Morning Ride
cycling
Sunday Ride
With the big end-of-the-year concert coming up this week, the Boy had an extended Carolina Youth Symphony practice this afternoon, going 2.5 hours instead of the usual 1.5 hours. K and I usually take a walk with the dog during that time, but today, I decided I should take a bike ride on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, our local rails-to-trails treasure that we use too seldom. I began by riding to the northern starting point in Traveler's Rest, then turned around and rode back to downtown Greenville before heading back to Furman University, where CYS practice is held. It was a total of 37 kilometers.
The height of my riding was when I still lived in Poland, and a 37 kilometer ride would have been a short ride from my village to Nowy Targ, the nearest (Polish) town. One of my favorite routes was a 50 kilometer ride around a lake just over the border in Slovakia. It usually took me a little under two hours.
Today's ride went 1:50, with a weak average speed of 20 km/h. I felt like I was flying. I felt my speed (I don't us a cycling computer -- I just track rides on my watch) was surely higher than an anemic 20 km/h. Then I remembered I'm 20 years older and a lot less practiced than when I would make an international circuit around a Slovak lake. Perhaps that's not a bad result, all things considered.
And there's more to be considered. Increased problems with cholesterol has been on my mind for the last year, and a few much-higher-than-average blood pressure readings had me heading to the doctor for some reassurance, which is why I'm heading to a local clinic for some tests tomorrow. Still, my watch reassures me: I've gotten no notifications about symptoms of elevated blood pressure, and other metrics suggest my cardio-health is above average.
My resting heart rate has been under 60 for the last month, for goodness sake.
My VO2 Max is above average for the last six months, also suggesting that I have good cardio fitness.
The fact that I'm even giving this so much thought reflects the change in my thinking: in my fifties now, I have to think about my health in a way I never did before. It's nothing big, I suppose: everyone who wants to live a long and healthy life starts thinking about these things at some point, making changes and sacrifices along the way that would have been inconceivable a decade ago.
Working on the Berm
Back on the Bike
My mountain bike has been out of commission for a few weeks now simply because I didn't take the time to drive it to a shop to see what's going on. I didn't know if I'd bent my derailleur hanger, my pully cage, or something altogether different, but my shifting was completely off. It turned out to be the hanger, which the mechanic bent back into shape but warned me the next wreck would be the last: "It will snap."
I took it out for a ride this afternoon. No wrecks, so no snapping. But a relatively slow ride.
Morning Ride
Thursday Ride
In an effort to regain some level of fitness, the Boy and I have been mountain biking several times a week. E, of course, is already somewhat fit: youth and soccer see to that. I, however, have been reverting to a state that could only be described as fat slob. In fact, a couple of months ago, I got on the scale and saw that, for the first time in my life, I was close to 200 pounds. One sees all the internet ads suggesting that cardio workouts do little to help with weight loss, but I do know that eight or so years ago when I set a goal to cycle to work 100 of the 180 days, I lost significant weight relatively quickly. So we’re cycling more.
Today, I went on my own, though: the Boy was not in the mood, and since I want this to be something he enjoys, I didn’t force the issue. One benefit of going solo is that I get to listen to music as I ride; another benefit, I get to go faster. E can keep up with me for a handful of miles but eventually, he tires. That’s not to say I don’t tire. I just enjoy that pain and push through it (or at least I say I enjoy the pain).
When I was riding on the gravel portion of the ride, I encountered this young one:
We used to see a lot of deer during our evening rides, sometimes a dozen or more. Lately, though, they’ve been scarce. I have no idea why they’re suddenly rare. The fact that they can live in the midst of a city is itself surprising. There are developments all around the Conestee mountain biking area; we see deer in our own neighborhood. It seems all they need a handful of trees and a water source.
First and Only
Yesterday, E and I went for a short mountain bike ride: one quick loop each around all three paths at our nearest mountain bike path. There's a new loop, we took it. Naturally. It's mostly gravel and packed dirt, but there's one paved section. I picked up the pace; E matched it; I accelerated; he matched my speed -- soon, it was an out-and-out race.
When we got home, and I checked the stats on Strava, I saw that we'd gotten the KOM for that new segment. Granted, only four people have ridden it, but still -- a King of the Mountain for a Strava segment? That's what legends do!
So this evening, I did the logical thing: I went back and rode it again, taking almost 45 seconds off the KOM.
It will fall soon enough. A fat man on a cheap bike (my Strava profile tag line) can't hold a KOM for long. But the point is, I never thought I'd get a KOM...
Friday Afternoon Ride
First Ride in Weeks
Ride
You know you've discovered a completely negected trail when you become a Strava Local Legend after only one ride on that trail:
