SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Sunburned in the Fog?

BACK ISSUES /

Can you get sunburned in the fog? That\’s a reasonable enough question, I suppose. After all, cloudy skies don\’t prevent sunburn; and riding through the fog is like riding through a cloud, isn\’t it? This morning I didn\’t get out to ride until about 6:30, and I figured I\’d need sunblock. So I applied it; and went out to ride. Lo and behold, it was quite foggy! In some places the fog was pretty dense; and I\’m glad it wasn\’t dark, too. The temperature was already 77 degrees; and the forecast predicted scattered T-storms. Such forecasts always have me a bit on edge, wondering whether I\’ll get to ride; or worse, get caught in a storm miles from home. Often my concerns prove to be unjustified; but you never know! I thought of doing laps around the park, in case a T-storm did break out; and then I wouldn\’t be far from home. But the park\’s walking/biking path is no place to be doing force intervals, especially if I don\’t get there very early. By 6:00 am, there are too many people on that path for me to be doing on-bike exercises that might see me hit 21 mph — more than double the park\’s speed limit for cyclists! So I headed for the levee bike path; and did my ride. When I do force work, I like to have a recovery drink when I get home; and last night I prepared it. The directions say that a serving is two scoops; but I used just one, mixed into almond milk. Next time maybe I\’ll try two scoops; but a single scoop seems rich enough to me. If I had gotten sunburned in the fog, a tasty drink is some consolation. Still Waiting By late morning, I was still waiting for the weather to turn bad. I guess I was lucky today: I didn\’t get sunburned in the fog; and I didn\’t get poured on. I had a dental appointment at 10:00 am, and I decided to walk there instead of riding. It\’s only a mile; and if it did start to rain, I didn\’t want to be on a bicycle with a flapping poncho!

Sunburned in the Fog? Read More »

Not Omicron?

BACK ISSUES /

This is not omicron, I hope. My head feels stuffy and a bit achy today. I didn\’t really notice it until I began my ride; but I don\’t have other symptoms of omicron: no fever; no muscle aches; and my sense of smell is intact. I suppose it\’s probably an allergy thing. The stuffiness came and went as I continued to ride. At my turnaround point, I ate a GU-Gel. Many flavors of \”goo\” contain a little caffeine; and I thought that it might help my head to feel better. I think it did help a little; and as I\’m not working today, I could put in some extra miles. I\’m glad I didn\’t have to ride in the dark, because it was foggy. Wouldn\’t you know, this is the time I forgot to wear my reflective vest. The forecast is for \”scattered rain\”; and about two hours after I finished my ride, the wind had increased. Gusts could become as strong as 25 mph; and it\’s not fun battling that on a road bike. I decided to make a short trip to the drug store. It didn\’t look like rain yet; but I wasn\’t going to wait, in case it did rain. At the store, I saw home tests for COVID; and decided to get one just in case. My stuffy head is not omicron, I think; but what if I develop further symptoms, and need to test myself? Half of me wonders why I blew about $10 on such a test. I get tested at work as a regular thing; and that doesn\’t cost me a cent. But things are crazy right now; and if I should suddenly need such as test, that will be when the stores are all sold out!

Not Omicron? Read More »

Backsliding

BACK ISSUES /

I\’m still backsliding on my diet. Even when I count carbs; and stay within my daily limit; I eat too many sweets. That isn\’t good. I have to get my A1c levels checked again next month; and I fear it won\’t be good news. It\’s so easy to fall back into poor eating habits; and I always overestimate my ability to resist sweets when I have them here in the home. Will I never learn not to buy them? On top of that, there\’s the specter of possible rheumatoid arthritis hanging over my head! Elevated CCP levels can mean RA; or, in fact, several other conditions. If I have any one of them, watching my diet will be even more crucial. Today I\’m backsliding on my cycling. I took a very short ride to the drug store; but otherwise am taking today off from riding. I think I actually need a day off. I walked to the bike shop to get the help I needed with making my new bicycle computer pick up my heart rate. The weather is still very warm for December; but there\’s a cold front in the forecast. It won\’t be here until Sunday night; but it will feel more like Winter after it passes through. At present the wind is 15 mph; and I\’m glad I\’m not trying to ride against it. It looks like tomorrow morning will be OK for riding. That\’s a good thing! Year 2021 is almost over; so I want to squeeze in what miles I can over the next three days. What shall I do for New Year\’s? Go for a ride, of course; but I\’m trying to resist getting any more goodies. I\’ve done enough backsliding already.

Backsliding Read More »

Splurge

BACK ISSUES /

I had rather a splurge today. I couldn\’t be sure the salvage store will be open on Saturday, because that\’s New Year\’s Day; so I went this morning. As I cruised the aisles, I found a canister of Zone Perfect protein powder. The price tag was nearly $27, which is hair-raisingly expensive for the salvage store; but I got it anyway. I know I\’ll use it in due course; and I like to try new things for my recovery drinks. Today I didn\’t take the trailer; and I wish I had. The store had those huge, 48-roll packs of bathroom tissue; and if I\’d had the trailer, I could have bought one! I don\’t suppose it\’s any use going back to the store, because those packs are probably all sold out by now. Again, the grab-bag bins were a disappointment. They were nearly empty; but I got some goodies from other parts of the store. Not that I need them; I already had candy on hand! For lunch, I had another splurge. I rode over to the neighborhood Chinese restaurant to get take-out — or should I say, bike-out? — for my lunch. When I get Chinese food, I usually choose something with chicken in it; but today I decided to be different and tried Hunan Beef. I got the lunch combination, so I could have fried rice and an egg roll, too. Hunan Beef has several large pieces of green bell pepper in it; and I discarded them. I still do not like green bell pepper. Otherwise, it was good. Now I think I\’ll stay put for the rest of the day. My legs need a break; and who know when it might start to rain. The forecast doesn\’t predict any precipitation before tonight; but you just never know!

Splurge Read More »

Cut Rate?

BACK ISSUES /

Today I visited Walmart, to get cut-rate greeting cards for next Christmas. I forgot that the store usually has a special section devoted to holiday items; and remembered it only when I reached the check-out! So I\’m not sure that the cards I found were truly cut-rate; but oh, well. At least I have them, which means I\’ve gotten a head start on next year\’s Christmas shopping. The other items that I bought were not cut-rate. Batteries are expensive, and they weren\’t on sale; but I need them for my blinkies. I bough some rather pricy pickles and olives, too. It\’s Boxing Day, but the store already had Valentine candy on the shelves. Mardi Gras decorations were there, too; and Fat Tuesday isn\’t until March 1! The weather is still weird. It was already nearly 70 degrees at 9:30 am; and it\’s mostly cloudy. On the way to the store, I ran into some patches of fog; and I was glad it wasn\’t still dark. Today doesn\’t feel like Sunday. I did a long ride last Friday, so I could include it in my Winter Wheelers log. Yesterday was the final day of Winter Wheelers; and I wanted to get in those miles. Now my sense of time is off-kilter. In fact, I put out some mail for pick-up; and now I have to bring it back indoors. I forgot that today is Sunday!

Cut Rate? Read More »

Yule Ride

BACK ISSUES /

Today I did a Yule Ride! What else on Christmas Day? I didn\’t have a new bicycle; and I don\’t need a new one. If I were a kid, though, I bet I would have been thrilled to find a brand new bike beside the Christmas Tree! The weather still does not feel at all like December; and it didn\’t yesterday, either. This warmth will continue well into next week. It\’s absolutely crazy! I made today\’s ride short, and pretty easy. After all, I rode 40+ miles yesterday. After I got home, I put on an egg to boil; and while it was cooking I opened my Christmas presents. Nothing fancy: a calendar, a book, and so on. And some maple candy! That reminds me, I need to use up the maple syrup that\’s sitting in the fridge. It sounds like the wind is getting stronger, so I\’m glad I did my Yule Ride earlier in the day. Now I can be lazy for a while! Merry Christmas!

Yule Ride Read More »

On the Eve

BACK ISSUES /

Here we are, on the eve of Christmas already! I guess many youngsters\’ heads are full of visions of a new bicycle. My head is occupied with thoughts of tomorrow\’s ride! We had a few chilly days, but now our weather has warmed up considerably; and in fact, it\’s going to get close to 80 degrees tomorrow! That\’s far from unheard of; but it\’s still really too warm for the season. Of course I\’m planning my \”festive\” meal. Canned chicken; I want to steam some broccoli; and I have some cranberry sauce that I need to use up. If your locale will be as warm as mine; and if you\’re tired of sweet goodies; maybe pickle pops will suit your palate! Pretty soon we\’ll be on the eve of a new year; and it\’s time to give some thought to my cycling goals for 2022: can I finally ride that century? I want to keep working towards improving my pace; and how about aiming for 5000 miles? Lately, unfortunately, I\’ve felt rather tired. Maybe it\’s because I rode more than usual during the week of Thanksgiving; and while Winter Wheelers lasts, I want to get in the mileage! It\’s Not Sunday It\’s not Sunday; but it sure feels like it because I did a long ride. We\’re on the eve of the final day of Winter Wheelers; and I wanted to get in some good licks while there was still time. So today I rode 40.4 miles. It wasn\’t so easy, because the wind got up to 15 mph before I got home. It\’s blowing from the South today; and as I rode, the sky got cloudier and cloudier. The forecast doesn\’t mention rain; but tomorrow night and Sunday morning: fog. Did I need to eat more during my ride? My ride data says I burned 1000 calories; and I took in just 575. Is that why I felt tired? I think I\’ll make it short and easy tomorrow; but I\’d better avoid the park! I remember one Christmas morning, some years ago. I went to ride in the park; and it was about 6:00 am when I got there. The kids with their new bicycles were already out in considerable numbers; and it was a bit nerve-wracking trying to avoid them. For now I\’m taking it easy; and I must be sure my doormat is out to welcome Santa!

On the Eve Read More »

Scrooge?

BACK ISSUES /

Am I a Scrooge? Before his transformation, Scrooge was a loner as well as a skinflint. I\’m not sure I\’m the skinflint that old Ebeneezer was; but I\’m definitely not a social butterfly. I had little experience in socializing when I started school; and I had no idea how to make friends. Somehow I never seemed to fit in; and if I became a loner, it shouldn\’t be surprising. About thirteen years ago, I developed strong sensitivity to \”fragrances\”; and for that reason I avoid social situations as much as I can. It\’s actually lucky that I\’m not a social animal. I need to go to stores early to beat the crowds; and I need to wear filter masks when away from home. I was sick and tired of those things long before the current pandemic came along; and, like a Scrooge, I\’m tired of the cost of the things. Now omicron is stampeding through the world; and I decided not to do any visiting on Christmas Day. I think it\’s wiser not to risk it. Besides, I have a hard enough time keeping to a proper diet at home. Naturally I got some candy for Christmas; and am, of course, doing some nibbling in advance! I found a variety pack of Ferrero Rocher® at the salvage store last Saturday, and snatched it up. I\’m keeping it for December 25; and have to keep my mind off of it until then. Today I got some other chocolates to eat; just a little box of three pieces. Now I really have to watch the carbs for the rest of the day! Of course I want to go for a ride on Christmas. It\’s going to warm up a lot by then; so maybe my nose will give me a break!

Scrooge? Read More »

Timeline

BACK ISSUES /

Timeline sounds like a meticulous, minute-by-minute summary of events. Maybe it is; but I don\’t always have time to maintain such a timeline! Who does? But as I\’m on vacation this week, I can do a bit better with it. Monday morning I went to the supermarket. They open at 6:00 am; but it was nice to not have to leave home at 5:30 am; so as to be back home by 6:40 am; so I could get to work on time! I didn\’t have to rush through the store; and I could take my time putting the groceries away once I was back home. I took a shopping list with me; but forgot to put olives on said list. I remembered them just as I was taking the panniers off my bicycle at my front steps! Doesn\’t it gall you when that happens? A short time later I had to ride to the bank; and there\’s another grocery store on the way. I don\’t use that one often because their prices are on the high side; but I stopped there and got those olives. The sky was gray; and there was a sprinkle of rain here and there. Thank goodness it didn\’t actually rain! The temperature was 50 degrees. That\’s not so cold per se; and the wind wasn\’t bad; but it was very humid. All in all, it was miserably chilly. My new cycling jacket has a problem. The zipper pulls on the side pockets are very small, and I\’ve found that they\’re not so easy to grip; especially when I\’m wearing full-fingered gloves. Apparent arthritis doesn\’t help with that; and in addition my hands were numb from the chilly day. In Reversal To continue the timeline, I did breakfast and lunch in reversal Monday. A bologna sandwich was much quicker to fix than measuring out rolled oats, frozen blueberries, and yogurt; and mixing them together. Besides, it was cool enough that I didn\’t want to gulp down frozen stuff in a hurry. Yesterday Yet more of the timeline. Yesterday I went to Whole Foods. I didn\’t need any more groceries; but I like the store-brand, unscented dishwashing liquid. I wanted vegetable glycerine, too. Adding a small amount of vegetable glycerine to the BBH baking soda soft scrubber (see pg. 96) keeps it from drying out so fast. Before I rode to the store, I dressed as I would for a ride on the road bike. I figured that would make it easier for me to get out there on the road bike after I got home from the store; and it did. The ride was not without a snag or two, though. Five miles out, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn\’t applied sunblock. That\’s what happens on a gray, overcast day! It\’s a good thing I keep sunblock in the road bike\’s under-saddle pack; or I would be sunburned now! Soon after the sunblock halt, I thought that my bike was rolling funny, and stopped to check the tires; but they were OK. I\’m sure glad of that. It was colder yesterday than it was the day I got that flat tire; and changing a flat would have been much harder, thanks to cold, numb hands. After I got home I had some lunch; then put brown rice to cook for Mayocoba Madness. I have to cook up stuff to freeze for when I\’m back at work. And Today And today I didn\’t have to worry about getting to a store before the traffic got heavy; so I allowed myself the luxury of staying in bed until 8:00 am. I wish I could do that more often! Today the sky is clear, and it\’s nice to see the sun again. Of course I went for a ride; and very soon noticed that pedaling felt like hard work. It wasn\’t my tires, and it wasn\’t brake rub; so I guess my legs were a bit tired. After all, I rode a few extra miles yesterday! Even so, I put in a few force intervals. I\’ve been slacking lately when it comes to such work; and I need to get back into it. But I still haven\’t figured out how to get my heart rate zones into my new Garmin! It would help if I could see what\’s going on as I ride. After I got back from my ride, I downed a recovery drink; and then juggled eating lunch with making Mayocoba Madness. I\’ll take it easy for a while; then do some more cleaning. I think I\’ll let the timeline end here. Keeping it up takes a lot of time.

Timeline Read More »

Bodyweight

BACK ISSUES /

Bodyweight Bodyweight training is an alternative to having a lot of space-hogging equipment hanging around. You can do it just about anywhere and any time; and that’s another advantage. In effect, your own body is your gym! Most of us are quite familiar with bodyweight exercises, even if we don’t do them: pushups are an obvious example. Then there are prone planks; and crank planks. Lately I’ve discovered that I seem able to hold a prone plank better if I engage my quads. The trouble is that this exercise requires bracing my feet against the floor in a flexed-toes position; and that hurts the base joint of my left big toe. I have to roll my foot outwards to the smaller toes; and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. I remember my earliest efforts at the crank plank exercise. I couldn’t even get into the proper start position; and I don’t have my supporting arm straight! It was all I could do to approximate the position by extending my free arm out in front of me; and it was very hard to hold that position for three seconds! It took me a long time to build some upper-body strength, because I don’t put in lengthy sessions. After all, I have a day job; and this blogging is, in effect, a second job! Besides, I’m not body-building. Cyclists don’t need a lot of upper-body bulk to carry along. It adds weight; and that’s no help for climbing.    

Bodyweight Read More »