I did wake up and go straight out for a run yesterday morning, just a normal 5k. It was quite sluggish; I'm so out of shape on running. I even tried to do the walk/jog ratio I did last year in the hopes that would get me through the overall run faster, but in the end I think it was slower than the run in Alabama. What it did have over the other run was that I did not get at all sore, even though it was at least as hilly and just as long. So my exercise is clearly doing some good.
Today I went out for a ride again, because I realized that with Daniel going out of town tomorrow I don't have another good day to go until he's back (I don't like the idea of getting stranded 10 miles, or even 3, from home with no one to rescue me and the kids with no sitter). If I want to get two rides in it had to be today and this coming Sunday. Unless I count riding one of the uprights at the gym as a ride, which I don't want to, because it turns something fun into work. And doesn't count toward earning my bike -- I don't want to consider it really deserved until I've ridden a mile for every dollar it cost. Anyway, I just went 7 miles; I tried an abbreviated version of my 16-mile ride, but, unfortunately, it was just the in-town part, which meant I had all the disadvantages with none of the advantages of the ride the other day. So I'm still looking for a good short ride.
5 comments:
How exactly would you get stranded while on a ride? Your bike is new so a mechanical breakdown is unlikely (and even then, you could generally make it home). The only real danger is a major accident, and in that case how far you are from home is the least of your worries! I always put my i.d. and phone in one of my pockets so even if I'm thrown from my bike I could (best case, assuming I'm conscious) call for help or (worst case) be easily identified and someone dispatched to my home quickly.
Have you checked MapMyRide or Bikely to see other bike routes in your area that others have mapped? I've found some good ones near me with those sites.
Double flats? I only carry one spare. Or a torn tire. Or a dog attack with no people around (but you're right -- distance from home wouldn't be my biggest concern then). I do always carry ID and a phone, though in Ellett Valley off the main road coverage is spotty and there aren't many houses (and every house has a dog) so I'm pretty paranoid about riding alone there even when Daniel is in town.
I've looked at MapMyRide for routes, which is where I saw the suggestions for the loop north of town, but everything else I've seen on there is terribly hilly or involves me crossing the middle of town (or both). There's not that much to the Blacksburg area, so it's unlikely I've missed something perfect close by. I guess I should be looking further afield, and should plan to drive to my rides. (Though that seems a bit silly when I just want to go for 30 minutes.) Or I coud just shut up and put up with hills and/or traffic like everyone outside of Kansas does!
OK, I was looking at the Blacksburg rides of about 20 - 25 miles in length, and there are several with only about 500 - 650 feet of climbing (in comparison, the ride I did on Saturday had 709 feet of climbing and it's NOT a hilly route), so I say you're being a pansy and should keep doing the hills until you can manage them.
Take a patch kit with you. Patching a tube is very easy, and in the highly unlikely event that you get two flats, you can patch your second punctured tube and be on your way. You will not tear your tire. I've heard of tire blowouts, but only after the tire is threadbare, and even then it's rare (and can usually be temporarily fixed with duct tape).
I hate dogs. OK, I really don't hate dogs, but I hate when people let their dogs run freely and chase cars and cyclists. I got chased several times while touring (hasn't happened at all around here) and have read lots of accounts of tourists being chased by dogs. The best thing to do is to speed up and get away from them (adrenaline helps); second best is to try your alpha voice ("Bad dog! Go home!"); if those don't work, third best is to pull out your HALT (in heavily traveled touring areas, the dogs recognize the spray bottle and leave before you have to spray!); and in a pinch you can get off your bike and put it between you and the dog while calling for help. I've also fended off a pack of several strays with my tire pump. But the point is: I've been chased and barked at and harassed but never actually hurt by any dogs. I know people who have been hurt (although not by the actual dog, but by the accident the dog caused), but cases like that are pretty rare. And if your area has a leash law, always call animal control after the incident to report it.
What's up with Bikely? I've never been to that site before and it's been down all day so I can't check it out.
I've patched tubes before but never on road tires -- I know it's possible but the patches seem so bulky and coarse in relation to those sleek, narrow things! But I should scare up a patch kit. I'm pretty sure we have one around somewhere.
It's not the climb that bothers me -- it's the grade. I'm not having trouble finding 20-mile rides, I realized the other day, because I can extend the loop I did this weekend; it's the 10-mile rides that stump me. There's a loop close by that goes down into Ellett Valley and back that is 8 miles and not in the middle of scary nowhere and only 682 feet of gain, but ALL of the gain takes place over one not-short-enough stretch of road. It was like trying to ride a bicycle up a cliff. There was no lead-in to the hill, either -- I turned a corner and BAM there it was, no chance to change gears, so when I did change gears I dropped the chain. It had an 11% grade at its maximum.
When I extended the loop out to 23 miles it was reduced to a 4% grade at worst for a 919-ft gain, and it was a fairly easy ride -- but it went through Deliverance territory down (well, up, actually) a gravel road. I've learned if I go a few miles further there's a paved connection back, but that's the kind of ride I don't want to do alone again and definitely not when the kids are home alone and Daniel is away. I'm saving it for when you come to visit someday. I want to find other cyclists in this area for long rides, but I'm embarrassed about being so slow and having the wrong kind of pedals and shoes and the wrong clothes. And all the cyclists I see flying past the house on racing bikes (and out on the road, for that matter) seem to be men. That seems improbable. Maybe I just can't tell under the helmets.
Anyway, from my house for a short ride I can basically go three directions: north, through town, which means traffic and various obstacles; east, into the valley, which means nasty grades; or west/south on the Huckleberry Trail, which means walkers, dogs on too-long leashes, sharp turns, really uneven patches, and tube-killing bridge connections. Which is why I've concluded that for mid-week rides I just need to shut up and deal.
Check with the stores in the area for group rides--most will have rides set at different levels and you can easily fit into the slowest group to start (generally averaging 12 - 15 mph, so no problem for you). I've heard that you can see dramatic improvement in speed pretty quickly when you participate in group rides--they make you push yourself when you'd ease off if you were on your own, and they teach tricks for improving technique. But it is mostly men on bikes. No one is quite sure why. Or maybe it's just that men like to get all dressed up in spandex and pretend to be in the Tour de France and women aren't that pretentious.
There's a hill in our area that I've only attempted once. Every year they do a hill climb time trial race on it--they call it the Highway to Heaven. The hill has an 18% grade at the steepest section (I have to drive this hill to get to the Scout camp/store in Ellicott City and I'm never quite sure my CAR will make it). Of course I didn't make it all the way up on my bike, and once you're walking you can't get back on to ride because you immediately roll downhill in the half second it takes you to try to get going. This is why every other time I've turned left and gone into the state park instead. But at the TOP of the horrendous hill is an absolutely brilliant road for cycling--I really should attempt the hill again just to get to that road.
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