My Motto

Hop on. Ride hard. Repeat



Friday, December 28, 2012

Mike's 2013 Bike Goals

What to do, what to do?  Last year was my first year actually writing out bike goals.  Previously, my goals had been stored up in my head and had, not surprisingly, been ill-defined.

Looking back, my 2012 goals were quite number-centric.  Log this many miles, do this long of a ride, do this type of ride this many times, etc.

Even though I need to carry over some of my goals from last year, I think I will switch things up a little.  Here we go:
  1. Log 2500 total miles (indoor & outdoor) with running miles included.
  2. Ride at least one 200k (or longer) ride.
  3. Participate in the 100 Grand, Colorburst and le Tour de Donut.
  4. Do one ride of at least 30 miles on a rainy day while staying reasonably dry (please see this post for my inspiration).
  5. Ride with Michelle at least 20 times (Love Ya Hon!)
  6. Ride with my brother-in-law, Jeff, at least 12 times (trips to Founder's count).
  7. Continue to demonstrate to my children why I love riding so much.
That seems doable, don't ya think?

There are a few rides that I have in mind that I won't make as goals but would be fun to try.
  • Grand Rapids to Ludington - This ride could nicely coincide with my annual Pig's Dinner at the House of Flavors (there would certainly be less calorie-guilt if I had just finished a nearly 100 mile bike ride).
  • Grand Rapids to Midland - Instead of taking the same route I took last year, I would like to try going up the White Pine Trail to Reed City and then east on the Pere Marquette Trail.  Google Maps says this would be about 134 miles.  If I could average 16 MPH, the on-bike time would be more than 8 hours.  If you add in some off-bike time, you are then looking at up to 10 hours of total time.  In my mind, I think this falls solidly in the Challenging but Doable category.
I feel like goal #7 needs some explanation.  As a review, riding provides me with some things that I enjoy and, truthfully, need.  I enjoy the challenge, the speed, the fresh air, the ability to physically exert myself.  I enjoy pushing my limits to see what I can do.

What I need is this...when I ride I feel like the "bad" part of me gets left out on the road.  In my mind, it is a shadow that tries desperately to hold onto me but eventually tears loose and slowly floats to the ground.  I think riding helps me to be a better person, a better husband and a better father.

My hope is that my children will be able to see this.  My hope is that someday each of them will be able to find something physical to pour themselves into.  I pray they will find something that strips them down to their raw self and re-forms them into something better.

This is a hard concept to put into words.  I could probably ask 1000 mothers about child birth and still have no idea what it is really like.  What does it feel like to not quit, despite 99% of your mind screaming "STOP!!!"?  How do you explain that?  To suffer is to learn.

2012 Bike Goals - How did I do?

As 2012 rolled around, I decided to make some bike goals for the year.  My intention was to aim for ambitious but doable.  Let's see how I did.

2012 Bike Goals
  1. Do a 200 km ride - Goal Not Met.  Oh, Colorburst...you have become my bane.  Last year, a wheel issue kept me from doing a century at the Colorburst (which would have been two century rides for the year, instead of one).  This year, rain ruined my 200 km ride goal.  The funny thing is, just a few weeks earlier I had an opportunity to meet this goal and I didn't even know it.  I had ridden 103 miles on one of my Bike Days.  I stopped because I thought I had a doctor's appointment that afternoon and I needed time to get washed up and rested.  It turns out I was one month early ("Oh, it's October 26th, not September 26th?  My bad").  I will grant you that I was tired after 103 miles, but I could have kept going.  There was enough left in the tank.
  2. Ride in the 100 Grand, Colorburst, and le Tour de Donut - Goal Met.  Did you notice how I phrased it as "Ride in the 100 Grand, Colorburst, and le Tour de Donut"?  I made no mention of distance.  When I made this goal, I assumed the 100 Grand and Colorburst would be century rides.  I did barely over 40 miles for both but I did ride in them.
  3. Log 2600 miles - Goal Not Met.  Even when you include some of my running miles, I got a little over 2400 for the year.
  4. Ride to McBain and/or Midland - Goal Met.  I rode from Midland to home on Memorial day while riding Sam the Singlespeed.  I believe it was 106 miles.
  5. Do a singlespeed century - Goal Met.  See above.
  6. Do 3 total century rides (or longer) - Goal Not Met.  I did two century rides this year.  The 200 km ride at the Colorburst was supposed to be the third.
How do I feel about this?  Mixed emotions really.  The singlespeed century is pretty cool and riding from Midland to home was fun.

There is still some frustration about the Colorburst.  The frustration is pointless because there isn't anything more I could have done about it.  I was as a prepared as I could be, physically, mentally, and gear-wise.  Absent the rain, the goal would have been met.  A 200 km ride will be a "must do" for next year.

What are my 2013 goals?  I'll post on that soon.  I'm thinking that my goals will be a little more family-oriented.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Go The Other Way

Today was an odd day.  It is mid-November here in Michigan and yet the temperature made it into the low 70s/upper 60s, with ample sunshine.  Starting tomorrow, the temperatures are more likely to be upper 30's with rain and/or snow.

The only logical thing to do is to take a bike ride.  That seems obvious.

Gimli is all set up for use on the indoor trainer so Sam the Singlespeed is my "outdoor" bike until next spring.

Where should I go?  How should I get there?  It is entirely possible that I won't ride outdoors again this year, so I thought I should make this ride memorable, in some fashion.  Big mileage was out of the question (not that I didn't want too, mind you).  What if I took a ride where I "Go the Other Way"?

I'm a creature of habit.  Ask Michelle and she will quickly and easily agree.  Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and ride the same basic routes over and over again.  What if I picked my route as I went and went the direction I don't normally go?  What if I took the road less traveled, as they say.

I won't list it out turn by turn, but I managed to have an interesting and satisfying ride where I travelled down roads I had never been on.  I saw some more of the NW side down by Lane Ave, Powers, and Butterworth.  I found where Kenowa ends on the north side of the river.  Pretty cool overall.

Come next year, I will have to do this more.  One of my favorite aspects of cycling is the ability to explore.  The exploration can be on open country roads or within a city like Grand Rapids.  There is always something else to see and paths to find that you never even knew were there.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Plastic Surgery

No, I haven't gone under the knife.

A while back, I got a set of fenders for Sam the Singlespeed (They were purchased at Freewheeler Bike Shop and were made by Planet Bike).  After installing them, I never felt that they fit quite right.  They were a little squee-haw, if you know what I mean.  Earlier in the year, I took them off intending to ride some without them and then put them back on with the goal of less squee-hawness.

Not surprisingly, I just now got around to it.  My working theory was that the fenders were a little too wide to fit under the front brakes, which caused the front tip of the fender to deviate off to one side (that would be the squee-hawness, by the way).  If I cut/nip/forcibly removed some of the fender that contacts the brakes, then I should be all set, right?

Onto the mechanics stand the bike went and out came a plethora of tools.  The fenders went on, got marked and then came off.  With all the delicacy I can muster (which is not much), I managed to remove some material along the edge without making it look like a hack job.

Did it fit better?  Why yes, it did (I know, I was shocked too).  I then noticed two things.  First, the brake arms were still hitting the fender some.  Second, the front lip of the fender was grazing the tire.  Hmmm.

Certainly I need to remove that little bit of material that is still hitting the brake arms!  Back on the stand, mark it again, and another round of cutting/nipping/forcibly removing plastic ensued.

Did it work?  Yes it did!

Sort of.

The brake arms were not contacting the fender anymore but the front lip of the fender was still lightly rubbing the tire.  Crud.

After further thought and introspection, I think that when I originally had the fenders installed, they were really wedged up under the front brakes, which kept the front of the fender off the tire.  The fender was chock full of squee-haw but it wasn't rubbing the tire.

So here's the deal.  Can I put the little bits of plastic back on the fender so it can be sqee-haw again but not rub the tire?  Can you unring a bell?

So what to do now?  I had already hacked away at the fender twice, how bad could it be if I kept going?  If the fender was already ruined, hacking away at it further was not going to hurt.

My next theory was, "If you just nip away at the front edge, maybe you can remove just a little of the leading edge and this will solve the problem.  No one will even be able to notice."

Out came my pair of small nippers, the kind you would use to cut small wires or zip tires.  I very carefully cut away at the fender.  Tiny, little slivers were flying off.  The change to the fender was barely noticeable.  Unfortunately, so was the change in the rubbing on the tire.

I tried it again, just taking off tiny little pieces, constantly telling myself, "Don't take off too much.  Just take a little."

Once again, I gave the wheel a spin aaannnddd...absolutely no change.

Ok, this is getting old.  Time to get out the tin snips.

From this point forward, there was dramatic drop in the level of "delicacy".  My next cut took off about a 1/2 inch of the fender (don't worry, the fender didn't feel a thing).  Spin the wheel.  Better, but not there yet.

I did this about 4 more times until I got it to the point where it wasn't rubbing anymore.  All in all, I probably removed 2 inches of the front edge of the fender.

Is it pretty?  Not really.  Will it prevent road spray?  It's better than no fender but probably not as good as having the full length.  I won't really know until I ride in the rain.

It is probably more important to have the rear fender intact and at its full length.  When I tried to remount the rear one, I found that I needed a longer set of fender stays to keep the fender off of the wheel.  When I originally had them installed, I had the same problem.  I was able to jerry-rig it so that it worked, but it never looked good and it rattled quite a bit.  Luckily, Planet Bike had a set of stays that are about 2.5 cm longer than the ones I have on currently.  For about $4, I can do it right this time.  They are in route.  Once they arrive, I should be all fendered up and ready to roll.

Next year, I plan on getting fenders for Gimli.  If I can find good ones, I might consider re-fendering Sam the Singlespeed.  On the other hand, once I have these set, I may never fiddle with them again.  It is kind of a pain.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Cold Weather Cycling Gear

The weather here in western Michigan has officially switched to the "cold" time of the year.  Cold is somewhat relative.  If you live in Mississipi, I would imagine that the weather around here would qualify as "downright freezing".  If you live in Alaska, I would bet you would call this "starting to cool off a little".

Either way, I have had to transition to the cold weather gear so I thought I would write a post on what I have been using/wearing recently.

Tights: I recently picked up a pair of M's Swift Polartec 100 tights.  I ran across the recommendation through a website called Icebike.org.  This is a group dedicated to riding in the winter, even up in Alaska.  I figured there recommendations on cold weather cycling clothing should be pretty solid.  After using these tights, I can say that they are on the money.  My legs have been comfortably warm down to the low 30's with these things.  All I wear under them is a regular pair of bib shorts.  They are nice and stretchy and comfortable against the skin.  Even though they are not meant to be windproof or wind resistant, they do a good job of blocking wind.  I would highly recommended them for cycling, running and cross country skiing.  I would imagine they would also make a great pair of long johns for things like ice fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling.  Regarding price, the sell for $60.  In the cycling world, this is pretty darn cheap.  They aren't as fancified as other cycling tights, but they do their job really well.

Gloves: Nobody likes cold hands.  After trying several combinations of gloves, I have come up with a good combo.  I am using a decent pair of synthetic running gloves under a pair of wool gloves made by Ibex.  Used on their own, the wool gloves don't block enough wind to keep your hands very warm.  The combo of the running gloves under the wool gloves have kept my hands toasty-warm down to the low 30's.  I can say, in all honesty, that I did a 1.5 hour ride this past Saturday with temps that were just below freezing and my hands were not cold at all.  That has been a first for me.  Up until now, my hands were always cold when I first started and would then warm up later.  With these, later is now.  As a side note, I haven't noticed any issues with there being too much pressure on my hands without my riding gloves so there must be just enough inherent padding to keep my hands comfortable.

Hat: Recently, I purchased a cycling hat from Walz Caps.  I got a moisture wicking cap in grey with a burgundy racing strip down the middle.  My noggin is ginormous and I usually take a hat that is at least 7 3/4, so I got the large/x-large.  It fits so nicely.  I'm used to hats that squeeze my head and this doesn't, despite the elastic.  The cap is comfortable on its own for a cool fall day but when it gets colder, I need some ear protection.  As with the gloves, I put on a thin running hat that comes down nicely over my ears and then put the cycling cap on top.  This seems to fit well under my helmet and keeps everything warm without my head being too warm.  In the future, I will likely get a wool cycling cap with ear flaps and see how that works.

Feet: Ah, those darn feet.  To this point, I have not yet found a good combination to keep my toes warm on a cold day.  What have I tried in the past, you ask?
  • Wool socks with MTB shoes - the shoes are too ventilated and wind cuts right through them.
  • Wool socks with liner socks and MTB shoes - better, but not a ton better.  I feel like there is not enough room in the shoes for the socks and my toes, so I don't get good blood circulation.  Wind still gets through, as well
  • Wool socks with liner socks and MTB shoes with shoe covers made by Adidas - the shoe covers certainly help, especially with cutting the wind.  As above, my toes still feel a little squeezed and will get cold.
  • Wool socks with shoe covers and neoprene toe gators - These come from a company called Aerotech Solutions.  They make cycling gear right here in the USA.  There is nothing fancy about there stuff, but their prices are good.  I have used these for one ride with temps just below freezing.  At the beginning of my ride, my toes were quite toasty warm.  After about 45-60 minutes, they started to get cold, as they normally do.  Hmmm.  My theory is that my toes might have actually started to sweat some and then got cold from the moisture build up (the trouble with neoprene is that it doesn't breath).  The night before, I used the toe gators while I was outside but not particularly active.  For this, they seemed to work well.
  • What to try next?  Probably good wool socks with just the shoe covers.  Maybe my feet will have enough room to wiggle and keep good circulation while the shoe covers cut the wind some.  We'll have to see.  Update - this went reasonably well but I was only out for one hour and it really wasn't all that cold.  I'm wondering if thinner smartwools (the PhD type) with the toe gators will work well.
Tops: This is another area where I have yet to find a good combination.  Most recently, I have tried a standard issue long-sleeve cycling jersey over a thin, wool base layer with a soft shell jacket over top.  This works fairly well but I still tend to get cold.  The wool layer is great and has become a go-to for any rides below 70 degrees, so it has to remain part of the equation.  This coming weekend is supposed to be cold, so my plan is to do another early morning ride this Saturday.  I think I will try arm warmers/wool base layer/fleece vest/soft shell jacket and see how that works.

What's on the horizon?: What would I like, what would I like?  If I could snap my fingers and make several items appear, what would they be?
  • Better shoe covers - I get the feeling that the ones I have now are just not all that good (adequate but not good).  The only way to tell is to try new ones.
  • Wool long sleeve jersey - I can see a combo of a wool base-layer with a wool jersey being nice and cozy.  There is a company called Portland Cycle Wear that makes jerseys at a reasonable price.
  • Waterproof/Windproof cycling jacket - thermal or not thermal, that is the question.
  • Update - I just noticed that Aerotech Solutions has a fleece long sleeve jersey for $30.  This seems like it should be worth trying.
Those would be the big things.  If I can cover those bases then cold weather will be much less of a deterent.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

What do you do when things are worse than the "Worst Case Scenario"?

At the end of last year, I made a list of bike goals; things I wanted to do by the end of this year.  Doing a 200 kilometer ride was one of those.  This was ambitious but quite doable.  The ride would probably take about 9 hours of total time with about 8 hours of actual riding time.

I chose this years Colorburst ride for my attempt.  One of the routes is 100k so if I rode it twice, my goal would be achieved.  A considerable amount of time and energy was put into planning and preparing for this ride, including several Bike Days.  My Bike Days were regular, old Wednesdays were I took the day off, woke early, and rode all day.  The last one of the year was 103 miles.  I was ready.  It was not a matter of if, but when.  I knew what it would take and I was confident I had it in me.

Nutrition?  No problem.  Hydration?  Got ya covered.  Fatigue?  I can handle that.  Cold?  That's what good clothes are for.

Rain?  Crap.

As the day approached, the forecast was for a 40% chance of rain, probably in the afternoon.  No big deal. That I can handle.  Most of the ride will be done by then.  If I get a little wet at the end, it won't stop me.  It just makes the story better.

A few more days passed and it switched to an 80% chance of rain, still with most of the rain in the afternoon.  Hmmm...how should I handle this?  Use the rain coat?  Probably a good idea.  What about the feet?  Good question.  I've never been able to fully close up my shoe covers because they are just a little too small.  AHA!  Michelle can sew some extra velcro material on!  She did (Thanks Honey!) and they fit much better. I knew this wouldn't completely prevent wet feet but I thought it would hold things off.

Friday arrived and the forecast was upgraded to a 100% chance of rain, mostly likely starting in the late morning.  Oh boy.  This isn't looking good.

At this point, I switched from planning to wishful thinking.

Maybe it won't rain that much.  Maybe the forecasters are giving us a Worst Case Sceneario.
I'm sure my clothing will hold out.  How wet could it be?

On Saturday morning, I woke early and made sure I had everything.  When I checked the radar map, all I saw was a big green blob the size of the Mitten that was almost to Muskegon/Grand Haven.

This is the point at which the wishful thinking ended.  Today was going to be a big pile of suck.

As I was driving toward Lowell, I noticed it was not yet raining.

Try to get as many miles in as you can before the rain starts and then deal with conditions.

On the way out there, there was not a single drop of rain on my windshield.  Not.  One.  Drop.

I got out of my car and started to unload my bike.  As I was doing this, it started to sprinkle.  I kid you not.  Further evidence that God does have a sense of humor.

After checking in with the ride officials, I turned on my lights, hopped on my bike and took off.  At this point, it was still a very light sprinkle.

A little sprinkle is nothing.  It's not enough to really have any effect on the day.

By the way, it was about 35 degrees out.  The one bright spot for the day was that I was actually dressed quite well for the cold.  Had the rain not been part of the equation, the day would have turned out much differently.

One of the reasons I chose the Colorburst was that it is basically a series of short rides connected together.  Instead of thinking, "You have to ride 124 miles", my thought process was more like "Ok, you're done with a 20 mile ride.  Next is a 25 mile ride".  A series of short rides sounds a lot more do-able than one 124 mile ride.

Within 5 miles of starting, the rain started coming down harder.  Joy.  At this point, it was still beading up on my coat but I could feel it soaking into my tights.

No big deal, you're legs are still warm.  You're still cruising along pretty well.

At about 10 miles, I could feel the top of my left sock getting wet.

That's not good.  You know where the water's going.  Oh great, now the top of the right sock is getting wet.

So, I'm about 10 miles in and my socks are already getting wet.  My shoe covers and shoes were actually doing a good job of keeping the water out.  What was happening was that water was soaking my tights and running down my leg and getting under the shoe cover.  My shoes have a Gore-Tex liner so any water that gets in cannot get out.

When I got to the first rest stop, it wasn't even open yet (I had started about an hour earlier than most people would).  This was no big deal because I hadn't expected it to be open.  The next loop was about 20-25 miles, so I kept going.

You're feet are pretty wet.  Not too long before they are nice and numb.  124 miles doesn't seem likely.  Maybe just 62 today.  Finish this loop and then back to the start.  That sucks pretty hard but it's better than nothing.

About 3 miles down the road, I realized my feet were no longer simply wet but were quite literally swimming in my shoes.  I could actually feel pooled water around my toes.

Ok, if you keep going this is going to get ugly fast.  The smart thing to do is to turn around and head back.  On the other hand, you're not going to get another chance at this, at least this year.

In the end, I made what was probably the right decision and turned around to head back.  Interestingly, I rode more miles after that point than before.

By the time I actually got back, I was sooooo wet.  I was not tired, however.  Had conditions been better, I don't doubt that I would have met my goal.  My final tally for the day was 41.4 miles and about 1300 feet of climbing.  According to my Garmin, it never got above 37 degrees.

On the way home, I peeled off my shoes and socks and blasted the heat on my feet.  By the time I got home, I could actually feel my toes again.  Sensation in your toes is such a nice thing.  I highly suggest it.

I was home by about 10:30 and spent the rest of the day hanging out with Michelle and the kiddos.  We even went to Chuck E. Cheese in the evening.

I didn't do my 200k ride.  I didn't even really come close.  What I ended up with was, basically, a decent ride marred by cold & rain.  Disappointing to say the least.  It is highly unlikely that I will get another chance this year.  The newest Terrell is due in Novemeber and I don't have any more time off except for holiday stuff.

Sigh.

On the plus side, the ride was educational.  First, I have a pretty good set up for cold weather riding.  My feet might have gotten a little cold yesterday, but I think the rest of me would have been fine.  The next time it is 35 degrees, I won't flinch at going out.

Second, riding in the rain was actually kind of enjoyable (except for the soaking wet part).  The roads were nice and quiet and hearing the rain fall was a surprisingly relaxing.  With the right gear/bike set up, I might just look forward to a rainy day ride.

Third, I got out there and gave it a solid go when many people would have stayed home (I will admit, this option strongly crossed my mind).  The fact that I had worked so hard to prepare and plan for this ride got me out there.  The old saying "You don't know until you try" kept running through my head.

For 2013, I'm going to add a new goal: do a rainy day ride of at least 2 hours without getting soaking wet.  Achieving this goal ought to be easy.  All I need is the right equipment.  All I need to get the right equipment is money.  And this is where the plan falls apart some.

One of the things I like the most about cycling is all the cool gear and gadgets.  What I like the least about cycling is how much money all that gear and gadgets costs.

Here is what I think I will need:

WARNING!!!  WARNING!!!  GEEKY CONTENT APPROACHING!!!
  1. Fenders - I recently saw a company that has a developed a set of full coverage fenders designed specifcally for bikes that don't usually fit fenders.  The come from sks-germany.com.
  2. A good quality, waterproof cycling jacket.  I have some ideas here but nothing specific.
  3. Waterproof shoe covers.  I saw a pair from Gore Bike Wear that come up pretty high on the leg.  Between these and fenders, I would likely avoid water running down my legs into my shoes.
  4. Some tights that are at least water resistant.
If I can figure out good options for the list above, I might just look forward to riding in the rain.

Monday, October 8, 2012

100 miles on a Wednesday? Why not!

Yesterday (9/26/12) was my last bike day of the year.  Why not go out with a bang!  I rode 103 miles by 2:20 in the afternoon.  Not too bad, I would say.

The last bike day of the year called for a change in strategy.  I have often felt that focusing on the number of miles ridden served as a mental block for me.  The internal conversation would go something like this...I'm only at 60 miles!  That means I have 40 more miles to go.  Ugh.

The question became, what would happen if I didn't know how many miles I had gone?  What if I just rode for the amount of time I had available and let the miles happen?

Luckily, I can change what variables my Garmin Edge 500 will display.  There are actually 3 display screens and you can customize the number of items on each screen and what variables are on each screen.  If you have a heart rate monitor and power meter attached to your bike, there is an almost endless number of possibilities to the data you can monitor.

On my main screen, I chose to have Ride Time, Current Speed, and % Grade.  Distance wasn't even listed until the third screen, which I never looked at.

I woke early, ate breakfast and hopped on my bike.  The day began with a ride up Kenowa Ave to very near the northen Kent county line.  The northen county line is actually 22 mile but when I got to 21 mile, Kenowa switched from paved to a windy, uphill dirt road.  I deemed 21 Mile to be good enough.

When I got home, I refilled water bottles, had an extra snack, started a load of laundry and took off.  The second loop of the day was somewhat less well planned.  What I mean by that is I hadn't decided where I was going to go.

There was a small mechanical issue which did infuence my decision making.  The cleat on my left shoe was repeatedly coming loose and needed to be retightened.  By the time I was done with my Kenowa Ave loop, I had tightened it down 3 times.  Should I stop at Freewheeler or at Village Bike in Jenison?

The loop I had hypothesized took me out past Village Bike in Jenison, so I stopped there.  The nice gentleman at the repair desk fiddled around with my shoe for about 5 minutes and I was set to go (for free BTW!).  Big thanks to Village Bike.  One of my worries was that I would be 5 miles short of 100 for the day and have some type of malfunction that would keep me from continuing.

The rest of my second loop took me out past GVSU, through Marne, down 6 mile and back home.  Once I was home again, I took a look at the time.  I had an asthma check up at 3:15 in the afternoon so I wanted to be done around 2:15 to give me time to eat, wash up and rest some.  That left me about 45 minutes more to ride.  In a uncharacteristic moment of mercy, I chose to ride up the White Pine Trail for a while and then turn around and come back.  Nice and flat and easy.

Shortly before getting back home, I did check my distance and saw that I was at 102 miles.  Fabulous!  That makes 2 century rides for the year with one more to come at the Colorburst.

Did not knowing my distance help?  It certainly seemed to.  One of my co-workers is a pyschologist and she said I was keeping myself "in the moment".  That sounds about right.  During any given part of the ride, I was thinking more about keeping up a steady, do-able pace rather than how many miles I had left.

On October 13, I am going to ride my first 200 kilometer ride (that's about 124 miles).  I know the route well.  There will be no surprises there.  Knowing how many miles I have ridden will not give me any valuable information.  I know what I have to do and where I have to go.  All I have to do now is get out and ride it. 

Knowing that I have recently done a century and not been totally wiped out by it will help a lot.  By the time I got home, I did feel as if I could have kept going (I was happy to be finished, I should say).

As Yogi Berra once said, "Half the game is 90% mental."

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Now Presenting le Tour de Donut 2012!


After 5 weeks of anticipation, today was the day for le Tour de Donut! For those who are not familiar, the Tour de Donut is a just-for-fun bike race held up in Greenville at Klackle Orchards. It is 32-33 miles long with 2 doughnut stops during the race. For each doughnut you eat, you get 3 minutes subtracted from your total time. Your placing depends on total time – doughnut time.

The best part about this race is that it is really just for fun. Sure, there are some people taking it seriously (there will always be a few) but most people are just out there to ride and eat doughnuts. There are no prizes, no money, no nothing at stake, besides bragging rights of course.

This race has been on my schedule for 3 years now. It is even a part of my yearly bike goals. About 5 weeks ago, completely out of the blue, Hannah told me she wanted to do a bike race with me. What!?!?  I had no idea she was even thinking about it. This has convinced me that Hannah takes after myself, in that she has to ruminate on ideas for a while but when she makes up her mind, her mind is made up.

I tried to convey to Hannah what a 30ish mile bike ride would be like. She was confident.  I tried to give her an idea of how long she would need to be on the tag-a-long (better than 2 hours).  She was determined.

Ok.  Nothing to do but get training.  We did 4 "long" rides over 4 weekends (10 miles, 14 miles, 18 miles, and 22 miles).  There were also a few shorter jaunts around the neighborhood mixed in.  She did wonderfully with them all.

As a side note, she also became determined to learn to ride her own bike.  She started on a tiny, little 12 inch bike borrowed from the neighbors.  Once she was proficient on that, she took on her big girl bike.  Next thing you know, she is doing great on that bike.  Once again, like me, when she becomes determined to do something, she will do it.  It's done.  Period.  End of sentence.

As the day of the race approached, I was no longer concerned about her ability to tolerate time on the bike or to be able to pedal well.  I was, however, concerned about the weather.  First, it was cold.  When the race started, it was probably in the upper 40s.  Second, rain was a definite possibility.

Cold is one thing.  If you wear enough of the right clothes, you will be fine.  Wet is a whole other thing.  I have ridden when wet and cold.  Imagine taking all the fun, crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash.  Oh, and guess where all the spray from my rear wheel would go?  Yep, straight into Hannah's face.

If there had been rain, Hannah and I would have ended up going out for a nice Daddy/Daughter breakfast after I picked up my t-shirt.  Thank heavens there was no rain!

We got there with a few minutes to spare.  Hannah was covered in multiple layers on her upper and lower body and had her feet in plastic bags (to break the wind).  We got ourselves ready, picked up my race packet and headed to the start line.  Once there, I got to listen to "When are we going to start?" approximately 5,000 times.  I am riding with a 6 year old, after all.

Many very nice people commented on our set-up.  Several joked with Hannah about eating 400 donuts.  She is pretty cute.

Then the race started!

We were off with Hannah pedaling hard and with me trying to pick a clean line through the other racers.  I had come to learn that the tag-a-long significantly affects the handling of my bike.  I have to take turns wider and the tiniest little twitch of the tag-a-long makes my bike swerve.

My first warning that things might not go as well as I hoped came when Hannah started to ask when the first donut stop was when were only 3 miles in.  This question got repeated many times over the next 10 miles.

Even though I had done this race before, I wasn't sure exactly how many miles it was to each donut stop.  Turns out the first one is 13.6 miles in.  That is a long way to go for a little girl jones-ing for a donut.

Before getting to the first donut stop, another rider commented that he was humbled by how fast we were moving.  GO TEAM TERRELL!!!  WOO-HOO!!!

When we got to the first donut stop, we each grabbed a donut and I headed to the port-a-john (yep, lots of coffee).  I ended up eating 2 and Hannah ended up eat 1.5 (no, hers didn't count).

Then it was off to the next stop.  This section goes right through Greenville, including a section on a bike path.  There is also a section that goes around a lake that lies within the city limits.  There is really nothing noteworthy about this section except for the really, really, really steep hill you need to climb to get away from the lake.  I had warned Hannah that we might just have to walk up part of the hill.  She pedaled as hard as she could, I got into the lowest gear I had and got up out of the saddle and pedaled hard!

And then we walked.

About 3/4 of the way up, I couldn't keep the bike on a straight path and was barely keeping it upright so I stopped and we walked the rest of the way up.  Oh well.  Had to happen.

As we got going, I could tell we were getting close to the second donut stop but were probably 1-2 miles away.  And then Hannah decided she was done.

She got a little tearful and said she wanted to go home.  I was afraid this would happen all along.  I let her know we were close to the second donut stop and that Michelle would be able to pick her up.  The next mile was tough.  It was gradual climb on a tar-and-chip road.  Hannah didn't seem to be pedaling as hard but I definitely was.

At the second donut stop, I called Michelle and let her know Hannah was finished.  Thankfully, the second stop is very close to the finish.  We pedaled over and I unhooked the tag-a-long.  She seemed to be OK, so I decided to finish the race.  There was a race official who seemed a little confused.  I can't really blame him.

The last stage of the race felt like I was on turbo.  First, I was no longer pulling an extra 60 lbs.  Second, I wanted to get back quickly so that the kids wouldn't have to wait too long.  I passed a good number of people.  A few tried to hang with me but couldn't.  All those hill intervals have done me some good.

As I finished, Hannah and my Mom were there.  Michelle was in the Klackle store getting donuts and cider for the kids.  David has a cold and was getting bent out of shape (Poor Buddy!).  We took some pictures and headed for the cars.  The kids wanted to ride with Michelle in the Mom-mobile so I drove home in my car.

Once home, David needed a couple books and then he was off to bed.  Hannah has been reading or watching TV all afternoon.

I am really proud of Hannah.  She did wonderfully.  I think she did about 22-23 miles on a cold day.  That ain't easy.  It is my hope that she will learn the value of pushing yourself to do that which you aren't sure you can do.  Physical limits need to explored.

The whole experience was a lot of fun.  Spending that much time with my daughter was great.  I can't wait to do it again.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Why haven't I posted in a while?

Good question.  I'm not completly sure, but it probably has to do with a lack of time, lack of computer access, and trying to find time to write on my other blog, Can a Fat Man Run?  Here are a few things that have transpired since my last post about 5 months ago.

  1. Michelle & I are pregnant with our third child, due around Thanksgiving.  Yes, yes, thank you, thank you.  Everything seems to be going well.
  2. There have been several more bike days this past spring and beginning this fall.  There is one more left for the year and my plan is to do a century ride.  The fall bike days are all in preparation for doing a 200K ride at the Colorburst.
  3. My daughter has started first grade.  Woo-Hoo!!!  I couldn't be more proud of her.
  4. I took up running again (WHAT?!?!?!?).  After being inspired by the book Born to Run, I decided to give the barefoot/natural/minimalist running style a try.  You can read about it at Can a Fat Man Run, but it is actually going quite well.
  5. I'm on track to acheive all of my bike goals for the year but I may not reach the 2,600 mile mark.  The extra time spent running has had some influence on this.  Oh well.
  6. After doing coverage for about 1.5 years, I have taken a position at Mary Free Bed's Pain Center.  This is a multidisciplinary program involving physical & occupational therapy, medical care, and psychology, all housed under one roof.  It is truly the best treatment out there for people with chronic pain.
  7. Our computer's motherboard took a complete dive and we were without a home computer for 4-5 weeks (this did influence the amount of posting I did).
There are certainly other little details of life I have missed.  So many details.  This coming Saturday, my daughter & I will ride in the 4th annual le Tour de Donut up at Klackle Orchards in Greenville.  This is a 30+ mile ride with 2 donut stops.  I think we are both ready for it.  Fingers crossed.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bike Day!

I'm truly excited about tomorrow.  It is the first of several Bike Days that I have planned for the year.  Long story short, I have a good bit of time off saved up and I need to use it.  On Wednesdays, my wife works all day and my kids go to daycare.  We will pay for the daycare whether we use it or not, so why not take a day off and get in a long bike ride?  Everyone is happy, right?

It also happens that tomorrow is my birthday which, of course, makes this extra special.

All of my Bike Days are in the spring or fall because I am encouraged not to take too much time off during June, July and August.  So what do I plan on doing?  Good question.

Tomorrow, I will ride the 100K/64 mile route used for the annual 100 Grand Bike Tour put on by the Rapidwheelmen.  I hope to do this route twice on the day of the 100 Grand so I can capture my first 200k ride.  That's my plan, at least.

On May 23rd, I might participate in the 100 Miles to Nowhere charity ride put on by fatcyclist.com.  The gist of this ride is that you pick some short, mundane route near you and ride it enough times to go 100 miles.  The proceeds from the event will go to a camp meant for kids of parents with cancer (a pretty worthy cause, I think!).

The cool part is that it will likely be a worldwide event.  Each participant gets to pick their own route and then ride it.  They don't even have to be on the same day.  Fatty encourages riders to do it on June 2nd, but it's not a requirement.

My plan is to ride "The Loop".  This is a 5 mile route practically outside my house.  It has 2 good hills and one decent hill.  I will have to complete it 20 times.  This will likely be my biggest cycling challenge to date because it will involve a lot of climbing and it will be, honestly, quite boring.

One other obstacle to this ride might be the cost.  I have no idea what the cost is to register.  Will I have to raise a certain amount of money?  Is there a steep entry fee?  Ya got me.  Registration is supposed to open tomorrow, so I guess I will see.

Other than those two days, I plan on riding other local routes that I typically do not have time for or have never ridden before.  For instance, I plan on following Honey Creek Road from Cannonsburg into Ada, mostly because the last stretch into Ada is about as hilly as they come for the Grand Rapids area.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

When Interests Intersect

As a quick review, I am a physical therapist who happens to be a bike nut/geek/dweeb/nerd.  As a PT, my specialty is treating orthopaedic conditions, i.e. back pain, knee pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and so forth.  Not to toot my own horn too much, but I'm pretty good.
Very recently my low back has been bothering me.  Not terribly, but noticeably.  It might be directly related to some time on the bike in the last few weeks.  I don't know that I can make a direct connection, but the two might just be correlated.

For the sake of understanding, my back has a generalized soreness/stiffness at the lowest part of the lumbar spine, just as the spine meets the sacrum/pelvis.  It is equal on the right and left.  This is quite different to what I have experienced in the past.

About 11 years ago, I herniated the L5-S1 disc and had what is referred to as radicular pain into the right leg with myotomal weakness in the calf and hamstring along with sensory changes in the little toe of the my right foot (a little bit of numbness and weakness still persists, even now).

The symptoms I am currently experiencing are quite different.  What I am feeling is more of a muscle and/or joint strain.  Nothing too drastic or alarming.  The symptoms are certainly what a PT would call "mechanical" in nature.  By mechanical, we mean that forces from within or outside of the body are placing extra strain on neuromusculoskeletal structures and leading to the perception of pain.  Those same mechanical forces can be used to alleviate the pain, as well.

By nature, I tend to be quite objective.  I seem to have that ability to separate emotions from facts, even when the subject of my thoughts is myself.  I immediately start analyzing the situation and looking for solutions.  There were times when the herniated disc was causing considerable pain and I could still step back and look at my situation in an inquisitive matter ("Hmmm...well that is interesting, isn't it?).

With that said, I cannot help but to immediately start to analyze what is going on, what might be the cause and how can the problem be solved.  Have I overdone things with stretching recently?  Have I been spending too much time sitting?  I raised the handlebars recently.  Is that to blame?  What is my symptom generator?  Muscle?  Ligaments?  Facet joint?  How should I deal with this?  Stretching?  If so, what stretch?  How long should I stretch for?  The list of questions goes on and on.  This is all processing very quickly, I should add.

My point, which I realize is a long time in coming, is that I always think like a PT.  I see just about everything through "PT glasses".  Not a day goes by that I don't think, multiple times BTW, how my current situation relates to physical therapy (Wow, I'm such a dork).

Is this a good thing?  I think so.  It is safe to say I enjoy what I do.  It is also safe to say I was meant to be a PT.  If I couldn't be a PT anymore, I have know idea what I would do.  No one seems to want to pay me to ride my bike and that is just about the only other thing I am really passionate about.

Yes, yes, I am passionate about my family and passionate about Christ but it is hard to make a steady living at those things.  Me a preacher?  Not really.  Stay at home dad?  I could do it, but I wouldn't be pretty.  The kids might never fully recover.

I would like to think that I was designed to be a PT.  I was given the right kind of mind and temperament to be a PT.  What else would I do?

Lest you think of me as a work-a-holic, I never mind leaving early.  Forty hours is fine with me.  In fact, if I could work 30 hours and get paid for 40, that would be great.  I love what I do but I don't want to do it too much.  The rest of life is just too much fun.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Weight

There is a website called fatcyclist.com.  The author, Fatty, is humorous, good-natured, and often on the money about biking issues.  Apparently, he started his blog because he had fought the good fight with his weight and basically wanted to use public shaming as a last chance method to lose weight.  As best I can tell, it worked pretty well because he certainly seems like a svelte, in-shape kind of guy.  For him, riding a century is no big deal...on a mountain bike...uphill.

To be honest, Fatty gave me the inspiration for my blog (By the way, his name is actually Elden Nelson but he does encourage people to call him Fatty).

To get back on subject, I was attracted to his blog because I am, by all reasonable definitions, a fat cyclist.  Never during my life have I been described as petite.  Never.  Do you remember Husky pants?  I was that kid.  No lie.

Over the years, I have tried to lose weight and have been successful on several occasions.  Typically, the success has been short lived.  Looking back, it seems my diets or exercise plans were too extreme; too hard to maintain in the long term.  When I think of this, I think of P90X.

Several years ago, Michelle and I decided together that we needed to lose weight.  We needed to change our lifestyle and our eating habits.  The best part about this is that we were doing it together.  This certainly was one of the main factors in our success.

The biggest factor in our weight loss became obvious after a little while.  When people would ask me what I did to lose weight, I would answer that I did this really extreme diet call the Eat Less Food Diet.  This would usually be followed by several seconds of a curious expression, closely followed by the realization that I was talking about eating less food.  Simple as that.  Nothing fancy.  No weird supplements.  No specific food restrictions.  Just eat less food.

This method of weight loss has been the most successful method.  I went from about 230 lbs to a low of 205 lbs.  I must admit, I was pretty happy and feeling quite well.  I even managed to get off a low dose cholestorol med.  I looked better, felt better, and was more confident.

This all started back in the fall of 2008.  The weight stayed off until about the last year or so, when it started creeping back.  I knew I was gaining.  I could feel I was gaining.  I made some very half-hearted (maybe one-quarter-hearted) attempts to curb my diet.  Finally, I weighed myself after the holidays and saw a number I had never wanted to see again...220 lbs!  This was a breaking point where I decided I needed get back on the wagon.

It has been two weeks.  I have lost about 5 lbs in that time.  How?  EAT LESS FOOD!  The evening snack has essentially been eliminated.  Little treats that are lying around are left lying around.  Otherwise, nothing else has changed.  I am trying to exercise as much as I can but it is difficult with a full-time job, a wife and two little kids.

It does take a lot of will power.  I really love an evening snack, especially ice cream...ummm, ice cream (wiping drool off my lips).  It has to be done.  I am becoming a healthier person.  Cycling will be easier.  I will be around longer for my kids.  My quality of life will be better as I get older.  Believe me, these are all worthwhile goals and actually better than ice cream (I love you ice cream...don't be angry!).

My goal is to get back to 205 and to hold it there (secretly, I would love to see 199 on the scale, at least once).  How long will it take?  I don't care.  One other thing I learned during The Great Weight Loss of 2008 was that there would be fluctuations.  Some weeks the weight wouldn't come off and might even go up.  What do you do in this situation?  Stick to the plan.  This is a long term thing folks.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Normal

At this stage of life, a guy like me is supposed to "be in charge of things".  I should be a VP, a partner in the firm, the owner, the part owner, the manager, the supervisor, the senior clinician or whatever other title you can think of.

I'm 36 years old, married and have 2 little kids.  For some reason, there is a societal pressure for guys in my stage of life to move forward/move upward/advance themselves.  Why?

I know why.  That is what we're supposed to do.  It is normal.  Why is it normal?  Because everybody else does.  Your Dad did.  Your Grandpa did.  Your Great-Grandpa did.  Your friends are doing it.  It's just the way it's done.  Ambition and advancement is normal.

Do I want to be normal?  The "normal" American is thousands of dollars in debt.  The "normal" American is overweight.  The "normal" American is a nominal Christian, at best.  The "normal" American has little to no retirement savings.  The "normal" American isn't all that happy with their job.

Sometimes normal sucks.

On the flip side, do I want to stay exactly as I am, exactly where I am, doing exactly what I am doing?  Well, not really.  Change is fun...and interesting...and exciting.  Change can also be difficult and painful (everything worth having or doing is going to be difficult and painful at some level).

What I don't want is to follow a pre-estabilshed path because it is "what I am supposed to do".  As the old saying goes, "Would you jump off the Empire State Building if all your friends did it?".

I have a coffee mug by the Life Is Good people.  It says, "Do what you like.  Like what you do".  That has always seemed like pretty good advice.  I don't want to end up with a life where I wake up each morning and say to myself, "Why do I do this every day?  Get up and go to my crappy job.  Ughh."

Where am I going with this?  I am trying to avoid making a decision because it is what I am supposed to do.  Whichever path I choose, I will decide based on what I want to do.

2012 Bike Goals

In years past, I have not actually put my cycling goals into writing.  I have had goals, but it was always a mental list.  This year I decided to put it into writing so I could reflect back more easily.

One thing about goals...I don't care whether I acheive them but I do care whether I acheive them.  That is my way of saying I will be ecstatic if I meet all my goals but I won't be flustered if I don't.

Certain goals will be easier than others.  I should be able to meet number two.  That is mostly about letting Michelle know ahead of time that I want to participate in these events.  She's pretty cool about this. 

Number four is also pretty likely.  With Michelle's parents and sister in Midland, there will be many opportunities to ride to there.  It is a journey I have yet to do by bike, so I can certainly look forward to it.  That ride will likely help me to reach number five.  I have already traversed 75 miles on Sam so 100-107 shouldn't be too hard.  Prioritizing a new saddle for Sam will have to become a priority.  I would like to shoot for a used Brooks B-17.  I'm thinkin' Ebay.

Which goal is the hardest?  Probably number three, 2600 miles for the year.  Time, time, time.  This is the major determining factor.  I gotta be a good dad and husband first.

A 200 km ride will likely take place during either the 100 Grand or the Colorburst.  Both events have 100 km courses.  My current plan is to ride the course in one direction and then reverse it for the second 100.  That way, I can take advantage of the rest stops.  Also, I know the roads quite well so there won't be any surprises.

2012 Bike Goals
1) Do a 200 km ride
2) Ride in the 100 Grand, Colorburst, and le Tour de Donut.
3) Log 2600 miles
4) Ride to McBain and/or Midland
5) Do a singlespeed century
6) Do 3 total century rides (or longer)

I guess we'll see how it goes.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Boy does life get busy

I haven't really posted anything since the fall.  Got out of the habit I guess.  I could go into the details but basically I had to prioritize things in my life and writing an occasional post was not on the priority list.  As a quick review:
  1. I did get to 2400 miles for the year (just barely).  I did this via one last cold and painful outdoor ride for the year.
  2. Michelle's parents moved to Midland.  This involved many weekends on that side of the state to help out.
  3. We moved David to a big boy bed.  No progress on potty training.  Shucks.
  4. Hannah has gotten herself a fish tank.  She is now trying to save money to get some actual fish.
  5. We moved a piano from my in-laws to our house and we are hoping to start Hannah on piano lessons soon.  This is pretty exciting.  As a side note, I don't think I would have imagined myself ever being excited by the thought of "piano lessons".  How things change.
  6. I have a new rear wheel ordered and will hopefully pick it up in the near future.  I is a deep V Velocity rim with 32 spokes, all black.
  7. As of last Friday, my weight was up to 220 lbs.  I haven't been in this realm for several years.  The holidays were pretty hard.  There will be weight loss on the near future.  I have already cut back on snacks and sweets and those other extra calories.  As of today, my weight was 218.8 lbs.