SpokEasy

September 2018

Orthotics

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I\’ve had orthotics in my cycling shoes for at least five years. Not long after I switched to two wheels, I noticed that my left foot rolled inwards when riding. It was especially noticeable if I half-rose from the saddle. This rolling-in made the inner side of the knee feel strained; and I knew that not addressing the problem immediately would likely lead to much bigger issues later. Ultimately I visited a sports medicine clinic, to get custom-made orthotics. When you go for such a fitting, the clinician (or whatever the title may be) presses each foot into a block of memory foam; and the impressions are used to make orthotics that will fit your feet properly. Such devices are expensive; at least $300. But they\’re meant to last for 3-5 years. In fact, at a price like that, they had better last a long time! Recently my left foot started acting weird immediately after a long (say, 50 miles) ride. When I took my cycling shoe off, the smaller toes felt like they were going into spasm; they\’d curl under, and it took several seconds for me to get them to straighten. Then, when walking, it felt like something sharp was under the bases of those small toes. I consulted my primary care physician, and he said something about metatarsal inflammation; and that my orthotics probably needed replacing. I visited the sports medicine clinic again last week; got the impressions done; and my new shoe inserts should be ready before the end of the month. I took along my cycling shoes to the \”fitting\”. I wanted to be sure they were still in decent condition. Thank goodness they are!

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Snail?

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I guess I\’m a snail; or, what Joe Friel, in his Cyclist\’s Training Bible, calls a \”slow responder\”. Last November I began on-bike exercises to try to improve my force so that I can cruise faster. It took something like seven months for me to really see some results. That\’s why I feel like a snail; and it\’s precisely why I began these exercises a year in advance of Tour de Cure. I know that I need plenty of time to build up to things. It\’s better for me to bring it along slowly for six months, than to frantically try to build up over a period of six weeks. I\’ve got less than two months left to work on this; and for the last week or two prior to the big day I\’ll need to let force exercises go. Even then, experience has shown that I never can prepare adequately for a big event. I\’m hoping for a Tour de Cure day of calm winds, no rain, and about 70 degrees!

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Need a Break?

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Do I need a break? Today I rode 51.7 miles! It sounds like a lot; but there\’s not much time to work at lengthening my weekly long ride before Tour de Cure. And I wish they\’d post the exact route; and what average speed will be necessary. I wish I were sure whether my preparation is on the right track. I never am, and it drives me crazy. Luckily there was little wind this morning. I didn\’t try to push hard, because I felt a bit \”off\”. My resting blood pressure was crazy low today; and I had some spells of feeling light-headed. That\’s not good when you\’re on a bicycle! Maybe I need to take a Sunday off from riding; but with Cycle September in progress, I\’m reluctant to do that. Perhaps a shorter ride? We all need a break sometimes! Maybe I\’d better lie down and put my feet up for a bit. The usual post-long-ride orthostatic hypotension has set in. The catch is, I need to hie me into the kitchen and fix lunch!

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ME a Slob?

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ME, a slob? OK, I\’ll be the first to admit that I\’m a Grade-A slob. I never have been good at tidiness. I could, as indicated at left, strive for the \”Creative Mess\” grade. Until I get there, the set-up shown at right helps me to keep track of cycling stuff. It\’s really a shoe bag, but I don\’t have that many pairs of shoes. I can roll up a pair of leg warmers and put them in one pocket. Ditto for a pair of arm warmers. Other small items of cycling clothing, such as gloves, also go here. I keep my back-up tubes of electrolyte tablets in this bag; and a spare tube of Chamois Butt\’r. I even have a spare water bottle there, ready to go the next time I drop a bottle and can\’t find it because it\’s still dark out. With this storage system, I don\’t have to go running all over the place when cool weather approaches, hoping I\’ll find the leg warmers before a cold front arrives. Things such as cashmere socks I keep with my regular socks; so I know where they are. Incidentally, they don\’t seem to keep my feet very warm. Maybe my cycling shoes are too well ventilated. Me, a slob? I\’m not so sure now, after all; but maybe, just maybe, one day I\’ll get better organized!

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Biggest Haul Yet!

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Biggest Haul Yet! Behold, my biggest haul yet! Today I hitched up the trailer, and rode to the salvage store. As it turned out, the trailer wasn’t big enough for all my purchases! If I hadn’t also had the bicycle trunk, I couldn’t have brought home the loaf of bread without smashing it. The problem was that 36-roll pack of bathroom tissue. I wasn’t quite sure that the price of $12.99 was a true bargain; but I decided to get it. It took up most of the room in the trailer. I had brought the cooler so I could bring home bologna without worrying that it would get overheated. Thanks to that big package of tissue, I had to tie the carry-strap of the cooler to the frame of the trailer’s top; and hope it wouldn’t detach itself on the way home. Yes, I got a big haul; but even in a discount grocery, you need to keep your eyes peeled. Not everything is such a bargain, as I’ve learned. I found some hibiscus drink mix, sold by the single envelope. I got three of them. Remind me not to do that again if there isn’t a price sticker on each envelope. When I checked my sales slip later, I saw that each one cost fifty cents! I’ve found that mix for as little as ten cents per envelope. And after I got home from the salvage store, I walked over to the local drug store. There, a 12-roll pack of the cheapest bathroom tissue cost $4.00. I could have bought three of those for $12.00, not $12.99. And next time I want to get a really big haul, I’ll bring the panniers, too!

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Enlighten Me

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Can anybody enlighten me here? What\’s going on with my headlight? When I was out on the road bike this morning, it kept looking like my headlight was going dim. I\’ve had it go very dim on me before; and that\’s annoying, because I have to slow my speed to a crawl. I don\’t want to run into anybody; and I see people out there all the time who are \”un-lit\”. They\’re hard enough to see with 500 lumens going full blast. If I need someone to enlighten me, they need some enlightening, too. So was the light running out of charge; or was it jiggling around a bit and creating the impression of dimness? I wasn\’t sure; but I decided that it would be wise to cut the ride a little short. I didn\’t want to risk having my headlight go too faint for me to see. Before that happened, I finally did a few \”force\” intervals. I\’ve been hesitant to do any this week because I\’ve felt very tired for some reason. It was difficult to keep the intensity for a full minute; and, as usual, the first effort went the best. Peak speed, 20.81 mph. I\’m pleased with that, but it\’s not a record. Several  months ago I hit 21.71 mph! Getting back to the headlight, recently one of its rechargeable batteries stopped holding charge. I ordered two new ones from the manufacturer. I\’d better break them out of their packaging and start using them, before I get left in the dark.

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Katy Trail

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Katy Trail This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” The Katy Trail first came to my attention in early 2013. A then co-worker, who was originally from Missouri, told me about this route. He had ridden it twice. (I don’t know whether this pic is really the Katy Trail, but it looks nice). It sounded wonderful. There’s an annual organized group bicycle ride that covers the entire length of the trail. The route alternates between East to West one year; and the opposite direction the next. The Katy is one of the Rails to Trails paths, following a former railroad route. I hear that those routes are almost flat, having at most a very slight grade. That’s good news for a spoiled flatlander like me! For the history buff, more than half the Katy follows the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition along the Missouri River. I was considering going for the Katy Trail group ride. Unfortunately this would have meant getting to the trailhead to begin with. I don’t own a car; and transporting a bicycle by air wouldn’t have been so cheap. I was reluctant to bother somebody to drive me up there.   It would’ve meant finding a way to borrow (or — gulp! — buy) camping equipment such as tent and sleeping bag if I don’t want to pay for provided accommodations. If I bought those things, where would I store them? Would I ever use them again? The more I thought about doing the Katy Trail, the more I realized that I could spend several thousand dollars on something that would last about two weeks. That put rather a damper on my enthusiasm; and I decided that I’d be better off spending that money on a road bike. I’ve never regretted the decision; but the Katy Trail is still on my bucket list! ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and  retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional.   FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL Think Ten Times! December 9, 2023 Going Farther Afield December 8, 2023 Mini-Ride! December 7, 2023 I Still Can’t Ride! December 6, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Biking in the Rain

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I\’m biking in the rain; to paraphrase the song. But I don\’t really feel like singing when I\’m out for a ride and it begins to pour. Even if I have a poncho with me, I\’m soaked by the time I can get into it. In warm weather, vigorous exercise and a plastic covering are not a good mix; I get too hot. If I put on the poncho but don\’t pull its hood over my head, the rain runs down inside the poncho\’s neck opening and I get wet through anyhow. It\’s like not having a poncho at all. If it\’s dark as well as raining, reduced visibility is a problem. It\’s especially bad when I have hard efforts planned. Sometimes, however briefly, I get up to 21 mph; and I worry more than usual about the people who are out there with no lights; nothing reflective; and wearing dark clothing. Or course sometimes the rain catches me when I\’m already out riding. Somehow that doesn\’t seem as bad as starting a ride in the rain. Maybe it\’s because I can be philosophical about the former. I can\’t do a thing to stop the rain; so I\’ve got to keep biking in the rain if I want to get back home. In addition, I\’ve gotten some endorphins in my system to help combat the wet-weather blues. There are times when we get a long streak of rain-free days. Then again, we\’ll get seemingly endless spells of rain every day. If the only way I can get my ride is to get wet, I\’ll just have to get wet. And be sure I have a lot of spare socks on hand.

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What a Relief!

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What a relief! All the to-do over Tropical Storm Gordon turned out to be much ado about nothing, at least in my immediate vicinity. It didn\’t even rain much, although we\’ve got showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for a few days. Some areas got hit pretty hard, despite the fact that Gordon never reached hurricane strength; and the storm resulted in at least one death. Regions farther North in Gordon\’s path could get a lot of rain, so the threat isn\’t entirely over. This morning the wind was only 6 mph; and for a change I had it behind me on the way home. What a relief that was! I worked at stints of pushing for 16 or even 17 mph; and for 6.5 miles I averaged 15.55 mph! I think it\’s time now to take things up a notch, and work for 16 mph as a regular thing. By the time I left work the sky had some very stormy-looking clouds; and I was glad to get home without getting wet. It isn\’t raining yet; but I expect it any time.

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NOW I\’m Freezing!

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Now I\’m freezing! It isn\’t unusual for our first cold weather of the season to arrive abruptly. One day it\’s in the 80s; and the next morning it\’s down to 40 degrees! If riding in the heat presents problems, riding in the cold comes with its own set of difficulties. I don\’t want to collapse with hypothermia like that poor bicycle on the left! Where I live, snow; ice; and sleet are extremely rare. A little sleet shuts down the entire city; but when the temperature starts to get much below 60 I really feel it. I always was sensitive to the cold. I guess I should be glad I don\’t live where I\’d need icebike.org. If a humid climate makes heat seem worse, it also makes cold seem worse; the chill seems to penetrate right down to the bones. Post-Katrina I stayed with my sister in eastern Washington State; and there, temperatures in the teens are more comfortable than New Orleans at 40 degrees! When the weather turns \”brisk\”, I bring out the skull cap; leg warmers; and so on. But perhaps the biggest annoyance about cold-weather riding is the way my nose runs; especially if there\’s a wind. If I don\’t want to keep wiping my nose on a glove, the only alternative is the snot rocket. Yes, it sounds disgusting; but what can a body? If I want to keep in shape, I\’ve got to ride in all weathers; even if now I\’m freezing. If only layering could take care of that nose!

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