Bike Maintenance, Sorta.

Disclaimer: This post is a bit rambling.  Sorry about that.  I have a few things floating in the head tonight.

Last year I bought myself a cyclocross bike.  I had been wanting one for years, so finally I added it to the collection.  I barely rode it in 2011, and in 2012 I’ve been making up for it.  All my road rides have been on the ‘cross bike.  It’s heavier and the tires aren’t skins but not knobby either–they provide a bit more friction to the road.

I wanted it that way too–I wanted to be working harder in these early months.  The road bike needed some love anyway–new tubes & tires.  Tonight I finally gave it the attention it needed in prep for the hot summer ahead.

I am, without a doubt, the slowest person on earth to change a bicycle tube and or tire.  Molasses slow.  I’m just really inept.  OK–so I’ve only done a tube/tire change twice before.  It’s not exactly routine to me yet–but it should take less than an hour, right?  All I can say is I’m glad it didn’t take two.  Anyway–it’s done.  The Continentals look great–like a brand new pair of sneakers on the playground that can run faster than all the other kids’.

I spent some time cleaning up the road bike too–my Specialized Dolce Elite.  I bought this bike 6 years ago when I was going through my divorce.  I labored over the decision because when the leaving happened, I was left without a road bike.  I wasn’t exactly in a position to spend a lot of money and in terms of bicycles it wasn’t “a lot” of money–only $1200.  But at the time, it was a huge expenditure considering the financial effects of divorce.  Anyway, a Buddhist friend of mine convinced me to go ahead and splurge and it was the best decision I could have made.  Riding helped me cope with the divorce among other things–it was something I could count on to make me feel better.  The old girl still looks great and I thought about that when I polished her up, nicks, scratches and all.

I’m looking forward to my first ride on the road bike and the new tires.  While I’ve been really enjoying the ‘cross bike, I lifted both up to test the weight and wow–what a difference.  I have a feeling the road bike is going to feel pretty light, which will make those hills out here in western Mass a little smaller.

-Karen

Back in the Saddle

Last week was an eye opener, and wearing the pedometer has been helpful in increasing my awareness of inactivity during the work day.  That said, I got out to run Wednesday and Thursday, 3 miles a piece.  Then I took a long weekend.

I could not have picked a better weekend to take, either.  The weather was near perfect and I got out for a hard hilly ride with Heather on Friday morning.  We both had our cross bikes, and did a route that another cyclist I had met on the road told me about 3 years ago.  I filed the intel away but never tried it out–mostly because I’m a sucky climber and almost always alone on my rides.  Since Heather had made the trip south to pedal with me, I figured I should give her something she could get her teeth into.

We took that right after Red Fire Farm in Granby and headed up Carver Street to Rockrimmon.  It climbs about 600 feet over the course of 2.5 miles which isn’t horrible, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either.  The road actually lands us in Belchertown and dumps us onto Rt. 202.

I said I did it for Heather, and that’s true, but I was for me too.  I was dragging a bit on the onset of our ride and I felt like I needed something to kick my ass a bit.  This did the trick.  All said & done we did 26 miles, 1100 ft of climbing and 1000+ calories burning.

Saturday I took it easy with a 10 mile recovery ride on the bike trail on the mountain bike.  Nice and easy and flat.  A good little spin.

Sunday, I decided the ass kicking should continue, and I did Carver/Rockrimmon again, this time solo.  It was harder this time-maybe because I was alone or maybe because my legs were torn up from the previous 4 days.  During the climb, I went off road a bit to satisfy my curiosity about a little trail I found off the Carver hill and came face to face with a very surprised wild turkey.  I decided that was the end of that tangent and returned to the pavement to resume my climb.  That’s definitely one of the things I like about taking the cross bike out–you can mix it up on packed dirt or gravel without much issue, and still maintain some pretty good speeds.  And, I rode faster overall despite the hard climb.  I was especially faster post climb, pedaling for a long, consistent stretch on 202 at about 16.5 mph with those cross bike tires.

All and all, I feel back.  And that’s a very good thing.

-Karen

 

The Solution to my Ah-hah

I’ve always loved data.  I eat it up, consume it, use it, and try to influence it.  So with this in mind, and my $13 pedometer, I am going to change one simple thing.

Somehow, I need to replace those 10,000 steps.  I have to get to that threshold.  THEN, I will workout.  I cannot using running or biking as a substitute, because clearly that does not work. Step Threshold 1, Workout 2, Diet 3.

This is the plan. And it will be hard, because to get that 1707 steps, I walked around my little office more than usual over the course of an entire day–which in itself sends a shudder up my spine.  I took an extra walk to the outdoor mailbox.  I stood up more often.  And with that,  I still couldn’t break 2000 steps. 

If When I start consistently pulling 10000 steps, my runs and bike rides will start making an impact, I’m sure of it.  According to my doctor, my cholesterol counts are spectacular–in a good way.  And physically, my endurance is really great–I’m strong and capable.  But performance wise–I’m slow.  Not that I’ve ever been terribly fast, but 8 extra lbs will bog anyone down.  If When I shed those lbs I might actually get faster.  Not that I’m looking at winning any races but everyone likes to be better, right?  Not to mention summer’s almost here. I have a cycling kit to squeeze into.

-Karen

An Ah-Hah

I’m not a stupid person.  I swear, I’m not.  I had suspected that when I made the shift from my stand on your feet all day and walk around retail job to a stare at a computer all day and sit job there would be a health consequence or two.  But really–I had no idea.

Today I wore a pedometer to work.  I did this for a week during the holiday season in my previous job.  I recorded a record 27,000 steps one day.  Other days were about 20,000-25,000 steps.  That’s 10-15 miles folks.  Yes, I did 10 hours of walking, with no lunch breaks.  Yes, my feet hurt.  Yes, I was 8 lbs lighter.

A normal workday at the last job was right around where I was supposed to be–10,000 steps.  5 Miles.  This is the recommended about of walking each of us should do during the course of a day.  No problems maintaining a healthy weight, even though with the hectic schedule–I could only work out 1-3 times per week.  4 times was rare, and lucky.

Now, a drumroll please–I’m closing in on my 1 year anniversary with my new position and I’ve gained 8 lbs, despite working out 4-5 times a week very consistently.  Sometimes 6 times a week.  And do you know why?

1707 steps.

Point made.  That is all.

-Karen

My first love

Saturday morning I got out for a mountain bike ride–early. Thick clouds and 50 degree temperatures greeted me for my 8:30am departure. I went to my first haunt, Nonotuck Park for a circuit of familiar trails. Most of the park is pretty flat with plenty of roots to keep it interesting. The most technical part of loop is by the pond, which tends to be wetter, slicker, narrower and steeper than the rest of the park.

Despite there being no surprises, this time I brought a new toy, the Contour Roam camera. I’ve brought the camera out in a couple of rides to test it out. I’m still having trouble with the mount staying in place. Once I hit a bumpy stretch the camera slips low. I have to correct it, which isn’t always possible when climbing or negotiating a tricky area.

It was a good ride, and I wasn’t planning on doing any mountain biking this weekend. I don’t know why I thought it wouldn’t be as good as a road ride, because (and I am always rediscovering this, which makes me wonder why I ever forgot it), I really love mountain biking. It’s what I started with, and I started doing it in that very park. I ended up staying out twice as long as I planned.

I hope for more of this, and soon. I have a business trip this week which will throw my workout schedule out for most of the week. But what I want from the summer is becoming more clear to me, with more trails with slick roots, rocks, tight trees and rolling single track in my future.

Karen

No race, no regrets

So I bagged Rockbuster.  My phone rang at 8AM Saturday, the day before the race–it was my brother. ”It’s today, right?”  Of course the answer was no–but he mixed up the days and was standing in his kitchen in Lycra–not something little brother wears often weighing in at 225 lbs, apologizing as he confirmed his mistake with me on the phone.

I thought I might go anyway, because I still kind of wanted to.  But we had a soaking rain forecast.  Then I did a little math….3 total hours of driving for an event that lasted an hour.  $40 in gas.  No one there to cheer me on, in the rain.  No one to suffer it with me in solidarity.  A warm bed.  A hard ride on Saturday.  These factors, in combination, spelled doom for my chances of showing up for Rockbuster.  I slept 9.5 hours Saturday night and don’t regret the decision to take a little time for myself.

It wasn't in the cards for me & Rockbuster this time around.

The upside to this little disappointment is that my ride on Saturday was pretty zippy.  I hooked up with one of my mountain bike friends who is returning to cycling after the birth of her first son.  She spent the winter in spin class and wasn’t fooling around as we set off at a pace of 19.5 mph–her on a road bike, me on my ‘cross bike.  I stayed with her for the first few miles, we backed off to about 18 mph–all on flat roads.  Finally the hills hit us and we slowed down a bit.  But all said and done my first 5 miles was at a pace 5 minutes faster than my best lap when I’m out on my own.  My home route is hills, hills, hills so I’m not beating myself up too much–but no doubt cycling with her made me up my game.

So–you win some, you lose some, and sometimes you sleep in.  I’m in it for the love of the ride and the shared experience, and I got a satisfying dose of that on Saturday.  That to me was a win, no race necessary.

-Karen

Rockbuster Duathlon: 1 week & counting

Yup, just a week away is the first event of the year–for me anyway.  I am woefully unprepared for it.  But this hasn’t been from lack of trying.  I had a strong off season of running, with a bit of biking for good measure.  Then things went awry.  Ironically, I think it was just as I was about to break through to that elusive “next level” when my body just started to unravel.

I’ve had a solid break from running and a lot of PT, I’m starting to run again–a couple of times a week, and I’m riding more.  But I’m not running as fast and I have this sense that things are a click or two shy from really coming together.

I am not worried about being able to to do Rockbuster, I am completely capable.  But I’m not going to be breaking any records next weekend. After such a mild winter and a strong off-season, I can’t say I’m not disappointed in this.  But hey, this a fun thing.  I’m keeping some perspective on these things finally.

My little brother has signed on for the event again.  I’m about 85% sure he’ll show for it.  I hope he does because it will make getting up that early in the morning and driving 90 minutes a little more worth it.  Ironically, the drive–(one way)–will be longer than the event itself.  C’est la vie.  I’m looking forward to my first event of the year.

-Karen