He said that I have good hip flexion; and that lowering the saddle would let me make better use of it. I could feel the difference at first, but quickly adjusted to it. Last November I went for a refit. It was done by the same person who did my initial fitting; and this time he used something called Retul. He stuck little lights on various parts of me and my biking shoes; and filmed me as I pedaled. Somehow I never got the printout of that session’s results; and, as a re-fit is supposed to be done annually, it’s getting close to time for another! But at least my bike fits me; and if the bike fits, ride it!

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First Half-Century

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My first half-century probably took place sometime during 2011, since I did my first full century in February 2012. I know I wrote down an account of it; but now I can\’t find it. I had heard of a German Farmers\’ Market at a location about 20 miles from home. Over the months my rides had  become longer and longer; and decided I would not only go check out that market; I would make my first 50-miler out of it. Of course an out-and-back route wasn\’t 50 miles; so I began by going to the park and rode four or five circuits to fill in the mileage. Then I went home for a pit stop before heading out for the farmers\’ market. I don\’t remember what I bought; but I do seem to remember that the day was rather warm. Thus I didn\’t want to buy anything that wouldn\’t survive the ride home. Just before I actually got home, I made a stop to buy a pint of my favorite ice cream (Cherry Garcia!) to celebrate my first half-century. The first Big Five-Oh! Big deal though that day\’s ride was, I\’m starting to do 50-mile Sunday rides almost as a matter of course. I need the exercise, and it\’s also preparation for Tour de Cure!

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Body Builder?

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A body builder? Who, me? I took this quiz, and it says I’m between ectomorph and mesomorph. I was curious as to what body type I am; but as I’m not a “serious” athlete, I probably don’t need to fret too much over it. I do intend to keep up the off-bike work; although the aim of it is definitely not body-building. In fact, they say that body-building is counterproductive for the cyclist. When  your aim is riding fast; or climbing steep hills; you don\’t need the bulk of an overly-developed upper body. For more on bicycling and weight loss, I look to Ride Your Way Lean, by Selene Yeager. This book, in fact, is where I first came across descriptions of the three basic body types. I  sure need her program for \”shed the stubborn spare tire\”, beginning on pg. 74. Or I can keep riding the way I have been; and pay more attention to minimizing the junk food and sweets. I\’m cursed with a mega sweet tooth! But turn body builder? I think I\’ll pass on that. I don\’t enjoy the noisy environment of many gyms; and I\’m not interested in showing off my muscles.

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Sinkhole!

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Another sinkhole? Sinkholes seem to be very much in the news the last few years. We hear about them swallowing cars and even houses!  Cycling can be a big sinkhole for money, especially on a modest budget. I\’m sure there are folks who manage to keep their cycling expenses to an absolute minimum; but alas, that group does not include me😔 I like to ride long distances; and that means cycling shorts. They\’re much more comfortable than \”normal\” shorts for riding; especially on the road bike. Depending on brand and cut, a pair of cycling shorts costs at least $50. With regular use, shorts gets too stretched to be good after six months or so. Some cycling jerseys cost even more than a pair of shorts. If I can afford only shorts or only jerseys, I\’ll go for the shorts any day. I can always wear a regular shirt. Cycling shoes are quite costly, too; but I wouldn\’t want to be without them on the road bike. Ironically, I wear mountain bike-style shoes for my road bike! Even before cycling-specific clothing enters the picture, you need a good helmet. Protect your head first. If your little one is starting down the path to cycling, protect the child\’s head, too. A helmet costs a lot less than being on life support following a traumatic brain injury. That would be a major, major money sinkhole!

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Vehicular Cycling

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Vehicular cycling means that you should ride your bike as though you were driving a car. One John Forrester is a big name in this field. I remember reading his book, Vehicular Cycling, years ago. An Amazon search yielded no results; so maybe it\’s now out of print. The basic idea is that a bicycle is a vehicle. When you\’re riding a bicycle, you must behave as the driver of a car should: obey traffic rules; stop for stop signs and red lights; and so on. I began to read about bicycle safety even before I ordered the tricycle. I knew what the hand signals were, but little else; and I knew I had a lot — in fact, everything! — to learn. The day I ordered the trike, I bought a helmet; and when I picked up the tricycle at the shop, I was ready to roll. I\’m spoiled in that I\’ve been able to do mega-miles away from traffic. Exhaust fumes and noise bother me; so I\’m glad that I do have a place where I can ride away from roads. It\’s rather unnerving having vehicles that weigh a ton or more almost at my elbow; and I\’m also rather nervous about getting \”doored\”. Some cyclists commute to work alongside heavy, big-city traffic as a regular thing. I admire those folks. It would take me a LONG time to develop the gumption to try it!

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What a Night!

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What a Night! What a night I had! It drives me absolutely bonkers when this happens. I seemed to be half-awake much of the night. As if that weren’t enough, I had a prolonged, nightmarish dream about being at the start of Tour de Cure; and not being ready!  All the other riders were ready to take off; and I realized that I hadn’t signed in; that my Camel-Bak wasn’t ready; and my bicycle was nowhere in sight. Aren’t dreams weird? Apparently I turned off the alarm clock and fell right back asleep, because I had set it for about 5:15; and it was already 6:30 when I woke up again. That seems to happen rather often of late Remembering last night’s forecast, I checked both Intellicast and NOAA. It looked like things weren’t expected to turn stormy until about 11:00 am; so I decided to ride. It was sunny, but I could see thunderheads all over the horizon. Between that and the fact that I kept feeling very tired, I decided to make it a short ride. Only 29 miles! I was back home just before 10:00 am; so now I don’t need to worry if it begins storming. I guess my fatigue stemmed from lack of sleep. It made me think of RAAM; this cross-continental race has been called “a contest of sleep deprivation”. (See The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling, pg. 156). RAAM means riding some 3000 miles in less than nine days! YIKES!! I think I’ll skip that. How many RAAM participants set out after barely two hours’ sleep; and think, “What a night!”?  

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Corps or Core?

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Corps or core? Are we talking about the Marines? Or muscles? It\’s amazing how important core (and arm and upper body) strength is even for the recreational cyclist. When I first got going on two wheels , I couldn\’t ride up a mild incline without having the bike waver so badly that I could barely control it. I couldn\’t ride more than 15-20 minutes before my abs started to sag, causing me to go sway-backed, which wasn\’t any too good for my lower back. My arms would start to feel like overcooked spaghetti. That\’s when it struck me: I had better start working to develop some strength in my arms and core. So I began to look for exercises that I could do. The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling includes several. GetFast! also has some. Exercises that I find especially difficult are the prone plank, crank plank, and lunge with twist. When I first began to attempt the crank-plank, it was all I could to to get into the starting position. Even then I had to extend my free arm to the front. At first it was hard to hold that for three seconds! It\’s taken a long time for me to build up a moderate amount of strength, because I don\’t do long sessions. I don\’t care about looking like a body-builder. I just want to firm up my corps … or core?  

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