Outdoors Archives - Page 25 of 47

To Be a Farmer

To Be a Farmer 🧑‍🌾 Do I want to be a farmer? I’d love to have the senses that medieval farmers did! I think this video is fascinating. My father would have loved it, I’ll bet. If I had the highly-developed weather senses of those farmers, it would be easier to plan my rides with less worry about the weather! Last night, the forecast made today look rainy/stormy. And what happens? It’s a beautiful morning. It would have been great for a ride; but I had already decided to take today off because I expected rain and T-storms. Never being certain of the weather makes me hesitate to wish to be a farmer — forever keeping an eye on the temperature; clouds; and so on. Eye on the Temperature 🌡️ I’m keeping an eye on the temperature; not only here, but in Iowa. I want to know what I might expect during RAGBRAI. Today, at 7:30 am, the local temperature was 78 degrees. In Iowa, it was some 15 degrees cooler; almost cool enough to warrant some cold-weather gear. At least one video that I watched mentioned that nights can get cold during RAGBRAI; so I have a sleeping bag. I’ll also pack things such as leg warmers, just in case. My phone has a weather app, so each evening I can check the next day’s weather. I can keep an eye on the temperature; rain chances; and so on. Oh, yeah, that’s what it means to be a farmer, right? 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

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Dry Up Already!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

Dry Up Already! 🌵 “Dry up already!” is what I want to tell our weather. Although we actually need some rain, constant rain and T-storms make real riding difficult. It does look like the rain chances will be greatest in the afternoons, except for tomorrow. That’s a good thing; RAGBRAI is less than three weeks away; and I need to keep training. If the weather won’t dry up already, I must drag out the trainer. It looks like there might be a weather window between 9:00 am and 11:00 am tomorrow; but I can’t count on it. Weather Window 🪟 Even a weather window might not mean it’s a good idea to go out. Who knows how fast stormy conditions might return? If I take the chance on it, I might find myself wishing for a boot dryer! I think I’d better not do intense work this coming week. The climbs on RAGBRAI aren’t worrying me as much as they did. That will let me have the following week for force work; I do still need to keep up some of it. The week after that, it’s time to taper. I hope I get a daily weather window for my riding! And in Iowa, I hope I won’t be saying, Dry up already! 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

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Discouraging Word

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

Discouraging Word 🗣️ Never is heard a discouraging word? Maybe that’s true on the range; but the weather forecast for the coming days is a discouraging word, all right! Maybe more than one word. Showers! T-storms! When will it change for the better? I definitely do not need to curtail my riding for the next week or so; the final week before I head to RAGBRAI is the time to taper. I don’t need to lose a lot of fitness because the weather forces me not to ride. Today, at least, I got in a few hard efforts; each two minutes long. The last one felt tough! I got another break from the wind this morning, which helped a lot. Taper ⌲ By all I’ve read, you need to taper during the last week before a big event; whether it’s a race or a long recreational ride. The trick, they say, is reducing mileage while maintaining some intensity. Of couse, don’t go out the day before your event and do a workout packed with lots of hard intervals; but a few short, hard bursts keep your muscles sharp. I’ve even read that it’s better to be slightly undertrained than to be overtrained. The latter is apt to mean you go into your event tired; and that means you probably can’t give your best performance. So don’t forget to taper. And the weather for event day? I just hope your forecast isn’t a discouraging word. 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

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Rare Day

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

Rare Day 🌞 What a rare day this was! When I rode this morning, the wind was calm! I was able to cruise at 12 mph or more for 11-12 miles; and that doesn’t happen very often. I didn’t try for big distance today; I’m still feeling sort of pulled down from having a cold. But I felt pretty good; and tomorrow maybe I can add an extra mile or two. When I first began riding, it was a rare day when I skipped the ride; but now I know that a rest day once a week is actually a good idea. And of course you need to back off your efforts if you’ve got a cold; or otherwise don’t feel so hot. Riding is great; but we don’t need to let it make us sick! Or too tired to cook. Good Idea 🤔 I always thought it was a good idea to train with my loaded Camel-Bak; and today I found out just what a good idea it is! For three days, I rode short and easy; and didn’t have that load on my back. Today I did ride with the load; and could I ever tell the difference! If you’ll be doing an event that requires a lot of hydration, e.g. RAGBRAI, practice riding with that hydration pack on your back. In fact, if possible, find a way to make the load a little heavier than it will be during the event. The wind won’t be so quiet tomorrow, showing just what a rare day today was. But the main thing is that the T-storms wait for afternoon! 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

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Slump

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Outdoors / CAL

Slump 😩 I feel like I’m in a slump; and unfortunately it’s not the kind that can be helped with energy chews. I seem to have a cold; but if I’m to have a slump, better now than three weeks from now. How can I handle a rough patch like this? One obvious move is to ride less until I feel better; and to skip hard efforts. I hope I’m up to putting in at least 40 miles come Sunday! But if I can’t, I can always do my long ride on another day of the week. Another tactic is getting some extra sleep; and also skipping the off-bike exercises. The catch is, I’m sitting around too much! It’s not the best thing to slump over a keyboard for hours and hours. I do get tired of planning around the weather, though. We had quite a long stretch without rain; and now we seem to be making up for it. Planning around the Weather ⛈️ Planning around the weather is something I do all the time; but it’s more of a worry when T-storms are possible. Rain gear won’t keep lightning at bay! So planning around the weather is often easier in cold weather, when I can always add more layers; and T-storms are far less likely. Even then, my hands and feet are apt to get cold; then I’ll slump over the handlebars, tying to keep going in spite of numb fingers. With heat advisories increasingly frequent, I now have to work to keep cool while riding. I’m glad RAGBRAI offers frequent opportunities to refill hydration systems; and maybe even get ice! 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

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Intensity over Miles?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

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

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Calm Down!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

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

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Carrying a Load

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors / CAL

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

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Keep Your Ears Tuned

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors / CAL

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

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What a Mix!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Outdoors / CAL

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

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