SpokEasy

May 2024

Bathtime

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Bathtime 🫧 It’s bathtime again. Take-a-bath-in-sunblock time, that is. Nobody wants to get sunburned; especially not these days, when we hear so much about skin cancer from excessive UV exposure. I’ve tried KINeSYS; and I like it well enough. However, what I had was a sample-sized bottle that I bought at a sports shoe store. I prefer a tube that can fit into my under-saddle pack; so I’ve been sticking with Alba Botanica. I’m not all that crazy about this sunblock bathtime. I have to use a lot more of the stuff than I do when it’s cool enough for long sleeves and leg warmers. But I can’t change the seasons; and the upside of warmer weather is that my nose isn’t such a nuisance as it is on cold days. Sauna? ♨️ It’s time to turn up the steam during my rides; and I don’t mean a sauna. It will feel like a steam bath out there soon enough; but no matter how hot it gets, I need to work on speed. Today I did three five-minute efforts to ride at least 15 mph; with five minutes rest in between efforts. I hit a top speed of 18 mph; so does that mean I have the potential to develop a cruising speed that’s 18 mph? The wind was more or less behind me, though. Coming back home, I had more headwind; and it was hard to push myself to 13-14 mph for 10-25 seconds. Good thing it wasn’t too much of a sauna out there yet! I still sometimes wish I had a power meter; but every time I’ve come close to purchasing one, a more urgent expense has emerged. But knowing how much power you can generate tells you more about your strength than does speed. So many factors influence speed; but X watts is X watts,  whether you’ve got a calm day; or are battling a 20 mph headwind! 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.” 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 Elementor #170979 May 21, 2024 Why Didn’t I Look? May 20, 2024 Doubling Back May 19, 2024 Hurricane Rehearsal? May 18, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Why Didn’t I Look?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Why Didn’t I Look? 👀 Why didn’t I look at my Garmin more carefully? I’ve never been able to get my heart rate zones to show on the display screen; although beats per minute is there. Somehow I thought that I wasn’t getting the breakdown of Time Spent in HR Zones; so for at least a year I didn’t even try to find it. Well, why didn’t I look? That info is there. Just think of the data I missed! Of course I can go back through my history of rides and get what I want; but I decided that the last few weeks’ info gives me enough to go on. I went back to May 5, and saw that much of my riding time — at least, on the road bike — was spent in Zone 3 and Zone 4. So now I have a decent idea of what my training load is. Carrying a Load? 🧱 Maybe I really am carrying a load that’s a bit much. Zone 3 is called “steady”; and “just above your comfort zone”. Zone 4 is “brisk”; and the point where you begin to edge into working anaerobically. Since May 5, I actually spent a little more time in Zone 4 than I did in Zone 3! I want to keep better track of this as I ride; and in order to watch which zone I’m in, I had to write the zones on a bit of index card, and tape it to my handlebars. Today I worked to stay in Zone 2; and it was surprisingly hard. I kept wanting to push harder and faster! How do you determine  your training load? Let’s say you went for a ride; and spent 10 minutes in Zone 2; 40 minutes in Zone 3; and 10 minutes in Zone 4. That’s (10 x 2) + (40 x 3) + (10 x 4) = training load 180.  You’ll really be carrying a load if you spend a lot of time in Zone 5. I think I need a little more time working at my maximum heart rate; but one day a week of such efforts is enough for an amateur like me! 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.” 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 Why Didn’t I Look? May 20, 2024 Doubling Back May 19, 2024 Hurricane Rehearsal? May 18, 2024 Still on Edge! May 17, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Doubling Back

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Doubling Back ➰ Doubling back isn’t my favorite way of putting in the miles; whether I’m on a road bike or a hybrid. But sometimes I have no choice. My usual route is blocked about 12-13 miles from home; and today I was gunning for 40 miles. As a complication, the pocket park that has some KYBOs was either hit by some terrific wind gusts yesterday; or was visited by vandals. Three of four KYBOs were down on the ground; and the fourth was locked. I’m lucky I didn’t need one so urgently that I couldn’t make it home first. Even with some doubling back, I didn’t manage to ride 40 miles, as I had planned. At about 21 miles, I felt very tired for a while; and wasn’t sure whether I was starting to get a bit dehydrated, or needed to eat more. I decided to go home; and my mileage wasn’t quite 34.  Hitting the Wall? 💥 Maybe I was hitting the wall. That can happen during long rides, especially if you don’t eat enough. But per my calculations, I ate 699 calories during this ride; and I burned 934. A deficit of 235 calories doesn’t seem excessive to me. But I had my recovery drink waiting for me at home. Chocolate! If I had frozen blueberries on hand, I would have blended some of them in. After a long or hard ride, replenishing your muscles is important; and protein powder is a big help. I don’t want to be hitting the wall; so next time I’ll eat slightly more. I’m learning how to manage miles and fueling; because if I get to do RAGBRAI, avoiding the bonk will be vital. 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.” 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 Doubling Back May 19, 2024 Hurricane Rehearsal? May 18, 2024 Still on Edge! May 17, 2024 Meteorologist May 16, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Hurricane Rehearsal?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Hurricane Rehearsal? 🌀 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.” Is today a hurricane rehearsal? When such a storm is threatening, it means hunkering down indoors; or, at the very least, staying very close to home. This morning there’s still the possibility of severe T-storms; and I didn’t want to risk getting caught in a lightning storm. So I skipped the trip to the salvage store. A missed chance to stock up! 😞 It’s supposed to calm down by late morning; and I hope to go for a good ride then. I rode very little yesterday for the same reason that I’m staying indoors right now; and I’m not enjoying this hurricane rehearsal. Pacing 🚶 Pacing might be a good way to get a bit of exercise while I wait out the rain. Not in cycling shoes, though! Today should be a good time to go “pacing” on the bike; namely, to work on my pace. I’m still quite a snail; 🐌 and as I keep saying,  if I’m serious about doing RAGBRAI next year, now is the time to work on my pace. If I wait to train until next March, it will already be too late! I’m not sure whether I’m not working hard enough, often enough; or whether I’m what Joe Friel calls a “slow responder”. Some people’s bodies respond more readily than others’ to training stress; and the latter need more time to train. Maybe I’m also overly concerned that I’ll push too hard, too soon; and as a result, I don’t work hard enough! H’m. Maybe I just answered my own question. Addendum ➕ I’ve wound up having to create an addendum. By about 10:00 am, the weather seemed to be clearing. I was getting tired of being house-bound; and started to prepare for a ride. Before getting underway, I checked the weather site once more. It said, wind gusts 40 mph! 😳 Conditions didn’t seem nearly that extreme; and I figured maybe it was supposed to be 14 mph. All the same, I didn’t want to get blown away with my road bike; so I took the hybrid to the park. During Lap 2, I heard an announcement that some kind of event was about to start; so I left the park and headed for the levee. The wind wasn’t any 40 mph😊; and I worked at pushing my pace. 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 Hurricane Rehearsal? May 18, 2024 Still on Edge! May 17, 2024 Meteorologist May 16, 2024 Slow It Down? May 15, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Still on Edge!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Still on Edge! 😳 I’m still on edge about the weather. If only these batteries could power a crystal ball that would tell me what’s going to happen! Yesterday we were under flood watch from 7:00 am onwards; and by 5:00 pm a tornado watch had been added. I was lucky that the weather was OK in the morning; and I was able to put in 20 miles.  It got rough during the night, though. At midnight, my cell phone woke me, screeching a Severe T-storm warning. I’m glad it wasn’t a tornado warning! And today, I’m still on edge about the weather. My concerns provoked me to cut my ride short; and as too often happens, I needn’t have taken such action. What Next? ⚡️ What next? Is it going to rain, or not? The forecast says, severe T-storms are possible tonight. We’re still under flood watch. The forecast for tomorrow doesn’t look good for a trip to the salvage store. As always, when I rode this morning, I didn’t want to get caught out in a storm; and besides, I wanted to visit the grocery store. I needed bananas!🍌 So, what to do? Rain isn’t expected for another hour or two; but this morning it was already overcast. I decided to ride the hybrid; and make it a short, easy ride in the park. I needed some recovery after yesterday’s miles. Before I finished the first lap, the clouds were getting darker. It looked too much like rain; and I don’t like taking chances with lightning! And here I am, on edge about what the weather will do. I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking, what next? 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.” 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 Still on Edge! May 17, 2024 Meteorologist May 16, 2024 Slow It Down? May 15, 2024 Welcome Change May 14, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Meteorologist

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Meteorologist ⛈️ Do you ever wish you were a meteorologist?  Sometime I wish I had that kind of knowledge about the weather! The compass on my road bike lets me know which way is North; but it doesn’t help me predict whether it will rain. At the same time, I’m glad I’m not a weather forecaster. Those folks have their hands full, trying to tell us with at least reasonable accuracy what the temperature will be; how strong the wind will be, and from what direction; and of course, whether we’ll need to pack along rain gear. Forecasters probably have a lot of people irked at them many a time — when the forecast says clear weather, and it pours; or when they predict possible severe T-storms, and nothing happens — and cyclists like me are disgusted at having missed a ride. What a job it must be, having people mad at you. It’s a good thing after all that I’m not a meteorologist! Will It Come True? 🔮 Will it come true? The forecast says we could get heavy rain and severe T-storms overnight. Recently, similar predictions haven’t come true. So I’m not sure I can ride tomorrow, or not. A crystal ball sure would be handy right now. Failing a crystal ball, this book would be handy. If the weather precludes riding outdoors, a set of rollers is a big help. This “treadmill for a bike” lets you either ride easy; perform an intense workout; or anything in between. Riding on rollers is supposed to help you learn to hold a straight, unswerving line. This is a valuable skill to have for group riding. Or for riding, period. I still have a tendency to waver all over the place when riding one-handed. Wind conditions have a lot to do with it; and I notice that I swerve less at higher speeds and/or in harder gears. At the moment, I’m less concerned about being “squirrely” than I am about tomorrow’s weather. I checked the forecast; and will it come true? 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.” 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 Meteorologist May 16, 2024 Slow It Down? May 15, 2024 Welcome Change May 14, 2024 Missed Opportunity? May 13, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Slow It Down?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Slow It Down? 🐌 Slow it down, when I’m trying to get faster? Yes, indeed. I think I need to. Much as I’ve read about getting faster, I ought to know that the spaces between very hard efforts should be easy. VERY easy; that’s when you’re recovering for the next hard effort. If you aren’t sufficiently recovered, you don’t do as well when you try to go hard. I suspect that I’m not easing up nearly enough. Although I shift to larger (aka easier) cogs between my hard pushes, I sometimes stay on the big ring, as I did this morning; and I was still moving at 11 mph. Ergo I need to slow it down, so I can shove a harder gear when it’s time for it. Hard Enough? 😓 For that matter, are my hard efforts really hard enough? Maybe I should wear a hard hat? Yeah, I know. Bad joke. But I don’t need to push a gear so hard that I develop knee problems. Beginning cyclists especially need to be cautious about that; but I’m hardly a beginner. Not with tens of thousands of miles in my legs! In addition to my “force” efforts, I tried to simulate a steep climb this morning; but I couldn’t get it right. Are my gears not hard enough? Or am I actually stronger than I think I am? 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.” 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 Slow It Down? May 15, 2024 Welcome Change May 14, 2024 Missed Opportunity? May 13, 2024 Muscles or Mush? May 12, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Welcome Change

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Welcome Change ☀️ Today was a welcome change from yesterday. The sky had cleared; and it was great to be out on the road bike again! As always, I wasn’t as fast as I wish I could be; but I’m working at it. Another welcome change was having a TAILwind on the way home! All the more so, as the wind had gotten considerably stronger by the time I turned around for the return trip. On the way out, I had a wind of about 6 mph; for the way home, the breeze was more like 12 mph. Try Again! 🚴🏿 I decided this morning, try again. And again. I’ll never get any faster if I don’t! Even against a wind of only 6 mph, it’s hard to attain 15 mph. I made these efforts only one minute long; and that makes me feel like a wimp. Shouldn’t I keep it up for longer? Was my three sets of three 60-second efforts enough of a workout? But when I got that wind behind me — oh, wow! I could do five-minute efforts; and they didn’t seem terribly hard. If only it could be like that all the time! On the other hand, the rarity of a tailwind on the way home makes it that much more fun. Regular riding gives me ample time to view my road bike’s handlebar tape; and it looks like I may need to replace it soon. It’s always something!  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.” 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 Welcome Change May 14, 2024 Missed Opportunity? May 13, 2024 Muscles or Mush? May 12, 2024 What Happened? May 11, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Missed Opportunity?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Missed Opportunity? 😞 Was today a missed opportunity for a ride? With a flood watch in effect, I though it wise to stick close to home; and I did only a very short ride to pick up a few groceries.  So what happens? We haven’t yet had a drop of rain! I feel cheated when this happens; and maybe I’ll go out for a short ride later. Then today won’t have been a completely missed opportunity. Cycling often seems like a game of chance, anyway. If bad weather is possible, I worry that I’ll get caught in it. If it’s cold out, I’m not sure I’ve worn too few layers; or too many. I’ve always hated being cold; but if I start to feel too warm during a ride, where do I put those extra layers? Even if I’m wearing my Camel-Bak, its pockets usually are already full! Don’t Forget the List! 🪶 Oh, and don’t forget the list! For more than very short rides, we have a checklist to go through. It needn’t be fancy; and you don’t have to be Ko-Ko. For many of us, we’ve got that checklist well memorized; and don’t need to write it. I’m already working on a list of things to do/buy/pack if I can do RAGBRAI next year. The only multi-day ride I’ve ever done was Bike MS in 2013; and RAGBRAI is a much bigger deal. I should have told myself, don’t forget the list, when I went to the store this morning. I wanted only a few things; but as I approached the checkout, I had the feeling that I was forgetting something. Guess what? I did forget something. Only as I was wheeling my bike indoors back home, did I remember that I had wanted bananas. Good thing I’ve got some apples! 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.” 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 Missed Opportunity? May 13, 2024 Muscles or Mush? May 12, 2024 What Happened? May 11, 2024 Make the Grade May 10, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Muscles or Mush?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Muscles or Mush? 🦵🏼 Are your legs muscles, or mush? Mine sure seemed like the latter this morning; and I couldn’t even think about speed. I was an absolute slug! I averaged less than 10 mph; and rode only 19.6 miles. The breeze didn’t help, of course. As I was working my way back home, I had a wind of 12-14 mph to fight; and there was little time when I had a tailwind. In fact, they say that there’s an arc of only 160 degrees behind you where the wind helps push you along. It looks like tomorrow will be even worse than today: wind 15-20 mph; and we’ve got a flood watch in effect for the morning. Even now, the sky is overcast; and the wind hasn’t calmed down much since morning. If I went out on a bike now, I’d be asking myself again whether my legs are muscles or mush. Bikin’ in the Rain 💦 When you go bikin’ in the rain (with apologies to Gene Kelly), what do you do to keep yourself dry? Riding under a poncho or other rain gear can get very hot; and I’m apt to wind up soaked from perspiration. A poncho also has the tendency to flap like crazy in a wind; and it will be windy tomorrow! Wind-driven rain also makes it harder to see where I’m going. Sometimes visibility is almost nil; and that’s a safety hazard. I might have to haul out the trainer tomorrow if I’m determined to get in some miles. As usual, all I can do is wait and see how conditions are in the morning; then decide whether or not I want to go bikin’ in the rain. 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.” 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 Muscles or Mush? May 12, 2024 What Happened? May 11, 2024 Make the Grade May 10, 2024 Forget the Calendar May 9, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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