So I was in Chicago, and then I had a nasty cold, and now ... well, now I'm just lazy.
Sometimes, it is surprisingly hard to get back into the routine when you've taken essentially a solid week off.
It's not that I don't want to ride. I do. I'm just having a hard time getting out of the house. Once out, I'm fine.
DD has been concerned about air quality issues, and I have been just plain old tired. Not as tired as I was last week, during my beastly-but-brief summer cold, but still tired. Last night, I slept for eleven hours; the night before, nine. I think the two extra hours last night might have resulted from taking some 'night time' cold medicine to ward off both a scratchy throat and the effects of way too many Diet Cokes at dinner (once again, oops).
Sedatives (including first-generation antihistamines) tend to hit me like a ton of bricks. I apparently have an unusually poor blood-brain barrier or something :) Anyway, this morning, while struggling against what felt like an avalanche of sleep, I dreamed again and again about waking up and being frustrated that I had slept so late. I also dreamed my house was totally different, and awesome, but that's neither here nor there.
It's also possible that I simply scheduled too many hours on the bike in the same week that I went to Chicago, thus overdoing it by a significant margin. I did meet my goal of 3.5 hours after a fashion, much of which was spent climbing. Perhaps this week I'll focus on riding a little more gently, and set my goal at perhaps 4 hours (which will be easily attainable, assuming I actually succeed in completing those errands I need to complete this week).
I once discussed the challenge of getting your bike started on a steep climb: that's kind of how I'm feeling right now, except I'm not sure how to get sideways across this imaginary incline in such a way as to regain my motivation and my momentum. Right now, gravity is winning a bit. I am actually not particularly looking forward to a forty-mile trek (to school and back) that I have planned for this week, which strikes me as a bit unusual: the ride to school is a nice one, and since when do I not relish the thought of riding forty miles?
I suppose caffeine might do the trick.
That said, I have been making use of some of this period of not wanting to leave the house -- I've straightened up a bit around here, and I've been experimenting in the kitchen (last week, I made a vegan chocolate cake -- not because it was vegan, but because it was the only recipe I had for the requested 'small cake' -- and it was good!). Of course, indulging my 'foodie' side during a period of not riding might not be ideal (though I'm maintaining my trim, and keeping an eye on calorie intake).
On Saturday, I worked at Fourth Street. During a slow period in the morning, I removed and degreased Hg's chain, scrubbed it out, popped it back on and lubed it, tweaked my gearing a little bit (finally fixed the front derailleur issue, so now when I ask for the big ring I get the big ring, and not a bike chain around my ankle), and removed and flipped my stem. It appears to be about plum level right now, though I haven't yet taken a spirit level to it.
This means the bars are now a bit lower relative to the saddle, which -- I think -- improves Hg's fit and handling a bit. The rear derailleur, which I forgot to address, still needs a minor adjustment, and I still need to replace my seatpost -- but once those bits are done, Hg will be in prime shape.
And now, having said all that, I really need to go to the bank -- so I'm going to drag the bike out of the house and hit the bank, and with any luck that will snap me out of my stupor and get the blood flowing again.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Monday, July 04, 2011
Gravel, Goals, and Really Good Food
Note: Bill, Michael, and Tim have all penned really awesome ride reports (much better than mine!), complete with pictures. Check them out!
On Thursday (or was it Friday?), Apertome sent out an invite for a 50-miler he was planning for this weekend. Though Rogue Racing had a road ride to nearby Jefferson Forest, I couldn't resist this one. The company and the route were far too tempting :D Besides, Hg is still awaiting his BB and QS is only semi-functional (no big ring).
Tim was driving up to Bloomington for the ride, and had an open slot in his car's awesome bike carrier, so I set my alarm for 5:00, then gathered all my stuff. That was well done, since I apparently hit snooze twice and swam up from the midst of a dream-state at roughly 5:15. Then it was a mad dash to get dressed, brush my teeth, and find my headlight (which I failed to do -- it later turned out to be in the front pocket of my Camelbak pack, which I only checked like eight times ._.). Around 5:40, I dashed off into the darkness to meet Tim at the third street Thornton's, an easy ride of less than 10 minutes from home (and spooky-quiet before 6:00 AM on a Sunday!).
At around 6:00 on Sunday morning, we were headed up to the home of 'IU Prime' (for the record, Tim manages to combine the rare qualities of both driving well and being an excellent conversationalist, which makes him an ideal drive companion).
When we arrived after a lovely drive through the Indiana countryside (Paoli is a really cute little town), we discovered that Mrs. Apertome had laid out a hearty repast -- home-made oatmeal, muffins, sausages, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon chunks, scrambled eggs, coffee ... it was a delicious all-you-can-eat bike fuel buffet -- not to mention a harbinger of an excellent ride to come.
Though I had already eaten two apples, a 'Nut-rition' bar, and roughly one-quarter of the package of 'Beef Chunks' I intended for ride snacks, I tucked into the repast with gusto. I could only hope that my legs would be as strong a my appetite!
Meanwhile, we chatted with some of fellow riders: a pair of gentlemen from Denver, en route to Pennsylvania, to drop off a bike, a truck, and a motorcycle, and another more local fellow, from (I think) the Fort Wayne area, who arrived a bit later. We learned that one more rider would join us en route, rounding out the total to an auspicious seven (assuming you're a little superstitious).
After breakfast, plenty of coffee, and the judicious application of sunscreen, we headed out on the road. The route began with a series of beautiful rollers -- apparently, rollers are my thing -- that led through part of Bloomington before we rolled into the woods, where we enjoyed a span of nice, flowy singletrack with the occasional log for variety, most of which the group addressed them cyclocross-stylie (albeit, not at a dead run). We rolled over the last one, which was smaller and sitting directly on the ground.
Soon, we met up with our seventh rider. A few more rolling hills brought us to the gravel (upon which I was, at first, profoundly nervous), then to the first monster climb of the day: a long uphill stretch of Bloomington's Strada Bianca!
At this point, I encountered the first in a series of frustrating drive-train issues. It took me most of the duration of the ride to figure out how to get started again on steep hills when the Cannondale's rear hub issues caused chain slippage and resulting momentum loss. On the monster gravel climb, this meant I walked -- that is, after falling over sideways while attempting to get started (which resulted in cursing, followed by a mental vision of what I must have looked like, followed by profound amusement), I walked.
By the way: if you're wondering: when you have to get started on an enormous climb, position the bike diagonally across the road but slightly uphill, swing a leg over, clip in, set your clipped-in leg to a reasonable angle (about 2:00 worked for me -- I probably should've clipped in on my uphill leg, though, come to think of it). I'm not sure this would work on loose gravel.
I also learned that I am a complete chicken about descending on gravel. It took me nearly the whole of one very long gravel descent to realize that if I let go of the brakes, I probably wouldn't die.
Probably.
We continued through some beautiful park land, stopping occasionally to enjoy a lakeside view and regroup. It's difficult to describe the beauty of the landscape -- I didn't take any pictures, but those taken by the guys with the cameras will, I'm sure, do better justice to the Bloomington surrounds than my words might. Simply imagine sun-dappled woods carpeted with wild vinca, rolling hills, and serene lakes that give way suddenly to sunlit meadows waving with deep-green grasses ... Strips of blue-grey highway surrender themselves to oceans of dusty white gravel ... Occasional passing drivers seem to understand that you have just as much right to the road and wave as they go by.
In other words, short of the presence of a nearby ocean, this is just about my vision of what Heaven should be like. Even the various mechanical issues -- my skippy chain, a stubborn rear tire leak, SuperTim's chain snapped by the enormous torque of his legs -- encountered by the group failed to dampen the mood. Every rider seemed able to laugh at his (and his bike's) difficulties. Mostly, anyway. I was secretly rather embarrassed by my own climbing performance, so I whined about my mechanical issues rather more than is usual for me.
During one of our intermittent pauses-to-regroup, hungry but frustrated with Planter's tasty-but-unsatisfying Nut-rition bars and attempting to conserve some beef chunks, I remembered suddenly that I'd packed pizza rolls (imagine something like a calzone, only long and skinny, and you've about got it: I made them on Saturday night). I wolfed one down, felt a million times better, and rolled on fat and happy (just like my tires).
The final two gravel stretches were the most difficult, though both were flat. The gravel in question was of a scale that simply didn't play nicely with bikes -- it was loose and tended to roll, creating very unstable footing for the bikes. The second-to-last segment, in particular, was enough even to cause me to whine about my backside, which is the one part of me I almost never find occasion to whine about (I also whined about my knees on this ride, mostly because I found it surprising that they hurt as much as they did on the climbs -- I think I might need to adjust the C'dale's fit). The last wasn't nearly as bad -- that, or else I had gone numb -- especially since it involved a metal bridge crossing which I declared to be a 'massage feature,' though it was still quite rough.
Soon we were in the home stretch. After a last quick break to regroup, we parted ways with the rider who'd joined us en route, then headed for the barn. Tim and one of the fellows from Denver set up a good pace; I chased them over the rollers, sometimes bridging up, sometimes lagging behind (particularly when a solid effort resulted in a skipping chain and lost momentum -- man, mountain bikes can lose momentum fast rolling uphill!). One of the other riders was experiencing leg cramps, so Apertome and our sixth man stayed back to keep him company.
After one last good climb (nothing compared to the monster climbs mid-ride, of course), we were treated to a long descent that led us into Apertome's neighborhood. One of the fellows who had been behind me -- the semi-local guy on the Specialized Tricross -- caught up with me, and we rolled it in together. He wished me luck this coming 'cross season. I'll need it!
Mrs. Apertome brought out a selection of beers, along with the makings of a great lunch. I quite enjoyed the Dragonfly IPA, though I learned that I am even more of a lightweight when I've just returned from a good fifty miler. I chased it with a bunch of water, delicious pasta salad, salty potato chips (hooray for salt!), and a turkey sandwich, but still felt tipsy as Tim and I loaded the bikes and prepared to head out (technically, Tim loaded the bikes; I think his bike rack is nifty, but figured he is more familiar with it than I am ^-^).
On the way home, I also ate the rest of my beef chunks. I am going to have to remember them for long rides from now on -- they're not quite as dry and salty as jerky, so they're easier to eat, but they're still salty enough to satisfy the inevitable salt-craving. After Tim dropped me back at the third street Thornton's, I spun home leisurely (thought about a Rite-Aid stop, but decided against it). As Tim said, it was nice to finish a ride with a good ten more miles at least left in the old legs, as opposed to finishing ten miles after the legs were done :)
At home, I hosed off the day's sweat and grit -- and came to the realization that there's nothing wrong with planning my racing schedule around spring and fall, the seasons during which my asthma is most manageable. Then I killed off my pizza rolls for dinner without even bothering to reheat them (they're just fine cold, or lukewarm after a day in the ol' Camelbak pocket). I also ate some of the sausage-and-onions that DD had fried up. Then I curled up on the couch with DD and watched movies for a bit.
At that point, I crawled into bed, read until I couldn't even have even propped my eyes open, and fell into a blissful slumber around 10:30. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I dreamed about bikes (also tornadoes in a different dream entirely, but mostly bikes).
In summary: Sunday could only have been better if there had been an ocean involved and if DD had been up to coming on the ride (he's not there yet, but if he keeps riding, he'll get there). As it was, it was still a phenomenal day. I know I say this every time I go on one, but this was the best ride I've had all year ... which, come to think of it, is really saying something, since I was riding a mountain bike that I don't even own instead of one of my beloved road bikes!
To some extent, I am still getting to know the C'dale, so I rode rather more cautiously than I might otherwise have done. HeadShocks are actually pretty cool, but definitely impact handling in an interesting way. I also didn't learn until I was riding home from the gas-station that I could lock out its front shock simply by turning a little dial at the top (it's one of those old-fashioned 'HeadShock' models). That intel would've been useful on the long paved climbs, since I realized en route home, after discovering the dial, that the action of the shock absorbs a surprising amount of the rider's effort and locking it out makes all the difference in the world (skinnier tires running at slightly higher pressure would've helped, too).
Serious training for 'cross begins this week, and next Saturday I'm hoping to roll out with LBC's 100k populaire. Barring the emergence of plans-I've-forgotten-about (DD is our household social director), it will be my first brevet, so I'm hoping to make it.
During the past few weeks, when I haven't been posting much, I've been thinking a lot about where I want to go with my bike habit. Those thoughts have now gelled into a set of goals:
I think I will also get in the habit of riding hill repeats in Cherokee Park, though neither Cherokee nor Iroquois involves a long enough climb to be too much of a challenge.
As for that last goal: I've discovered that I really enjoy riding flowy singletrack, and that gravel is fun in its own unique way. Heretofore, I've done a fair bit of grass riding, a bit of singletrack, and a lot of riding on cobbles (I like to find routes that take me through Louisville's cobbled alleys and backroads), but I've mostly avoided gravel because I'm a bit afraid of it. Well, the best way to overcome a fear is to face it, right? So I'm going to hunt for some gravel and ride the bejeezus out of it.
I've decided that I can get a bit more 'serious,' if you will, about training for racing without losing my grip on the fact that I ride bikes for fun. My racing goals will remain as they stand -- in cross, finish better; in MTB racing, finish at all (LOL); in road racing, start (in the spring).
Meanwhile, here's how this week's riding plans look:
MONDAY
Rest day. Maybe no riding, maybe just a little road ride.
TUESDAY
9:45 Rocky's Bust Your Gut Ride
1:30 LAB class (some riding involved?)
WEDNESDAY
Hill repeats (Iroquois?).
THURSDAY
Road LSD* (50 miles), possibly LBC Louisville Loop 50
FRIDAY
Intervals, assuming Hg is ready to go.
SATURDAY
Road LSD -- LBC Poplaire (100k). This shouldn't be a particularly high-effort ride.
SUNDAY
Rest day.
Next week I hope to have a more formal training plan on my hands! Meanwhile, all baking activities will be shifted to the early morning hours, before the day gets really hot, so the house has time to cool off before DD gets home from work.
Notes
*That's Long Steady Distance. That, or else Lovely, Salty Doritos. You make the call!
On Thursday (or was it Friday?), Apertome sent out an invite for a 50-miler he was planning for this weekend. Though Rogue Racing had a road ride to nearby Jefferson Forest, I couldn't resist this one. The company and the route were far too tempting :D Besides, Hg is still awaiting his BB and QS is only semi-functional (no big ring).
Tim was driving up to Bloomington for the ride, and had an open slot in his car's awesome bike carrier, so I set my alarm for 5:00, then gathered all my stuff. That was well done, since I apparently hit snooze twice and swam up from the midst of a dream-state at roughly 5:15. Then it was a mad dash to get dressed, brush my teeth, and find my headlight (which I failed to do -- it later turned out to be in the front pocket of my Camelbak pack, which I only checked like eight times ._.). Around 5:40, I dashed off into the darkness to meet Tim at the third street Thornton's, an easy ride of less than 10 minutes from home (and spooky-quiet before 6:00 AM on a Sunday!).
At around 6:00 on Sunday morning, we were headed up to the home of 'IU Prime' (for the record, Tim manages to combine the rare qualities of both driving well and being an excellent conversationalist, which makes him an ideal drive companion).
When we arrived after a lovely drive through the Indiana countryside (Paoli is a really cute little town), we discovered that Mrs. Apertome had laid out a hearty repast -- home-made oatmeal, muffins, sausages, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon chunks, scrambled eggs, coffee ... it was a delicious all-you-can-eat bike fuel buffet -- not to mention a harbinger of an excellent ride to come.
Though I had already eaten two apples, a 'Nut-rition' bar, and roughly one-quarter of the package of 'Beef Chunks' I intended for ride snacks, I tucked into the repast with gusto. I could only hope that my legs would be as strong a my appetite!
Meanwhile, we chatted with some of fellow riders: a pair of gentlemen from Denver, en route to Pennsylvania, to drop off a bike, a truck, and a motorcycle, and another more local fellow, from (I think) the Fort Wayne area, who arrived a bit later. We learned that one more rider would join us en route, rounding out the total to an auspicious seven (assuming you're a little superstitious).
After breakfast, plenty of coffee, and the judicious application of sunscreen, we headed out on the road. The route began with a series of beautiful rollers -- apparently, rollers are my thing -- that led through part of Bloomington before we rolled into the woods, where we enjoyed a span of nice, flowy singletrack with the occasional log for variety, most of which the group addressed them cyclocross-stylie (albeit, not at a dead run). We rolled over the last one, which was smaller and sitting directly on the ground.
Soon, we met up with our seventh rider. A few more rolling hills brought us to the gravel (upon which I was, at first, profoundly nervous), then to the first monster climb of the day: a long uphill stretch of Bloomington's Strada Bianca!
At this point, I encountered the first in a series of frustrating drive-train issues. It took me most of the duration of the ride to figure out how to get started again on steep hills when the Cannondale's rear hub issues caused chain slippage and resulting momentum loss. On the monster gravel climb, this meant I walked -- that is, after falling over sideways while attempting to get started (which resulted in cursing, followed by a mental vision of what I must have looked like, followed by profound amusement), I walked.
By the way: if you're wondering: when you have to get started on an enormous climb, position the bike diagonally across the road but slightly uphill, swing a leg over, clip in, set your clipped-in leg to a reasonable angle (about 2:00 worked for me -- I probably should've clipped in on my uphill leg, though, come to think of it). I'm not sure this would work on loose gravel.
I also learned that I am a complete chicken about descending on gravel. It took me nearly the whole of one very long gravel descent to realize that if I let go of the brakes, I probably wouldn't die.
Probably.
We continued through some beautiful park land, stopping occasionally to enjoy a lakeside view and regroup. It's difficult to describe the beauty of the landscape -- I didn't take any pictures, but those taken by the guys with the cameras will, I'm sure, do better justice to the Bloomington surrounds than my words might. Simply imagine sun-dappled woods carpeted with wild vinca, rolling hills, and serene lakes that give way suddenly to sunlit meadows waving with deep-green grasses ... Strips of blue-grey highway surrender themselves to oceans of dusty white gravel ... Occasional passing drivers seem to understand that you have just as much right to the road and wave as they go by.
In other words, short of the presence of a nearby ocean, this is just about my vision of what Heaven should be like. Even the various mechanical issues -- my skippy chain, a stubborn rear tire leak, SuperTim's chain snapped by the enormous torque of his legs -- encountered by the group failed to dampen the mood. Every rider seemed able to laugh at his (and his bike's) difficulties. Mostly, anyway. I was secretly rather embarrassed by my own climbing performance, so I whined about my mechanical issues rather more than is usual for me.
During one of our intermittent pauses-to-regroup, hungry but frustrated with Planter's tasty-but-unsatisfying Nut-rition bars and attempting to conserve some beef chunks, I remembered suddenly that I'd packed pizza rolls (imagine something like a calzone, only long and skinny, and you've about got it: I made them on Saturday night). I wolfed one down, felt a million times better, and rolled on fat and happy (just like my tires).
The final two gravel stretches were the most difficult, though both were flat. The gravel in question was of a scale that simply didn't play nicely with bikes -- it was loose and tended to roll, creating very unstable footing for the bikes. The second-to-last segment, in particular, was enough even to cause me to whine about my backside, which is the one part of me I almost never find occasion to whine about (I also whined about my knees on this ride, mostly because I found it surprising that they hurt as much as they did on the climbs -- I think I might need to adjust the C'dale's fit). The last wasn't nearly as bad -- that, or else I had gone numb -- especially since it involved a metal bridge crossing which I declared to be a 'massage feature,' though it was still quite rough.
Soon we were in the home stretch. After a last quick break to regroup, we parted ways with the rider who'd joined us en route, then headed for the barn. Tim and one of the fellows from Denver set up a good pace; I chased them over the rollers, sometimes bridging up, sometimes lagging behind (particularly when a solid effort resulted in a skipping chain and lost momentum -- man, mountain bikes can lose momentum fast rolling uphill!). One of the other riders was experiencing leg cramps, so Apertome and our sixth man stayed back to keep him company.
After one last good climb (nothing compared to the monster climbs mid-ride, of course), we were treated to a long descent that led us into Apertome's neighborhood. One of the fellows who had been behind me -- the semi-local guy on the Specialized Tricross -- caught up with me, and we rolled it in together. He wished me luck this coming 'cross season. I'll need it!
Mrs. Apertome brought out a selection of beers, along with the makings of a great lunch. I quite enjoyed the Dragonfly IPA, though I learned that I am even more of a lightweight when I've just returned from a good fifty miler. I chased it with a bunch of water, delicious pasta salad, salty potato chips (hooray for salt!), and a turkey sandwich, but still felt tipsy as Tim and I loaded the bikes and prepared to head out (technically, Tim loaded the bikes; I think his bike rack is nifty, but figured he is more familiar with it than I am ^-^).
On the way home, I also ate the rest of my beef chunks. I am going to have to remember them for long rides from now on -- they're not quite as dry and salty as jerky, so they're easier to eat, but they're still salty enough to satisfy the inevitable salt-craving. After Tim dropped me back at the third street Thornton's, I spun home leisurely (thought about a Rite-Aid stop, but decided against it). As Tim said, it was nice to finish a ride with a good ten more miles at least left in the old legs, as opposed to finishing ten miles after the legs were done :)
At home, I hosed off the day's sweat and grit -- and came to the realization that there's nothing wrong with planning my racing schedule around spring and fall, the seasons during which my asthma is most manageable. Then I killed off my pizza rolls for dinner without even bothering to reheat them (they're just fine cold, or lukewarm after a day in the ol' Camelbak pocket). I also ate some of the sausage-and-onions that DD had fried up. Then I curled up on the couch with DD and watched movies for a bit.
At that point, I crawled into bed, read until I couldn't even have even propped my eyes open, and fell into a blissful slumber around 10:30. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I dreamed about bikes (also tornadoes in a different dream entirely, but mostly bikes).
In summary: Sunday could only have been better if there had been an ocean involved and if DD had been up to coming on the ride (he's not there yet, but if he keeps riding, he'll get there). As it was, it was still a phenomenal day. I know I say this every time I go on one, but this was the best ride I've had all year ... which, come to think of it, is really saying something, since I was riding a mountain bike that I don't even own instead of one of my beloved road bikes!
To some extent, I am still getting to know the C'dale, so I rode rather more cautiously than I might otherwise have done. HeadShocks are actually pretty cool, but definitely impact handling in an interesting way. I also didn't learn until I was riding home from the gas-station that I could lock out its front shock simply by turning a little dial at the top (it's one of those old-fashioned 'HeadShock' models). That intel would've been useful on the long paved climbs, since I realized en route home, after discovering the dial, that the action of the shock absorbs a surprising amount of the rider's effort and locking it out makes all the difference in the world (skinnier tires running at slightly higher pressure would've helped, too).
Serious training for 'cross begins this week, and next Saturday I'm hoping to roll out with LBC's 100k populaire. Barring the emergence of plans-I've-forgotten-about (DD is our household social director), it will be my first brevet, so I'm hoping to make it.
During the past few weeks, when I haven't been posting much, I've been thinking a lot about where I want to go with my bike habit. Those thoughts have now gelled into a set of goals:
- Get out on more sociable group rides!
- Orient race training towards 'cross in the Fall and road in the spring, and let summer just be summer.
- Climb bigger hills more often.
- Ride off road (and on gravel roads) more often.
I think I will also get in the habit of riding hill repeats in Cherokee Park, though neither Cherokee nor Iroquois involves a long enough climb to be too much of a challenge.
As for that last goal: I've discovered that I really enjoy riding flowy singletrack, and that gravel is fun in its own unique way. Heretofore, I've done a fair bit of grass riding, a bit of singletrack, and a lot of riding on cobbles (I like to find routes that take me through Louisville's cobbled alleys and backroads), but I've mostly avoided gravel because I'm a bit afraid of it. Well, the best way to overcome a fear is to face it, right? So I'm going to hunt for some gravel and ride the bejeezus out of it.
I've decided that I can get a bit more 'serious,' if you will, about training for racing without losing my grip on the fact that I ride bikes for fun. My racing goals will remain as they stand -- in cross, finish better; in MTB racing, finish at all (LOL); in road racing, start (in the spring).
Meanwhile, here's how this week's riding plans look:
MONDAY
Rest day. Maybe no riding, maybe just a little road ride.
TUESDAY
9:45 Rocky's Bust Your Gut Ride
1:30 LAB class (some riding involved?)
WEDNESDAY
Hill repeats (Iroquois?).
THURSDAY
Road LSD* (50 miles), possibly LBC Louisville Loop 50
FRIDAY
Intervals, assuming Hg is ready to go.
SATURDAY
Road LSD -- LBC Poplaire (100k). This shouldn't be a particularly high-effort ride.
SUNDAY
Rest day.
Next week I hope to have a more formal training plan on my hands! Meanwhile, all baking activities will be shifted to the early morning hours, before the day gets really hot, so the house has time to cool off before DD gets home from work.
Notes
*That's Long Steady Distance. That, or else Lovely, Salty Doritos. You make the call!
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Hurray for Small Goals
I am still feeling a little overwhelmed. I may have mentioned that my therapist observed that I've taken on an awful lot of late, and haven't left myself much room for the activities that I find refreshing.
I've realized that I'm a person who needs open spaces in my life -- probably more than most people. I enjoy company, but I'm very much an introvert: I recharge by being alone.
It really helps to have unstructured time to ride my bike, take naps, read, sit in the bath for an hour (and read), do housework (I find housework enjoyable, when I'm not trying to cram it in to an already-overfull schedule), play music, or whatever. Right now, those open spaces are too few and far between: I'm struggling with the same problem I had when I worked for the bank. I don't see any gaps in my calendar for a long time. There are people who thrive under those conditions (I respect their endurance; my Mom is one of them, and continues to amaze me) and people who wither. I'm a witherer :)
So what, you may be asking, does this have to do with goals?
Well, I realized I'm going to have to revise my approach to achieving my 2011 goals if I want to actually do so without imploding by mid-April.
First, I've decided that my weight-loss goal (which isn't in that list) -- while I do intend to pursue it in earnest -- needs to be broken down to a bare minimum. I mean to whittle off 30 pounds by the start of 'cross season: a goal I could, at this point, achieve even at a rate of just over one pound lost per week, since 'cross season starts in September. One pound a week seems doable (though somehow I magically gained four pounds last week, meaning my net weight change for February was +1 lb -- oy vey).
I do think I will need to make careful food choices and track calories until I start meeting my riding goals, but that shouldn't be a big problem, since I'm planning to do so anyway. Instead of 'giving something up' for Lent, I've decided to use this period of reflection and renewal to focus on eating more sustainably (I eat less meat, for example, than a lot of people, but more than I really need) and making better food choices (shouldn't be too hard, as I have been craving leafy things and fruits like mad of late).
Because of problems with vitamin B12 absorption, I don't think I'm going to try going vegetarian, but I do think I will try eating a mostly-lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet and limiting meat or fish to once or twice a week. As I step up the mileage later in the spring, I will probably have to revise a bit, but I'm okay with that. I'm not anti-meat, just anti-mindlessness.
My goals for this particular project are to eat more mindfully, reduce my environmental footprint, eat more locally (we're looking into a CSA share, but we might just do it the lazy way and hit the farmer's market instead), save money (we eat out too much; we could take the money we save andbuy more bike stuff help fight hunger here in Kentucky ... okay, and buy more bike stuff ^.^') and improve my own health. Part of this process, for me, will be keeping track of what I'm eating.
I'm also setting my March distance goal at 300 miles, with long ride goals of no more than 40 miles. This is lower than my initial goal of 100 miles per week -- I've been discouraged by routinely missing my goals, but didn't want to pare back and admit 'failure.' Instead of walking around mad at myself for failing to meet my distance goals, I decided to sit down and try to parse out why I'm not meeting them.
Once I got to thinking about it, I realized that I set them without accounting for my schedule and some of the other stuff I'm dealing with at the moment. Right now, my schedule makes it hard to get to group rides; as for commuting, for a while, I was struggling to sleep at night, and thus not reliably waking up early enough in the morning. The former I can't do much about 'til the LBC ride schedule picks up a little towards the end of the month, but the latter is a goal I can absolutely meet now that I'm reliably waking up around 6:30 almost every day (I've even been making breakfast!!!). I have to admit I've been being less than flahute-esque of late: in the morning, it's been easier to crawl into the warmth of DD's truck, since he's going that way anyway, and tote my bike along for afternoon commutes only. I bet Jens Voigt doesn't fear chilly mornings. Longer days should also help.
A 300-mile goal should be easy to meet once I get back to commuting both ways by bike most of the time, in addition to riding to my Thursday therapy appointment (which I'm doing anyway), then throw in some extra rides for fun. Now that Denis has his very own cycling jersey:
...I'm hoping we'll be riding together more. He's even been (GASP!) looking at road bikes! (Flat-bar road bikes, granted, but road bikes nonetheless!). That will be good, too.
So I mean to ride the bike to work tomorrow, then continue with the two-way commute from there (though I'm not going to be too much of a stickler about it; I might take the bus part way or ride with Denis once in a while).
Anyway, now that I've hammered out the kinks in my brain a little, I think I'm going to go ride the bike. It's a beautiful day, and the laundry will definitely still be here when I get home.
I've realized that I'm a person who needs open spaces in my life -- probably more than most people. I enjoy company, but I'm very much an introvert: I recharge by being alone.
It really helps to have unstructured time to ride my bike, take naps, read, sit in the bath for an hour (and read), do housework (I find housework enjoyable, when I'm not trying to cram it in to an already-overfull schedule), play music, or whatever. Right now, those open spaces are too few and far between: I'm struggling with the same problem I had when I worked for the bank. I don't see any gaps in my calendar for a long time. There are people who thrive under those conditions (I respect their endurance; my Mom is one of them, and continues to amaze me) and people who wither. I'm a witherer :)
So what, you may be asking, does this have to do with goals?
Well, I realized I'm going to have to revise my approach to achieving my 2011 goals if I want to actually do so without imploding by mid-April.
First, I've decided that my weight-loss goal (which isn't in that list) -- while I do intend to pursue it in earnest -- needs to be broken down to a bare minimum. I mean to whittle off 30 pounds by the start of 'cross season: a goal I could, at this point, achieve even at a rate of just over one pound lost per week, since 'cross season starts in September. One pound a week seems doable (though somehow I magically gained four pounds last week, meaning my net weight change for February was +1 lb -- oy vey).
I do think I will need to make careful food choices and track calories until I start meeting my riding goals, but that shouldn't be a big problem, since I'm planning to do so anyway. Instead of 'giving something up' for Lent, I've decided to use this period of reflection and renewal to focus on eating more sustainably (I eat less meat, for example, than a lot of people, but more than I really need) and making better food choices (shouldn't be too hard, as I have been craving leafy things and fruits like mad of late).
Because of problems with vitamin B12 absorption, I don't think I'm going to try going vegetarian, but I do think I will try eating a mostly-lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet and limiting meat or fish to once or twice a week. As I step up the mileage later in the spring, I will probably have to revise a bit, but I'm okay with that. I'm not anti-meat, just anti-mindlessness.
My goals for this particular project are to eat more mindfully, reduce my environmental footprint, eat more locally (we're looking into a CSA share, but we might just do it the lazy way and hit the farmer's market instead), save money (we eat out too much; we could take the money we save and
I'm also setting my March distance goal at 300 miles, with long ride goals of no more than 40 miles. This is lower than my initial goal of 100 miles per week -- I've been discouraged by routinely missing my goals, but didn't want to pare back and admit 'failure.' Instead of walking around mad at myself for failing to meet my distance goals, I decided to sit down and try to parse out why I'm not meeting them.
Once I got to thinking about it, I realized that I set them without accounting for my schedule and some of the other stuff I'm dealing with at the moment. Right now, my schedule makes it hard to get to group rides; as for commuting, for a while, I was struggling to sleep at night, and thus not reliably waking up early enough in the morning. The former I can't do much about 'til the LBC ride schedule picks up a little towards the end of the month, but the latter is a goal I can absolutely meet now that I'm reliably waking up around 6:30 almost every day (I've even been making breakfast!!!). I have to admit I've been being less than flahute-esque of late: in the morning, it's been easier to crawl into the warmth of DD's truck, since he's going that way anyway, and tote my bike along for afternoon commutes only. I bet Jens Voigt doesn't fear chilly mornings. Longer days should also help.
A 300-mile goal should be easy to meet once I get back to commuting both ways by bike most of the time, in addition to riding to my Thursday therapy appointment (which I'm doing anyway), then throw in some extra rides for fun. Now that Denis has his very own cycling jersey:
 |
| From MyLife |
...I'm hoping we'll be riding together more. He's even been (GASP!) looking at road bikes! (Flat-bar road bikes, granted, but road bikes nonetheless!). That will be good, too.
So I mean to ride the bike to work tomorrow, then continue with the two-way commute from there (though I'm not going to be too much of a stickler about it; I might take the bus part way or ride with Denis once in a while).
Anyway, now that I've hammered out the kinks in my brain a little, I think I'm going to go ride the bike. It's a beautiful day, and the laundry will definitely still be here when I get home.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
It's SCIENCE!!!
First, I haven't been on a bicycle in like SIX WHOLE DAYS. I am pretty sure that at any moment I am going to A) burst out of my pants, having gained 286 pounds (even though they seem to fit exactly as they did before I went to the doctor way back on Tuesday) and B) die. Of lack of exercise and/or bicycle withdrawal syndrome. Etc.
Hm.
The following may be kind of gross. I invite those who would rather not read an in-depth exploration of the current state of the inside of my mouth to visit Cake Wrecks instead.
...
It's okay, I won't be offended.
...
No, really, you can go. We're good.
...
Still here? Okay, well, don't say I didn't warn you.
So, here goes.
I am mostly over my bronchitis/sinus-infection thingy — and that in and of itself is actually a good thing.
However, I had conveniently forgotten that the medication I normally wind up taking for these things because I'm allergic to penicillin, amoxycillin, and erythromycin — co-trimoxazole, a combination of sulfa drugs sold under the name 'Bactrim,' if you actually feel like paying a brand-name price for a medication that's been around since the 1960s — has one very unpleasant side effect: oral thrush.
So now I no longer have bacterial squatters livin' it up in my sinuses and bronchii, but I do have flesh-eating fungi going to town in my mouth. Jeez.
I guess I'm actually kind of happy that the thrush isn't terribly bad. The last time I had this, it was violently unpleasant, and I couldn't eat for a week. Switching to another antibiotic and direct treatment with liquid Nystatin saved my bacon that time; this time, I don't think I'll need to go that far.
Rather oddly, it appears that artificial sweeteners help keep this stuff in check. I got a bunch of those sugar-free flavoring tubes to put in my water, since my sense of taste had gone all screwy and I couldn't bring myself to drink plain water, and it seems that whenever I drink some of the stuff from the little tubes, my mouth feels a little better.
It also seems to kill off some of the fungi, though not all of them. At least, however, I don't have furry white plaques all over the inside of my mouth. It just kind of looks like I got punched in corner of my lip right now, which is okay. It's also nowhere near as painful as previous episodes I've had.
Now, I suppose I could see this as solid evidence that the little drink tubes are, you know, basically poisonous (and, in fact, since they contain aspartame — whose metabolites contain formaldehyde, among other things — I would have to agree that's true). However, the same argument can be made in favor of most medications. Sulfa drugs will kill you if you take too much (and not just because you will slowly be turned into a giant yeast mold); even caffeine will kill you if you ingest too much.
I, for one, think it's fascinating, and once I figure out how to plan a formal experiment that does not involve my mouth or anyone else's (petri dishes and agar jelly should work, right?), I think I would like to conduct a study to see which substances other than Nystatin actually do help control this stuff (because my connection could be erroneous, and it could just be that my immune system is working better than before, largely thanks, I would hazard, to all the time I spend on the bike).
Thus far, artificial sweeteners look promising (sorbitol-sweetened mints also seem to help, which doesn't surprise me, since both sorbitol and xylitol have antiseptic qualities), and I suspect honey may help as well (honey is semi-famous for its anti-whatever properties).
In other news, I'm planning on starting a big ol' retrofit on the Swift some time soon, and as of the 23rd DD and I will have been seeing each-other for six months officially. Huzzah!
P.S. If I was Jens Voigt, candida spores would fear me too much to try to infest my mouth.
Sadly, I'm not.
Hm.
The following may be kind of gross. I invite those who would rather not read an in-depth exploration of the current state of the inside of my mouth to visit Cake Wrecks instead.
...
It's okay, I won't be offended.
...
No, really, you can go. We're good.
...
Still here? Okay, well, don't say I didn't warn you.
So, here goes.
I am mostly over my bronchitis/sinus-infection thingy — and that in and of itself is actually a good thing.
However, I had conveniently forgotten that the medication I normally wind up taking for these things because I'm allergic to penicillin, amoxycillin, and erythromycin — co-trimoxazole, a combination of sulfa drugs sold under the name 'Bactrim,' if you actually feel like paying a brand-name price for a medication that's been around since the 1960s — has one very unpleasant side effect: oral thrush.
So now I no longer have bacterial squatters livin' it up in my sinuses and bronchii, but I do have flesh-eating fungi going to town in my mouth. Jeez.
I guess I'm actually kind of happy that the thrush isn't terribly bad. The last time I had this, it was violently unpleasant, and I couldn't eat for a week. Switching to another antibiotic and direct treatment with liquid Nystatin saved my bacon that time; this time, I don't think I'll need to go that far.
Rather oddly, it appears that artificial sweeteners help keep this stuff in check. I got a bunch of those sugar-free flavoring tubes to put in my water, since my sense of taste had gone all screwy and I couldn't bring myself to drink plain water, and it seems that whenever I drink some of the stuff from the little tubes, my mouth feels a little better.
It also seems to kill off some of the fungi, though not all of them. At least, however, I don't have furry white plaques all over the inside of my mouth. It just kind of looks like I got punched in corner of my lip right now, which is okay. It's also nowhere near as painful as previous episodes I've had.
Now, I suppose I could see this as solid evidence that the little drink tubes are, you know, basically poisonous (and, in fact, since they contain aspartame — whose metabolites contain formaldehyde, among other things — I would have to agree that's true). However, the same argument can be made in favor of most medications. Sulfa drugs will kill you if you take too much (and not just because you will slowly be turned into a giant yeast mold); even caffeine will kill you if you ingest too much.
I, for one, think it's fascinating, and once I figure out how to plan a formal experiment that does not involve my mouth or anyone else's (petri dishes and agar jelly should work, right?), I think I would like to conduct a study to see which substances other than Nystatin actually do help control this stuff (because my connection could be erroneous, and it could just be that my immune system is working better than before, largely thanks, I would hazard, to all the time I spend on the bike).
Thus far, artificial sweeteners look promising (sorbitol-sweetened mints also seem to help, which doesn't surprise me, since both sorbitol and xylitol have antiseptic qualities), and I suspect honey may help as well (honey is semi-famous for its anti-whatever properties).
In other news, I'm planning on starting a big ol' retrofit on the Swift some time soon, and as of the 23rd DD and I will have been seeing each-other for six months officially. Huzzah!
P.S. If I was Jens Voigt, candida spores would fear me too much to try to infest my mouth.
Sadly, I'm not.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Stay Hungry? Heck, I Can't Stay Full.
I've noticed that when I spend a week or two off the bike, once I start riding again, my appetite loses its 'off' setting.
The night before last, after arriving home, I threw back a glass of chocolate milk (world's greatest — or, at any rate, tastiest — recovery drink!), then got dinner started. While making dinner, I ate something like four or five cookies and a granola bar. Then I ate dinner — a bowl (normal-person-sized, not super-sized) of beef stroganoff (this was followed lunch that consisted of an Arby's beef-n-cheddar, two mozzarella sticks, and a tiny Jamocha shake [the $1 menu variety] — all things considered, it was a very beefy day). That kept things under control for a while, but around nine PM I started feeling hungry again. I decided that I would use the technique Jens Voigt uses on his legs when they're being recalcitrant: I said to my stomach, "SHUT UP, STOMACH!"
Yesterday I wasn't quite as ravenous. After my super-scientific recovery drink (LOL), I ate only one cookie while making dinner (Korean short ribs with yellow squash and wild rice blend). I did, however, eat several slices of raw squash (it was gooooood). I actually left part of a rib on my plate (OMG!).
This morning, I ate a double-serving of oatmeal before I realized I had bought a scone yesterday afternoon that I meant to eat for breakfast this morning. Scones only last so long before they turn into stones, so I decided to eat that, too, though I was actually feeling pretty full after eating all that oatmeal. I am now quite comfortably full, which tells me my appetite is down-regulating to its normal state. A few days ago, I would have killed off the oatmeal and the scone, then rummaged through my desk 'til I found enough change for some animal crackers, or gone hunting for a bagel, or something.
I'm curious — does this happen to other cyclists, or is it just me? When you take a short break or a vacation or whatever, do you find yourself eating more than usual when you get back on the bike?
P.S. If I have learned one thing this year, it's the value of recovery periods. I don't think I want to take two weeks off in a row again any time soon, but I do feel pretty darned good on the bike right now.
It didn't listen, but I did manage to get to sleep without eating anything else.
The night before last, after arriving home, I threw back a glass of chocolate milk (world's greatest — or, at any rate, tastiest — recovery drink!), then got dinner started. While making dinner, I ate something like four or five cookies and a granola bar. Then I ate dinner — a bowl (normal-person-sized, not super-sized) of beef stroganoff (this was followed lunch that consisted of an Arby's beef-n-cheddar, two mozzarella sticks, and a tiny Jamocha shake [the $1 menu variety] — all things considered, it was a very beefy day). That kept things under control for a while, but around nine PM I started feeling hungry again. I decided that I would use the technique Jens Voigt uses on his legs when they're being recalcitrant: I said to my stomach, "SHUT UP, STOMACH!"
Yesterday I wasn't quite as ravenous. After my super-scientific recovery drink (LOL), I ate only one cookie while making dinner (Korean short ribs with yellow squash and wild rice blend). I did, however, eat several slices of raw squash (it was gooooood). I actually left part of a rib on my plate (OMG!).
This morning, I ate a double-serving of oatmeal before I realized I had bought a scone yesterday afternoon that I meant to eat for breakfast this morning. Scones only last so long before they turn into stones, so I decided to eat that, too, though I was actually feeling pretty full after eating all that oatmeal. I am now quite comfortably full, which tells me my appetite is down-regulating to its normal state. A few days ago, I would have killed off the oatmeal and the scone, then rummaged through my desk 'til I found enough change for some animal crackers, or gone hunting for a bagel, or something.
I'm curious — does this happen to other cyclists, or is it just me? When you take a short break or a vacation or whatever, do you find yourself eating more than usual when you get back on the bike?
P.S. If I have learned one thing this year, it's the value of recovery periods. I don't think I want to take two weeks off in a row again any time soon, but I do feel pretty darned good on the bike right now.
It didn't listen, but I did manage to get to sleep without eating anything else.
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