Is It Time To Take The Next Step In Your Training

Well summer is turning to fall and you have been riding, hopefully, consistently 15 -20 miles a ride. You should be feeling good, you have lost some weight, or more importantly your clothes are now fitting better or too big. You have learned to adjust your riding to improve your skills but work with your body. Now it is time for more.

Even if, like me, you went on vacation and you now feel like you are back at square one and you can’t seem to get back into the grove again it’s only a couple of rides away. Now you will need to dig deep, think of what you have accomplished, what you want to accomplish and start to hammer it out. You will be very surprised that in two or three rides you are back in the swing of things. Not only are you back into the swing of it, you are better than when you stopped for vacation. The human body is a wonderful mechanism that is flexible and can rebound with an improvement faster than you can imagine.

Now you have some choices to make. Should you stick with me, a non-expert, non-professional that is a firm believer in the S.W.A.G. method (For the young, or never been in the military, S.W.A.G. stands for Scientific Wild Ass Guess). Take advice and tips you have acquired from friends, neighbors, and the other cyclists I hope you have been talking to. Taking tips is a very good idea if you are open to and want to attempt change to improve. Remember what works for one does not work for another, but it does not need to be a permanent change to try a couple of times. Are you comfortable to step up and join an organized riding group? Find a compatible riding buddy. Or the big step, find an organized finely written training regiment and group or private coach. You know what you have been doing, you know the improvements you have made and where you need, or better, want to improve. How about a little of all of it? If you have really been working at being a good recreational cyclist, lose weight and just all around feel better, you should have been doing some of this on a smaller scale.

We all have our little things that we want to change or at least improve on. Sometime we become so obsessed by these little things that we forget to look at the big picture. Like I said when I started this blog idea, little steps, little goals, result in big rewards. Most of all you need to make yourself feel good

Next blog I will talk about how my training has been and my deficiencies, well at least those related to bicycling.


Next Post; My Training With S.W.A.G.

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”

Things Brought to My Attention

I only made a single blog entry once in July, WOW.

I did ride 355 miles with an average of 24 miles a ride. My smart-alecky fifteen year old now needs to wait for me again so he had to rub it in with some extra rides to total 387 miles, oh to be fifteen again.

It is half way through August and I haven’t made an entry until now.

We had a family road trip (getting to be a lost past time in this instant gratification world) to California. Saw the Grand Canyon, California Speedway (nothing to see there the track is closed to the public), did a walking tour of USC, went to the beach and a family reunion in Ventura. We stopped in Vegas saw a great Summer of ‘69 light show at the Fremont Street Experience and left after a tour around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is open to the public.

Helmets have been brought to my attention. On a ride yesterday a fire truck, ambulance (Good work South Metro), and two park ranger officers were caring for a cyclist on the path. Besides obvious (obvious due to the amount of the flowing blood and torn skin) head, shoulder, arm and hand wounds there was not a helmet in sight. Helmets are not uncomfortable, they are light and now designed to flow air to keep your noggin cool besides intact. Wear the damn things!! When I say ‘wear’ I mean on your head correctly. You should have two finger widths between the eyebrow and the helmet. That is two finger widths of the wearer not Dad’s big fingers sizing the six year old. The strap should be loose but as you open your mouth wide ( you know that panic of falling yell wide), the strap should tighten, not to choke but not come over the chin. The straps should come together just below and centered on the wearer’s ear lobes (the things holding the large bling pieces). I have seen a female rider on a regular basis that has a desire to have her helmet protect her right ear. How she has been able to adjust it to appear centered over her right ear is well beyond my expertise, I just hope she can aim her fall well. Then we have all seen the rider with the helmet fitted to cover the back bulge of the skull. You can see their full fore head as well as their full receding hair line. They are the ones that usually are wearing them so their children will wear one. Unfortunately the children have them fitted the same way. I have been arrogant enough to offer to adjust a helmet for a child and found that the parent really did not know there was a special way they should be adjusted. Join the movement and see how many kids’ helmets you can adjust in a week.

Next Post; Is It Time to Take The Next Step in Your Training

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”

Use Your Body as Your Barometer

Sounds simple right? How many people have lost money on everything from diets to exercise plans to exercise gimmicks? Very few people are comfortable with their body and most would like to change something about themselves. What is sad is that, it is highly likely, it is unnecessary. You know your body more than anyone, hopefully, yet you will read, buy and seek others to tell you what is best for your body. Makes sense right? Yea right!

The body is an extremely complicated piece of delicate machinery. It will fix itself and warn you when it has had enough, even though the latest fitness article or that $100 a session trainer says you can push harder. Trainers do an outstanding job of motivating though.

The basic body works the same as the next basic body does. The parts are the same, with some strategically placed variances of course. Unfortunately there are very important unseen differences that totally blow the theory that one size fits all when it comes to working your body.

For example; to ride better, farther, faster you need to ride daily and push your limits with each ride. Yes, that is paraphrased from almost all bicycle how to books. I am 61, a one time body builder, stayed low to medium fit through my middle(ish) year, with one heart attack and I'm very hard headed. I did the everyday ride push as hard as you can then push more. It really struck me when I read my training log and there was not the quality improvement to effort ratio. Besides that I hurt and it was no longer fun. I switched to every other day rides, with an occasional two in a row off days and BAM! My average speed has crept up, my distance has improved, I look for inclines to hammer up and cruise up hills that at one time I wobbled over the crest. Today was my short day, 22 miles rolling terrain and a 13mph average. Two days ago we took a neighbor out on his new bike, 30 miles at 14.4mph average. I could not get here while attempting to use the written, one size fits all, advice from the “experts”. What is even better, my body now wants to go for those rides and aches when we don’t. Unfortunately it is now telling me to lift weights again.

You need to listen to Your Body and work with it. It is the best barometer you will find, it is free and it is always pretty handy. Go back a bit to my earlier blogs and look at my suggestions and make them fit the way your body is comfortable. Keep in mind you will still need to stretch the length of your rides. But doing my “large badonkadonk, overweight, and out of shape interval” (Scribblings of the Legitimate Kind) will give you the strength and stamina to make those rides longer.

Next Post; Items Brought to My Atention

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”

Things I Have Learned and You Should Also

I started doing this for all of us beginning bicyclists out there that needed a realistic point to start and in some ways I have varied from that. Today I hope to strike a cord with everyone.

As I observe other bicyclist while I’m on a ride or in my car, I have noticed a generation difference. Not only have I seen these activities, I have previously talked about them and have recently had a different hue of light placed on them.

Earphones, the dreaded safety violation or common sense. Yes, I know common sense has gone the way of shivery, it’s just not there any more. I wear earphones and they produce sound from either my own play list or my favorite FM country station, so I get music, news and weather. Being of the younger side of elderly I know a very unique way to do this. Turn the damn thing down! I can ride, listen to whatever in my earphones and still have a conversation with my son and riding buddy who is not in sight at my rear wheel. The wisdom from my youthful son, is that, people don’t let me know they are there because they see the wires going to the head phones. I really think he is on to something with that. I started paying a little more attention to the very few that I pass who are wearing head phones. Is it a problem when I hear their music over mine?

I have noticed an extreme rise in notification of an upcoming pass by riders this past month, I would like to say it is from my ranting about the super stars but there are not enough of you that read this to make that kind of difference. Oh did I mention these riders giving a warning are of a more mature nature. Could this be a pattern of courtesy?

Courtesy, another virtue going with that society is loosing? This past week and a half there have been newspaper articles on bicyclists and auto drivers not abiding by the most simple of rules. The article (6-21-09 Denver Post) reference a race at stake due to the tension between the residents, of which some are elite bicyclists, and bicyclists in Deer Creek Canyon. This is totally due to a major lack of consideration by a very small percentage of riders that don’t have an ounce of respect for anyone else. They are in that self centered mode that says I’m on the road and it is only mine, I’ll do what I want. Then they want something done about the motorized vehicles attempting to get around them. Then there is the country of Boulder. There are people that are attempting to get a grass roots wave of auto drivers to pull over to the side of the road with “mechanical problems” during a 100 mile race next month. Bottom line, drivers are fed up with that small percentage of arrogant, self-centered, bicyclists that feel that they own the road and the rules do not pertain to them. The Denver Police Department and a consortium of bike advocates passed out 200,000 Ride Safe Spoke Cards during the 18th annual bike to work day. What is more ridiculous, handing out spoke cards with traffic rules on them or the need to remind bicyclists they also need to play by the same rules?

I guess the way society is going that can go either way. We are becoming a society that believes that rules are only for our neighbors and not us. You can see that in local government, from your local HOA, all the way up to the federal government and our elected officials “watching out for the people”.

Newbie’s, when you are on a ride, whether on a bike path or the road, use your manners, you are in public.

For those from a younger generation, spoke cards are playing cards hooked to your front fork with a clothes pin in a manner to make noise as the wheel turns and the spokes hit the card.

Next Post; Your Body is Your Barometer

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”

The Greenwood Village Goose Chase By a First Timer

Well we completed our first organized ride, WOW! Now ‘first’ was the key word here so I don’t have a base to compare the quality of the ride to. I do have my opinions which I will share with you, no big surprise there, right?



Not being sure of what to expect we arrived about 45 minutes before our advertised 8:15 am start time. This allowed us to wander about aimlessly and found that since we were pre-registered we were totally set. We wandered up and watched the 45 mile course guys and gals leave then went up and took our place at the start line. We watched the carnival type atmosphere in the center of the Landmark and were pretty much in awe. This is cool.

Looking around, what took me by surprise the most, the diversity of the participants and volunteers were nothing but amazing. There were 5 – 6 year olds on tagalongs and little 12 inch Spiderman bikes. There were the elderly (older than me) on bikes that haven’t been built in a decade standing next to some of the coolest carbon fiber stuff you just don’t see every day. This was a bike show that was being ridden. Not knowing what to expect I was very intrigued by the amount of female riders that were participating. Observing photos of rides, wether on line or in publications you see a male dominated sport, what an injustice the female population has been receiving.

Like any thing in the realm of reality there were down sides. I’m sure these may be typical of most rides but you cannot attempt anything of this magnitude and honestly believe it will be flawless. Our advertised 8:15 start time – left promptly at 8:00. This made much more sens’e than, the 30 minutes after the 45 mile course left. But that was not the advertized time and I am sure there were riders getting there at 8:10. An uncontrollable aspect is the riders that decided to go off on their own before the start time. We overheard a couple of females behind us say “I’m tired of waiting lets go” and off they went, oh well. The scary part of this is the people with families that decided to go very early instead of last so they could have more time with the little bitty guys. This makes sense but it puts them and the little guys in harms way of much higher caliber riders.

The course was laid out in a very user friendly way. It was interesting and challenging enough for the recreation to intermediate rider but also a very good, local ride for the more elite types. The signage was very visible and well laid out. The intersections were manned by 1 of the 2 charity recipients, The Arapahoe Rescue Patrol as well as the Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills, and the Denver Police departments as well as the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Department. Mistakes on the course I can not really speak to but there did seem to be some frustrations. While going east bound on 6 lane divided roadway the blocked lanes quit and the course needed to turn north at the upcoming intersection. Riders were on their own to cross the 3 lanes of traffic to get into the left turn lane. To me that was very uncomfortable and I thought of the little guys that forced me into traffic earlier on those little 12 inch wheeled bikes. I only had 2 other complaints about the course. There were 3 spots that the course did not follow the published route and I know that did mess up a couple of the more advanced riders going against their clock. The last spot was an opportunity to ride over the top of the Cherry Creek Reservoir dam. A beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains and panoramic view of the Denver and Greenwood Village sky lines. This road has been closed to bicycle traffic, I believe, for 14 years. The signage made riders believe that the only bikes that could go over the top was the 45 milers on their first lap, everyone else had to go around the outside and bottom of the dam. Over the top should have been the only choice.

On the plus side the rest stops were very efficient with the other beneficiary of the ride, Have Paws Will Travel, a group that raises puppies to become guide dogs for the blind. The stops were stocked with bananas, oranges, what appeared to be turkey roll ups and water. With plenty of volunteers through out the course to help direct and cheer you on it was easy to stay on course even with the changes from the available maps. The weather was outstanding, the earlier forecast of clear skies with plenty of sun and in the high 80’s. You can’t forecast the weather in Colorado and those that try do a remarkable job. We had mid 60’s with a constant, very low overcast. It was beautiful. As the last few riders were coming in, the wind picked up to the point that the many vendors that had set up had to scramble to get their items secured.

Over all, Mr. Mark Crowley and the Greenwood Village Chamber of Commerce with the cooperation of Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe and her resources put on a truly South East event that should soon be the premier early summer place to be. This was really a fantastic, relaxing, low keyed walk, run, bike event for the people. The Landmark location was ideal, it is a city within a city with all the amenities and looks darn nice besides. The amount of restaurants that participated were outstanding and I personally know the crew at Ted’s busted their behinds to deliver the amount of sliders they did.



As for me and my son? He had taken off about half way through, made a wrong turn and ended up doing the 45 mile course in 2 hrs, 48 minutes and 37 seconds. Not bad for getting lost and the longest ride he had taken in 5 years. Myself, I did the 30 miles averaging 13.7 mph without my butt hurting. To top it off, when we arrived home my wife informed me that I did my first organized ride on the 8th anniversary of my 1 and only heart attack. Cool.

Next Post; Odds and Ends I’m Learning

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”

Night Before First Ride Jitters

Ok this will be short and sweet,

No Jitters.

Next Post; Our First Organized ride.

All kidding aside, we really have no jitters. We took a short ride, 15 miles yesterday and we are very confident.

Jeeze it’s only 30 miles.

I put both bikes on a tune-up stand today and cleaned them up adjusted my rear derailleur and front brake as well as making sure there were no visible thorns in the tires. They are pretty, all the essentials are tight, they are lubed and in the van.

Tonight we are meeting my Dad for a Fathers Day dinner and will stock up on some carbs. Sounds a little overboard but the elite riders do it to help with the lactate levels for their long rides. They work up to that and we have done the same thing on a smaller scale. Much smaller.

Drinks, set up a breakfast, get coffee ready and we are done. I know something is always forgotten but why sweat the small stuff. I get to do an organized ride with my son and that is all that counts.

Next Post; The Goose Chase By a First Timer

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”

Thoughts on My First Organized Ride

Well it is Tuesday and we took our last long, long for me and my son, ride today. No, not forever just till the next step in this adventure, an organized ride. On Saturday morning we will be riding the 14th annual Greenwood Village Goose Chase. This is a very user friendly event for families, recreational riders and us nubies. A run, walk and ride event with a 15, 30 and a 45 mile bike course. At least that is what people keep telling me.



Enough of the advertisement stuff. We did a flat 22 mile loop on the Platte River, great weather, scenery and company. I have read that when you are going to do an organized ride you need to cut down the training the last few days before that ride for muscles recovery. Now everything being relevant, not being in super great shape calls for the same muscles recovery even if the muscles are not of god like proportion. I have found through my “training period” that my muscles function very well with every other day rides throwing in back to back days every 4 – 5 days just to keep the muscles confused. So we are looking at the 30 mile loop for the Goose Chase and I have been mixing up my ride distances with my fat badonkadonk interval system. This, for me, seems to have worked well since even though I haven’t ridden over 35 miles for any given ride in the last year I am not worried about the mileage at all. I think my son may have more of a problem and anyone who has had a teenager knows where I am coming from when I say, he does not think he needs a mileage base, 30 miles isn’t that far. But he’s a good kid and will tough it out for the last 8 miles.

My biggest fear is, of course, the unknown from Psych 101a, but mainly the hoards of riders I am totally unfamiliar with. With luck or a vision, no, I really just hope that after the first 2 miles people will be settled in and spread out so we are not running over each other. I have never ridden in a group, which is a scary step to take, just with my son through occasional groups. We normally are in the way and end up being passed and I have no problem with that, we like our pace. With a large ride I know there will be people that we, or should I say, I will be able to pass and riders that probably should not be on this ride but are. Those are the few that worry me.

After our ride today, we stopped by the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce and picked up our bike jerseys. This is also fitting since this is our first organized ride and the Goose Chase’s first year to have a jersey. A plus is they really look good. Another coincidence is that the number my son was assigned is his birthday, yes this will be a great ride. One more very short ride on Thursday and we have taken another step in this really cool adventure.

Next Post; The night before jitters

Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)

“G”