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Missed Me!

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The rain missed me! As usual, the forecast included showers and scattered T-storms. I always have to hope that \”scattered\” T-storms are far enough apart for me to ride between them. The highest chances for stormy weather were after 1:00 pm; and between that prediction and the hot weather, I started my ride at about 6:40 am. The clouds were already starting to build up; and eventually I could see rain ahead. By that time I was some 20 miles from home; and could only hope that the rain stopped before I got to it. Happily, it did; but this was strange: the bike path was mostly dry; but the road running alongside the levee was wet! I must have been right on the edge. It\’s a rare treat to have almost no wind for any ride; but on long-ride day it\’s extra special. Today I averaged a hair over 13 mph; and I rode 55.70 miles. For me, that\’s progress. Towards the end the breeze seemed to pick up; and I\’m glad it waited until then. Goin\’ Home Again on the way home, I could see rain ahead; and again, it missed me. I got home about 11:45 am; and 15-20 minutes later, I noticed that it was getting darker. Within half an hour, it began to rain; and there was some close lightning, too. Thank goodness that missed me! It makes me very uneasy to get caught on the levee when the lightning moves in. Today I tried a Detour bar as part of my on-bike food. Detour bars taste good; but they seem to make me thirstier than other bars. I don\’t know why; but maybe I should avoid them, at least as long as the weather is hot. I probably needed to take along more electrolyte drink than I did; and during the final 15 miles of todays ride, I longed for some COLD water! Cold water to drink, that is. Cold water falling down from the sky is another matter. During this season, there are tall grasses growing alongside the bike path; and now they\’re spewing seeds everywhere. My legs get covered with those seeds, because they stick in my sunblock. It\’s quite a mess; and my road bike is a mess, too. Thanks to all the rain we\’ve had, there are plenty of places where I have to ride through wet or muddy spots; and now the bike has dirt splattered all over it. Yes, the rain missed me — but I almost hoped I would get some to wash my bicycle for me.

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Monkey Wrench

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That\’s a funny-looking monkey wrench. But yesterday morning, a monkey wrench is exactly what a freight train was. When I set out to ride, I couldn’t access the bike path because a train was sitting there. The nearest other street that leads to the bike path is in a major mess, thanks to road work. On top of that, it had rained the night before; and I knew it would be very muddy. I detoured to the park instead, and rode laps. When I ride in the park, I don’t quite dare push the pace the way I would when on the levee. There are more people in the park than on the levee; and technically, the speed limit for cyclists in the park is 10 mph. That threw a monkey wrench into my ride plans for the morning. My plan was to work at pushing the pace for six minutes at a time. That can have me hitting well over 10 mph; but at least I went for a ride. Yesterday I didn’t bother with the heart rate strap. I don’t know what’s wrong with the thing; but so far I can’t get it to work. I tried shifting its position, without results. Wetting both strap and my skin didn’t help. I changed the battery; and even tried attaching the sensor to the strap upside-down! Maybe somebody threw a monkey wrench into it; or else it’s defective. Another Monkey Wrench I hoped that the weather today wouldn\’t be a monkey wrench. I wanted to ride to the salvage store; and I hoped that the T-storms in the forecast would hold off until afternoon. This morning I used the trailer, and the cover leaks in a heavy rain. Besides that, I don\’t like to get caught out when there\’s lightning! The trip to and from the salvage store went OK; and after I got my stuff home, I headed for the bike shop. I couldn\’t leave the chest strap and monitor there, because I\’ll want that Garmin on the long ride tomorrow; but I decided to buy a new pair of cycling shorts. On the way home, I stopped at the drug store to get some sodas; and that was how the weather threw a monkey wrench into things. I just might have gotten home dry otherwise! When I came out of the drug store, it was drizzling; and the rain seemed to be getting heavier very quickly. I pulled on my poncho, and started home. It\’s good thing I had that poncho. I think I rode home through the heaviest part of the shower; and my socks and shoes got soaked. Just after I got indoors, I heard the first thunder. I\’m glad I beat it home; and maybe there\’s more heavy rain to come. At 12:15 pm I learned that we\’re under a flood advisory. The main rain chances tomorrow are between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm; so maybe I\’ll be OK for the long ride. I hope that the weather doesn\’t toss a monkey wrench into my plans!

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Alter Eco Chocolate

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Alter Eco Chocolate bars are great for the environmentally-minded chocoholic. This variety pack contains 10 bars of dark chocolate flavors, such as Quinoa Crunch and Burnt Caramel. They all sound scrumptious to me; and I\’d be more eager to try them if I didn\’t have to watch the carbs! Chocolate and caramel is an old favorite of mine; and I like sea salt, too. If only the weather weren\’t so hot, I might try some as ride food; but chocolate would turn to liquid in no time. USDA-certified; free of gluten and soy.

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A Salt and Battery?

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I\’ll run afoul of the law for a salt and battery if I\’m not careful! I love salt; and at least one doctor told me to be sure to eat enough of it. My blood pressure has run low for years; and as a result I was prone to orthostatic hypotension. It hasn\’t entirely gone away, even with medication; and it\’s why I don\’t put my alarm clock on the opposite side of the room from my bed. If I jump up too fast, I go reeling; and that\’s not a good way for me to start my morning. Incidentally, I loathe electric alarm clocks. They sound like fire alarms! Many of the on-bike foods that I use lean towards the sweet end of the flavor scale. I don\’t object to that; but even my sweet tooth experiences sugar fatigue from time to time. Now that the weather is hot, I\’m experimenting with olives as part of my rolling collation. Salt is helpful when you\’re sweating a lot; and olives sure are salty! As to battery, I go through quite a lot of those things. My blinkie lights and my alarm clock need them; and many other everyday items use batteries. What bothers me about that is proper disposal of the dead ones. The few toxic-waste drop-offs that I know of aren\’t so easy to reach; and as far as I know, my neighborhood doesn\’t have a toxic waste pick-up service; so what am I to do? I don\’t have time to take dead batteries anywhere, anyhow, if I\’m to get my cooking done; and I mustn\’t forget the salt! So there you have it — a salt and battery!

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Unlucky 13?

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Was day before yesterday unlucky 13, even though it wasn\’t Friday? I set out to do six-minute intervals of working for 15 mph or faster; and it was hard to stay at the desired speed. I did two such intervals; and then I did a shorter one of 2-3 minutes, trying to push it to 17 mph. At the end of that effort, it was time to stop and turn for home. My legs felt rubbery when I got off the bike to turn it. My right leg had trouble clearing the saddle, and I nearly got tangled up in it. Was that unlucky 13? Riding home felt harder than going out did. There was little breeze; so I guess my legs were just tired. Maybe I\’m not ready for six-minute intervals yet? On the other hand, a certain amount of pushing past one\’s comfort level is part of training. The trick is not to do too much, too soon; but how do I know when it\’s too soon; and when it\’s already too late? As for \”that number\”, many cultures do consider it unlucky; but in Italy it\’s the opposite. Last weekend I saw something in a video about unlucky 13 in bicycle racing. A racing cyclist, at least in Le Tour, wears two number patches on the back of his jersey; one on each side. What of the rider who ends up as #13? One number patch — I believe it was the one on the left — is attached upside down; and the one on the right is right-side up. But does rider #13 also carry a four-leaf clover? It couldn\’t hurt?. Day before yesterday, for a change, it didn\’t rain; so in that respect, 13 was lucky. I hope I get lucky with the weather on Sunday, too.

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Not Me I Hope!

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This is not me, I hope: thinking of riding a century without training up for it. I remember a web site that said, some people have ridden 100 miles in a day with no training; but that they probably wanted to get rid of the bicycle afterwards! I can\’t imagine going out to ride a century with little or no training. The mere thought makes my legs ache; and even if it\’s possible, it doesn\’t seem like a good idea to me. A gradual build-up is a wiser approach. I\’ve done centuries before, so I believe I know a little about it. The Internet is full of so many century training plans that it\’s rather bewildering. Sometimes I wish I were able to ride a century each month for a while; and try a different training plan for each one. Then I\’d have a better idea of what works best for me; but I suppose that even seasoned pro riders are still tweaking their training plans! How can I have it all figured out in less than 12 years? Century training includes improving your strength on the bike. I don\’t live in hill country; but there are always headwinds! I need strength and stamina for that fight! Go on a long ride without food? Not me, I hope! When my rides reach 20 miles, I need to take along a GU-Gel or two; and for rides beyond that, I need food. That video has me puzzled about one thing: HOW do they manage those long rides without a Camel-Bak? I don\’t dare go for a long ride without mine!

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How Much Is Enough?

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How much is enough when it comes to on-bike eating? How much is too much; and, just as important, what’s too little? I guess that depends on a number of factors: how long you’ll be riding, and the pace you’ll be maintaining; your physical size; and possibly more. This past Sunday, I rode 54.2 miles in 4:20:35; and that’s none too speedy. I took along my usual on-bike fare: two FitCrunch bars and a Gatorade bar. I cut the bars into sixths before I began my ride; and put the pieces into small plastic bags. One piece every 15 minutes is my usual “fueling rate”, and I stuck with it today. I got back home with 1/6 of the Gatorade bar and 1/3 of the second FitCrunch bar uneaten. What I did eat, plus two GU-Gels, totaled 1154 calories; and I burned 1495 calories. So, how much is enough? Did I eat enough during today’s ride; or did I actually need more? I’m quite sure I didn’t bonk; so I know I didn’t eat too little. But could I ride more strongly if I ate a little more? I ended with a calorie deficit of 341, which doesn’t seem excessive to me. Too Much? There’s also the fact that the Sunday long ride often equals or exceeds my total for the rest of the week. Is that too much? On weekday mornings I don’t have much more than an hour to ride before I have to leave for work; and that makes it hard to put in as many miles as I’d like. Is that good for century prep? On-bike fueling isn’t the only consideration here. How much is enough when it comes to training up? What’s too little? I don’t need to train like a rider who is preparing to enter races; but if I’m to ride 100 miles in a day, I need adequate mileage. I also need work to help me ride more strongly for longer. Again, how much is enough of that? So many questions; and where do I get the answers?

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Aren\’t We Lucky?

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Aren\’t we lucky? We have all sorts of gearing nowadays; but this wasn\’t always the case! In fact, if this video is accurate, climbing used to be brutal for the cyclist. Can you imagine having only two gears on the rear wheel; and having to stop and get off the bike to switch gears? And, in addition, having to flip the wheel in order to change gears? That would be enough of an aggravation with the modern quick-release! And aren\’t we lucky to have easy-care cycling clothing? The chamois in cycling shorts is now made of synthetic material; but it used to be, literally, chamois. This leather shorts lining needed special care; but now all we have to do is wash our shorts. I do notice that the chamois needs at least 24 hours to dry, thanks to this humid climate; but that\’s a small price to pay for not having leather-lined shorts. What did cyclists do before the invention of Chamois Butt\’r? I read somewhere that some of them would slide a slice of raw meat into their shorts! Aren\’t we lucky that we don\’t have to do that? Especially now, with all the talk of e-coli. It also sounds like a waste of meat to me, because who would want to eat that meat afterwards? Not I! I\’ve been pretty lucky with the weather lately; and I hope it lasts. Yesterday, on the return leg of my ride, I rolled through some 9-10 miles where it had rained not long before; and I\’m glad that I didn\’t get caught in that downpour. One day, I know, my luck will run out. Again, the week\’s forecast is full of showers and T-storms! It\’s very monotonous; but at least a T-storm is preferable to a hurricane!

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Aren\’t We Lucky?

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Aren\’t we lucky? We have all sorts of gearing nowadays; but this wasn\’t always the case! In fact, if this video is accurate, climbing used to be brutal for the cyclist. Can you imagine having only two gears on the rear wheel; and having to stop and get off the bike to switch gears? And, in addition, having to flip the wheel in order to change gears? That would be enough of an aggravation with the modern quick-release! And aren\’t we lucky to have easy-care cycling clothing? The chamois in cycling shorts is now made of synthetic material; but it used to be, literally, chamois. This leather shorts lining needed special care; but now all we have to do is wash our shorts. I do notice that the chamois needs at least 24 hours to dry, thanks to this humid climate; but that\’s a small price to pay for not having leather-lined shorts. What did cyclists do before the invention of Chamois Butt\’r? I read somewhere that some of them would slide a slice of raw meat into their shorts! Aren\’t we lucky that we don\’t have to do that? Especially now, with all the talk of e-coli. It also sounds like a waste of meat to me, because who would want to eat that meat afterwards? Not I! I\’ve been pretty lucky with the weather lately; and I hope it lasts. Yesterday, on the return leg of my ride, I rolled through some 9-10 miles where it had rained not long before; and I\’m glad that I didn\’t get caught in that downpour. One day, I know, my luck will run out. Again, the week\’s forecast is full of showers and T-storms! It\’s very monotonous; but at least a T-storm is preferable to a hurricane!

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Food on My Mind

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I\’ve got food on my mind; perhaps too much so! There\’s the carb-watching, because I\’m working to keep prediabetes at bay. Naturally this means constant meal-planning; and that keeps food on my mind. Sometimes, of course, I get rather burned out, and have great difficulty in keeping on track. When that happens, it actually seems to be helpful to just let myself go for a couple of days. Ice cream! Candy! Cookies! Chinese food! After that, I\’m ready to get back to work on my diet. On Saturdays, I have to plan my on-bike food for the Sunday long ride. Yesterday I went to Whole Foods instead of the salvage store, and found a new bar to try. I suppose those bars might turn up in the salvage store grab-bag bins eventually; but I don\’t remember seeing them anywhere before. I taste-tested this bar; and it\’s pretty good! Food on my mind even invades my dreams sometimes. Yesterday morning I woke up, and remembered a really strange dream. I was in my kitchen, getting my food ready for the Sunday long ride. I kept finding things (salvage store finds, of course!) that I wanted to taste-test; and still hadn\’t cut up the bars that I need to take along for the ride. Meanwhile time was flying; and I was uneasily aware that, at the rate I was going, I wasn\’t going to get started until 10:00! Dreams are weird! On-Bike Dining On-bike dining is far from fine dining! I didn\’t take along the Bulletproof bar this morning, because it\’s better to try new ride foods when you aren\’t on a ride. Today\’s menu consisted of two FitCrunch bars; one Gatorade bar; and two \”goos\”. And some Nuun. Keeping fueled while riding naturally keeps food on my mind; and I need to watch the time on my cyclocomputer, so I\’ll remember to grab a bite or two every 15 minutes. In this hot weather, on-bike dining becomes quite messy, because the heat melts the bars\’ coating. It\’s annoying; but what can I do? I\’m not going to wait to do long rides until the weather is cool, or I won\’t ride until October. Or later! Back home after the Sunday long ride, I\’ve still got food on my mind. I\’m ready for my recovery drink; and I make it a habit to record what I ate during the ride; and how much of it. An hour or so after that, I\’m ready for a real meal. Today I got very lucky with the weather. On the way back home, I had an uneasy eye on some big thunderheads building up in the East — the way I was heading! The top of that cloud arched over in such a way that I was under overcast skies for much of my way home. I was concerned about lightning and rain; but at least I got some welcome relief from the heat! Then, beginning 10 miles or so from home, the bike path was wet; and it stayed that way until about one mile from home. I\’m glad I missed getting caught in that rain. Maybe our patron saint was looking after me!

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