Well today is the 28th of October three days before the little ghouls and goblins, one day after the premier of the Michael Jackson, over hyped (son and I went to the 10:00 pm showing last night) “This is It” movie, two days after not having a fever over 100 degrees in a week and finally, Twenty Eight days after the H1N1 hit our house. Now there is an opening sentence for you. Yes the H1N1 is hitting everyone in a little bit different of a way and I was not even suppose to be in the age group that was susceptible to it.
I have found that the occasional break from my recreational enjoyment (training) has worked out to be of a great benefit, but a month break between being sick and the weather, scares me. While this month has seen temperatures in the eighties, November is scheduled to start in the sixties yet, the high today was thirty degrees and we will be looking at fourteen inches of snow by the time it stops tomorrow. This means a long, unexpected layoff at a time were the weather will be the dictator of my ride schedules for the next five months. My only hope is there will be plenty of good weather in between the occasional annoyances we call white gold. The worst of this is the effects from flu. I am very proud of what my fitness level has become over the past eighteen months or so. As I sit here hunt and pecking out this nonsense on my keyboard, I can hear the gurgling in my chest with every breath that breaks into a seemingly endless deep cough every two minutes, with nothing coming out. From being able to return from a forty mile ride and have my resting heart rate of seventy two back within a minute and a half to walking up the stairs gasping for breath in less than a month is hard to take. I have lost ten more pounds but not the good pounds. The definition in my legs has dwindled as well as my arms. Most disheartening though, ladies you can appreciate this, I have gained some lose skin over my normally tight gluts, go figure. It will all get better, I know this for a fact. The problem is, as the body ages it is harder to get back what you lose. This is going to be a very interesting winter. I have faith that since I am not an elite athlete, I will not have that much to regain. I worry that since I am not an elite athlete that I will not be able to regain what I lost. It’s all a vicious circle that lets me know I need to get a life.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Annoyances Continue
Annoyance 1 – The H1N1 hit our household last weekend which has made for a long week. Missed school, throbbing heads, if the temperature has been above 50 degrees the wind was over 30 mph. Results I feel miserable and not a single ride nor mile added to my summer totals.
Annoyance 2 – While sitting/laying around moaning and wanting to curl up in a hole (yes its a man thing) I get my new issue of Bicycling. That wonderful information filled magazine that still believes that all of their readers are 150 lbs, have a unrestricted flow of money with no visible means of support and are elite cyclists. Now don't get me wrong, I love that magazine, and have gained some priceless tips and information from actually reading between the pictures of the shiny bobbles dangled in front of our egos and empty wallets. But, when you read a monthly article like “Chow Time” ( the November issue page 37) then read the, “* Based on a 150-pound cyclist”, I wonder how about the real life cyclist that aren't so bulimic. Then on page 70, (same issue) “A Flat is...”, a great article on tire air pressure. This is a subject that you can't get a straight answer let alone the same answer from anyone you may ask. The information is reasonable, except maybe the thought of figuring in of barometric pressure, but again the chart covers riders weighting between 110 and 180. Now if I didn't feel so miserable this probable would not have phased me but come on, my 15 year old is 165 lbs 6' 1” and skinny as a rail. Sometimes the bicycling media can be very far removed from the real bicycling population. Same issue, 3, 4, and $7000.00 plus bikes with separate full page reviews and a few pages later, 3 under $1000.00 women bikes crammed into 1 page. When was the last time you went into your favorite bike shop and perused the racks of 4 thousand dollar plus bikes. Yes they may have one or two but they know that the elite don't shop. The money in the bicycling industry comes from the recreational rider, the ones that ride the neighborhood with their kids to those that ride 1, 2 or more centuries a month from spring to fall and all of us in between. They take the money we worked hard for and give, yes give the shiny bobbles to the elite. The industry should though, the elite riders work harder for what they do more than anyone can possibly imagine. If, say 9% of the cyclists are in the elite category maybe 25%, of them, can actually make a good life by doing it. If we could all be Lance Armstrong we would be. How does this all come together, bottom line the bicycle media needs to realize it's audience. I love the articles of the big events and the behind the scene peeks of the elites but throw in a little more realistic and obtainable articles and reviews for the average rec rider with 2 kids and a mortgage. I am bicycling !
Annoyance 3 – I didn't make my 300 mile goal for September (only 243), or the 1000 mile summer (only 964.5), but did make my mortgage, make a family road trip, made it to 5 of my older son's Sunday basketball games so far, dealt with real life and still managed to give the bicycle industries a couple thousand dollars. After all , I understand the economy is down and I must do my part to support the recovery and it didn't have a thing to do with supporting highway sign makers.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
Annoyance 2 – While sitting/laying around moaning and wanting to curl up in a hole (yes its a man thing) I get my new issue of Bicycling. That wonderful information filled magazine that still believes that all of their readers are 150 lbs, have a unrestricted flow of money with no visible means of support and are elite cyclists. Now don't get me wrong, I love that magazine, and have gained some priceless tips and information from actually reading between the pictures of the shiny bobbles dangled in front of our egos and empty wallets. But, when you read a monthly article like “Chow Time” ( the November issue page 37) then read the, “* Based on a 150-pound cyclist”, I wonder how about the real life cyclist that aren't so bulimic. Then on page 70, (same issue) “A Flat is...”, a great article on tire air pressure. This is a subject that you can't get a straight answer let alone the same answer from anyone you may ask. The information is reasonable, except maybe the thought of figuring in of barometric pressure, but again the chart covers riders weighting between 110 and 180. Now if I didn't feel so miserable this probable would not have phased me but come on, my 15 year old is 165 lbs 6' 1” and skinny as a rail. Sometimes the bicycling media can be very far removed from the real bicycling population. Same issue, 3, 4, and $7000.00 plus bikes with separate full page reviews and a few pages later, 3 under $1000.00 women bikes crammed into 1 page. When was the last time you went into your favorite bike shop and perused the racks of 4 thousand dollar plus bikes. Yes they may have one or two but they know that the elite don't shop. The money in the bicycling industry comes from the recreational rider, the ones that ride the neighborhood with their kids to those that ride 1, 2 or more centuries a month from spring to fall and all of us in between. They take the money we worked hard for and give, yes give the shiny bobbles to the elite. The industry should though, the elite riders work harder for what they do more than anyone can possibly imagine. If, say 9% of the cyclists are in the elite category maybe 25%, of them, can actually make a good life by doing it. If we could all be Lance Armstrong we would be. How does this all come together, bottom line the bicycle media needs to realize it's audience. I love the articles of the big events and the behind the scene peeks of the elites but throw in a little more realistic and obtainable articles and reviews for the average rec rider with 2 kids and a mortgage. I am bicycling !
Annoyance 3 – I didn't make my 300 mile goal for September (only 243), or the 1000 mile summer (only 964.5), but did make my mortgage, make a family road trip, made it to 5 of my older son's Sunday basketball games so far, dealt with real life and still managed to give the bicycle industries a couple thousand dollars. After all , I understand the economy is down and I must do my part to support the recovery and it didn't have a thing to do with supporting highway sign makers.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
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