Total mileage for 2017: 2247.6
This morning, I did my longest ride yet since restarting after my injury last week—consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, for 18.4 miles in a relatively speedy 1:41. (I kept reminding myself, take care, and whatever you do, DON'T FALL! But don't be lazy, either—work at it, and push yourself along!)
I can definitely tell that fall is approaching, though! When I began, at 7:45, it was 62°, and though it had heated up to 65° by the time I finished, my t-shirt and shorts, as well as the steady breeze and cloudiness, almost made it feel brisk!
Total mileage for 2017: 2229.2
This morning I went out at 7:30 in heavy fog (and cool—61°) and rode a round trip to Marsh Park. Since I'm now faced with the long, arduous task of rebuilding my stamina—before my fall and injury a week ago today I could ride 30 or 40 miles or more with no problem. So today on the way home, I turned into Stonebridge and did a lap in there, for a total ride of 13.0 miles in 1:19.
Total mileage for 2017: 2216.2
I am SO incredibly happy to have been able to ride today—my first time since August 18! On that day, I discovered that one of my wheels looked somewhat wobbly, so I took it in to the dealer. Upon examination, they said that the wheel needed to be trued (whatever that means), and when I asked how long they thought, they said probably on Monday (the 21st).
I had Michelle call them to check Monday afternoon, and they said not yet, but they'd call when it was ready. I took this to mean that I'd better employ what Michelle calls my "gift of patience."
Meanwhile, though, by midweek I was realizing I needed to do something for exercise, so that morning I set off early, and, pushing hard, walked down to Stonebridge, a subdivision just over . In the cast room. In the ca mile south of us, and figured I'd do a lap in there and then head back home. After almost two hours, my legs were feeling quite rubbery, so I figured I'd sit down on the curb for a short rest.
Just then, however, the balance issues that have beset me since the brain injury incurred in my May 1993 accident took over, and as I tried to sit, I found myself plummeting helplessly face-first. Now, you would think that doing a face plant into a cement curb would be the worst of it. However, when I tried to break my fall, I jammed my right hand into the ground and in a short time both the pain and swelling were intense.
Initially I considered walng the mile-plus home ... after all, I reasoned, my legs were still fine! But I soon realized that this was unwise, so I pulled out my iPhone and texted Michelle, who was soon pulling up to give me a ride home.
Once I got home, I figured I'd be fine. But after an hour, with the pain increasing rather than subsiding, we headed off to Urgent Care. The x-ray taken was not quite definitive, but then said it looked like my fifth metacarpal (the bone at the base of the little finger) might be broken. However, the soonest I could get in to see the Orthopedist was in 6 days ... today.
So, this morning Michelle and I were at Michigan Orthopedic for my appointment just past 8 a.m., where Dr. Fitzsimmons confirmed that it is, indeed, broken. However, the good news is that I would only need a temporary, removable cast on it for the next 3 weeks, before I go back to see how it's healing.
In the Cast Room, when they asked if I had a favorite color, Michelle and I grinned at one another and agreed this was a no-brainer. Blue has been my favorite color since my earliest memories, at the age of three.
To my delight, the doctor responded to my questions about riding my trike and trying to play the piano a little by saying that both were fine.So after getting home, I wait a little while for the sprinkle we were then experiencing to stop, and then headed out for a totally incident-free ride, even though I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park, 10.1 miles in a good time of 56 minutes (considerably better than usual).
I think my time was aided by my cast, actually. On the right, the gear shift controls an eight-gear wheel on the back, and on the left is the control for the three-gear wheel at the front of the trike, giving me a total of 24 gears. I don't usually use the ones on the left. However, with my cast I could not shift, and promptly realized that at least the three gears at my left hand at least gave me something, and I think I worked harder in light of this.
Total mileage for 2017: 2206.1
I set off this morning at 8:20, fully intending to ride three round trips to Marsh Park, and all was going well -- pleasantly cool temperature (68°), feeling good, and my mind clearly focused on the goal. I reached the park and turned back, but then, when I got started on the second round trip, I could notice that my left wheel appeared to be wobbling somewhat in and out (unlike the right one, which turned smoothly as usual), even though this didn't seem to affect the ride any. Now, perhaps I was merely exhibiting symptoms of a hypochondriac, after having experienced so many mechanical troubles in the past. But as I rode on and though about it, I was quite leery of getting stuck somewhere miles away from home with some sort of breakdown that I could do nothing about. So I wheeled about and headed home, determined to take the trike back to the dealer ASAP with a note of explanation, to have them check it out.
So today's ride was quite brief—11 miles, in 1:19—but at least it was (relatively) uneventful. And it did help me to surpass another milestone in mileage.
AFTERNOON UPDATE
SIGH - the left wheel of my trike has to be "trued," and evidently this is a semi-major job, as they told me it might be ready "maybe Monday." Glad that I have the option of riding the stationary bike at LA Fitness until the trike is ready!
Total mileage for 2017: 2195.1
Yesterday I did not ride, due to the visit of friends who, along with Christy and our grandchildren, were in the pool with us all afternoon, leaving me quite work out. So I was glad to get back on it today This morning I put in a good session of practicing piano, but then it was beginning to rain and the humidity was unbelievably high. So I decided to wait, and see if I could ride in the afternoon.
I didn't think I was going to be able to for some time ... but then, about 3:30, it worked for me to go (though it was 80° and still quite humid). I rode to Saline, to the center of town, and then went as far west as I could, until the sidewalk ends about a mile west of Wellers, but then Michigan Avenue (or US. 12), which it runs alongside of, continues on west into the farmland on towards Clinton, and then beyond it to the south central part of Michigan where I was born and raised, and on still further, across the state, until it continues on into Chicago.
This good ride of 16.2 miles took me just seconds under 2 hours.
Total mileage for 2017: 2178.9
Today I was, for some reason, absolutely beat. So after getting Michelle home from Jump Start at her school (the summer camp she leads for entering Kindergarteners), we crawled into bed for a good nap. I got up and began my ride at 4:00.
In bright 81 sunshine with low humidity, I rode very comfortably, going to Saline and then adding a round trip in Stonebridge on the way home for a ride of 14.3 miles in 1:41.
Total mileage for 2017: 2164.6
Yesterday was a big, big day, with me rising very early (3 a.m.) to prepare, and then play a piano solo at church. Since that made for a very busy morning, I decided to give myself the day off from riding.
Today, I went out at 9:30 (67°) and rode consecutive round trips to Marsh Park plus one lap in Stonebridge, finishing the 21.3 miles, 2:18 later, in bright 80° sunshine.
Total mileage for 2017: 2143.3
After rising way early this morning (before 5:00) to go and practice for my piano solo at church tomorrow morning, I went to Dexter to watch the Dexter Daze parade with Christy, Izzy, and Danny. After the parade, Danny and I played catch for a while out in the yard, and then they ran me home so that I could climb in bed for a nap! I didn't really sleep much, but I was so tired that it felt awfully good to lie down and close my eyes.
I got up mid-afternoon and began my ride (75° conditions) at 3:15, but because I wanted to practice piano yet again, I kept the ride shorter than I had originally wanted to, and round a single round trip to Saline, for 11.4 miles in 1:20.
I wanted the second practice session because I was trying to memorize my piece, and was tantalizingly close, but it remained imperfect after my late afternoon practice session, so I've decided to use music (not wanting to let pride mess it up). I had volunteered to play way last spring, but then I forgot about it until 10 days ago, when our music director reminded me. Needing to scramble and choose repertoire, I went with a short piece that is not very technically challenging, but it is a romantic work (a Chopin Prelude) with shifting, complex harmony, so I decided to challenge myself to memorize. But I fell just short, and that's OK.
Total mileage for 2017: 2131.9
Today, again, because of a very full morning of errands (and the need to coordinate transportation with Michelle), I needed to wait until this afternoon to ride. Going out at 2:15, I didn't get to enjoy the morning cool, but it was not unpleasant—80° with a tolerable level of humidity, and bright sunshine. However, by the second time I was at Marsh Park, the wind had picked up and gotten quite blustery. Consequently, I limited myself to consecutive round trips to the park, riding the 18.2 miles in 2:12.
Total mileage for 2017: 2113.7
Today I had to forego my usual morning ride, because of errands I needed to do. After having risen shortly after 4:00 a.m., I was pretty tired by the time I had finished my errands, so I crawled in and tried to sleep—but couldn't, although it was nice to just lie there quietly with my eyes closed. I had to wait and ride in the afternoon instead, going at 2:00, when it was 84°—BLECH! I did two round trips to Marsh Park, slowing down as I went along—my speed for the first two miles was 10 mph, but my speed for the overall ride was 8.2 Anyway, it was good to be able to ride, even in the heat .... I know that by December or January I'll be looking back at these days longingly. It was another milestone day, too, putting me over 2100 miles for the year.
Total mileage for 2017: 2095.6
This morning I waited and rode later than I usually like to, going at 10:15 (68°), and settled for riding consecutive round trips to Marsh Park. (I held my mileage down as my 'battle wounds' on my left thigh and left ankle were still disturbingly uncomfortable.) After 18.7 miles of riding in 2:06, the bright summer sunshine had brought the temperature up to 80°.
Just before I rode, Michelle was kind to take some pictures of my on the trike in the road around our complex just in front of our garage.
Total mileage for 2017: 2076.9
Today I rode a round trip beyond Wellers in Saline, as far as I could go to the west before the sidewalk stops. On the way back, I had wanted to tack on a trip to Marsh Park, which would have bumped me up over 20 miles for the day. But I've opened up a couple of new 'battle wounds,' and I need to do some head scratching and problem solving regarding these before I push myself too hard, I think.
One, on my left thigh, should be relatively easy to address. My thigh ends up striking the end of my handlebar on the upstroke of the pedal. However, the handlebar moves, so the solution is that I just need to make certain that it's in a position where I won't bump it before I take off on my ride, and then be sure it's tight enough not to move.
The other is a bit more of a conundrum. The inside of my left ankle has received a sore where it frequently brushes against the pedal crank with each revolution of the pedal. It doesn't look like much in this picture, but it's quite bothersome.
At any rate, since I'm playing a piano solo in church next Sunday, but also participate in an early Monday men's Bible study/fellowship group, and I wanted to practice before the group met, I rose at 4:00 today, and left home shortly after 5:00 to practice, enabling me to make the 6:30 meeting with ease. But afterwards I came home and crawled in for a bit of a nap, and then began my ride about 11:00, in 73° weather. When I finished, 16.1 miles and 1:57 later, it had heated up to 76°.
Total mileage for 2017: 2059.8
I'm playing a piano solo at church next week (for the 9:30 service) and wanted a chance to run through it a couple of times today. But I knew the best way to fit it in would be to get it done first thing in the morning; and the only way I could ride today would be to do that early, as well. So I left for church at 6 a.m. to practice ... and when I arrived, I was greeted by the sound of our organist, Elgin, already warming up for the 8:00 service! After a good practice session, I made my way back home and got my ride started at 7:00 a.m. (56°).
I rode rather deliberately, not pushing for speed at all, and went out to Baker Rd. (Dexter). The round trip there gained me 19.8 miles, in 2:29, and a warm up to 68°.
Total mileage for 2017: 2041.0
This morning I had hoped to do a good, long ride - to Gallup Park, and then through it to the east, to explore the eastern portion of the Border-to-Border (B2B) trail, which I've never yet ridden. I had planned to leave early and ride out for 20 miles, then turn around and come back home. But today's ride was rife with logistical snafus.
The difficulties started right off the bat. I left in 54° weather at 6:20 (when I finished, a bit past 10:00, it had heated up to 68°—but still, I am glad to have worn long sleeves), and as I was less than a half mile from home, riding the sidewalk along Lohr Rd. where it curves (outside of Kohl's) early morning sprinklers were blanketing the area, so that I had other option than to ride through and get thoroughly drenched some nice cold water.
Then, at several points on my outbound leg, my phone (which measures my ride) inexplicably went into pause mode. (I suspect my clumsy fingers and lack of dexterity, when I was attempting to put the phone into the pouch in which I carry it.) One time when this happened, I didn't discover it for over 2 miles, when I suddenly realized I was getting no vocal feedback, and checked it, only to find it had been paused on 2 seconds.
Another difficulty was on riding out, after getting to Parker Mill, the trail angles off to the right and folows Geddes Rd. for a short stretch before turning and following Dixboro Rd. and then Huron River Dr., and looping down around St. Joseph Hospital and down past Eastern Michigan University before heading into Ypsilanti. But the stretch along Geddes was closed for a ways for construction, forcing me to find a different way around.
Finally, I realize that my own lack of knowledge of the B2B trail was the root of this problem—but I found its marking and signage to be execrably poor. I lost it several times, most seriously as I was heading south along Hewitt and the map I had printed off from the internet showed a clear turn to the left (east) -- however, I never could find any trace of this, and when I got down to Washtenaw (considerably beyond where I should have turned), I scratched my head, and decided that with all the problems I had encountered so far, the best thing to do was to restart my phone with MapMyRide, and head back, which should give me a reasonable estimate for half the ride.
I couldn't simply double my stats from the second half of the ride—for one thing, I could not retrace my route precisely, due to getting waylaid a few times. But below is what I did get for the second half of the ride, and since I know I added some distance and time, I'm estimating the entire ride at 27 miles in 3:15.
Also, I got the first part of my ride measured, after which I experienced the first of the inexplicable pauses that ended up spoiling my stats. Here is that first part:
Total mileage for 2017: 2014.0
This morning we were getting some light rain, with morning thundershowers projected. So, since the day was forecast to be cool, I decided to wait and ride in the afternoon.
After lunch with my friend Doug, I set off intending to do three round trips to Marsh Park. But, battling a significant wind convinced me to shorten those plans. (I wanted to call the wind "ferocious," but at 18 mph out of the west northwest, I think it fell short of that descriptor.) With this, I settled for a single round trip, and augmented it just slightly by tacking on one lap in Stonebridge and two laps in our compound (Heatherwood), completing a ride of 13.6 miles in 1:31.
Total mileage for 2017: 2000.4
Happily, I was able to get out relatively early again today, embarking at 7:00 in a nice 63° temperature. (It was 757 when I finished.) Like yesterday, I rode consecutive round trips to Saline (Woodland Dr. and Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.), but unlike yesterday, I managed to avoid dragging my elbow into the bushes and opening up the wound on it.😃
Today the 21.3-mile ride took me 2:22, as I rode at a faster pace than yesterday's 2:33. And it pushed me over a big milestone for the year—2000 miles. I am obviously well off the needed pace for my 4000-mile goal for the year, and almost certainly won't make it ... but, I don't despair over what I have done and am doing, and still consider it a significant achievement.
Total mileage for 2017: 1979.1
It's supposed to get extremely humid today, so it was a priority for me to ride nice and early. I went out at 7:00, and rode consecutive round trips to Saline (the intersection of Woodland Dr. and Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.), covering this 21.3-mile stretch in 2:33.
I wanted to do a couple of laps inside Stonebridge on the way home, and tack on roughly 5 miles this way. (Stonebridge is the subdevelopment almost 2 miles south of us, on the west side of Lohr Rd., wrapped around an 18-hole golf course.) But a minor incident made this seem inadvisable.
Last night, I asked Michelle if she would change the dressing on my left elbow/forearm, where I had fallen a couple of weeks ago and gotten a nasty case of 'road rash,' and then reopened it about a week ago when I rolled the trike again while dodging a construction sign the city had placed on the sidewalk. However, after examining it, Michelle said that it seemed to be healing well, and she believed it would be best to leave it open to the air. This made sense to me.
This morning, though, when I was on the way back from Saline the second time, I was riding on the sidewalk on the north side of Woodland, climbing a substantial hill and headed directly east, into the bright sun. The sun momentarily blinded me, and my left elbow scraped through some overgrown branches, overhanging the sidewalk. There was almost no pain, but reopening it so that it bled convinced me that it would be wiser today just to head home rather than try to extend my ride. The good news is, though, that this picture is much less dramatic than the previous ones I've posted ... healing is definitely taking place, even if it's two steps forward and one step back.😇
Total mileage for 2017: 1957.8
This morning I got out at 7:00 with the hope of doing a longer ride—and actually carried through with it today.😇
I rode three consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, and at the end of the third I rode to Meijer because I wanted to get a card for my niece, who has recently moved out of state. So this gave me a ride of 28.3 miles, in 3:23—not a very good pace, but I just kept plugging away.
As I was leaving Meijer and unchaining my trike, an older man (eighty-ish .... he was wearing a golf hat and had a trimmed white beard that made him look like Colonel Sanders) asked me, "How do you like that recumbent?" So I fished out the card I had prepared about the trike and why I can't talk. He read it and found it "Cool!" and he was also impressed when I told him (with voice and fingers) that I had ridden 27 miles so far this morning.
