SpokEasy

November 2021

Bee\’s Knees?

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Are a bee\’s knees better than mine? I don\’t know; but my own knees are getting a bit creaky and cranky. Yesterday I had quite a long wait at a bus stop; and to pass the time, I started to do lunges. At repetition number eight, the areas around both knees suddenly began to hurt; so I decided I\’d better knock it off. Does that mean I\’ve been pushing too hard on the bike? Cycling, after all, can be rough on the knees if you try to push too hard a gear, too soon. On top of that, I\’ve had some arthritis in my knees for many years. At the same time, cycling is the bee\’s knees for having fun; and as long as you don\’t push too hard a gear; and your saddle is the correct height; you can pedal for miles without knee pain. Muscle soreness is another story. Some soreness is inevitable if you\’re working to improve your pace; or to develop better force. Maybe that was my knee problem yesterday; but I didn\’t want to take chances. It made me hesitant about doing on-bike force exercises this morning. I began my ride, though; and the discomfort I felt during those lunges seemed absent; so I went ahead and put in some force intervals. It didn\’t seem to cause any problems. Tomorrow is a holiday — Thanksgiving — so I can sleep a few hours later before I go for a ride. The weather outlook is good; and that\’s something to be thankful for. I think I\’ll keep it rather leisurely; and then I\’ll fix me a can can dinner. Naughty? I\’ll skip the dance, though. It looks like it\’s hard on the knees; and it\’s also too risqué for me. At the time the can can first appeared, it was considered most scandalous! One version I heard of its history says that the can can originated among laundresses, who were showing off whose linens were the whitest. Maybe that\’s true; but I didn\’t imagine those laundresses doing more than flipping their skirts up to their knees, if that high. After all, that was the nineteenth century. Apparently many people thought the can can was the bee\’s knees, because the dance is still around. But I\’d rather be riding my bicycle than showing off like that. In my book, it\’s cycling that\’s the bee\’s knees!

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New Toy

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I got a new toy last week! My road bike\’s computer seemed to be wearing out. After I charged up on a Friday night, the thing gave me a Low Battery warning the following Tuesday; and a charge-up used to last a week! So I got a new one: The readout screen is different from the one on the old Garmin 520. The data show up in different locations on the screen; and I\’m not sure that the chest strap that I already had is compatible with the new device. So far I\’m not getting a heart rate readout; and I entered my zones via my laptop. Do I have to do something with my cell phone? All this technology drives me crazy: apps, programs, and so on. Is this how the older generation felt about telephones when they were the latest thing in communications? Back to my new toy. I might have to bother the bike shop again to figure out how to download my heart rate zones. I\’m not sure which of three apps I need to use; and all this sync stuff makes me feel, well, sunk. Today was a pace-work day; but I\’m not sure I could say I was working on my pace while I was outward-bound. I had a pretty good tailwind; and averaging over 15 mph for 5.5 miles seemed quite easy. Coming back home of course I had a headwind; and averaged only 11.78 mph. According to NOAA, the wind then was from the East, at 18 mph. I find that hard to believe. ME, riding well over 11 mph against an 18 mph wind? A wind like that used to push me back to 8 mph, or even slower. Looks like my force work is finally paying off.

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Overfueling?

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Have I been overfueling my Sunday long rides? For a long time, my strategy was one-sixth of an energy bar every 15 minutes. My go-to favorites for ride food are FitCrunch bars and Met-Rx bars; and usually I finished a ride with one or two pieces of bar left. Yesterday I tried a different strategy: I cut the bars into eight pieces, instead of six. I wanted to see whether the smaller amounts of food would make a difference in my energy level; and whether it would actually be enough food. Maybe eating slightly less on the bike is better. I got home with half of a Met-Rx bar left; and I never felt bonkish during the ride. I was even slightly faster than I was the Sunday before; but that might be a coincidence. Or could it mean that I was overfueling before now; and the excess food was weighing me down? In fact, I burned some 1547 calories; and ate 730 calories. That\’s quite a deficit! Maybe it\’s why I kept feeling a bit hollow all afternoon; and often wanted to eat. At about 7:00 pm I was downright hungry; and it was too early in the evening to wait until the next day to eat! So I turned to a banana with peanut butter, which is usually a pre-ride snack. So I guess I have a new ride-food routine. My mind is also turning over possibilities for savory on-bike foods, instead of nothing but bars. Many of the bars that I use are quite sweet; and on an all-day ride, all sweet food gets to be too much even for me. It\’s a matter of balance: don\’t go overfueling; but don\’t eat too little, either. Quite a learning process!

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Overdressed

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Overdressed sounds like wearing a tuxedo to the beach, or white tie and tails as gardening attire; and I think I was overdressed for today\’s long ride. At 7:00 am, the temperature was 66 degrees. I wore leg warmers; a long-sleeved blouse; a skull cap; and a cycling jacket. This outfit is fine for such weather when I\’m riding before daylight, and for only an hour or so; but today it reached the mid-70s before I got back home. I was almost too warm by the time I finished. It was overcast a good part of the time; and that kept it from getting quite so hot. Today I pushed for a few more miles than I did last Sunday; and I surprised myself by riding a bit faster than last week. If I can ride 44.3 miles in 3:19:46 of pedaling time, how long will it take me to ride 100 miles? Theoretically, I estimate 7.5 hours of pedaling time; but mind you, that\’s in theory. Today the wind was only 4-5 mph; but I might not be as lucky on event day! When I have a headwind of 10 mph or more, it wreaks havoc on my pace. On top of that, I don\’t think it\’s wise of me to try to jump from 44 miles to 100 all of a sudden. I certainly don\’t want to be overdressed for a century ride. I got almost too warm on a ride of less than 45 miles; and 100 miles will give me that much more time to get overheated! Then again, I remember my first century, when I couldn\’t get warm. I had to make detour to home so I could get another layer. I don\’t think I was overdressed then!

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Windshield Wipers

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I wish my glasses had windshield wipers. They\’d be very handy when I\’m out for a ride, and get caught in the rain. Even light precipitation makes a mess of lenses; and in a heavy downpour, I can hardly see a thing. It\’s ironic that I have to take my glasses off then, so that I can see. I\’m lucky that my vision really isn\’t too bad; 20/40 without glasses; and mild astigmatism. If anything, fog is worse than rain. Windshield wipers would be great when I run into a patch of mist; and suddenly am almost blind. Fog is also most galling when I\’m trying to push my pace; and am forced to slow down because of visibility problems. I wonder, is it possible to install battery-powered wipers on a fairing? I\’ve seen bents that have these screens; but honestly I have no plans at present to try a bent. I have nowhere to keep one! It looks like I won\’t have problems with either rain or fog for a few days; so I should be able to see. There\’s a slight chance of rain Sunday night; and a chance of showers on Thanksgiving. But the weather is trying to get colder. Night before last the temperature dropped to the lower 50s. Sunday\’s high is forecast to be well into the 70s; but next Monday night they\’re predicting a low of 45. As if that weren\’t enough, the wind will be 10-15 mph. The mere thought of it makes my nose feel sniffly. Fortunately a runny nose doesn\’t fog up my glasses. And I hope this run of dry weather continues. Sometimes we have spells when it seems like it will never stop raining; and I don\’t have windshield wipers.

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BelVita Sandwich

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The BelVita Sandwich is something many of us long for: a sandwich that\’s easy to slip into a pocket! Two golden oat breakfast biscuits hold creamy peanut butter; each sandwich can provide energy for as long as four hours. Free of artificial sweeteners; no high-fructose corn syrup. Certified kosher. If you\’d rather skip the \”PB\”, try BelVita Breakfast Biscuits! I\’ve tried both the BelVita Sandwich, and the biscuits. If I want only a tiny snack, one of the biscuits is a better choice for me. If I want something a bit heavier, the sandwich fits the bill. The BelVita products don\’t seem to make good ride food for me. When I\’m pedaling for three hours and more, I need something with more substance; and turn to various protein bars. They might work great for another rider; as usual, experiment and see what works for you. Here\’s an experiment I haven\’t tried yet: BelVita instead of whey protein after my Sunday long ride. Sometimes I need a break from the usual!

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Pandora\’s Box

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The legend of Pandora\’s box is famous in mythology. We cyclists have to be careful not to run into a Pandora\’s box with our training; or, perhaps I should say, with overtraining. In The Cyclist\’s Training Bible Joe Friel cautions against overtraining. It can be easy to slip into this state: racing cyclists overeager to improve; or beginners who can\’t get enough of riding, and wind up overdoing it; or the rider who leaves century preparation until too late, and tries to cram it into four weeks. Me, perhaps? Cycling itself proved a sort of Pandora\’s box for me; albeit without the unpleasantness let loose by the original in the myth. When I got the trike, I thought I was buying a way to get to work and to the stores; and to enjoy a few miles around the park on weekends. Ha! Was I wrong! I was hooked before I completed my first mile; and in the eleven years since that day, I\’ve totaled 56K miles! Not me? Have I ever fallen victim to overtraining? I\’m not sure. Of course there are days when I don\’t feel much like riding, but that\’s quite normal. On such mornings I coax myself to go out anyhow; and once I\’m out there and moving, I usually find my get-up-and-go. That\’s not indicative of overtraining, is it? I definitely do not push for all hard, all the time. That approach isn\’t good for anyone; and in fact is the fast track to the overtraining and burnout that we need to avoid. So enjoy your riding; and rack up those miles; but be sensible. It\’s fine to set goals, but make them realistic; and don\’t beat yourself up if you don\’t meet them. For example, my road bike + hybrid mileage for 2021 reached the 4000-mile mark this past weekend. I thought it would be great if I can make it to 5000 miles by the year\’s end; but when I did the math, I saw that this goal is a bit out of reach. To do it, I need to ride about 154 miles per week; and that\’s a bit too much. Weather is sometimes a sort of Pandora\’s box, too. It can be beautiful at 7:00 am; but those conditions might not last. So be sure to check the forecast. That gorgeous morn might have nasty wind and rain lurking behind it; and it might be better to ride indoors. By the way, Pandora was told NOT to open that box. Whoever told her that might as well have put on that Open Me tag!

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Pandora\’s Box

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The legend of Pandora\’s box is famous in mythology. We cyclists have to be careful not to run into a Pandora\’s box with our training; or, perhaps I should say, with overtraining. In The Cyclist\’s Training Bible Joe Friel cautions against overtraining. It can be easy to slip into this state: racing cyclists overeager to improve; or beginners who can\’t get enough of riding, and wind up overdoing it; or the rider who leaves century preparation until too late, and tries to cram it into four weeks. Me, perhaps? Cycling itself proved a sort of Pandora\’s box for me; albeit without the unpleasantness let loose by the original in the myth. When I got the trike, I thought I was buying a way to get to work and to the stores; and to enjoy a few miles around the park on weekends. Ha! Was I wrong! I was hooked before I completed my first mile; and in the eleven years since that day, I\’ve totaled 56K miles! Not me? Have I ever fallen victim to overtraining? I\’m not sure. Of course there are days when I don\’t feel much like riding, but that\’s quite normal. On such mornings I coax myself to go out anyhow; and once I\’m out there and moving, I usually find my get-up-and-go. That\’s not indicative of overtraining, is it? I definitely do not push for all hard, all the time. That approach isn\’t good for anyone; and in fact is the fast track to the overtraining and burnout that we need to avoid. So enjoy your riding; and rack up those miles; but be sensible. It\’s fine to set goals, but make them realistic; and don\’t beat yourself up if you don\’t meet them. For example, my road bike + hybrid mileage for 2021 reached the 4000-mile mark this past weekend. I thought it would be great if I can make it to 5000 miles by the year\’s end; but when I did the math, I saw that this goal is a bit out of reach. To do it, I need to ride about 154 miles per week; and that\’s a bit too much. Weather is sometimes a sort of Pandora\’s box, too. It can be beautiful at 7:00 am; but those conditions might not last. So be sure to check the forecast. That gorgeous morn might have nasty wind and rain lurking behind it; and it might be better to ride indoors. By the way, Pandora was told NOT to open that box. Whoever told her that might as well have put on that Open Me tag!

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Too Early For Me

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The lunar eclipse that\’s coming up is too early for me. It will be visible in the wee hours; and I don\’t think I\’ll want to get up then! Tomorrow is expected to be \”mostly sunny\”; but tonight\’s forecast is for \”partly cloudy\”. I hope those clouds clear up in time for my morning ride; and then I\’ll get my full moon fix, even if I miss the eclipse! Some people might ask, isn\’t getting up at 4:30 am too early for me? It\’s early, all right; but it\’s also the best way to be sure that I do get in my miles. Besides, if I waited until after work to ride, I would still have to get up at 4:30 am to work on blogs. It\’s six of one, and half a dozen of the other. I\’ll stick with the pre-dawn ride. I\’m tired most of the time because I have a sleep disorder; and that often makes it hard to focus at work. Pedaling a bicycle at least keeps the blood pumping, and helps keep me awake; that is, as long as I keep riding. I often start to feel tired and sleepy shortly after arriving at work; and that\’s not such a good thing! I also often get hungry again by 8:00 am; and I don\’t know why. Between a pre-ride snack; and breakfast after the ride; I can total 700 calories or more. Isn\’t it too early for me to be eating again at eight o\’clock? It\’s not as though I torch 2000 calories on a morning ride. In fact, nowhere near it. But I do know this much: I do not do well with a growling stomach!

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Don\’t Light Candles

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Don\’t light candles for me, please! Their sheer numbers would be enough to burn the whole place down. It\’s a funny thing about birthdays. When we\’re young, a birthday is an exciting event: Wow, I\’m another year older! I\’m a big kid! A birthday is a big deal. By the time we\’re in our teens, birthdays are still fun; but not the exciting big deal that they were when we were little kids. In our early twenties, they\’re OK; and by our late twenties, we\’re tired of hearing about them! The good thing about cycling is that, no matter how many birthdays have gone by, most of us can keep on riding. Cycling is non-impact; so the joints don\’t get the pounding that they would from, say, running. That means that someone who has arthritis of the knees can likely still pedal a bicycle. If balance becomes a problem, there are adult tricycles. With a trike, you don\’t have to worry about balance; but be careful about cornering! If you\’ve been used to a bicycle, cornering on a trike might take some adjustment. Don\’t lean into the turn; or one rear wheel could leave the ground, and dump you off your ride! I did this one backwards. I got a tricycle because I felt off-balance at the time; and apparently the vigorous exercise of riding helped straighten it out. Then I graduated! But I still feel like a weakling when silver-haired riders whiz past me like I\’m backing up. Cycling helps to keep our blood pressure in check; and I\’m always going to have to work against prediabetes. Cycling helps with weight control, too. That\’s a lot to celebrate; but don\’t light candles!

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