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GU Time

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GU Time It was GU Time during this morning’s ride. Usually I don’t need to stop for a gel during a weekday ride; but this morning I began to feel like I needed the energy boost. Not that I did a very long ride; only 12.5 miles. I did , however, include some 30-second efforts at riding 15 mph or more. I guess that did it.  My stomach wasn’t growling; and in fact, I didn’t feel hungry. But I started to feel really tired; and I had some five miles to go before I got home. Better to stop a minute to eat a “goo” than to keep going, and then bonk — and have a miserable time getting home as a result. In fact, that’s why I carry a few gels at all times. You never know when GU Time might strike; and I’m glad I was able to whip up a smoothie in a hurry once I got home. Last night I mixed up skim milk with protein powder; and all I needed to do was pour it into the blender; add 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries; and blend it. Now that I have a blender, maybe I’ll get more onto smoothies. I’m sure there are many combinations; and however delicious chocolate-blueberry is, I won’t want it for every drink!

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Am I Blue

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Am I Blue? Am I blue; or was it only the bird? During my ride this morning, I saw what I thought was a bluebird!  It wasn’t a jay; the shade of blue was wrong; and the bird was smaller than a jay. I could see only the bird’s back; but if I had been able to see the bird’s breast, I would have known whether it was a bluebird. Today, for once, I had a tailwind most of the way home. It was cool enough for leg warmers; but am I blue? Not blue with cold, thank goodness. That would have been utterly miserable! I got in 21.10 miles; so I’m making progress on the distance aspect of my riding. Over 15-20 miles is enough of a ride for me to need on-bike eating; and my latest ride food is the Tahoe Trail Bar. As often happens, I found a Tahoe bar in a store (I think it was the salvage store); and got it to test as potential on-bike chow. I liked it; so I got more. The Tahoe bar is all plant-based; not that I care much about whether it’s vegan, but for some people that is important. For me, the important thing is: Does It Taste Good? Incidentally, a hunt through the grab-bag bins at the salvage store  yesterday yielded three FitCrunch bars! With a find like that, there’s no reason for me to feel blue!

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Good Question

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Good Question What Do I Eat Now? is a good question when you’re faced with a diagnosis of prediabetes, or Type 2 diabetes. I was diagnosed with the former some two years ago; and admittedly haven’t done at all well with my diet for the last year or so. Late February last year, I began intensive re-working of my website. I’d get home from work and plunge right into it; and usually didn’t take time to prepare a proper meal. Weekends were similarly occupied; and proper eating  habits went out the window. Before I could get back on track, I had the hand surgery. I cooked things to freeze beforehand; but that supply ran out before I was really able to cook again. On top of that, we’ve just gone through Easter-candy season! So, start all over again. Today I made Hoppin’ John; and this time I put some worcestershire sauce in it. I also was a bit short on dry black-eyed peas; and filled in with pinto beans. I must clean the carrots I have in the fridge, and try to munch on raw carrots instead of chocolate eggs! They have fewer calories; fewer carbs; and far less fat than chocolate. Riding more miles will help burn some of those calories; but I have to watch that I don’t overdo the post-ride meal! Now — what is the weather going to do over the weekend? That’s another good question. For several days the forecasts have looked like it will rain; but so far we haven’t had much of it. NOAA shows heavy rain for Saturday; and if it’s storming, that means no trip to the salvage store! I can only wait and see what’s happening Saturday morning. Meanwhile I have occupational therapy tomorrow; and at least it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow. But Sunday? Good question. It might be raining again!    

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Daily Ride Nutrition

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Daily Ride Nutrition Daily ride nutrition is something to which I haven’t given much thought. Before I retired, I ate a pre-ride snack (usually a banana and peanut butter); went for my morning ride; and after that it was just off-bike food for the rest of the day. Now, however, things are different. With hopes of RAGBRAI 2024 in my mind, I’m working to lengthen my daily rides. As those rides get longer, I’ll need to start eating on the bike. The question is, what should I eat? It was one thing to pop bites of assorted protein/energy bars during my 40-mile Sunday rides. That won’t do as I advance to the point of several 40-milers per week. I suspect that MET-Rx bars and their ilk aren’t the best idea for almost-daily use. For one thing, freehanded use of energy bars can be very expensive! I’ve gotten spoiled by finding them cheap at the salvage store; but lately I haven’t found very many of them. What alternatives are there? Meat snacks aren’t cheap; and for on-bike fare, they’re harder to chew than I like. They also make me too thirsty; and aren’t filling enough. Sandwiches are bulky, and hard to manage while rolling; even if I cut them into quarters before setting out. I guess it’s time to haul out Feed Zone Portables again. Rice cakes (made from sticky rice) might well make better daily ride nutrition than store-bought energy bars! And, my gut needs training. This morning I ate a banana; two tablespoons of peanut butter; and a cup of almond milk before setting out. I rode about 8.2 miles before turning back for home. As usual, I had a headwind. With six miles left to go, I began to feel hollow; and wasn’t sure I could reach home before I got too hungry. I stopped to eat a GU-Gel; and after a few more miles my stomach suddenly felt uncomfortable. I wasn’t even working to push my pace today! RAGBRAI seems to involve a LOT of eating; and if eating one “goo” makes my stomach feel weird after a few miles, I’ve got a long way to go! So daily ride nutrition is important!      

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Rego

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Rego? Rego? As in ready to go again? I guess that’s the point. Science in Sport Rego is designed to help your muscles recover quickly; and then you’ll be, well, ready to go again. I bet this would be good mixed with almond milk; and regular dairy milk would be good, too. I’m admittedly not a big fan of vanilla shakes, so I’d go for the chocolate flavor. Each serving of this powder contains 20 grams of soy protein isolate; and works best when you consume it immediately after a workout. Rego is lactose free; and tested for banned substances. 3.5 lb canister. $58.00 For electrolyte replenishment during a ride or other workout, try Rego’s companion product: Science in Sport Go. “Go” helps combat fatigue and muscle cramps by supplying the electrolytes lost through perspiration. Available in Lemon & Lime; or Orange. 3.5 lb canister. $41.53  

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Unkeurig

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Unkeurig! I think unkeurig when it comes to hot chocolate. I once bought home hot chocolate from the salvage store; and didn’t notice that it was for a Keurig until after I got home. I don’t have a Keurig machine; but I wasn’t about to throw that mix away. The only thing to do was try it! The top of the pod was easy to puncture; and I poured the mix into a mug. Then I added hot water (heated on the stove); and stirred it up. It worked just fine! So if you don’t own the machine, don’t despair. Going unkeurig is easy! Last night it cooled off considerably; so I’ve got hot chocolate on my mind. It was quite windy this morning, too; and I really felt the chill on the way to occupational therapy. My left hand is still quite weak; but it bothers me less and less. In another week I should be able to get back on the bike! At first I might have to use my Camel-Bak, even for short rides; because my left hand might not be ready for pulling a bottle in and out of its cage. But it will be great to be back in the saddle! Of course it will be some time before I can do really long rides again; but I’ll work up to it. It’s not as though I’m training for a major event, such as Tour de Cure; or a century. But I do want to get back to 40-mile Sunday rides. Maybe I’ll experiment with doing those long rides during the week. I  don’t have to do them on Sundays any more; and that gives me a lot more leeway when it comes to planning cycling activities around the weather. What a luxury that will be!

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Spice of Life

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Spice of Life? Variety is the spice of life, so they say. Why not “spice it up” with this Larabar 16-Flavor Variety pack? This collection includes taste sensations such as Cashew Cookie and Carrot Cake. I think this package would be great for me, because I often prefer smaller amounts of several foods to a large amount of a single dish. That’s why I like to get a combination plate when I eat at a Chinese restaurant!  I might be able to get back on the bike again in a week or so.? It’ll be great to be able to visit the salvage store! First thing will be a raid on the grab-bag bins; then I’ll hunt for canned chicken; almond milk; and cheddar cheese. Of course I’ll watch for things I can use as ride food. It will also be good to be able to visit the regular supermarket for fresh produce. I really need to get back on a proper diet; and, now that I’m retired, I don’t have to wait for the weekend to make the ride. I can get lettuce and other salad makings; and apples and bananas.  Soon I should be able to make some Hoppin’ John variations; so I’d better add celery and bell pepper to my shopping list. I have to start using up the dried beans I’ve got sitting abound here; and “HJ” variations are a great way to do that! Then I’ll have something different to eat. After all, variety is the spice of life.

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MET-Rx Variety

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Met-RX Variety MET-Rx Variety is the latest addition to the SpokEasy shop. This package lets you try three delicious flavors: Vanilla Caramel Churro; Super Cookie Crunch; and Crispy Apple Pie.  Each bar packs in 30 or more grams of protein; and supplies zinc; vitamin A; and vitamin C. They make great ride food; and serve as a light meal, too! Total of one dozen bars. $44.99  

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Combos

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Combos! Combos were once one of my go-to foods for long rides. I like the combination of crunchy and salty; and with low blood pressure, I actually need the salt. The cheese pizza-pretzel hybrid seen here is interesting — Italy and Bavaria pairing up, you could say. I tried other varieties of Combos, too — Baked and Pepperoni Pizza.  Along with this snack, I tried miniature gumdrops; and even pieces of various candy bars. As time went on, however, I discovered that Combos don’t have the sustenance I need for long rides. Then I began to drift towards Clif Bars; and currently rely on Gatorade Whey Protein bars and Clif Builder’s Protein bars. Anything with chocolate is a problem on a sunny day, even in cold weather. I learned that years ago; but a number of the bars I use have chocolate coating. All I can do is put up with the messiness. Speaking of cold weather, ours is a ways off yet. Our high temperature today reached 95 degrees; and the heat is going to stick around a while. On top of that, there’s a potential hurricane threat in the making. Last I knew, the most likely track took the storm to the western coast of Florida; but it’s too soon to say where that thing will go in the end.

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Keep Cool

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Keep Cool Keep cool with the Arctic Zone Cooler! I have something similar to this; and it’s handy for taking lunch to work. In hot weather, I often take it to the salvage store with me. That means using the trailer, because the cooler takes up most of the space in a pannier. The Arctic Zone Cooler comes with four reusable freeze-packs for keeping your lunch or drinks cool. The cooler can fold for easier storage. Today I rode to the salvage store; but I left the trailer home. I had an appointment to get the latest Covid booster at 11:00; and didn’t want the extra weight dragging along to slow me down. Instead of a cooler, I brought along an insulated bubble envelope with a “blue ice” in it. As it turned out, I didn’t get much that I needed to keep cool. As the morning went on, the wind seemed to strengthen; and of course I had a headwind on the way home from the store. The clouds were gathering, too; and the forecast is for scattered T-storms by 4:00 pm. So I’m glad I got in my riding this morning. Another way to keep cool is to wear sun sleeves. My favorite thing about them is that I need to use less sunblock! Sun sleeves feel hot when you first put them on; but after you get moving and start to sweat a bit, your arms feel cooler. Convection? So far I haven’t tried leg sleeves; but they work the same way as arm sleeves. Maybe I’ll get some one of these days. In the meantime, I have to plan tomorrow’s long ride. I found some Gatorade Whey Protein bars at the salvage store; and got five of them. I won’t eat all of them during one ride; but the rest will keep for later rides. My pass through the store also yielded a can of Sport Shake that I can use as a recovery drink. It wasn’t a bad haul; and now I’m just trying to keep cool.

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