SpokEasy

November 2022

Worry Is Wasted

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Worry Is Wasted? Worry is wasted, some folks say; and sometimes, it is. I was concerned about the weather for today. Forecasts had been predicting rain; and I wasn’t sure what time it might arrive. This morning it was overcast; but it wasn’t raining yet. So I checked NOAA; and it indicated that the rain wasn’t due until late morning/early afternoon. It showed a wind advisory from noon until midnight, though; and I wasn’t keen on having to battle it! I figured I had enough of a weather-window to make a trip to the salvage store; and I did. I didn’t take the trailer, because I didn’t want to be dragging it along if the wind kicked up. It wasn’t raining; but it was foggy/misting. I wound up having to take off my sunglasses so I could see! The ones I have aren’t photochromatic; so it looked a bit dark when I was wearing them. I got home around 10:00 am; and about an hour later, it was drizzling. As of now, 12:25 pm, the expected strong wind hadn’t arrived. The main problem actually looks like gusts up to 30-40 mph.  That’s enough to blow me away if I’m up there on the levee; and I’m glad it’s expected to calm down by tomorrow morning. So worry is wasted — this time, anyway. For a few weeks, my Sunday ride has been rather short; and I want to work back up to  40 miles or so. The temperature tomorrow will be good for riding: mid-50s to low-60s; and clear.  We might get T-storms this afternoon; and I’ll be glad to get them over with while I’m indoors!

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Turkey Roll

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Turkey Roll? Turkey roll sounds like a kind of submarine sandwich. And in fact, many folks are eating turkey today. That’s quite the usual for Thanksgiving. My turkey roll was a ride! I didn’t put in any more miles than usual for a weekday; and that sure makes me feel lazy. But I didn’t take ride food along; and I didn’t want to have to reapply sunblock. I also knew that rain is possible today; and of course I didn’t want to get caught in it. As it turned out, I was home way ahead of any rain. I stowed the road bike and rode the hybrid to the ATM; and I stopped at the drug store to buy a soda. Then it was home to fix my ‘Thanksgiving dinner”. Last Saturday I found a box of macaroni and cheese at the salvage store. I fixed the macaroni per the instructions on the box; and tossed it with tuna fish and some peas. Along with a variety of olives and some cranberry sauce, it made a nice meal. The forecast for tomorrow and Saturday is a  rainy one; and I hope it isn’t pouring tomorrow morning. I need to get to the supermarket. As usual, I need bananas; but I figured any grocery store would probably be packed today. People will be trying to get last-minute things for Thanksgiving dinner. Tomorrow is Black Friday; but I think I’ll steer clear of the bargain-hunting mobs. In my family we don’t go for extravagant gifts; and if it’s going to rain tomorrow, I’d have to worry about getting my merchandise home without having it get soaked.  This is the annoying kind of day when it’s a little too cool indoor for comfort; but not cool enough for the heater to stay on.  It looks like it will stay that way for a few more days. Soon enough, though, I’ll be complaining about how cold it is!  

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Fait Accompli

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

FAIT ACCOMPLI!! Fait Accompli! Success! I made it! Today I rolled up to my Love to Ride 2022 mileage goal: 5000 miles by December 30. I thought I could do it, and I was right; although I didn’t expect to finish six weeks early! I’m not sure I want to set another goal for this year. There isn’t time to try training for a century ride next month; and I don’t relish the idea of riding 100 miles when it’s cold and windy. Tonight it’s going to get down to 39 degrees. It’ll be a chilly ride tomorrow morning. I need to get out some warming packs; and in fact, it’s time I ordered some more of them. I hope we don’t get subfreezing weather this season, like we did early this year; but we never can be sure what’s coming weather-wise. I first tried warming packs several years ago because I was so tired of my hands freezing during cold-weather rides. Now I wonder how I managed without them; and even wish I could fit them inside my shoes to keep my toes warm. All you need to do is remove the packs from their wrapping; shake them; and let them sit 15-20 minutes. They’ll warm up; and then you can put them inside your gloves. If they get cool, shake them to reactivate them. These warming packs are good for up to 18 hours from first use. At the moment I’m not thinking about riding; I’m simply enjoying the thrill of fait accompli.

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It Got Cold

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

It Got Cold! Hey, it got cold!  Temperatures in the 40s might not seem cold to some folks; but to me that’s cold enough! Especially when it’s windy and damp. I remember a co-worker that I had, many years ago. This person had come from Ohio, I believe it was; and said that, the first Winter here, she’d never been so cold in her life. Far from “perking you up”, cold weather makes me feel tired; sluggish; and slow. When it got cold Saturday night, it was too cold in here; and as a result, I didn’t sleep well. Then for my Sunday ride, I was tired; and really didn’t feel all that well. Add wind, and full-fingered gloves that made fueling awkward; and I rode only a bit over 19 miles. This morning when I went riding, there was a fine drizzle; and that doesn’t go well with glasses. I decided to ride laps around the park rather than deal with the wind on top of the levee; and I was glad I did! As I rode, it seemed to be getting colder; and the wind seemed to get stronger. At the moment, it’s 50 degrees; and the humidity is 80%! Add a 13 mph wind, and it’s not at all comfortable outdoors. Maybe I’ll ride in the park again tomorrow.  My new hybrid is in the shop. Yesterday I was riding to work; and the chain came off the cassette. The bike shop is closed Mondays; so I had to wait until today to take the bike in. Maybe it just needs adjusting. I hope I didn’t manage to damage it somehow. Luckily the bicycle is still under warranty!  

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Danged Wind

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Danged Wind! That danged wind really threw a monkey wrench into my plans. I’m getting so very close to meeting my to Love to Ride mileage goal. As of last night, I had a hair over 55 miles to go. My plan was to ride 40 or so miles today; then finish tomorrow. But as we all know, things don’t always work out as planned. Yesterday morning was drizzly; and it was already getting cooler by 8:30 am. During the day the temperature continued to drop; and by this morning it was in the low 40s. Add winds of 12-15 mph — with gusts up to 24 mph — and I was facing a cold ride! I’ve gone riding before in wind like that; but when the temperature is cold as well, it drains my energy. It doesn’t help that it got much cooler so fast.  But I started out; and the first time I tried to get a bit to eat, the bag with my “bites” in it snagged on my glove’s fingers. Down it went; and I lost six of eight pieces of energy bar. Full-fingered gloves drive me crazy! So there I was, with half of my ride food gone. I did have a spare energy bar with me; but it wasn’t cut into pieces. The wind also made it harder to manage getting a bottle (with electrolyte drink) in and out of its cage. Today it took me an hour or so to ride only 9.5 miles! I felt so cold and tired that I decided to head for home early. Danged wind; it’s not the first time that wind has ruined a ride. I hope things calm down a bit by mid-afternoon; then maybe I can take another short ride.

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rehash

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Rehash? It feels like a rehash every time I blog about a week’s activity. Monday, I went for a pre-dawn ride; and Tuesday I did the same. And so on. How about something new? Monday morning I went for a ride; and as soon as I opened the door, I was dismayed to see how foggy it was. It’s the first big fog we’ve had in a while; and my hopes of seeing the almost-full moon were dashed. But Tuesday I got lucky. Here’s something unusual to report! It was clear; and I was able to see the eclipsed moon! It was darker than many lunar eclipses I’ve seen; but it was in a position where I could take frequent looks at it as I rode. Actually, the moon was so dark that it was a little hard to find! On the way home the moon was behind me; but I could still take glances at it over my shoulder. In Summer I can’t do that, because the moon is in the wrong place in the sky. Also on the way home, I could watch the sky lightening as the sun prepared to rise. What a ride! I’m fast closing in on my Love to Ride mileage goal. As of this evening, only 64.48 miles left to go! I intend to ride to the salvage store tomorrow; and that will knock off about 10 miles. I need to run an errand or two; and that means another mile or so. Tomorrow night we’ve got a cold front due. Down to 43 degrees; and the wind will be 10-15 mph. That means a chill factor in the 30s. Maybe I’ll put in a short stint on the road bike tomorrow; and do a shorter-than-usual Sunday ride. Then I won’t have to be out in the cold so long. Wimpy, aren’t I? That’s enough of a rehash. Time to enjoy the weekend!

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Slog

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

SLOG! Today’s long ride sure felt like a slog. Not that I was struggling through mud; but much of the time, it felt like the wind was against me. That was both going out and coming back home! Per the forecast, the wind was going to be 2-3 mph; but  it felt stronger than that! I checked the NOAA site when I got home; and it said the wind was 6-7 mph. Because of the breeze, I spent nearly  all of today’s ride on the small ring. When I started my ride, I immediately noticed that it was warmer than I expected. The forecast predicted 73 degrees; and I though I might be a little too cool without leg warmers. I decided that, even if I began my ride a bit cool, it would warm up; and I left the leg warmers at home. It was a good thing I did! I wore long sleeves and my vest; and before I completed my ride I was almost too hot! I started the ride with a lightweight helmet liner; and had to take it off. Despite my feeling rather tired, I pushed for 40 miles. I did quite a lot of rapid pedaling in a fairly easy gear; and surprised myself my averaging 12.41 mph. Whatever my pace, I wanted to get in the miles for Love to Ride; and the closer I get to my goal, the more eager I am to rack up some more miles. Yes, it sometimes feels like a slog; but even when it does, I need the exercise!

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Slowing Down

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Slowing Down I’m going to be slowing down the blogging. I enjoy it (most of the time); but I need to work on other aspects of this website. Something has to give. It can’t be riding. I’ll go crazy from inactivity if I stop cycling; and I’m eager to meet my Love to Ride goal. In fact, I think the problem in the next week or two will be restraining myself from riding too much at a time! Incidentally, Love to Ride has announced the 2022 December Winter Wheelers! Needless to say, I’m in; but I hope we don’t get any sub-freezing wind chill days before January. It’s SO hard to get out on the bike when it’s as cold as that. Today is just Wednesday; but I’m already looking ahead to the weekend’s riding. The Saturday forecast doesn’t look good for a trip to the salvage store; but I’m thinking of visiting the regular grocery store anyway. Even if I get poured on, I’ll be much less concerned about lightning. Sunday looks OK so far; and I don’t want to be slowing down my cycling. I’m anticipating another 40-miler!  Well, I’d better forget that for the moment and go work on my website!      

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