Cycling

Journaling my way through a bicycling lifestyle…

70 Mile Exercise Ride – Sunday November 1, 2009

Nov 1

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

Average Speed: 15.9 mpg
Distance: 70.15 miles
Average Cadence:  89
Average Heart Rate: 180 bpm
Altitude: Climbed total of 442 ft
Total Time (including stops): 4 hours 42 minutes

So, today I did a 70 mile bike ride. It was good. It was a little chilly when I started out. I was actually slightly worried that my cough from last week would come back in full force if I stayed out in the cold for the full 70 miles. I spent the first 15 miles trying to breathe only through my nose, and not my mouth…it didn’t work out. It turns out that it’s impossible, at least for me, to keep my heart rate up in the Level 3/Level 4 zone and my cadence above 95 and breathe through my nose! So, I started breathing through my mouth more, but it had started to warm up by then (not that it ever got WARM), so it wasn’t as bad. When I got home…I noticed that the toes on my left foot were numb and cold. Definitely not frostbitten…but cold. Cold enough that a hot shower would have been painful (I put on some slippers and waited about 10-15 minutes for them to match the rest of my body temperature wise, then I took the shower.)

I wore wool socks, clipless shoes with spd cleats, fleece lined arm warmers, fleece lined leg warmers, baggy cycling shorts, and underarmor compression t-shirt (short sleeved), a yellow cycling jersey and my full fingered non-vented gloves. I was a little chilly when I started out, but I warmed up nice, and never got too hot. So, that was a good outfit, temperature-wise (I certainly won’t win any fashion contests dressed like that :P )

I took two four minute stops. Both were to pee. I ate on the bike for all of my meals. I had two small snacks, plus a small breakfast. I ate some granola after the ride.

I did have a third stop at New Hope in Waterloo about 6 miles before the end of the ride. I saw Becky’s van and thought I would surprise the kids…if it could be quick. I called her, she didn’t answer. Adam pulled up and I talked to him for a moment, and then I went ahead and left. I really didn’t want to stiffen up and go slow for the last 5-6 miles. I think I was stopped for about 6 minutes, but it might not have been quite that long.

I’m thinking that I might include maps of the routes in future posts about exercise…I’ll look into what it would take.

Well, that’s all for this post. See you next time!

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Bicycling Blog…

Nov 1

Posted by Jeremiah in General Stuff | No Comments

So, I’ve decided to start blogging again…

But, this time, it’s sort of a bicycling journal. I want to accomplish a couple of things:

  1. I want to be able to look back over the years and see trends in my journey as a cyclist.
  2. I want to be able to share my experiences as a cyclist, and hopefully connect with other more experienced cyclists and learn from them.
  3. I hope that in some way I can encourage others who are interested in using cycling as either a commuting method, exercise or lifestyle change by sharing my own experiences.
  4. I hope to be able to help educate cyclists and non-cyclists about the real dangers of cycling, and how to properly handle, and hopefully completely avoid, those dangers.

Frankly, I’m an odd duck. And not just when it comes to cycling…ask anyone who knows me. :) As far as cycling goes, I’m not your typical racing/exercise enthusiast. I’m what I like to think of as a “lifestyle cyclist”. By that, I mean I ride a bicycle as a means of transportation, including everything from going to my parents for Christmas, babysitting my sisters kids and picking up the groceries. If I can’t use my bicycle to accomplish it, then I seriously consider whether it’s even worth doing. I also like to ride my bike as an exercise tool, and I enjoy racing with some of the guys in our local bike club.

I live in Northeast Indiana, so I have had the opportunity to try to incorporate a bicycle into my life in a variety of seasonal weather, including rain, hail, snow and suffocating humidity. And, most of the time I do this in street clothes…i.e. heavy blue jeans and a button up shirt (It really sucks when it’s humid!).

It’s been interesting. There have been days that have been so miserable, I wonder what drug I must have been taking when I thought this lifestyle change was a good idea. On the other hand, there are days that are so much fun, and such a blast, that I can ever imagine how I could ever get frustrated. All in all, it has been great, and I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. I’m looking forward to many more years having a blast on a bicycle in Indiana!

I don’t really have a schedule for posting…I’m kind of thinking that every time I do a long exercise ride, I’m going to journal the ride with statistics and things I noticed throughout the ride. Outside of that, I want to try to publish something about once a week…but no guarantees. Most of the weekly posts will be about the everyday cycling: what to wear when it gets cold, how to deal with the sweat during the summer, are helmets important…things along those lines. I might, if there is anyone out there reading this other than me, consider fielding questions, or having comment driven discussions…because, frankly, I’m still learning about bicycling too. :)

Well, so much for a boring first post. I guess I’ll just have to see where this thing goes! :)