SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Unseasonable

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Our weather is most unseasonable. For several days, the high temperature has reached about 80 degrees; and my apartment gets so stuffy and hot that I need to turn on the air conditioner! For the past three mornings there was dense fog; and tonight it’s supposed to go down to 58 degrees. That’s more like it for February. Yesterday morning when I was riding, my glasses got so misty that I had to take them off so I could see; and I didn\’t quite dare to try speed work of any sort. The visibility was simply too poor. Visibility in here hasn\’t been so great, either. The light fixture is for three bulbs; and for some time, two of them have been burnt out. I have high ceilings; and need to climb up on the step ladder to change light bulbs. But the ladder often has clothes hanging from the cross-braces to dry. Well, last weekend I didn\’t try to do any washing. The old James washer is falling apart; and I decided to get an electric washer. It looks like I\’ll still be able to save the water for, er, \”flushing\”; and as I\’m having more and more trouble with my hands, a hand-powered washer might not be practical for much longer. I got plenty of use out of \”Jim-Jim\”, though! The weekend isn\’t looking too unseasonable: lows in the 50s. I\’ll need leg warmers; but not slacks over them. It looks like I\’ll be able to ride to the salvage store on Saturday; and Sunday I think I\’ll shoot for about 45 miles. I just hope the 30% chance of showers doesn\’t mean I\’ll get wet.

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Too Little Too Late?

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Too Little Too Late? Am I doing too little, too late if I want to ride a century in April? It’s late February, after all; and (need I say it again?) time flies. Look here for advice for riding a 100-miler if you haven’t done much training. It says that you can do your usual average weekly mileage total in a single day; and if that’s true, maybe I’ll be OK. The catch, for me, is my pace. I want to do better than 12 mph; but I’ve got plenty of hard work to do in the four or five weeks ahead if I want to manage it. So, what to do?   This book, I admit, is rather beyond me; but serious cyclists may find it helpful. Well, a good dose of interval work to improve my force might do the trick. In fact, I began working at force several years ago; and I’m still a plodder! Apparently I didn’t do enough of it, often enough; and I’ve made only marginal gain in my pace. Of course a part of century prep is longer and longer Sunday rides; and I’ll continue to try out different ride food. I know not to wait until the week before the big ride to start learning to eat on the bike; that’s too little, too late! In April, the weather might still be chancy. A cold front isn’t impossible; but it might be sweltering hot! My favorite cycling temperature is cool enough for long sleeves; but not too cool for shorts. Of course bare legs mean I need more sunblock; and now that I’m on hydroxychloroquine (for rheumatoid arthritis), I need to be more careful about that. We’ll see how it goes; but I know that riding 100 miles in a day is not impossible.    

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A TWOderful Day

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Yes; it\’s a TWOderful day! As we typically write dates here in the USA, today is 2/22/22. It’s Two’s across the board; and forwards and backwards as well, which makes it a palindrome date. On top of that, today is “TWOSday”! I went \”twosies\” yesterday as well. The drug store had a special on their store-brand canisters of whey protein powder: Buy one, get the second 50% off; and I went for it. They\’re two pounds each; and they\’ll last a long time. The weather is still crazy. It feels more like April or even May than February; and such warm weather at this season makes us nervous. We storm-weary folks worry that it will mean another hyperactive hurricane season. At least we seem to be out of range of the big Winter storm that\’s out there; and that\’s good news. I wish I knew how to get a very long-range forecast; and that will make it easier to plan April rides. It\’s a TWOderful day in that I went out on my BIcycle; and that means two wheels! But in a way that ride wasn\’t wonderful — er, should I say TWOderful? About a mile and a quarter out, I ran into a patch of thick fog; and fog drives me crazy, because I can\’t see where I\’m going . It was windy, too; and for some reason I associate fog with lack of wind. Today I finally did practiced riding out of the saddle a little; and in general my legs felt stronger than they have for a while. That\’s wonderful, right?

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More Inspiration

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If Team Novo Nordisk provides inspiration, there\’s more inspiration to be found in the story of Leo Rodgers. It amazes me to see people who have only one leg still riding bicycles. And Mr. Rodgers does more than just ride! Could I keep riding if I lost a leg? Would I even want to? I suppose that I would; but I might not try it on the road bike for quite a while; and if I had only one leg, I don\’t think I\’d want to ride clipless. Let\’s face it, toe clips let me get my feet out much more quickly and easily if I need to get my feet down in a hurry; and if I had just one foot, that\’s even more important. And I\’m sure I wouldn\’t try the kind of cycling that Mr. Rodgers does. In fact, I don\’t have the gumption to try it with two sound legs! I guess I\’m too old; and I never was that kind of thrill-seeker even when I was a kid. Gravel racing sounds interesting; although judging from those pics, it\’s a good way to get plenty muddy! I\’ve also got a hunch that gravel surfaces provide ample opportunity for skidding; and to me, that isn\’t fun. Road rash isn\’t pretty; and I guess I\’m too fond of my skin! I guess I\’ll have to look for more inspiration somewhere else, then; but I can always keep in mind that I still have both of my legs. More power to those who have only one leg; but who still ride!

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Novo Nordisk

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I admire the folks on Team Novo Nordisk; and in fact, they\’re quite an inspiration. The members of Team Novo Nordisk — which includes pro cyclists; triathletes; and runners — all have Type I diabetes. Managing this condition takes a lot of hard work to begin with; and imagine juggling it with pro-level athletic training! People who have diabetes must keep close watch on their glucose levels; and they constantly walk the line between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. They have to learn how to judge when they need to eat; what and how much they need to eat; and it sounds like insulin dependence further complicates matters. That\’s a hard balancing act to begin with; and I\’m sure it\’s even more difficult for people with diabetes who are physically very active. As I understand it, physical activity can have varying effects on blood sugar levels, depending on its duration and intensity. Anaerobic efforts, for example, cause the body to draw on its glycogen stores; and this drives up blood glucose. Glycogen and Me I\’m lucky that all I need to worry about — so far! — is not getting too hungry on the bike. Before my weekly long ride, I cut two or three protein bars into bite-sized pieces; and put the pieces in small plastic bags. One bite every 15 minutes seems to work well; and I usually have a GU or two along the way. This fends off the bonk; and it\’s also valuable gut training! However, I\’m working to keep prediabetes at bay; and it isn\’t easy, especially since I had to return to working on site. I take my lunch and snacks with me most days; but all too often what I do take isn\’t enough. I wind up eating junk food so I won\’t get too hungry and bonk; and then I feel guilty for overshooting my carb count! If it\’s so hard for me, just imagine how much harder it is for anybody who actually has diabetes; and in particular Type I. As the aforementioned book discusses, there are many factors that a person with diabetes must consider before; during; and after physical activity. But Team Novo Nordisk shows that it can be done. Come to think of it, those people are trailblazers! Back at It Today I was back at it, putting in 40+ miles. It was great to do it, after last Sunday\’s curtailed ride. I found myself thinking of Team Novo Nordisk, too. How do they plan their ride food? I check the calorie and carb content of whatever I plan to eat on the bike; but I suppose people who have diabetes must be extra careful. They don\’t want their blood sugar levels to go to high; but at the same time, they have to be careful that those same levels don\’t drop too much. Today I took along a Gatorade bar, and a One bar; and I ended up eating two GU-Gels. Calorie intake, 763; and a whopping 106 grams of carbs. That sounds like a lot; but my bicycle computer\’s ride summary said I burned 1151 calories. The exercise probably burned off a lot of those carbs, too. There was an East wind; and it reached 12 mph before I got back home — riding against a headwind, of course. Still, I averaged 12.66 mph; and that\’s not too bad. I got started two hours later than usual, because I had to wait for the plumber. On the way out, I started to feel almost too warm, thanks to a tailwind. But I knew it would be cooler coming back with the wind against me! s

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Rain Suit

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This Bicycle Rain Suit is great for any outdoor activity, whether cycling; hiking; or just the walk to work. It\’s waterproof and windproof; and a built-in ventilation system helps to minimize stuffiness. The suit folds to small size for easy storage or carrying. Unisex design. Material is odorless. Size: large. I admit I\’ve never tried anything like the Rain Suit; but more than once I\’ve wished I had one when I have to ride through the rain. A poncho flaps around too much, if only from the wind generated by my own forward motion. The poncho also leaves my legs exposed to the wet; and in cold weather, when I\’m wearing slacks, those pants get soaked!

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Streaking

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Sometimes I feel like I\’m streaking. Twice in the past week, I forgot to wear my reflective vest when I went out on the bike; and when I realize that I don\’t have it, I feel naked! It\’s a good thing I\’m not. To begin with, it\’s too cold for such shenanigans; and at my age, I have more sense than to try it. Of course I\’ve often seen lightning streaking across the sky; but that\’s something different. Today I couldn\’t make a salvage store run, because the hybrid is still in the shop; so I went out on the road bike. It was in the mid-40s; and as usual, the wind was a bother. By the time I got back home, it was up to 14 mph. I feel so weak against the wind. Maybe I need more lunges and squats to improve leg strength; but the former have become a problem because of arthritis. The base joint of my left big toe is affected; and putting weight on it when my toes are flexed is painful. I\’m not sure how good it is to turn my foot so that my weight goes onto the smaller toes. That might mean I\’m trading one problem for another! It looks like wind might be a problem tomorrow, too. A wind from a southerly direction is more apt to give me headwinds both going out, and coming back home. But at least it isn\’t expected to be as strong as last Sunday\’s wind; and I want to get in the 42-mile ride that I meant to do then! I expect I\’ll still be rather slow. I can\’t cruise at 20 mph; but if I could, maybe you could say that I was streaking.

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Fighting Back

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Is my body fighting back? They say that, if you lose weight, your body has a tendency to try to get back to your pre-loss weight! A good bathroom scale can help you keep on track; and I, for one, need that. Over the past week or two, my weight is bouncing all over the place within a range of about four pounds. I\’ll drop to a certain weight level, but then I keep feeling like I need to eat; and before I know it, I\’ve gained back several pounds. So it looks like my body is fighting back. It\’s most aggravating! Cycling can help with weight control; and Ride Your Way Lean contains much advice for riders who want to lose weight. I don\’t follow the book\’s plans, but the important thing is to ride regularly; and include a mix of short, intense efforts and steady, moderately-paced rides. Along with riding, of course follow a good eating plan. I\’ve noticed in the last month that I can\’t seem to reach earlier levels of intensity during hard efforts. Did I lose too much weight; and some strength along with it? But I don\’t want to gain that weight back! I\’ve still got prediabetes hanging over my head; and now I have rheumatoid arthritis, too! Extra weight is not good for either condition. I need to keep fighting back at my body\’s tendency to regain weight. Fortunately I seem to get the weight back off fairly easily; and not everyone is so lucky. But it\’s easier in the long run to not gain the pounds to begin with. It makes me feel like a yo yo dieter; and I wish I could work from home again. It\’s easier to keep my diet under control when I do!

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Prophets of Doom?

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Weather forecasts often seem like prophets of doom. A forecast I checked yesterday predicted heavy fog for this morning; and then I didn’t see any fog. I’m not complaining about the absence of fog; but sometimes I don’t know what to prepare for when planning a ride! One weather site said 40% chance of showers; but it wasn’t an hour-by-hour prediction. I was afraid it might be pouring at ride time; and I also didn’t know when those 40 mph wind gusts might kick up. More than anything, it was the prospect of a powerful breeze that made me plan to ride in the park. Just before I went out, I checked NOAA; and it said the wind was 16 mph. That\’s a far cry from the 40 mph gusts that the forecast mentioned. But I wanted to ride rather easy today; and I didn’t feel like fighting that wind for 6 miles on the way home. The rain, luckily, hadn’t set in; and the temperature was downright balmy at 71 degrees. I wore leg warmers and my Baleaf jacket; and got almost too hot! Throughout the day, the wind and the appearance of the sky seemed like prophets of doom. I expected it to pour at any minute; and in fact it rained on and off. The wind gradually strengthened; and by the time I left work, I needed a windbreaker even though the temperature was near 80 degrees! While walking home, I kept an anxious eye on the sky. There were plenty of dark clouds in a westerly direction; and we know weather in the Northern hemisphere moves West to East! I was relieved to reach home without getting wet. We\’ll See We\’ll see what happens. There\’s still an 80%; chance of rain tonight; and then it\’s going to drop to about 45 degrees. Wind 10-15 mph tomorrow; but I hope that forecast is more prophets of doom. Sometimes it\’s not as bad as they seem to think it will be. Even so, I\’ll take along hand warmers when I ride!

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Disco

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This morning I felt like a rolling disco. My headlight began flickering; and it made me think of a disco scene that I saw on television many years ago. I was sure that I had charged that light; but maybe I forgot. I don\’t want to be one of those people who ride in the dark without lights; and I was nervous that the light would go out entirely before I got home. Fortunately, it didn\’t; and I took it straight to the charger! When I went out on the road bike, the temperature was in the mid-50s; and it was great to not have to wear slacks over my leg warmers. My legs had much more freedom of movement; and I didn\’t have to worry about the slacks\’ hems coming loose and getting snagged on something. I got my full moon fix; and the wind wasn’t too bad. Overall, it was a good ride. For two days, I\’ve had a welcome break from morning temperatures below 40; and that made it much easier to get awake and moving! The forecast for tomorrow morning isn\’t any too great. There\’s a chance of showers; and patchy fog as well. The wind will be quite strong; with gusts up to 40 mph! Thursday night it will get colder again; but but by then the rain ought to be over for a while. Tomorrow morning maybe I\’ll ride in the park instead of on the levee. Wherever I ride, I hope my headlight doesn\’t make me a rolling disco again!

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