Another thing I love about my bike: I love love love love LOVE exploring.
Today I explored one of the bike paths here in town. I went from start to finish. I rode through the Nature Center that this path runs through, from the Home Depot to the rich business area on East **st, from the business area past the movie theater area, to the suburb area that the path ends in. It really is a nice little path.
I rode a total of 32 miles on this trip. It's really been a while since I've gone on a very long bike ride, and I obviously didn't eat enough before I left, so I came close to passing out several times on the ride. I came back and ate like a pig and automatically felt better, ha.
I read somewhere that with my current weight, in order to be able to undergo such a long ride I'd have to consume somewhere near 3000 calories a day. I'm a fatty, and as a fatty I eat like one sometimes, so normally that isn't difficult for me to do. However, when you're poor and don't have many food options to choose from and must sometimes ration your food, it's hard to accomplish that. Maybe I'll research how I can get the calories I need for biking when I have such a small budget. Hmm...
Showing posts with label riding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label riding. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Catch Up
I haven't written in a while. That's because nothing significant has really happened to me.
Fall season has come on full storm. And by the word storm, I mean that almost literally! Tuesday and Wednesday morning I was unable to ride my bike. You see, it was raining. Now, rain doesn't bother me. Really. All I have to do to adapt is wear some clothes that I don't mind getting a little wet. But, when there's cold WIND to go along with cold RAIN, that's where we have the problem. Cold wind/rain mix bugs me because there's a risk of catching a cold and/or pneumonia. Not only that, but I've heard that hypothermia sucks and I'm not really looking to try it out myself :)
I was finally able to ride to places yesterday afternoon. I rode everywhere, including my chiropractor's appointment. He thought I was crazy when I told him I rode my bike there, but that's probably because of his location at one of the busiest intersections in town. I'd like to reiterate that I never ride on busy streets, just side streets and bike paths only :)
Today was a fun experience, too. We are on fall break at our school, but I had to report for work. I had to report at 8:00 this morning, and I wanted to ride my bike. So guess what I did? I got the bike out at 7:00 this morning! It was freezing cold, with no rain, but I got there safe and sound. Riding at sunup is so different from riding during the normal daylight hours. There's a significantly smaller amount of traffic than there is during the normal daylight hours, therefore I am not as nervous when I'm riding.
Fall season has come on full storm. And by the word storm, I mean that almost literally! Tuesday and Wednesday morning I was unable to ride my bike. You see, it was raining. Now, rain doesn't bother me. Really. All I have to do to adapt is wear some clothes that I don't mind getting a little wet. But, when there's cold WIND to go along with cold RAIN, that's where we have the problem. Cold wind/rain mix bugs me because there's a risk of catching a cold and/or pneumonia. Not only that, but I've heard that hypothermia sucks and I'm not really looking to try it out myself :)
I was finally able to ride to places yesterday afternoon. I rode everywhere, including my chiropractor's appointment. He thought I was crazy when I told him I rode my bike there, but that's probably because of his location at one of the busiest intersections in town. I'd like to reiterate that I never ride on busy streets, just side streets and bike paths only :)
Today was a fun experience, too. We are on fall break at our school, but I had to report for work. I had to report at 8:00 this morning, and I wanted to ride my bike. So guess what I did? I got the bike out at 7:00 this morning! It was freezing cold, with no rain, but I got there safe and sound. Riding at sunup is so different from riding during the normal daylight hours. There's a significantly smaller amount of traffic than there is during the normal daylight hours, therefore I am not as nervous when I'm riding.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Intense Workouts
Today I was fully prepared to make the journey to class. That, however, changed when I realized that it was too windy for me to make it to class on time. I hitched a ride with my boyfriend, who drives a pickup truck, and I just rode to class from his parking spot.
Leaving my class presented me with an odd choice. I usually have two kinds of workouts that I focus on: distance workouts and time workouts. If I'm going for distance I try to ride 20 miles and if I'm going for timed I try to ride one hour at a rather brisk pace.
This presented an issue for me: I didn't have the time to do either kind of ride today, as I had errands to run before I had to drive to my afternoon/evening classes. (I drive to my evening classes for reasons of my own personal safety. WSU is in a dangerous area!)
I remembered something that my mom said that I kind of took to heart. She said that sometimes it's not the length or the time that matters, it's the intensity of the work. I was riding with the wind going back, so I said what the hell. I put my bike in the 3rd and 5th gears and just let loose.
There were several points in which I looked down at my bike computer and saw that my bike speed was at 17 mph. I was turning corners faster than normal, which was scary as hell, but the little kid in me screamed "WEEEEEEEE!". I got home out of breath and tired, like I just rode 30 miles or something! My mom was correct, intensity can matter just as much as anything else in a workout.
My average speed was at 11.1 by the time I got home. The only reason it wasn't higher was because of the school riding I did where I had to do lots of slow riding to avoid hitting fellow students on sidewalks. That was disappointing to see, but I'm sure my average speed on the bike path was at least 13 mph if not more.
So the moral of the story: intense rides can be just as fun as distance rides and you'd get just as much of a work out in a shorter amount of time if you just pick up the pace a bit.
Leaving my class presented me with an odd choice. I usually have two kinds of workouts that I focus on: distance workouts and time workouts. If I'm going for distance I try to ride 20 miles and if I'm going for timed I try to ride one hour at a rather brisk pace.
This presented an issue for me: I didn't have the time to do either kind of ride today, as I had errands to run before I had to drive to my afternoon/evening classes. (I drive to my evening classes for reasons of my own personal safety. WSU is in a dangerous area!)
I remembered something that my mom said that I kind of took to heart. She said that sometimes it's not the length or the time that matters, it's the intensity of the work. I was riding with the wind going back, so I said what the hell. I put my bike in the 3rd and 5th gears and just let loose.
There were several points in which I looked down at my bike computer and saw that my bike speed was at 17 mph. I was turning corners faster than normal, which was scary as hell, but the little kid in me screamed "WEEEEEEEE!". I got home out of breath and tired, like I just rode 30 miles or something! My mom was correct, intensity can matter just as much as anything else in a workout.
My average speed was at 11.1 by the time I got home. The only reason it wasn't higher was because of the school riding I did where I had to do lots of slow riding to avoid hitting fellow students on sidewalks. That was disappointing to see, but I'm sure my average speed on the bike path was at least 13 mph if not more.
So the moral of the story: intense rides can be just as fun as distance rides and you'd get just as much of a work out in a shorter amount of time if you just pick up the pace a bit.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Headwind Cycling
I forgot to mention one thing about my cycling: I don't just commute when I cycle. I also ride for recreational purposes on the weekends.
Yesterday I was going out for my recreational ride. Going to the end of my destination was easy-peasy. I was probably averaging 12, 13 mph no sweat. However, when I turned around, I was hit this sudden gust of wind. The gust died down, but the winds never did.
My friends, I cycled into what is known as a headwind.
To me, there are three things that really suck about cycling: hills, headwinds, and bad weather.
Hills and bad weather are something that you can get used to. When you get stronger, the hills become easier to manage. Luckily for me, I reside in Kansas, the flat-land prairie state. Hill are therefore not that difficult for me. It's also easier to manage bad weather: if you ride more in it, your body becomes tolerant to it. I remember I rode during the hot hot hot hot hot weather days in the summer and everyone at my work thought I was crazy. Personally, I thought they were crazy, but that was only because the heat didn't bother me the way people were worried it would.
The only thing I haven't gotten used to yet is the Kansas winds. Most Kansans will be able to tell you that the climate in Kansas includes lots and lots and lots and lots of wind. Sometimes the winds go above 20 mph. I can handle anything below that.
Yesterday the headwinds were going at 25 mph to the north, and I was traveling south. I was going to try and do a 30 mile ride, but honestly couldn't swing it. 22 miles is good enough for me, especially considering how windy.
Anyway, I keep babbling. The point of this post is to advise others on how to ride into headwinds without dying:
1. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT try to maintain a constant speed. If you try to maintain a 13 mph speed, even when the strong gusts hit, you will wear yourself out faster than my boyfriend's puppy wears himself out when he's chasing a laser pointer light.
2. Keep your bike in a lower gear. The gears you use for non-windy riding will prove to be too high for the windy riding.
3. Try not to take too much gear with you. Only take what you need--a cell phone, a bike tool, a spare innertube, wallet with ID and money, your water bottle, and some form of self-protection if you have it. You will thank yourself because you won't be carrying all of that extra weight with you.
4. Try not to get yourself dehydrated. You're working extra hard when you're in the wind, and you'll make yourself sick if you're not properly hydrated.
That's all I can think of right now, folks. Check back in tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be rainy tomorrow, so I may end up blogging about that. Tata for now!
Yesterday I was going out for my recreational ride. Going to the end of my destination was easy-peasy. I was probably averaging 12, 13 mph no sweat. However, when I turned around, I was hit this sudden gust of wind. The gust died down, but the winds never did.
My friends, I cycled into what is known as a headwind.
To me, there are three things that really suck about cycling: hills, headwinds, and bad weather.
Hills and bad weather are something that you can get used to. When you get stronger, the hills become easier to manage. Luckily for me, I reside in Kansas, the flat-land prairie state. Hill are therefore not that difficult for me. It's also easier to manage bad weather: if you ride more in it, your body becomes tolerant to it. I remember I rode during the hot hot hot hot hot weather days in the summer and everyone at my work thought I was crazy. Personally, I thought they were crazy, but that was only because the heat didn't bother me the way people were worried it would.
The only thing I haven't gotten used to yet is the Kansas winds. Most Kansans will be able to tell you that the climate in Kansas includes lots and lots and lots and lots of wind. Sometimes the winds go above 20 mph. I can handle anything below that.
Yesterday the headwinds were going at 25 mph to the north, and I was traveling south. I was going to try and do a 30 mile ride, but honestly couldn't swing it. 22 miles is good enough for me, especially considering how windy.
Anyway, I keep babbling. The point of this post is to advise others on how to ride into headwinds without dying:
1. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT try to maintain a constant speed. If you try to maintain a 13 mph speed, even when the strong gusts hit, you will wear yourself out faster than my boyfriend's puppy wears himself out when he's chasing a laser pointer light.
2. Keep your bike in a lower gear. The gears you use for non-windy riding will prove to be too high for the windy riding.
3. Try not to take too much gear with you. Only take what you need--a cell phone, a bike tool, a spare innertube, wallet with ID and money, your water bottle, and some form of self-protection if you have it. You will thank yourself because you won't be carrying all of that extra weight with you.
4. Try not to get yourself dehydrated. You're working extra hard when you're in the wind, and you'll make yourself sick if you're not properly hydrated.
That's all I can think of right now, folks. Check back in tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be rainy tomorrow, so I may end up blogging about that. Tata for now!
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