SpokEasy

SpokEasy

bicycling

Intensity over Miles?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Intensity over Miles? 😬 How about intensnity over miles? There are times when I just ride; but lately I think I should apply the time-crunched principle to my day-to-day cycling routine — shorter but harder rides. I’ve been getting frustrated by stormy-looking weather forecasts that have me cutting my mileage; and now is when I really need to step it up! So this morning I did a much shorter ride; but threw in some extra-hard efforts. I think I might need to do that twice a week; not once. Intensity over miles when time is short; and let’s hope I don’t encounter a roadblock. Roadblock? 🚧 And in fact, I may be facing a roadblock right now. It might be allergy; but I feel like I’m getting a cold! My head is stuffy; and my throat feels a bit sore. That’s been an extreme rarity since I began cycling. With COVID fears still lingering, I got out the home test that I had; and the results were negative. If I do have a cold, I’ll need to cut back on both distance and intensity for a few days. A roadblock like that is annoying; but pushing too hard while you’ve got a cold (or other illness)  isn’t wise. I hope the heat doesn’t present a roadblock. When I went out at 7:45 this morning, it was 80 degrees; about normal. But I noticed that the sun felt more intense than usual, even though I was wearing my cool rag. Later this morning, a heat advisory was posted; and there’s another one for tomorrow! It starts at 11:00 am; so I want to be home by then. And maybe I’d better just ride. 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Intensity over Miles? Read More »

Calm Down!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Calm Down! 😌 I sure want to tell our weather to calm down. The forecasts all week have predicted T-storms by early afternoon; and I don’t want to get caught out in them! I’ve tried to finish my rides by late morning, so I’ll be home when the weather gets bad; and this is making it almost impossible to put in the miles that I want. It’s most annoying. Maybe I need to calm down? Or find massage balls for my mind? Today I put in almost 26 miles on the road bike. The bike path is still closed about 13 miles from home; and I can’t wait for it to be re-opened, so I can ride farther out. After a break at home, I took the hybrid for a ride. I wanted to have the trunk, so I could take along the poncho. It got cloudier and cloudier; so I went home a little early. And as it turned out, I needn’t have! No End in Sight 🥅 It seems there’s no end in sight to this rainy weather pattern — whether in the rearview mirror or otherwise. I wish the weather would calm down! Several times we’ve gotten Special Weather Statements about strong T-storms; and the storms don’t arrive! This “boy who cried wolf” might end with me getting caught in a fierce T-storm when I’m miles from home; and that’s not fun. It’s happened once or twice; and it always seemed that there was no end in sight! Just try to calm down when you feel like you might get struck by lightning at any moment! 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Calm Down! Read More »

Carrying a Load

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors /

Carrying a Load 😵‍💫 I’m always carrying a load on the bike, it seems. During long rides, especially in hot weather, I’ve got the Camel-Bak on my, well, back. That water alone is already weighty. Add a cable lock and a tube of Chamois Butt’r, and I’m carrying a load!  But with good reason. I’ll need the lock if I have to stop somewhere; and there’s also the fact that RAGBRAI is approaching. If I train with that load, it will make the big ride easier when I don’t have quite so much stuff to carry. By many accounts, I likely won’t need a bicycle lock during RAGBRAI; and omitting my cable lock will subtract something like two pounds. The weight reduction will be more comfortable for my shoulders and the back of my neck. More Loads 😣 There are also more loads that I carry; such as my panniers on the ride back home from the salvage store. Some RAGBRAI riders carry more loads than I feel ready for — they take along all their camping gear! I’m not ready for such self-supported touring, though. For one thing, I don’t have the right kind of bicycle. But maybe someday! Lately I’ve had a load on my mind, with constant concerns over the weather. Forecasts are for rain and T-storms; and I don’t want to get caught out there when the lightning starts to fire up. As a result, I’m not getting in the miles that I need to ride this week. I hope we get back to sunnier weather soon! 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Carrying a Load Read More »

Keep Your Ears Tuned

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Keep Your Ears Tuned 🐇 Keep your ears tuned while riding! This isn’t only about keeping the worst of the wind noise at bay; nor about having a way to enjoy to your favorite hits while pedaling. You need to keep your ears tuned to changing weather, too. Today’s forecast indicated rain and T-storms from early afternoon onwards. I went out at about 7:35 am; and already there was a big cloud building up towards the South. Natrually I kept a wary eye on that cloud; and on other clouds that were forming all around. On the way home, with about 4.5 miles still to go, I heard thunder. The remainder of the ride was spent with my ears nervously straining for the sound of more thunder. After I’d been home a while, there was some rain; but not the cloudburst I was expecting. I guess somebody else got it. Somebody Else 🧓 👧🏻 It’s easy to say, let somebody else get the storm; or whatever unpleasant conditions are in the offing. That’s not really fair to that somebody else, though. If we don’t want it, they probably don’t want it, either. But it’s tiring to keep your ears tuned for bad weather that might not come! I also get irritated at curtailing my rides, only to find that I really didn’t need to. I know, I know; “Better safe than sorry”. But that also gets irritating when the precaution turns out to have been unneeded. Weather concerns are making it difficult for me to extend my mileage to a 60-mile ride. All these T-storm forecasts! I try to keep my ears tuned; but if a storm breaks out when I’m miles from home, it can be a real nail-biter! 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Keep Your Ears Tuned Read More »

What a Mix!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Outdoors /

What a Mix! 🍲 What a mix today was; both ride-wise and meal-wise. What a mix it is to start with the hybrid; switch to the road bike; then go back to the hybrid. But that’s how today’s ride played out. I wanted to push for 60 miles; and planned to start by riding five laps around the local park. After yesterday’s rain, I knew the path in the park might be wet; thus I used the hybrid to begin the ride. I also knew that T-storms were possible from early afternoon; and I wanted to push for 60 miles today.  That plan didn’t work out so well. I got to the park; and discovered that a local track club had a Father’s Day Run going. Such events typically post signs reminding participants to stay to the left; that is, in the pedestrian lane. But there are always plenty of people who wander into the bike lane, aka to the right. This makes for hard going; and I certainly regretted not having started an hour earlier! I gave up and left the park after only two laps; and went home for a break. Crazy Menu 🥞 🍧 🌮 What a crazy menu I had today, too! Pre-ride was quite usual: a banana and some peanut butter. As always, I took along cut-up protein bars. Aside from that, I had a crazy menu. Home from the park, I fixed a small sandwich. Sandwiches usually aren’t part of my on-bike menu; when I’m not making stops at home, they can get too hot in this weather. Then I headed out on the road bike; and didn’t start eating again for a good half hour. I didn’t want to get too stuffed while riding! This segment of my ride was 19.7 miles long; and when I got back home I fixed a smoothie from almond milk; chocolate protein powder; and frozen blueberries. This was unusual, too; I usually don’t fix a smoothie until after I’ve completed a ride. Then back to the park on the hybrid; and I cut this short, too. The clouds were piling up; and I thought I heard thunder. As it turned out, I could have kept riding! What a mix of a ride! And well short of the 60 miles I wanted to do. 😓 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

What a Mix! Read More »

Around the Storms

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Around the Storms ↻ It looks like I’ll have to plan my rides around the storms in the coming days. There’s a lot of rain and T-storm activity in the forecast! In fact, we’ve got a flash flood warning right now. Tomorrow, it looks like storms will hold off until early afternoon. Maybe I’ll be able to ride around the storms; but I might want to ride the hybrid for at least  part of my miles. After today’s rain, the ground is apt to be wet; and that means a lot of muck and grit gets tossed up. The hybrid has fenders; and without fenders that grit can get tossed up into my hair. Grit 🏜️ I suppose the Dirty Kanza is a great way to get a lot of grit, if that’s how your tastes run. Participation in the Dirty Kanza surely requires a lot of grit! I’m definitely not equal to the challenge. Two hundred miles of racing over a gravel course; it can get very hot; and you might have to ride around the storms. Or through them! They say that rain, and even hail, is possible. Participants also need to be able to take care of mechanical problems on their own. That right there counts me out. All I can do is take it day by day, and plan rides according to the weather. Going out to ride in the rain wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to worry about lightning! 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Around the Storms Read More »

Take a Break

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Take a Break 😴 I decided to take a break from riding today. For one thing, I was a little concerned over the weather; and for another, my head felt all stuffed up. But why does the weather have to get so iffy just when it’s time to push for rides of 60 miles? RAGBRAI is looming ever closer; and I don’t need to let my training lapse now. Even when the forecast says T-storms are most likely from early afternoon, I feel uneasy about them — even when I ride at 7:00 am! I wish I could take a break from bad weather. Weekend Rides 🚲 I hope I won’t have to resort to a chair workout for my weekend rides. Or the trainer; or other off-bike fitness measures, either. For a workout, there’s nothing like an outdoor ride! It looks like tomorrow’s ride to the salvage store will be OK; and perhaps Sunday’s long ride. If storms prevent my doing a long ride on Sunday, I can do it another day. It’s still hard for me to break away from the pre-retirement mindset of doing the week’s long ride on Sunday! I can move weekend rides to mid-week rides if I have to. That’s a huge perk of not having to go to work. It makes me wonder how I managed in my pre-retirement days. 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Take a Break Read More »

Better Fitness?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Training /

Better Fitness? ❤️ Is this better fitness? Or am I stuck in the same place? Yesterday I did a ride of 19.9 miles; averaged 10.61 miles per hour overall (that includes the warm-up early section of the ride; and the last half mile or so on the way home); and my heart rate ranged from 128 to 148 beats per minute. I looked back over my notes; and just under a year ago, I did a comparable ride: 19.7 miles; average speed, 10.04 mph; and heart rate range 141/141. So, do I have better fitness now? All I can do is to keep at it. I still haven’t gotten much faster; but I see that my average heart rate was lower during yesterday’s ride, even though I was riding at a slightly faster speed. Maybe that answers my question? Keep at It 🚲 I’ll keep at it. I’m not gaining speed the way I wish I would; but any improvement is better than none, even if it’s not as much progress as I’d like. And I tend to hold to a moderate pace on most rides. Maybe I worry too much that I’ll burn myself out when I’m miles from home. Better fitness includes improved ability to hold a prone plank. At first, three seconds was hard; now I can manage 15 seconds. I’ll keep at it, so I can hold the position for longer. Core strength is very important for cycling! 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Better Fitness? Read More »

Watch Those Liners!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Training /

Watch Those Liners! 🛞 It would be easier to watch those liners if they weren’t hiding inside the tires. A worn tire liner proved to be the cause of my recent flat; and I’d better replace the front tire liner before I head for RAGBRAI. I can’t watch those liners, or the tires, if it’s raining. Yesterday we got some heavy downpour for a while; and this evening we might get more of the same. I’m glad the weather didn’t ruin my plans for today’s ride; but it looks like the rest of the week will be rainy. Plans 📝 Any plans I had for moon viewing probably would not have worked out. The forecast said it would be overcast; and I was too tired to get up at 4:30 am, anyhow. I decided to work on my pace this morning: seven minutes of pushing for 13-15 mph; three minutes of riding easily; then another hard effort. On the way out, I did about five of these efforts. The final effort didn’t work out too well; I kept slowing down.  Coming back home, I had a bit of a headwind; and I shortened my efforts to two minutes. It makes me feel like a wimp; but how do I know for sure when I’m really overdoing it? Maybe I’d better not think about it too much; or I might become a basket case! 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Watch Those Liners! Read More »

Short Again

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Short Again 😞 My ride got cut short again today. Yesterday the heat was starting to get to me, so I stopped early; and this morning it began to look like bad weather was about to move in. So I went home early, cutting my ride short again. I planned to ride 25 miles. In order to finish the distance, I bypassed home and went to the park to ride a couple of laps. I hadn’t gone a quarter of the way around the park when I thought I heard thunder. With a screaming leaf blower nearby, I wasn’t quite sure; but soon afterwards I heard thunder again. The western sky looked quite stormy; and I decided to go home. Rain is one thing; lightning is another. Incidentally, how does a Brooks saddle do in the rain? I’ve never tried one; but the leather covering does need special care. I think that’s why I never got a Brooks; I like easy-care things. Out of Mind 🧠 Out of sight sure can mean out of mind. I intended to wear my cooling rag; and after I got it ready, I set it in the dish drainer until I was ready to ride. And forgot it. It wasn’t in the same place as my Camel-Bak; so it was out of sight, out of mind. I was a good quarter-mile from home before I noticed that I didn’t have the cooling rag; and I decided to ride without it. Good thing it wasn’t quite a as hot as yesterday; and there was a lot of cloud cover. I actually came pretty close to 25 miles; so making the distance short again wasn’t quite such a big deal.     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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

Short Again Read More »