Total mileage for 2017: 1601.2
This morning I went out at 8:00 in delightful 69° sunshine; I was wavering between riding two or three round trips to Marsh Park, and then during my second time there I got a text from Michelle that Christy and the kids were coming over. That easily made up my mind for me, so I hustled home, completing the 18.1 miles in 2:09.
Today i pushed over the milestone of 1600 miles for the year, just a couple of days behind my pace of last year. It makes me aware, though, that I'm really going to have to step it up for the remainder of the year if I hope to make my goal of 4000 miles; for that matter, I'll have to remain pretty disciplined even to reach last year's mark of 3500.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
93rd ride of 2017 - Wednesday, 6/28/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1583.1
Today's conditions may have been even better than yesterday's! It was again completely clear, and cool (49° when I began, at 7:00, and 68° when I finished, around 9:15), but today with almost no wind at all.
I had intended to try to do a longer ride today (perhaps four round trips to Marsh Park)—but, like yesterday, the call of music won out. Eager to return and compose, I settled for consecutive round trips, completing the 18.2 miles in 2:15.
On my second time back from the park, when crossing State Rd., I saw Doris Granum who note accurately, "It doesn't get better than this!"
Today's conditions may have been even better than yesterday's! It was again completely clear, and cool (49° when I began, at 7:00, and 68° when I finished, around 9:15), but today with almost no wind at all.
I had intended to try to do a longer ride today (perhaps four round trips to Marsh Park)—but, like yesterday, the call of music won out. Eager to return and compose, I settled for consecutive round trips, completing the 18.2 miles in 2:15.
On my second time back from the park, when crossing State Rd., I saw Doris Granum who note accurately, "It doesn't get better than this!"
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
92nd ride of 2017 - Tuesday, 6/27/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1564.9
Today's ride was enjoyed under near-perfect conditions. Except for battling a bit of wind (13 mph from the west northwest) it could not have been better! The sky was a clear blue, and the temperature (54° when I began, at 7:15, and 61° when I finished) was delightful! It's funny how, just a few weeks ago, I was rejoicing over the gradual arrival of warmer days; and now, I exult in cooler temperatures.
I found myself wrestling between two desires. For one thing, I've been making good progress lately on a major composition for choir and instruments (flute, oboe, trumpet, horn, tuba, violin, cello, and double bass), and wanted to return to it as soon as possible. But, on the other hand, I wanted to do a longer ride. When Doug and I parted ways in Saugatuck Sunday morning as I left PALM early, he told me, "You know, you could just pretend you're still on PALM, and do longer rides!" (They are doing 46 miles today, from Nashville to Eaton Rapids, going through Charlotte, the town where my in-laws live, and where Michelle grew up.) I know that Doug was kidding, but still, that consideration was in my mind.
In the end, however, the siren call of music lured me away from a longer ride, and I settled for consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, completing the 18.1 miles in 1:54.
When I ride, I wear a piece of gear called a Road ID ... a velcro bracelet around my wrist with an engraved plate bearing emergency contact information. When I saw it advertised a few years ago, I was grabbed by their slogan, "We speak for you when you can't speak for yourself." I thought, "How appropriate! I can NEVER speak for myself!" Here is a picture of it. They are available in a variety of colors, but rather than choose blue (my favorite color since my earliest memories), I went with red, for the sake of visibility.
Today's ride was enjoyed under near-perfect conditions. Except for battling a bit of wind (13 mph from the west northwest) it could not have been better! The sky was a clear blue, and the temperature (54° when I began, at 7:15, and 61° when I finished) was delightful! It's funny how, just a few weeks ago, I was rejoicing over the gradual arrival of warmer days; and now, I exult in cooler temperatures.
I found myself wrestling between two desires. For one thing, I've been making good progress lately on a major composition for choir and instruments (flute, oboe, trumpet, horn, tuba, violin, cello, and double bass), and wanted to return to it as soon as possible. But, on the other hand, I wanted to do a longer ride. When Doug and I parted ways in Saugatuck Sunday morning as I left PALM early, he told me, "You know, you could just pretend you're still on PALM, and do longer rides!" (They are doing 46 miles today, from Nashville to Eaton Rapids, going through Charlotte, the town where my in-laws live, and where Michelle grew up.) I know that Doug was kidding, but still, that consideration was in my mind.
In the end, however, the siren call of music lured me away from a longer ride, and I settled for consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, completing the 18.1 miles in 1:54.
When I ride, I wear a piece of gear called a Road ID ... a velcro bracelet around my wrist with an engraved plate bearing emergency contact information. When I saw it advertised a few years ago, I was grabbed by their slogan, "We speak for you when you can't speak for yourself." I thought, "How appropriate! I can NEVER speak for myself!" Here is a picture of it. They are available in a variety of colors, but rather than choose blue (my favorite color since my earliest memories), I went with red, for the sake of visibility.
Monday, June 26, 2017
91st ride of 2017 - Monday, 6/26/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1546.8
Today's ride was unique ... it was my first ride after my failed attempt at PALM, and as I rode, I could not help but think about being there. This was particularly the case because, just before going out, I read the Facebook status of my friend Doug, who said he had just finished Day 2 of PALM and the route was especially hilly -- "Lots of good long hills. I think this was the hilliest day on any of the PALMS or maybe I am getting older." So, given the hills, perhaps it was not the worst thing that I missed it, after all. 🙂
I had a disappointingly late start today, due to schedule complications, and couldn't start until 4:30, when it was 71°. Nevertheless, with the lengthy daylight at this time of year, I hoped to do a fairly long ride. But as I was on the home stretch of my first round trip to Marsh Park, the sky had turned threateningly dark, and rain was beginning to fall, so I cut it short at a single round trip, finishing the 9.9 miles in 1:01 (quite a good time for me ... perhaps I was hurrying to get in out of the rain). The weather changes had cooled it off to 69° at the finish.
Today's ride was unique ... it was my first ride after my failed attempt at PALM, and as I rode, I could not help but think about being there. This was particularly the case because, just before going out, I read the Facebook status of my friend Doug, who said he had just finished Day 2 of PALM and the route was especially hilly -- "Lots of good long hills. I think this was the hilliest day on any of the PALMS or maybe I am getting older." So, given the hills, perhaps it was not the worst thing that I missed it, after all. 🙂
I had a disappointingly late start today, due to schedule complications, and couldn't start until 4:30, when it was 71°. Nevertheless, with the lengthy daylight at this time of year, I hoped to do a fairly long ride. But as I was on the home stretch of my first round trip to Marsh Park, the sky had turned threateningly dark, and rain was beginning to fall, so I cut it short at a single round trip, finishing the 9.9 miles in 1:01 (quite a good time for me ... perhaps I was hurrying to get in out of the rain). The weather changes had cooled it off to 69° at the finish.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Post-PALM
Well, my great hoped-for PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) adventure crashed and burned. Not literally—it certainly could have had a more tragic ending. But iit did not come even close to ending the way I had hoped.
After almost no sleep at all Friday night, and then driving to Saugatuck (a little shy of three hours0 on Saturday with the trike perched on the rack on the back of the car, I was quite weary by that night, and ready for some good sleep. It had been a long and difficult day—not only the drive, but setting up camp there (as shown below), and a lengthy group meeting at 7:00 (they say the first one is always long, because of the need to go over all the rules), followed by a bike education class specially oriented for first-timers like myself.
We were on our own for dinner this first night, and Michelle (in Saugatuck with some friends for a "girls weekend") had texted me to ask if she could bring me dinner. Delighted at my good fortune, I explained to her how welcome that would be. Most of the afternoon I sat in my folding chair reading (after wisely moving it beneath the shade of a large adjacent tree), and then about 6 p.m. she showed up, along with her friends Leslie and Colleen. They brought me some delicious pulled pork and cheesy potatoes, which they had gotten from a nearby outdoor festival, along with some fresh fruit and splendid blueberry pie they had gotten from a farmers market earlier in the day. Welcome as this food was, however, far and away the best aspect of the visit was the opportunity to see Michelle.
After the post-meeting class, I flattened myself out on my sleeping bag most gratefully a bit past 9 p.m., and quickly fell into a deep sleep. But, like on Friday night (and, in fact, almost every night for me), I slept rock-hard for the first three hours or so, and then woke. When this occurred, right about midnight, I decided I might as well go into Saugatuck High School (which was kept unlocked all night for us) in order to recharge the batteries for my phone and iPad, which were quite depleted. After a while, though, it became quite clear to me that it was going to take some time to fully charge them, so, trusting God to take care of them, I left them plugged in and retreated to the tent at 1:00 in order to get some more sleep.
However, I could NOT sleep, because of the persistent percussive throbbing of some rock music a few hundred yards north of us. For some time I thought dire thoughts about the inefficacy of PALM's 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. '"quiet hours," but then finally, as they had been a model of efficiency and attention to detail in everything else, I began to think that this must be some local youth instead, rather than PALM participants. At any rate, the music went on until 2 a.m. ... and it no sooner stopped, than it was replaced by groups of youth (again, I suspect locals calling to one another "Hoo!" ... "Hoo!" (As I told Michelle this morning, it left me feeling as if I were in Dr. Seuss's Whoville! 😆) This went on until 2:30, and then when the Hoo-ing disappeared, the wind picked up in great gales that buffeted my tent like a flag. Were it not so well weighted down with its beefy occupant, I suspect it might have blown far away.
At any rate, between the power situation, the rock music, the Hoo-ing, and the wind, I did not sleep at all from midnight until about 5:30. I decided that, particularly on the heels of my nearly sleepless Friday night, it would not be safe for me to ride in this condition ... particularly a 250-mile, weeklong group ride. So I texted Michelle, who gladly agreed to come pick me up at 9:00 to bring me home. Rarely have I been so happy to see anyone as I was to witness her arrival this morning, and then after packing up and making the lengthy drive back to Ann Arbor, we arrived a bit before 1 p.m.
After almost no sleep at all Friday night, and then driving to Saugatuck (a little shy of three hours0 on Saturday with the trike perched on the rack on the back of the car, I was quite weary by that night, and ready for some good sleep. It had been a long and difficult day—not only the drive, but setting up camp there (as shown below), and a lengthy group meeting at 7:00 (they say the first one is always long, because of the need to go over all the rules), followed by a bike education class specially oriented for first-timers like myself.
We were on our own for dinner this first night, and Michelle (in Saugatuck with some friends for a "girls weekend") had texted me to ask if she could bring me dinner. Delighted at my good fortune, I explained to her how welcome that would be. Most of the afternoon I sat in my folding chair reading (after wisely moving it beneath the shade of a large adjacent tree), and then about 6 p.m. she showed up, along with her friends Leslie and Colleen. They brought me some delicious pulled pork and cheesy potatoes, which they had gotten from a nearby outdoor festival, along with some fresh fruit and splendid blueberry pie they had gotten from a farmers market earlier in the day. Welcome as this food was, however, far and away the best aspect of the visit was the opportunity to see Michelle.
After the post-meeting class, I flattened myself out on my sleeping bag most gratefully a bit past 9 p.m., and quickly fell into a deep sleep. But, like on Friday night (and, in fact, almost every night for me), I slept rock-hard for the first three hours or so, and then woke. When this occurred, right about midnight, I decided I might as well go into Saugatuck High School (which was kept unlocked all night for us) in order to recharge the batteries for my phone and iPad, which were quite depleted. After a while, though, it became quite clear to me that it was going to take some time to fully charge them, so, trusting God to take care of them, I left them plugged in and retreated to the tent at 1:00 in order to get some more sleep.
However, I could NOT sleep, because of the persistent percussive throbbing of some rock music a few hundred yards north of us. For some time I thought dire thoughts about the inefficacy of PALM's 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. '"quiet hours," but then finally, as they had been a model of efficiency and attention to detail in everything else, I began to think that this must be some local youth instead, rather than PALM participants. At any rate, the music went on until 2 a.m. ... and it no sooner stopped, than it was replaced by groups of youth (again, I suspect locals calling to one another "Hoo!" ... "Hoo!" (As I told Michelle this morning, it left me feeling as if I were in Dr. Seuss's Whoville! 😆) This went on until 2:30, and then when the Hoo-ing disappeared, the wind picked up in great gales that buffeted my tent like a flag. Were it not so well weighted down with its beefy occupant, I suspect it might have blown far away.
At any rate, between the power situation, the rock music, the Hoo-ing, and the wind, I did not sleep at all from midnight until about 5:30. I decided that, particularly on the heels of my nearly sleepless Friday night, it would not be safe for me to ride in this condition ... particularly a 250-mile, weeklong group ride. So I texted Michelle, who gladly agreed to come pick me up at 9:00 to bring me home. Rarely have I been so happy to see anyone as I was to witness her arrival this morning, and then after packing up and making the lengthy drive back to Ann Arbor, we arrived a bit before 1 p.m.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
PALM beginning
While it is not quite technically true that, as the Fifth Dimension once sang, "Last Night I Didn't Get to Sleep at All," it's close enough to indicate an inauspicious beginning to my big PALM adventure. I turned in early last night (8:00) and, like always, slept like a rock for the first few hours, But I woke about 11:30, and watched the Tigers lose their seventh consecutive game (a late night contest, as they were playing in San Diego). Around 2:00 I climbed back into bed, and then could NOT get back to sleep, as I watched the clock gradually edge past 3:00 and then 4:00, and finally I allowed myself to get up at 4:50. Doug indicated that people generally have trouble sleeping the first night of PALM. I'm sure I'll have no trouble whatsoever sleeping for at least the initial part of tonight.
Friday, June 23, 2017
90th ride of 2017 - Friday, 6/23/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1536.9
For my last ride before PALM, today I backed off and took it real easy on myself, doing just a single round trip to the Park. Actually, I didn't even go all the way there; I turned a short while before it and rode on Interfirst Dr., where Doug works. He had suggested this as a way of reacclimatizing myself to riding on roads, since I've done almost none of it since 2014, and I'll be doing well over 200 miles worth next week. Riding on this secondary, extremely low traffic road was good and safe.
When I went out to ride, at 12:45, it was 75°; then 10.25 miles later (1:14) it had risen to 79*,
I believe I'm all packed with everything I'll need for the trip. Tomorrow morning I'll drive to Saugatuck, where we begin, and after I've unpacked the car and set up my tent, I'll text Michelle, who is there with girlfriends for a girls weekend. She'll take the car away, and I'll be left with nothin but my trike and a strong and willing body (and all my gear, which their support vehicles will haul along from site to site).
For my last ride before PALM, today I backed off and took it real easy on myself, doing just a single round trip to the Park. Actually, I didn't even go all the way there; I turned a short while before it and rode on Interfirst Dr., where Doug works. He had suggested this as a way of reacclimatizing myself to riding on roads, since I've done almost none of it since 2014, and I'll be doing well over 200 miles worth next week. Riding on this secondary, extremely low traffic road was good and safe.
When I went out to ride, at 12:45, it was 75°; then 10.25 miles later (1:14) it had risen to 79*,
I believe I'm all packed with everything I'll need for the trip. Tomorrow morning I'll drive to Saugatuck, where we begin, and after I've unpacked the car and set up my tent, I'll text Michelle, who is there with girlfriends for a girls weekend. She'll take the car away, and I'll be left with nothin but my trike and a strong and willing body (and all my gear, which their support vehicles will haul along from site to site).
PALM
I am tremendously excited about going on the PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) tour this coming week. Tomorrow I will drive to Saugatuck, where it starts, and transfer our car to Michelle (there with friends). We have a group meeting about the ride tomorrow night, and then camp overnight and begin riding Sunday morning. Then, between Sunday and next Friday, we will ride roughly 250 miles across the state, from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie. I hope to be able to post status updates and pictures a few times, but do not expect to be able to update my triking blog while on the trip.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
89th ride of 2017 - Thursday, 6/22/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1536.6
The early part of today's ride was frustrating, but by the end everything was fine. Last night before I went to bed, I checked the hourly forecast for today on weather.com, and they were predicting morning thundershowers, so I planned to wait and ride in the afternoon. But then when I was up in the middle of the night (c. 3 a.m.) as always, I checked, and they had revised the forecast, eliminating the morning rain. So I figured I'd go ahead and ride very early in order to beat the intense heat that was moving in.
I began at 6:15 in 60° conditions, and all went splendidly for a while. But about 3 miles into the ride, I began to hear the rumble of approaching thunder, and then light rain began to fall. I was approaching Marsh Park by then, so I pulled under the roof of a shelter to wait it out and see what would develop. Intensely dark skies, as shown in the following picture, brought heavy rain for a time, while thunder continued overhead.
The storm was fast moving, though, and by about 15 minutes later the rain had stopped and the sky was beginning to clear.
So I was able to start up again with no problem whatsoever, and continued on to finish up three round trips to the park, completing 26.5 miles in 3:09. Because of the delays I experienced, I finished past 10:00, and by that time the temperature had risen to 70°.
I also augmented my wardrobe today, with a visibility vest that Christy kindly gave me, and took a selfie of it during my third time at the park.
The early part of today's ride was frustrating, but by the end everything was fine. Last night before I went to bed, I checked the hourly forecast for today on weather.com, and they were predicting morning thundershowers, so I planned to wait and ride in the afternoon. But then when I was up in the middle of the night (c. 3 a.m.) as always, I checked, and they had revised the forecast, eliminating the morning rain. So I figured I'd go ahead and ride very early in order to beat the intense heat that was moving in.
I began at 6:15 in 60° conditions, and all went splendidly for a while. But about 3 miles into the ride, I began to hear the rumble of approaching thunder, and then light rain began to fall. I was approaching Marsh Park by then, so I pulled under the roof of a shelter to wait it out and see what would develop. Intensely dark skies, as shown in the following picture, brought heavy rain for a time, while thunder continued overhead.
The storm was fast moving, though, and by about 15 minutes later the rain had stopped and the sky was beginning to clear.
So I was able to start up again with no problem whatsoever, and continued on to finish up three round trips to the park, completing 26.5 miles in 3:09. Because of the delays I experienced, I finished past 10:00, and by that time the temperature had risen to 70°.
I also augmented my wardrobe today, with a visibility vest that Christy kindly gave me, and took a selfie of it during my third time at the park.
I'm continuing to prepare for the upcoming PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) tour. The riding actually begins Sunday, and Saturday I will travel to Saugatuck, on Lake Michigan, where we will have a group meeting to go over expectations and plans that night, and then we camp there. Yesterday I practiced setting up and taking down the 5x7 dome tent that I bought for this trip, and it went fine. Overall, I would agree with the manufacturer's boast that the tent's design promotes easy set-up ... but for this old man, getting down on the ground to do it and getting back up again were about all the challenge I needed. 😇
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
88th ride of 2017 - Wednesday, 6/21/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1510.1
Today's ride was both puzzling and frustrating. To begin with, though, the conditions were absolutely GORGEOUS. I began my ride at 6:15 under completely clear blue sky, and with no wind whatsoever. I planned to ride three round trips to Marsh Park. It was going nicely, too—pretty good pace, feeling good, and the noise that had disconcerted me toward the end of my ride on Monday absent, as Doug had identified it and taken care of it for me. Here is the view from the park, at 6:50.
After reaching the park, I texted a few people, and was then headed back toward home, when about a mile from the park I came to a disconcerting realization—my helmet was missing! The only thing I could imagine at that point was that I must have removed it and laid it on the bench while I was at the park (although I didn't remember having taken it off), so I wheeled around and rode back there. But is was nowhere to be found! So then, having no other option, I headed back home with great caution, figuring I'd just have to pick up a new helmet.
Once I got home, however, I punched in the code for our garage door, and as it slowly rose, I was disappointed to see that the helmet was not sitting atop our garbage can—I usually leave it on the seat of my trike, in the garage, but rarely I will set it on the garbage can. It was not there—but moments later, I spied it sitting on my bicycle (not "old," but no longer in use) where I had set it on Monday when Doug and I looked at my trike.
With the extra riding, back to the park to look for the helmet, I did 12.0 miles this morning, in 1:23, pushing me over the 1500-mile mark for the year. I hope to tack on a little more this afternoon, though I will not enjoy the blessed cool of this morning—55° when I started out, and 60° when I finished.
One other interesting (and nice) incident occurred this morning. The MapMyRIde app on my phone has been frustratingly inconsistent. It gives vocal notifications at each new mile, telling your total time, distance, average speed in miles per hour, and split speed (that is, your speed for the most recent mile). I have gotten quite used to this feedback, and find it quite helpful. But when I started this morning, the usual vocal notification_"Begin workout"—was absent, so I knew this mean no notifications during the ride, either, as it has happened before (though the app still measures your time and distance—just silently). I decided to investigate, and found that by going to the Setting page and toggling the vocal notifications off and then back on, it restored the voice. I'm glad to have learned this lesson.
Today's ride was both puzzling and frustrating. To begin with, though, the conditions were absolutely GORGEOUS. I began my ride at 6:15 under completely clear blue sky, and with no wind whatsoever. I planned to ride three round trips to Marsh Park. It was going nicely, too—pretty good pace, feeling good, and the noise that had disconcerted me toward the end of my ride on Monday absent, as Doug had identified it and taken care of it for me. Here is the view from the park, at 6:50.
After reaching the park, I texted a few people, and was then headed back toward home, when about a mile from the park I came to a disconcerting realization—my helmet was missing! The only thing I could imagine at that point was that I must have removed it and laid it on the bench while I was at the park (although I didn't remember having taken it off), so I wheeled around and rode back there. But is was nowhere to be found! So then, having no other option, I headed back home with great caution, figuring I'd just have to pick up a new helmet.
Once I got home, however, I punched in the code for our garage door, and as it slowly rose, I was disappointed to see that the helmet was not sitting atop our garbage can—I usually leave it on the seat of my trike, in the garage, but rarely I will set it on the garbage can. It was not there—but moments later, I spied it sitting on my bicycle (not "old," but no longer in use) where I had set it on Monday when Doug and I looked at my trike.
With the extra riding, back to the park to look for the helmet, I did 12.0 miles this morning, in 1:23, pushing me over the 1500-mile mark for the year. I hope to tack on a little more this afternoon, though I will not enjoy the blessed cool of this morning—55° when I started out, and 60° when I finished.
One other interesting (and nice) incident occurred this morning. The MapMyRIde app on my phone has been frustratingly inconsistent. It gives vocal notifications at each new mile, telling your total time, distance, average speed in miles per hour, and split speed (that is, your speed for the most recent mile). I have gotten quite used to this feedback, and find it quite helpful. But when I started this morning, the usual vocal notification_"Begin workout"—was absent, so I knew this mean no notifications during the ride, either, as it has happened before (though the app still measures your time and distance—just silently). I decided to investigate, and found that by going to the Setting page and toggling the vocal notifications off and then back on, it restored the voice. I'm glad to have learned this lesson.
Monday, June 19, 2017
87th ride of 2017 - Monday, 6/19/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1498.1
This was a disappointing day for riding. I set out to do five round trips to the park, which, while not a record, would have been a good, soli ride of forty-plus miles.I was fully prepared to make it as well—both physically and mentally.
However, just as I turned around to begin the second round trip, I was trading texts with Doug, who offered to come over this afternoon and teach me how to change a tire—an essential skill for all PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) participants, the big 250-mile cycling tour from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie that I look forward to doing next week. And then shortly after finishing the text and beginning to ride again, I began hearing a noise (faint but definite) coming from the left wheel. Wary of trying to push on and cause damage, I decided to wheel about and head home. And this may have been God's way of forcing me to take a short day, too, for my own good—just a couple of minutes after turning back towards home, I began feeling a mild pain (nothing serious, I'm fairly sure) in my right knee.
All in all, then, I ended up with a ride of 11.6 miles in a slow time of 1:29. Cutting my plans short also caused me to fall just shy of the 1500-mile plateau for the year, a milestone I had fully expected to reach today.
This was a disappointing day for riding. I set out to do five round trips to the park, which, while not a record, would have been a good, soli ride of forty-plus miles.I was fully prepared to make it as well—both physically and mentally.
However, just as I turned around to begin the second round trip, I was trading texts with Doug, who offered to come over this afternoon and teach me how to change a tire—an essential skill for all PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) participants, the big 250-mile cycling tour from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie that I look forward to doing next week. And then shortly after finishing the text and beginning to ride again, I began hearing a noise (faint but definite) coming from the left wheel. Wary of trying to push on and cause damage, I decided to wheel about and head home. And this may have been God's way of forcing me to take a short day, too, for my own good—just a couple of minutes after turning back towards home, I began feeling a mild pain (nothing serious, I'm fairly sure) in my right knee.
All in all, then, I ended up with a ride of 11.6 miles in a slow time of 1:29. Cutting my plans short also caused me to fall just shy of the 1500-mile plateau for the year, a milestone I had fully expected to reach today.
86th ride of 2017 - Sunday, 6/18/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1486.5
Today will be a busy day—our nephew Grant's birthday party up near Mason at 1:30, and celebrating Father's Day with Christy and our grandchildren late afternoon at their new home in Dexter—so I knew that I'd have to ride early today to get one in. I had hoped to squeeze in two round trips to Marsh Park before 9:30 church, and, accordingly, rose at 4:53 and began riding just before 5:30. (I love the extended daylight at this time of year!)
The forecast, however, called for thundershowers to move in this morning; and, riding carefully, I watched the clouds approach and then, as I neared the end of my first round trip, I heard the low rumble of approaching thunder. Even though I hated to do it, therefore, I swallowed hard and decided to settle today for a single round trip, completing the 9,9 miles in 1:14, in 74° weather and windy conditions (a 15 mph constant breeze from the southwest). After the upper eighties that Tom Clark, Tom Brown, and I experienced yesterday at the Detroit Tigers game in Detroit, the wind felt good! (Tom Brown and I have a tradition dating back to 2007 of celebrating his June 20 birthday this way. But he's just a kid—whereas I turned 60 this year, he just hits 59 this Tuesday).
Today will be a busy day—our nephew Grant's birthday party up near Mason at 1:30, and celebrating Father's Day with Christy and our grandchildren late afternoon at their new home in Dexter—so I knew that I'd have to ride early today to get one in. I had hoped to squeeze in two round trips to Marsh Park before 9:30 church, and, accordingly, rose at 4:53 and began riding just before 5:30. (I love the extended daylight at this time of year!)
The forecast, however, called for thundershowers to move in this morning; and, riding carefully, I watched the clouds approach and then, as I neared the end of my first round trip, I heard the low rumble of approaching thunder. Even though I hated to do it, therefore, I swallowed hard and decided to settle today for a single round trip, completing the 9,9 miles in 1:14, in 74° weather and windy conditions (a 15 mph constant breeze from the southwest). After the upper eighties that Tom Clark, Tom Brown, and I experienced yesterday at the Detroit Tigers game in Detroit, the wind felt good! (Tom Brown and I have a tradition dating back to 2007 of celebrating his June 20 birthday this way. But he's just a kid—whereas I turned 60 this year, he just hits 59 this Tuesday).
Saturday, June 17, 2017
85th ride of 2017 - Saturday, 6/17/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1476.6
Today was a day of downsizing. Last night I had considered trying to do a second straight day of six round trips today. But then, when I was up in the night, I felt as if God was speaking to me, telling me to accept the fact that I have limitations, and should settle for just four round trips. In general, I have always been wary of the claims of those who say God has spoken to them, finding it somewhat megalomaniacal. But, you know, it's funny—the more I seek Him out, and listen actively for what He is saying to me, the better I seem to able to hear Him!
So, accepting this, I pushed back my plans to rise super early, and payed myself stay in bed until 6:20, and began my ride at 6:50. For a while it was going fine. But early in the third round trip, two realizations came to the fore:
1) My dogs were really barking. (Tiger announcer-speak for "feet hurting." 😆 ) This had been the case yesterday, too, but I pushed through it, and could have done so today as well, if not for point #2.
2) I thought of the old saying, "Practice makes perfect," and the musician's modification of it—Perfect practice makes perfect, along with its corollary, Imperfect or sloppy practice builds in bad habits. And when I realized the slow pace at which I was riding today, I became concerned that this might tend to become an engraved habit for my riding. Evidently, yesterday's 50-mile ride took more out of my legs than I realized!
Too, I got to thinking—on the PALM website, they give us the daily mileages for the ride as 41, 46, 45, 44, 41, 31—a list that does not once hit 50 miles, to say nothing of doing it on consecutive days.
Given these thoughts, I tolerated scaling "four" back to "three," and completed the 26.3 miles in a glacial time of 3:41 I have no doubts that I could have pushed on through another round trip ... or even three more, for that matter. But, given the speed at which I was riding, it would have taken me quite a while.
Also, as I was on the home stretch of the third and final round trip, I had two interesting encounters. First, over time I've gotten to be familiar at sight with quite a few of my fellow trails users—riders, runners, and walkers. Of course, being unable to speak with them, I never really get to know them. But today, with a couple of miles left to go, a man came toward me whom I thought I recognized. He clearly recognized me, because he smiled and called out, "There he is!" And then just a couple of minutes later, my good friend Doug Franklin rolled down the passenger side window of a car in which he was riding past out, and hollered out encouragingly, 'GO, ALLEN, GO!" 😇
Today was a day of downsizing. Last night I had considered trying to do a second straight day of six round trips today. But then, when I was up in the night, I felt as if God was speaking to me, telling me to accept the fact that I have limitations, and should settle for just four round trips. In general, I have always been wary of the claims of those who say God has spoken to them, finding it somewhat megalomaniacal. But, you know, it's funny—the more I seek Him out, and listen actively for what He is saying to me, the better I seem to able to hear Him!
So, accepting this, I pushed back my plans to rise super early, and payed myself stay in bed until 6:20, and began my ride at 6:50. For a while it was going fine. But early in the third round trip, two realizations came to the fore:
1) My dogs were really barking. (Tiger announcer-speak for "feet hurting." 😆 ) This had been the case yesterday, too, but I pushed through it, and could have done so today as well, if not for point #2.
2) I thought of the old saying, "Practice makes perfect," and the musician's modification of it—Perfect practice makes perfect, along with its corollary, Imperfect or sloppy practice builds in bad habits. And when I realized the slow pace at which I was riding today, I became concerned that this might tend to become an engraved habit for my riding. Evidently, yesterday's 50-mile ride took more out of my legs than I realized!
Too, I got to thinking—on the PALM website, they give us the daily mileages for the ride as 41, 46, 45, 44, 41, 31—a list that does not once hit 50 miles, to say nothing of doing it on consecutive days.
Given these thoughts, I tolerated scaling "four" back to "three," and completed the 26.3 miles in a glacial time of 3:41 I have no doubts that I could have pushed on through another round trip ... or even three more, for that matter. But, given the speed at which I was riding, it would have taken me quite a while.
Also, as I was on the home stretch of the third and final round trip, I had two interesting encounters. First, over time I've gotten to be familiar at sight with quite a few of my fellow trails users—riders, runners, and walkers. Of course, being unable to speak with them, I never really get to know them. But today, with a couple of miles left to go, a man came toward me whom I thought I recognized. He clearly recognized me, because he smiled and called out, "There he is!" And then just a couple of minutes later, my good friend Doug Franklin rolled down the passenger side window of a car in which he was riding past out, and hollered out encouragingly, 'GO, ALLEN, GO!" 😇
Friday, June 16, 2017
84th ride of 2017 - Friday, 6/16/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1450.3
The website for the PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) tour that I'm doing in just over a week from now suggests that in one's training, a rider should build up to a weekly 50-mile ride in the weeks preceding the event. I've tried 2 or 3 times previously, but have always had to cut it short for one reason or another. Today I tried yet again—and succeeded! 😎
I got myself out of bed at 5 a.m., and began riding at 5:30. It helps me indescribably to begin my ride at this quiet and cool time of the day—by far my favorite time of the day, since I was a teenager. I had done six round trips to Marsh Park one time previously, last summer (July 9), but am at time now riding a slightly longer return route from the park, so that my total mileage today was a new record for me (50.45 miles vs. 50.0 last year). My ride was not very fast, at 6:16–BUT I DON'T CARE! I DID IT! 😇 That was my time spent riding, but I was actually out there quite a bit longer, beginning at 5:30 (61°) and finishing about 1:00 (85°)—the extended time being due largely to the time to charge my phone during my fourth time at the park. Even though it is technically still spring, it sure felt summery at the end of the ride—beautiful clear blue skies until 7:00 a.m. were then usurped by quite extensive cloud cover (and, in fact, they predicted late morning scattered thunderstorms), but then the clouds moved back out and I finished in bright sunshine.
Also, I keep track, doing the math each day, to see how I'm doing relative to my goal of 4000 miles for the year. I'm to the point now where one day's ride—even a big one today—doesn't have a huge impact on the overall numbers. But today's ride was notable in two respects: (1) There are 200 days left in the year, after today; and (2) My long ride today dropped the average miles needed per day for the rest of the year to hit my average from 13.00 to 12.75! (At the beginning of the year, I needed only 10.96 miles/day to make the goal, but of course that figure climbed markedly during the winter as I lost numerous days due to weather).
The website for the PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) tour that I'm doing in just over a week from now suggests that in one's training, a rider should build up to a weekly 50-mile ride in the weeks preceding the event. I've tried 2 or 3 times previously, but have always had to cut it short for one reason or another. Today I tried yet again—and succeeded! 😎
I got myself out of bed at 5 a.m., and began riding at 5:30. It helps me indescribably to begin my ride at this quiet and cool time of the day—by far my favorite time of the day, since I was a teenager. I had done six round trips to Marsh Park one time previously, last summer (July 9), but am at time now riding a slightly longer return route from the park, so that my total mileage today was a new record for me (50.45 miles vs. 50.0 last year). My ride was not very fast, at 6:16–BUT I DON'T CARE! I DID IT! 😇 That was my time spent riding, but I was actually out there quite a bit longer, beginning at 5:30 (61°) and finishing about 1:00 (85°)—the extended time being due largely to the time to charge my phone during my fourth time at the park. Even though it is technically still spring, it sure felt summery at the end of the ride—beautiful clear blue skies until 7:00 a.m. were then usurped by quite extensive cloud cover (and, in fact, they predicted late morning scattered thunderstorms), but then the clouds moved back out and I finished in bright sunshine.
Also, I keep track, doing the math each day, to see how I'm doing relative to my goal of 4000 miles for the year. I'm to the point now where one day's ride—even a big one today—doesn't have a huge impact on the overall numbers. But today's ride was notable in two respects: (1) There are 200 days left in the year, after today; and (2) My long ride today dropped the average miles needed per day for the rest of the year to hit my average from 13.00 to 12.75! (At the beginning of the year, I needed only 10.96 miles/day to make the goal, but of course that figure climbed markedly during the winter as I lost numerous days due to weather).
Thursday, June 15, 2017
83rd ride of 2017 - Thursday, 6/15/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1400.3
Michelle needed our car today, so the only way I was going to be able to get to church to practice piano was to ride there. Glad for this option, I left home at 7:00, staying on walks all the way (except for one brief stretch of Oak Valley where construction has the sidewalk closed), and rode to church for a good session of practice, interspersed with some time devoted to composing on a new piece I just began last night (for chorus, strings, flute, oboe, trumpet, horn, and tuba).
After spending a good chunk of the morning at church, I pedaled over to the nearby Cottage Inn and had a small personal pizza (the Nino) for an early lunch. When I left early this morning, it was already 68°; when I got back home, about 11:30, it was 79°. So today's ride was modest, but productive nonetheless, and the 10.0 miles (in 1:15) pushed me over the 1400-mile mark for the year.
Michelle needed our car today, so the only way I was going to be able to get to church to practice piano was to ride there. Glad for this option, I left home at 7:00, staying on walks all the way (except for one brief stretch of Oak Valley where construction has the sidewalk closed), and rode to church for a good session of practice, interspersed with some time devoted to composing on a new piece I just began last night (for chorus, strings, flute, oboe, trumpet, horn, and tuba).
After spending a good chunk of the morning at church, I pedaled over to the nearby Cottage Inn and had a small personal pizza (the Nino) for an early lunch. When I left early this morning, it was already 68°; when I got back home, about 11:30, it was 79°. So today's ride was modest, but productive nonetheless, and the 10.0 miles (in 1:15) pushed me over the 1400-mile mark for the year.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
83rd ride of 2017 - Tuesday, 6/13/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1390.3
Today I was happy to be able to ride much earlier than yesterday, so that it was still (relatively) cool. However, the day's AQ (Adventure Quotient 😁) was high.
I was hoping I could ride three round trips to Marsh Park today. After the adjustments they made on my trike yesterday (new caliper, new front tires, tweaked the alignment, and lubed the chain), it rode much better, and I was able to fairly fly along—at least, relative to my usual performance. For the first time ever, I was able to do the first 10 miles in an average speed of above 10 mph, and, in fact, at mile 11 my average speed was 10.1
But then it all fell apart. Just after mile 11, on my second round trip., I had to make my 90° left turn onto the trail where Lohr intersects with Textile. Normally this is no problem, but today I was going faster than usual, so I braked to make the turn. Or, I should say, I tried to brake. There was no right brake whatsoever, and as a result, I piled into the turn at a much higher rate of speed than was advisable, and rolled the trike. Happily, at that location, it meant I landed comfortably, right in plush grass.
Two women—one in a car, one on a bike—were alarmed at my fall, and stopped to ask if I was all right, and if they could do anything to help. But I assured them I was fine, and righted the trike and continued on. Soon thereafter, though, I noticed the lack of a right brake (which hadn't occurred to me during the incident upon cornering). Given this, I felt it unwise to push on for a third round trip (I could still stop using the left brake, but this was obviously suboptimal), so after leaving the park that second time I headed back home, put the rack on the car, loaded the trike onto it, and headed out for repair.
By text, my friend Doug gave me his "two cents worth," which was that I shouldn't have to pay for this problem when they had just done extensive repair to it yesterday in Dearborn. I agreed with this, and had already considered it, but as I told him, if I could get the work done locally, I'd rather spare the longer drive—listening to my (considerable) gut, that was the message I seemed to be hearing. So I took it our local bike shop, Wheels in Motion, over on the east side of Ann Arbor.
There, after I described the situation to them, they quickly detected that the right brake lever was snapped off. I concede that this could have happened at the time I rolled the trike; however, given the lack of braking that i experienced heading into the corner, I suspect that it broke somehow (who knows why?) during the portion of the ride before that.
At any rate, the brake levers (which only come in pairs, so I'll have two new ones) were $19 total, and the labor is $10 for each side. I would prefer not to have to pay this, of course, but given my gut feeling about the drive to Dearborn, it seemed worth it. What would have been a stronger factor was revealed to me only after I had already agreed to have them do the work—they said they were now scheduling for Thursday, so I'd have to leave it, but there was a decent chance it would be done sooner, and they'd text me if so.
So, at any rate, I rode consecutive round trips to the park, for an addition of 18.1 miles, in a few seconds under 2 hours. It was still a good time, but slowed up considerably in the second half, as I rode cautiously, conscious of my impaired braking ability. When I began at 9:00 a.m., it was 81°, and when I finished, a bit past 11:00, it was 88°.
Today I was happy to be able to ride much earlier than yesterday, so that it was still (relatively) cool. However, the day's AQ (Adventure Quotient 😁) was high.
I was hoping I could ride three round trips to Marsh Park today. After the adjustments they made on my trike yesterday (new caliper, new front tires, tweaked the alignment, and lubed the chain), it rode much better, and I was able to fairly fly along—at least, relative to my usual performance. For the first time ever, I was able to do the first 10 miles in an average speed of above 10 mph, and, in fact, at mile 11 my average speed was 10.1
But then it all fell apart. Just after mile 11, on my second round trip., I had to make my 90° left turn onto the trail where Lohr intersects with Textile. Normally this is no problem, but today I was going faster than usual, so I braked to make the turn. Or, I should say, I tried to brake. There was no right brake whatsoever, and as a result, I piled into the turn at a much higher rate of speed than was advisable, and rolled the trike. Happily, at that location, it meant I landed comfortably, right in plush grass.
Two women—one in a car, one on a bike—were alarmed at my fall, and stopped to ask if I was all right, and if they could do anything to help. But I assured them I was fine, and righted the trike and continued on. Soon thereafter, though, I noticed the lack of a right brake (which hadn't occurred to me during the incident upon cornering). Given this, I felt it unwise to push on for a third round trip (I could still stop using the left brake, but this was obviously suboptimal), so after leaving the park that second time I headed back home, put the rack on the car, loaded the trike onto it, and headed out for repair.
By text, my friend Doug gave me his "two cents worth," which was that I shouldn't have to pay for this problem when they had just done extensive repair to it yesterday in Dearborn. I agreed with this, and had already considered it, but as I told him, if I could get the work done locally, I'd rather spare the longer drive—listening to my (considerable) gut, that was the message I seemed to be hearing. So I took it our local bike shop, Wheels in Motion, over on the east side of Ann Arbor.
There, after I described the situation to them, they quickly detected that the right brake lever was snapped off. I concede that this could have happened at the time I rolled the trike; however, given the lack of braking that i experienced heading into the corner, I suspect that it broke somehow (who knows why?) during the portion of the ride before that.
At any rate, the brake levers (which only come in pairs, so I'll have two new ones) were $19 total, and the labor is $10 for each side. I would prefer not to have to pay this, of course, but given my gut feeling about the drive to Dearborn, it seemed worth it. What would have been a stronger factor was revealed to me only after I had already agreed to have them do the work—they said they were now scheduling for Thursday, so I'd have to leave it, but there was a decent chance it would be done sooner, and they'd text me if so.
So, at any rate, I rode consecutive round trips to the park, for an addition of 18.1 miles, in a few seconds under 2 hours. It was still a good time, but slowed up considerably in the second half, as I rode cautiously, conscious of my impaired braking ability. When I began at 9:00 a.m., it was 81°, and when I finished, a bit past 11:00, it was 88°.
Monday, June 12, 2017
82nd ride of 2017 - Monday, 6/12/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1372.2
Today's ride was an unusual one. I generally prefer to ride as early in the morning as possible—primarily because I am an unnaturally strong morning person, and then also, at this time of year, in order to beat the heat. But today I was unable to ride in the morning because I had to take my trike back to the dealer, Jack's Bike in Dearborn, in order to address a squealing that had developed. They were able to diagnose it as a caliper having gone bad, and replaced it with a new one. I explained about my participating in the upcoming PALM ride, and asked them to check it over thoroughly. They said I was in need of two new front tires, with wear having been caused by misalignment, so i got those put on, and had them tweak the alignment, and feel much more comfortable now about heading off on that long ride. However, all this work being done, I didn't get back to Ann Arbor until mid-afternoon.
This meant I could not ride until after picking Michelle up from school (4:00), so I headed out around 4:30, battling hot, windy conditions. (The wind was from the southwest at 14 mph, and the temperature when I began was 89°, climbing to 92° at the end.) I figure riding in the heat is all to the good, in acclimating me to the potential heat I may experience during PALM (although it is my hope for that event to do the bulk of my riding in the morning and thus beat the worst of the heat).
Today's ride was an unusual one. I generally prefer to ride as early in the morning as possible—primarily because I am an unnaturally strong morning person, and then also, at this time of year, in order to beat the heat. But today I was unable to ride in the morning because I had to take my trike back to the dealer, Jack's Bike in Dearborn, in order to address a squealing that had developed. They were able to diagnose it as a caliper having gone bad, and replaced it with a new one. I explained about my participating in the upcoming PALM ride, and asked them to check it over thoroughly. They said I was in need of two new front tires, with wear having been caused by misalignment, so i got those put on, and had them tweak the alignment, and feel much more comfortable now about heading off on that long ride. However, all this work being done, I didn't get back to Ann Arbor until mid-afternoon.
This meant I could not ride until after picking Michelle up from school (4:00), so I headed out around 4:30, battling hot, windy conditions. (The wind was from the southwest at 14 mph, and the temperature when I began was 89°, climbing to 92° at the end.) I figure riding in the heat is all to the good, in acclimating me to the potential heat I may experience during PALM (although it is my hope for that event to do the bulk of my riding in the morning and thus beat the worst of the heat).
Saturday, June 10, 2017
81st ride of 2017 - Saturday, 6/10/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1362.0
I got a nice early start this morning, intending to beat the incoming heat and a good start on a long ride, going out at 5:50. However, as I neared the end of my second round trip to Marsh Park, I remembered that after my long ride on Thursday, Michelle and Christy both noticed I had picked up quite a bit of color, and asked me I wore sunscreen. They were horrified when I sheepishly said no, and reminded me that I had to have a couple of skin cancer spots excised last year, and they asked me to please wear it.
For my first couple of round trips this morning, it was not a concern—there was no sun whatsoever for much of the time, as it had not risen or was just barely beginning to do so. But as it began to climb in the sky, I knew that it would increasingly be a factor, and, wanting to honor their request, I headed home after the second round trip and went over to Meijer to pick some up.
Anyway, this morning I got in 18.1 miles, in a slow time of 2:29. It is my intent, though, to go out this afternoon and tack on several more round trips, even though the riding conditions will be decidedly less tolerable. 😍
I had taken my phone charger and a book with me, like on Thursday, planning to read and recharge my phone after a while. But then, when I cut my ride short and returned home, I was highly dismayed to find that the charger had fallen out of my pocket somewhere along the way. I had a spare cord that I picked up a while ago, but as for the charger part that plugs into an outlet, I'll have to get myself over to the Apple Store later and replace that.
Absolute reeking of spray-on Coppertone Sport high performance sunscreen, I went back out this afternoon at 2:00, and, battling the hot, windy, bright sunshine (86° and a 15 mph wind from the southwest), I tacked on another round trip to Marsh Park, giving me a total of 28.0 miles for the day in 3:50. I had considered trying to do a longer ride, but the hot, windy conditions beat down any such thoughts (which were never strong to begin with—certainly nothing approaching a 'resolve').
I had an interesting incident occur. On the way home, about two miles before the end, a cyclist came toward me on the path. He was a monstrously large man—tall, and heavy, rippling with muscle, and riding without a shirt, the better to display his heavily tattooed arms. I threw up my hand in a greeting. He nodded back, and then astonished me by replying verbally, in a high, tenor-like, almost childish voice, "HI THERE!"😅
I got a nice early start this morning, intending to beat the incoming heat and a good start on a long ride, going out at 5:50. However, as I neared the end of my second round trip to Marsh Park, I remembered that after my long ride on Thursday, Michelle and Christy both noticed I had picked up quite a bit of color, and asked me I wore sunscreen. They were horrified when I sheepishly said no, and reminded me that I had to have a couple of skin cancer spots excised last year, and they asked me to please wear it.
For my first couple of round trips this morning, it was not a concern—there was no sun whatsoever for much of the time, as it had not risen or was just barely beginning to do so. But as it began to climb in the sky, I knew that it would increasingly be a factor, and, wanting to honor their request, I headed home after the second round trip and went over to Meijer to pick some up.
Anyway, this morning I got in 18.1 miles, in a slow time of 2:29. It is my intent, though, to go out this afternoon and tack on several more round trips, even though the riding conditions will be decidedly less tolerable. 😍
I had taken my phone charger and a book with me, like on Thursday, planning to read and recharge my phone after a while. But then, when I cut my ride short and returned home, I was highly dismayed to find that the charger had fallen out of my pocket somewhere along the way. I had a spare cord that I picked up a while ago, but as for the charger part that plugs into an outlet, I'll have to get myself over to the Apple Store later and replace that.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Absolute reeking of spray-on Coppertone Sport high performance sunscreen, I went back out this afternoon at 2:00, and, battling the hot, windy, bright sunshine (86° and a 15 mph wind from the southwest), I tacked on another round trip to Marsh Park, giving me a total of 28.0 miles for the day in 3:50. I had considered trying to do a longer ride, but the hot, windy conditions beat down any such thoughts (which were never strong to begin with—certainly nothing approaching a 'resolve').
I had an interesting incident occur. On the way home, about two miles before the end, a cyclist came toward me on the path. He was a monstrously large man—tall, and heavy, rippling with muscle, and riding without a shirt, the better to display his heavily tattooed arms. I threw up my hand in a greeting. He nodded back, and then astonished me by replying verbally, in a high, tenor-like, almost childish voice, "HI THERE!"😅
Friday, June 9, 2017
80th ride of 2017 - Friday, 6/9/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1324.0
∫Today I decided to reward myself for yesterday's long ride (42.6 miles), and so I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park. The wisdom of this choice was confirmed when it began raining (lightly) as I was still a couple of miles from home. And ithunderstorms are projected for later this afternoon. I completed the 10.2 miles in a slow, easy ride of 1:28.
A word of explanation regarding mileage to clarify a discrepancy that could puzzle longtime readers of my blog. Previously, if I rode a single round trip to the park, I'd ride south on the trail (the Lohr-Textile Greenway) all the way to Textile, then hang a 90° left turn and follow the trail all the way to Marsh Park, and then upon returning I'd follow the same route, concluding with a half-mile loop in our condo complex to give me a ride of exactly 10 miles. Now, however, I often cut through the Silo Ridge subdivision in the northeast corner of that Lohr/Textile intersection, and this lengthens the ride just slightly. When I did that today, for instance, I came up with a ride of 10.2 miles, even without that concluding lap in our complex.
∫Today I decided to reward myself for yesterday's long ride (42.6 miles), and so I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park. The wisdom of this choice was confirmed when it began raining (lightly) as I was still a couple of miles from home. And ithunderstorms are projected for later this afternoon. I completed the 10.2 miles in a slow, easy ride of 1:28.
A word of explanation regarding mileage to clarify a discrepancy that could puzzle longtime readers of my blog. Previously, if I rode a single round trip to the park, I'd ride south on the trail (the Lohr-Textile Greenway) all the way to Textile, then hang a 90° left turn and follow the trail all the way to Marsh Park, and then upon returning I'd follow the same route, concluding with a half-mile loop in our condo complex to give me a ride of exactly 10 miles. Now, however, I often cut through the Silo Ridge subdivision in the northeast corner of that Lohr/Textile intersection, and this lengthens the ride just slightly. When I did that today, for instance, I came up with a ride of 10.2 miles, even without that concluding lap in our complex.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
79th ride of 2017 - Thursday, 6/8/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1313.8
Today I got up at a good hour (5:15) and left nice and early (5:45) to ride six round trips to Marsh Park, for a ride of over 50 miles that would have been my longest ride ever. All in all, it went pretty nicely, but as I was coming toward the end of the fifth, my feet were absolutely killing me (or, as the Tigers announcers like to say, my dogs were barking). I was not exhausted either mentally or physically, and a strong part of me just wanted to push on. But the discomfort was so extreme, that when I realized I didn't have to add on that final round trip, I opted not to.
But what, you may ask, if I get out there on that 250-mile PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) bike tour later this month, and those dogs start barking? Well, obviously I'll just suck it up and push on, no matter how slowly.
An incident that was amusing in retrospect, though not so much at the time, was that when I was at the park for the second time, still quite early this morning, I sent messages to my family to update them. Due to my nearsightedness, I often remove my glasses for close work, and I did that on this occasion, setting them down on the park bench beside me. But when I finished my text message, I got up and rode off ... totally forgetting my glasses. I didn't realize it till a few hundred yards later, as I was just leaving the park and entering onto the trail that leads up to State Rd. I quickly wheeled around and returned to the bench ... but they were gone. Fighting down a rising sense of alarm, I quickly recalled that there are two facing benches, some 20 feet apart, and today I had inexplicably sat on the one I usually do not. And there were the glasses!
I also learned yesterday that the app to track my ride consumes great amounts of battery power, so I brought my charger and a book to read, and took care of recharging my phone during my fourth time at the park. The outlet I had scouted out in the men's room was dead, but I was able to find one on the outside of the building that worked just fine. My stay was a bit lengthier than I had expected, but by waiting a bit over an hour I was able to charge the battery from 32% to 92%, which I knew would easily take care of the rest of my ride.
Today was a beautiful day for a ride—and though the 46° temperature when I started at quarter to six was a bit brisk, it made my hoodie feel good, and the hoodie was definitely not needed by the end, a bit before 3:00, when it had climbed to 75°. The hoodie is evident in the following picture; the impression my helmet made on hair, meanwhile, is quite amusing to me!
So, even though I fell short of my hoped for six round trips and longest-ride-ever status, I still had a good, solid ride of 42.6 miles in 6:08. And I also reached a new milestone, exceeding 1300 miles for the year.
Today I got up at a good hour (5:15) and left nice and early (5:45) to ride six round trips to Marsh Park, for a ride of over 50 miles that would have been my longest ride ever. All in all, it went pretty nicely, but as I was coming toward the end of the fifth, my feet were absolutely killing me (or, as the Tigers announcers like to say, my dogs were barking). I was not exhausted either mentally or physically, and a strong part of me just wanted to push on. But the discomfort was so extreme, that when I realized I didn't have to add on that final round trip, I opted not to.
But what, you may ask, if I get out there on that 250-mile PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) bike tour later this month, and those dogs start barking? Well, obviously I'll just suck it up and push on, no matter how slowly.
An incident that was amusing in retrospect, though not so much at the time, was that when I was at the park for the second time, still quite early this morning, I sent messages to my family to update them. Due to my nearsightedness, I often remove my glasses for close work, and I did that on this occasion, setting them down on the park bench beside me. But when I finished my text message, I got up and rode off ... totally forgetting my glasses. I didn't realize it till a few hundred yards later, as I was just leaving the park and entering onto the trail that leads up to State Rd. I quickly wheeled around and returned to the bench ... but they were gone. Fighting down a rising sense of alarm, I quickly recalled that there are two facing benches, some 20 feet apart, and today I had inexplicably sat on the one I usually do not. And there were the glasses!
I also learned yesterday that the app to track my ride consumes great amounts of battery power, so I brought my charger and a book to read, and took care of recharging my phone during my fourth time at the park. The outlet I had scouted out in the men's room was dead, but I was able to find one on the outside of the building that worked just fine. My stay was a bit lengthier than I had expected, but by waiting a bit over an hour I was able to charge the battery from 32% to 92%, which I knew would easily take care of the rest of my ride.
Today was a beautiful day for a ride—and though the 46° temperature when I started at quarter to six was a bit brisk, it made my hoodie feel good, and the hoodie was definitely not needed by the end, a bit before 3:00, when it had climbed to 75°. The hoodie is evident in the following picture; the impression my helmet made on hair, meanwhile, is quite amusing to me!
So, even though I fell short of my hoped for six round trips and longest-ride-ever status, I still had a good, solid ride of 42.6 miles in 6:08. And I also reached a new milestone, exceeding 1300 miles for the year.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
78th ride of 2017 - Wednesday, 6/7/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1271.2
I am growing mildly concerned—nothing major at all—over my inability so far to complete a 50-mile ride. Today was my third time in recent weeks to fall short of it, and though my concern is by no means a major issue, it is also not something I feel I can just dismiss.
I am registered to ride the PALM (Palm Across Lower Michigan) bike tour, on June 24-30, when, along with several hundred other participants, I will ride roughly 250 miles during that week, from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie, camping in preplanned schoolyards along the way. PALM's website recommends building one's training for it up to the point where you can do a weekly 50-mile ride in the last few weeks before the event.
Today, even though I overslept (until 5:47) and got away (at 6:20) about a half-hour later than I had hoped to, riding was going nicely, and I am quite sure I could have made it. But then circumstances intervened.
My friend and cycling mentor, Doug, calls the apps that track one's riding "real battery suckers," and I found that out today firsthand. Though I began with a fully charged phone, by the time I was approaching the end of my fourth round trip to Marsh Park (I had intended to do six), my battery was down to 24%. I could see that it was never going to last for the long ride I had planned, so I settled for "only" 4 round trips—34.3 miles, in 4:39.
My thinking on this was that in my circumstances—especially being mute, but also the fact that I do not yet have the ability to change a tire should I need to—it was imprudent and unwise (and potentially hazardous) for me to push on to a condition where I would have no phone left available to me.
I have decided that next time I try a long ride—tomorrow?—I will take my charger with me and charge it in the men's room at the park, while I sit on the bench, take a break, and read for a while (note to self—don't forget your book!😇)
Anyway, it was still a good ride today, in rich sunshine that warmed things up from 51° at 6:20 to 69° when I finished at about noon. I do feel especially bad, however, for letting down my dear daughter, who sent me encouraging texts as I went along through the morning. But I'm not giving up—I'll get this done!
I am growing mildly concerned—nothing major at all—over my inability so far to complete a 50-mile ride. Today was my third time in recent weeks to fall short of it, and though my concern is by no means a major issue, it is also not something I feel I can just dismiss.
I am registered to ride the PALM (Palm Across Lower Michigan) bike tour, on June 24-30, when, along with several hundred other participants, I will ride roughly 250 miles during that week, from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie, camping in preplanned schoolyards along the way. PALM's website recommends building one's training for it up to the point where you can do a weekly 50-mile ride in the last few weeks before the event.
Today, even though I overslept (until 5:47) and got away (at 6:20) about a half-hour later than I had hoped to, riding was going nicely, and I am quite sure I could have made it. But then circumstances intervened.
My friend and cycling mentor, Doug, calls the apps that track one's riding "real battery suckers," and I found that out today firsthand. Though I began with a fully charged phone, by the time I was approaching the end of my fourth round trip to Marsh Park (I had intended to do six), my battery was down to 24%. I could see that it was never going to last for the long ride I had planned, so I settled for "only" 4 round trips—34.3 miles, in 4:39.
My thinking on this was that in my circumstances—especially being mute, but also the fact that I do not yet have the ability to change a tire should I need to—it was imprudent and unwise (and potentially hazardous) for me to push on to a condition where I would have no phone left available to me.
I have decided that next time I try a long ride—tomorrow?—I will take my charger with me and charge it in the men's room at the park, while I sit on the bench, take a break, and read for a while (note to self—don't forget your book!😇)
Anyway, it was still a good ride today, in rich sunshine that warmed things up from 51° at 6:20 to 69° when I finished at about noon. I do feel especially bad, however, for letting down my dear daughter, who sent me encouraging texts as I went along through the morning. But I'm not giving up—I'll get this done!
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
77th ride of 2017 - Tuesday, 6/6/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1236.9
Today I caved in to sloth, and settled for riding a single round trip to Marsh Park, covering the 9.8 miles in 1:12. It was a lovely sunshiny ride in the upper sixties, but I was battling a pretty healthy wind (16 mph from the north when i finished). Though not 'mean,' it was ruffling the trees pretty good quite constantly.
The ride began with a nice surprise. After I had ridden the sidewalk along Lohr Rd. down the hill and was waiting to cross Oak Valley, a van pulled up and a man called out the window, "Hey, Allen!" He could evidently see me squinting and struggling to figure out who it was, because he then yelled, "It's Dustin!" Dustin Bornhoft (see picture below) is a friend who was a work colleague of mine at Firestone when I was there (in the second half of my 2001-2014 tenure). Good to see him wearing the olde English D in this profile picture of his that I stole from Facebook.😊
Today I caved in to sloth, and settled for riding a single round trip to Marsh Park, covering the 9.8 miles in 1:12. It was a lovely sunshiny ride in the upper sixties, but I was battling a pretty healthy wind (16 mph from the north when i finished). Though not 'mean,' it was ruffling the trees pretty good quite constantly.
The ride began with a nice surprise. After I had ridden the sidewalk along Lohr Rd. down the hill and was waiting to cross Oak Valley, a van pulled up and a man called out the window, "Hey, Allen!" He could evidently see me squinting and struggling to figure out who it was, because he then yelled, "It's Dustin!" Dustin Bornhoft (see picture below) is a friend who was a work colleague of mine at Firestone when I was there (in the second half of my 2001-2014 tenure). Good to see him wearing the olde English D in this profile picture of his that I stole from Facebook.😊
Monday, June 5, 2017
76th ride of 2017 - Monday, 6/5/2017
Total mileage for 2017: 1227.1
I was disappointed in myself today. I set out to ride six round trips to Marsh Park, for a ride of almost 55 miles, which would have been my longest ride ever so far. However, I settled for exactly half that, completing the three round trips (26.2 miles) in 3:15
Ever the King of Rationalization, I am able to identify at least two reasons for this: (1) a later than usual start, due to my Monday morning Bible study and fellowship men's small group; and (2) the weather, which was gray and gloomy, with a touch of wind. The wind was never oppressive, but when I finished and got inside, it was from the north at 10-20 mph. But at least I didn't have to battle the temperature: when I began at 9:00, it was 63°, and by the finish, early this afternoon, it had climbed to 65°.
My daughter Christy and I (shown below) exchanged texts during my ride, and I found this to be encouraging. However, I didn't hold up my end of the deal. As she astutely noted, "Like you said, mental endurance is key. The next few hours are going to pass either way, so why not spend them meeting an amazing goal?" Tomorrow I WILL I hope to begin my ride at my favorite time of day: pre-6:00.
At one point, Christy warmed my heart with a phrase from our alma mater, St. Olaf College in Minnesota. King Olaf, after whom the school is named was the one who brought Christianity to Norway, and on his battle shield was emblazoned the phrase, "Fram! Fram! Kristmenn Krossmenn!" (Forward, forward, men of Christ, men of the cross.) So when she told me "fram fram!" it lifted my spirits and made me smile.
I was disappointed in myself today. I set out to ride six round trips to Marsh Park, for a ride of almost 55 miles, which would have been my longest ride ever so far. However, I settled for exactly half that, completing the three round trips (26.2 miles) in 3:15
Ever the King of Rationalization, I am able to identify at least two reasons for this: (1) a later than usual start, due to my Monday morning Bible study and fellowship men's small group; and (2) the weather, which was gray and gloomy, with a touch of wind. The wind was never oppressive, but when I finished and got inside, it was from the north at 10-20 mph. But at least I didn't have to battle the temperature: when I began at 9:00, it was 63°, and by the finish, early this afternoon, it had climbed to 65°.
My daughter Christy and I (shown below) exchanged texts during my ride, and I found this to be encouraging. However, I didn't hold up my end of the deal. As she astutely noted, "Like you said, mental endurance is key. The next few hours are going to pass either way, so why not spend them meeting an amazing goal?" Tomorrow I WILL I hope to begin my ride at my favorite time of day: pre-6:00.
At one point, Christy warmed my heart with a phrase from our alma mater, St. Olaf College in Minnesota. King Olaf, after whom the school is named was the one who brought Christianity to Norway, and on his battle shield was emblazoned the phrase, "Fram! Fram! Kristmenn Krossmenn!" (Forward, forward, men of Christ, men of the cross.) So when she told me "fram fram!" it lifted my spirits and made me smile.
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