SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

You Call THIS Winter??

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Can you call this WINTER? Here it is, December 28. Winter began, officially, a week ago. But does it feel like Winter? Far from it! In fact, it\’s almost hot. The temperature now, at 1:45 pm, is in the high 70s. I\’m glad it\’s  overcast, or it would feel much hotter. But is it going to rain? I rode to the salvage store this morning, and was rather worried that it might pour. The sky was heavily overcast at the time, and the forecast said there was a 30% chance of showers. It didn\’t rain during my trip to the store, but there\’s been a  bit of drizzle since then. Is it a warm-up to the downpour? For tomorrow, it\’s a flip of the coin: 50% chance of rain. I need to go to the supermarket to buy plain yogurt, which I forgot to look for today; and I need to get in a jaunt of 20 miles or so. It will be a lot more pleasant if it isn\’t raining. Tomorrow night a cold front is expected to come through, and then the temperature will drop to about 48. From 78 down to 48 is quite a drastic change. We don\’t seem to get the chance to get used to cold weather before it heats up again. It makes me think that Summer is much easier to deal with, because we\’ll know what to expect: hot and humid. As for right now, well, do you call this WINTER?  

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Double Malady

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I sure got a double malady today: brain FAG and brain FOG. About noon I decided to ride over to the bike shop, to look for a new pair of gloves. I got there only to realize that I\’d left my \”wallet\” home. I had also forgotten to re-set the bicycle computer before starting out. I had to go back home to get the wallet; then went to the bike shop. Afterwards I rode back home; re-set the bike computer; and started over to the park. I figured I\’d ride around it a few times and go home. Not halfway there I realized I didn\’t have any ID with me! I had left the wallet at home, so I went back there. And stayed. But how did my brain get so scrambled? It\’s been gray, drizzly, and misty all day. Such weather is liable to make me foggy-headed to begin with. I went out to run an errand before 9 am, but didn\’t use a bicycle. I needed to visit the bank, so I got my driver\’s license out from the baggie with the cell phone, where I usually keep it. I put it in my \”wallet\”; another baggie where I have my work ID and other things I\’m likely to need often. When I got back home, I forgot to put my license back where I usually keep it; and I set the \”wallet\” on the shelf where I normally keep it at night, instead of putting it in my pocket. No wonder I got into such a mix-up. I worked on Products in my Shop for an hour or so. That seems to be as much as I can tolerate at a stretch. My brain starts to say NO MORE, and brain fag makes me physically tired as well. Brain fag can also trigger brain FOG. When such a double malady strikes me, it\’s no wonder I wound up forgetting things.  

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To Your Health

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\”To your health!\” is a popular toast. Health is essential to everyone. Of course there are days when we feel under the weather, like this kitty. Riding isn\’t fun then, and sometimes we need to take a day or two off. But what about those who live with chronic health issues? What do they need to do in order to ride? An obvious example is diabetes. The article makes it plain that living with diabetes is quite the balancing act. Before starting a ride, there\’s blood-glucose testing to be sure your levels are neither too high nor too low for you to ride safely. And determining which foods are best for you before, during, and after riding. How about GU-Gels? If you have diabetes, are they OK for fueling any time, or only when glucose levels threaten to drop too low? Some people suffer from arthritis. Can they be cyclists? They sure can. Cycling is non-impact, making it easier on the joints than, let\’s say, running. Pedaling can be done at a wide range of intensities; every rider can choose what works best for him or her. Cycling can help with weight control; an important point, as excess poundage puts more stress on the knees, hips, and feet. Some people have balance issues, whether as the result of a stroke; the presence of another neurological issue; or inner ear troubles. Some people simply find the idea of being on two wheels too scary! They need not not miss the joys of cycling. There are adult tricycles! It\’s also possible to buy a stabilizer kit for an adult bicycle. Let\’s not forget people who don\’t have the use of their legs. They can get in on the cycling act, too. Hands can get you places! Cycling has great health benefits, and there are ways for most of us to get them. Let\’s not miss out! To Your Health!

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Silent Morn

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Silent morn? Isn\’t it supposed to be Silent NIGHT? It\’s a silent morn when you go out riding at 5:40 am on Christmas Day. There was far less traffic than usual, and fewer people out cycling or jogging. The fog was much less than I thought it might be. Sometimes fog means pea soup, but this time there was just a little light mist here and there. It\’s two weeks since the moon was full, and I hoped to see the old crescent rising when I went out this morning. Alas, much of the sky was overcast. I\’m glad it didn\’t rain. With no need to rush back home, I went out for over seven miles before turning back. The wind was calm. What a marvelous Christmas gift that was! For a while I was riding at 15+ mph. During the last mile, I made a very hard push to see whether I could hit 20 mph. I made it! I could sustain it for only a few seconds, but I got there. Because it was still dark, I got to see some beautiful light displays. That\’s another good reason to ride very early on December 25. I spent the day with old friends of the family. It was good to see them all again. At least one of them asked me about my web site! Of course there was lots of food, and we all took home leftovers. I\’ll have to go for a good ride tomorrow to burn it off. Let\’s hope it won\’t be raining.

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Eve

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It\’s Christmas Eve already! The sun was out this morning, for a change. The wind wasn\’t nearly as strong as the forecast had predicted. Not having to go to work today meant that I could sleep later. I didn\’t start my ride until about 8:10! I stayed on the small ring today, and practiced riding fast — well, pedaling a lot faster — for intervals of 10-60 seconds. Now my legs are feeling it! That just goes to show how much I need such work. When I was a kid, at this time on Christmas Eve, the Christmas Tree would be newly trimmed. We probably would be playing albums of Christmas carols. I would have been excitedly wrapping the presents that I had gotten for other members of the family. Incidentally, as a young child I was puzzled by other kids at school who would say that they were going to get this or that for Christmas. I never could see what fun it was to KNOW ahead of time what you were going to get. At our home, the one exception was that you got a wristwatch for Christmas when you were in eighth grade. Of course we could ask to get this or that — but being surprised was half the fun!

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Jest \’Fore Christmas

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When I was a kid, we had a book of Christmas stories for kids. It included the poem by the above title. Today for sure is \”jest \’fore Christmas\”, and time to be sure that everything\’s ready. Would the little one like to find a balance bike under the Tree? How about that special person on your gift list who is just getting into cycling? Beginners can always use some help. I wouldn\’t be surprised if a seasoned cyclist can still find something helpful in a book for beginning riders. For the time-conscious, maybe a clock will do. After all, who doesn\’t need to worry about time these days? There\’s always Christmas music. If there\’s enough snow where you live, make snow angels. Build a snowman. Have a snowball fight. Or even go riding in the snow! Jest \’fore Christmas is time to see to the weather forecast. It looks like tonight and tomorrow morning will be foggy. Time for Rudolph  to get into his act. Or, down here in \”Swampeast\” Louisiana, Gaston the Green-Nosed Alligator!    

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Finding Your Wings?

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Finding your wings isn\’t entirely about being able to \”fly\” down the bike path at 25+ mph. A serious competitive cyclist reaches the point where traveling to races is unavoidable; and if those races aren\’t pretty close to home, flying might be necessary. Transporting a bicycle by air sounds like a bit of a hassle. It wouldn\’t be a good idea to let your bicycle go into the luggage hold with no more protection than a cardboard box from a bike shop; therefore some sort of bicycle travel case is a wise idea. They aren\’t cheap, but they cost less that replacing a bicycle would. Look at it as a form of travel insurance! Not only competing cyclists need to travel. Some of us yearn for new paths to ride, and there just aren\’t any close to home. We might be itching to do the Dirty Kanza. Or RAGBRAI! If you\’re going to transport your bicycle by air, you might need to learn to partly disassemble it; I\’ve read of bicycle cases that mean removing one or both wheels before stowing the bike in it. Not my idea of fun, but sometimes you\’ve got to bite the bullet and learn how to do new things. It\’s all part of finding your wings as a cyclist.

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Countdown

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Countdown to Christmas! Three days to go. I\’m sure we all remember how long it seemed to take for Christmas to come when we were little kids. Now, the day comes all too soon. Today I had a little bit of early Christmas. A friend had sent me a $20 gift card to Whole Foods, and this morning I pedaled over there. It was chilly and gray, but didn\’t rain 🙂 First I headed for the bulk bins, and got some dry-roasted, salted cashews. They\’re my favorite nut, but too expensive to buy regularly. I wanted olive salad, and was dismayed that there didn\’t seem to be any. Oh, well, I do have a jar of olives that I\’ve been saving especially for December 25. Hummus is another item that I usually skip, but today I got it. Hummus is great spread on sourdough bread, and I got a loaf of the bread, too. Finally, I picked up a quart of low-fat eggnog. Eggnog freezes quite well, so I don\’t need to worry that it will go bad on me before I can use it. I drank a little of it, and put some in jars to freeze. Now I\’ll be sure of having my eggnog-without-the-nog, as my sister calls eggnog with no booze. I\’d better be getting ready to go for a ride. I\’ve got to burn off that eggnog and hummus. It will help the countdown to Christmas go faster! I just hope I don\’t turn into a \”Christmas star\”.

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Air Care

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  That\’s right: AIR care; not hair care. How can you best care for yourself while in the air? Traveling by air can mean hours of sitting in a cramped seat, in air that\’s often too cold, and too dry besides. Especially if you\’re a serious bicycle racer, you\’ll have additional concerns. Not only about that bicycle in the luggage hold, either. Air travelers are often advised to do what they can to prevent blood pooling in the legs. If you\’re traveling to a bicycle race, you\’ll want to do all possible to keep that circulation moving. Compression socks can help with that. I\’ve tried wearing them when the orthostatic hypotension was bothering me so much, and I personally don\’t find them comfortable. But if I travel by air again, maybe I\’ll try them. Another problem with air travel is dry eye. Artificial tears can provide relief. The prospect of \”fragrances\” is a major concern for me if I fly; more so than it usually is. Just try to get out of a sealed tube at 30,000 feet when somebody\’s \”scent\” gets to be too much for you!  I wear a filter mask; carry spares; and hope for the best! As for airplanes being cold, carry on some sort of sweater. It\’s years since I last flew, and I\’ve certainly never tried to fly anywhere with a bicycle in the hold. But who knows? Maybe a miracle happen and I\’ll get rich enough to buy that bicycle travel case; and pay for a plane ticket to — RAGBRAI, maybe? Wherever I go, I must remember Air Care.  

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