Turning 38 miles into 52 miles

Today after work I rode with my brother John, another Etape-in-Training rider. My mileage about 18 miles.

He knew I'd ridden part of the Glenn Wanner ride Sunday pm. He also figured I rode more than the 38 miles I had reported for that ride.

And, as I re-figured myself, I can see he was correct.

The ride today was a late ride, finishing in dusk to dark. Car lights were on.

In addition to a ride through the park on the 5.8 mile loop, I did some meager intervals (heart rate 85-90% of max I think) on the Boulevard, as I waited for my brother because we took different routes at the top of three-mile hill.

Until next time.

Abandoning a ride

Today, 38 miles. (nope, actually 52 miles)
Past week 4/16 - 4/22, 25 miles.
Total to date: 339 miles (actual, corrected)

Today, Sunday, I did not even attempt to ride early. I did not even make it to Sunday School until about 9:35.

So after church I eventually leave for a 65 mile ride my brothers and I call “the Glenn Wanner ride.” I was too optimistic. At about mile 15 I had a choice to cut to a 42 mile ride, but not having a watch on and not caring to find the time, I continued on the 65 mile route.

At the halfway point, in Leipers Fork, TN, in Williamson County, I stopped for water. It was supposed to be a short stop, but even so, I realized I could not go the 65 mile route. It’d be too dark for the last few miles. And, on top of that, as I am there, up drives a H2 and out of it gets a old friend of mine from many years ago, the son of a man that goes to my church. In fact, I sat by that man in church today. And then see his son about 6 pm. And, he and I start to talk and go on for 20 minutes. He told how this morning at his church in Leipers Fork, a former general of Saddam’s military had spoken. The general was a Christian man. As you can imagine he had some great stories of his service there and of how God had answered prayers and as it has happened, obviously preserved his life through it all.

So I head off back home, but I’m getting tired of the ride, it’s getting colder, and I’m wearing cotton not wool, and it’s getting dark. So, several miles later I make cell phone calls to my two brothers. The younger agrees to come pick me up, and so he does, about 11 miles from home for me.

A poorly planned and executed 65 mile ride ends up at about 38, maybe 40 miles. Sad. I hope my training does not continue like this.

Fitting in rides

Miles this week so far: 25
Goal this week: 125
Weight: unknown

Two rides this week, through Thursday. One, a ride to lunch spot on Monday, for a total of four miles. Then, today after work, with my brother in Nashville, to the park and through the park.

Monday night a Idlewild Design board meeting. Tuesday night a visit to my old workplace, after work hours, that ended up lasting until 7/7:30. Wednesday a night of service at church. Tonight a homeowners board meeting was cancelled, and so I got to ride. I'm glad for it.

Extra activities continue through the weekend with a Friday night movie, The Gospel of John, as a part of our Awana ministry. Saturday, to my workplace for an Earth Day event. I might could ride Sat. pm about 4 pm. But I have another work-related event Sunday pm - I may bail on that one - which would keep me from riding Sunday pm. I don't like to ride Sunday pm anyway. So, I'm thinking to ride Sun. am, starting about 5 am, with a ride from 5 to 8/8:30. I have to start riding in the am some in order to get necessary time training. Anyway, a Sun. am ride would mean no Saturday ride in the afternoon.

So, my maximum mileage this week is looking to be about 75 miles, if all goes well.

The ride today with my brother was an okay ride for me. It's plain that he's as fit or moreso than I. Makes sense, as he has 500 miles training this year to my 287 or so.

My recent riding schedule has been 1/2 riding and 1/2 wishful thinking.

My brother and I await our status w/r/to Etape.

Two County Metric (TCM)

Week of 4/9-4/15
Week's mileage: 109
Total miles to date: 262

The Murfreesboro Bicycle Club, along with sponsors, conducted the Two County Metric today. The two counties are Rutherford and Williamson.

My brother and I rode with about 250 other riders. Some did 31 miles, some did an extra 38 for a total of 100. We did the 100 kilometres.

This is, I'm sure, the earliest in the season that I have ever done an organized 62 mile ride. It may be the earliest in the season I've ever done a 62 mile ride. So that's good. Several (12?) years ago, I was training for the annual Caldwell County Bridge to Bridge cycling ride, held in September, and part of my training regime was to ride long rides early. In recent years, I've only managed to do long rides the several weeks before the BtB. The year I did long rides early, I thought it paid off when Sept. came and BtB. But, for doing the Etape, April 15 is not really early to be riding 62 miles.

A beautiful day. Rest stops at 22 and about 46. We spent a lot of time at the 1st one. Not so long at the second. The service at the stops was quite good, and the snack choices good.

This is one of the events that allow riders to use facilities to shower afterward. And, a post-ride meal is provided. Those are fun times, meeting people, talking about work, the wind, the hills, any unusual occurrences on the ride - some folks got stopped by a train at one point.

Let's see, I think my brother and I averaged 16.5 miles per hours. 3.75 pedaling hours plus 30 minutes or so rest stops. Not very fast.

A long way to go to be able to do the EdT.

No coasting

Today, 5 miles during lunch, on the Greenway.

There's no coasting on a fixed gear bicycle.

I did not expect my fixed gear to teach me lessons about living, but it is. I admit I like to coast. I've been made more aware of this after spending some time on my new bicycle gear. I like to coast in my work, in various extra-curricular work, in studies, in relating with and to people, in paperwork, in all sorts of roles and activities.

Well, my brain is, it seems, transferring the no-coasting mode of riding a bicycle to other activities. If I feel like taking a break on this task or that, I am beginning to think...no, it's not so much a conscious re-thinking...it's more that I don't feel like taking the break as much. Continuing to pedal on the fixed gear is - so I am sensing - training my attitude and my purposefulness. And, that I can keep spinning on the bicycle is encouraging me to keep pushing on in tasks.

Thanks for this surprising and interesting lesson, Lord, if I may recognize You in such a way, and let me practice it diligently. Thy word of course teaches diligence and patience and perseverance. I'm thankful for this encouraging and personal reminder.

Still hoping to do a metric century Saturday.

Two days in a row in wool

21 miles after work and an eye doctor's appointment

Today, again, I wore a wool jersey - today a long sleeve one. Starting temperature was probably about 74-5 degrees F. Finishing temperature was probably about 70dF. Humidity was low I think. A really beatiful weather day. The wool was not a tight fitting and not a heavy wool. Wool jerseys do a good job of keeping temperatures comfortable and moderate, even if it's not cold outside. They especially help to prevent the chill that happens when moisture in a damp cotton jersey is evaporating in the low humidity breeze.

I could tell my legs were tired from yesterday.

I ride about 5 miles or so to a park with a road system inside. There are loops of 1.5, 5.3, 9 and 11.2 miles. There are other routes possible but those are about the only ones I do during normal rides.

When the Tour de Puke rolls around to finish off the Tour de France, we'll ride six loops for a total of about 65 miles.

Six miles last week

Monday, April 10.

Rode about 20 miles after work, with my brother John and a co-worker of his. To the nearby park and on the 11 mile loop.


Week of 4/3 to 4/9

Week's mileage: 6
Week's mileage goal: 50
Total mileage to date: 153
Weight: Unknown
Weight goal: 150 lbs

Lots of work to do this week. My only riding was a little on my now fixed-gear bicycle, during lunchtime two days.

A Friday night out of town, participating in an Awana Sparks-A-Rama and AwanaGames in Clarksville, TN. I got home about 11:20 pm. Not quite able to get right to bed even after two nights of little sleep, I surfed the TV for Masters information. And chilled out to a couple of TV programs - a history channel one and a movie was showing, Saving Private Ryan. 2 am or so, I'm in bed.

Up fairly early Saturday to attend and serve in an Awana quizzing event. I left there about 1:30 pm.

Weary, I could not get on the bicycle for a ride. I wanted also to watch the Masters. I did but did not see much because of rain delay. It was also a rather cool day for us here. So, tomorrow, Sunday, a ride in warmer weather.

Nope. After church and lunch - especially lunch - I was still tired and napped. Watched a few holes of the golf tuhnament and managed to run and exercise for about 35 minutes. Good exercise.

Should be able to ride Mon., Apr. 10, Tues., and would like to Thur. or Fri. am. Not likely on that though.

Trip to Augusta National, Masters practice round

Total miles to date: 147 (an estimate)
Miles this week: 3 (Week starts Sunday.)

My brother, who is training for EdT and has a blog going too, has been telling me that he was going to Masters practice round today. On a Lear Jet. One-day trip even though we live hundreds of miles away.

I'm a big golf fan, bigger than he is. I asked him to give me a call from out on the course. I kept my cell phone with me all day long. I even called him - paged him once, left message once.

No call from my brother. What? Did the Lear Jet crash? Who knows?

Tonight, about 10:30 pm, I call him at home. He's there. Along with telling me he's real tired and has to go to bed and can't talk, he does report that he went to Augusta and that cell phones weren't allowed. There are pay phones on the course, but when he called nobody answered. I did not get any voice mails today. He also has a few stories about the owner of the Lear Jet and a few interesting bits of information about this golfer or that. None of it would I ever be able to verify under normal circumstances. I always called home - and probably always called him high on my call list - when I was at the event, usually calling from around #6/#16.

Well, enough of that. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and do believe he went today. Just an oversight I did not get a call I guess.

Okay, I have now put the fixed gear on my Quickbeam. I pedaled on it a little tonight to tighten the cog onto the hub. After a couple of goofed attempts when I stopped my legs, which stopped the pedals, which unscrewed the cog from the hub as the Locktite is not dry. So, in a day or two, I hope to ride it as a normal fixed gear.

Otherwise, I rode about 15-20 minutes after work on my road bicycle.

Saturday riding with my brother 52 miles

52 miles today with my brother. Avg. spd. 14.5. Several short, steep hills.
Total miles to date: 144 (an estimate)
Miles this week: 84 (Week starts Sunday.)

A beautiful day.

I'm worn out after this ride. My longest ride to date this year was 30 miles and that was Sunday of this week with friend Mark.

We rode a route that my brother plotted out almost 20 years ago, when he first started cycling - the Berry's Chapel ride. Back when he and I rode that 10-15 years ago, I was a new cyclist, and he was my mentor.

A couple of lessons he taught me in those days:
- no matter how much I eat before a ride, or how much store of fat on my body, I can only go about two hours without having to put some food in my stomach in order to keep pedaling and to keep from bonking (he taught me about bonking too);

- one help to climbing a hill when standing is to stand as upright as possible, to place as much of the body's weight directly above the pedals, so the downstroke is simply the weight of my body pushing the pedal down.

Today, traveling this old route - that neither of us has ridden to speak of in probably 10 years - brought back memories of the early days of our cycling. Positive memories. If you think joy of life is about great memories - I heard that on the radio the other day - then this was a great day for us. I thank the Lord that I have the hands, feet, eyes, legs and all to ride a bicycle, and a 50 mile semi-rural route at that.

One remarkable turn of the day was when we came to an old turn in the road, where we used to turn off Manley Road onto Harpeth Hills Drive. At that point, Manley used to transform from a paved road to a gravel road. So we took a left and made our way to Hillsboro and then up Hillsboro to Boxwood. Today, however, my brother was surprised to see Manley paved. That did not mean much to me, but he explained that when he had first mapped out this route - now almost 20 years ago - the maps had shown this gravel section of Manley the same as the paved section - so it looked to be paved. But on his first ride back then, he had to turn left there because in fact Manley became gravel.

Today, we went straight, and this provided a much better, safer route to Boxwood.

How interesting I thought. Somewhere someone - a government planner - had planned that road to be paved. Somewhere there's somebody who knows the story of the timing of the paving of that road. "The wheels of government grind exceedingly slow but exceedingly sure." That's a saying I borrowed from a long-ago acquaintance of mine who was in the business of keeping his clients in environmental compliance with certain regulations. He would say "but exceedingly fine," noting that though slow, when the end came, the government with all its records could bring about an exceedingly fine judgment. And so, anyway, my brother's cycling plans of 20 years ago came to fruition today.

Yesterday, I purchased the one-speed cog and had it welded not to freewheel, for my Quickbeam. I'll get that put on and see how it is to ride a fixed gear.

Question of the day:
What is wisdom? How would you define it and what does it mean to you?