Saturday, August 11

It has been really boring and I have been trying to come up with something to liven this thing up...little did I know!

Last week I managed to 35 miles, 23 Saturday and 12 on Sunday. Pretty lively, huh? Tuesdays & Thursdays still reserved for short 'training/conditioning' rides.

Then there was this week! I had followed the bike route of the Over the Mountain Triathlon. Twenty seven miles with a start near our home and heading south through both the Kings Mountain National Park and the Kings Mountain State (SC) Park. In order to get home, I would easily be pushing forty miles. I had planned to do this Labor Day weekend.

How about a warm up today? Guestimating I could cover about eighteen miles of the total and then if I felt good, press on to Waco on the return trip to give me a thirty mile trip for the day.

This was not to be. Somewhere around the eighteen mile mark, the front tire slipped off the pavement to about a two inch drop off to the shoulder.
Instinct told me to just whip it back on the road. NO, in the future I will brake hard, hold it steady, reduce speed, and if necessary, completely stop prior to getting back on the pavement.

Oh yeah, we were talking excitement, right? Well, the attempt to return to the pavement sent me down to kiss the asphalt. Glasses were smashed and I had several abrasions. The glass lens was deeply scratched in a one by one inch area. I was bleeding slightly somewhere above my eyebrow.

I got up and checked everything out, all bones seemed functional. I grabbed my cell and called BB to come get me. I got back on the bike and began peddling. In no time she was there. We loaded the bike and headed for the emergency room in Shelby.

Eight stitches later and a cat scan, determining a mild concussion resulting in temporary disorientation (the doctor had no prior history to judge this against so how would he know), all abrasions cleaned and bandaged, we departed the hospital.

I do want to recognize Dr Paul Pinedl and his wonderful staff! I wish I could name them all but i forget...hmmm. Not that a care to give them any more business but should the need arise, I do hope they are all there again.

I am being told I need a new helmet. Doesn't appear to be damaged that badly but seems to be a rule of thumb. No way to evaluate the structural integrity after a crash. SO I suppose I will be down a few days, until I can get a new helmet anyway. Wonder how I would look with one of those full face helmets like the NASCAR guys wear?

Keep pedaling

August 2 The Mall

Back to the mall...just to see if I could cover more ground or what. Nothing significant to report. Maybe I need an on board computer or something. I really feel as if I am flying in the dark.

Just thinking of what to do Saturday & Sunday. Which day do I take the long one, blow it out Saturday and rest Sunday or what.

July 31, Tuesday

another dull day in the neighborhood. seemed very hard and I blamed it on the hard ride on Sunday...until I looked down and saw I was riding in low gear the whole time! Wow that shift feels good!

Check in with the doctor. BP 140/80, weight 253! 'TWO FIFTY THREE, you have lost some weight!', the nurse exclaimed as she logged it into the chart and saw what it was twoo weeks ago. 'What are you doing?'

Bicycle I replied.

Stationary or real she asked

Real

I hate those you ride and never go anywhere she said. Looked ot me she was not a big fan of exercise of any form!

Tellme about the BP numbers I asked. She said the 80 was great but they did not want the 140 much higher and it should begin to drop as I continue. All I remember from college physiology was, the greater the distance between the two, the longer the heart was resting between pumps...or something like that. Anyway, I left with a huge smile on my face.

Where to next?

July 29, Sunday

Okay, pay attention! New Camp to left on Oak Grove to left on US 74 (now I know why I never see cyclist on four lane roads with 65 mph speed limit!) off 74 to Cleveland Ave (right) up to King Street...all the way home to New Camp. Travel time, 2 hours including 3 breaks. Distance, 18 miles!

What a ride!

July 28, Saturday

12 miles to Waco this time, I went all the way to the stoplight. Yes, they have ONE! Added miles but still got r done n one hour. Must be doing better.

July 26, Thursday

routine ride, 30 minutes in the neighborhood but I know I am getting better.

July 24, Tuesday

more neighbor fun, 30 minutes, non-eventful

July 22, Sunday

Another ride around the 'block', New Camp to Stoney Point to Oak Grove back to New Camp and home. 5.4 miles, one hour, two badazz hills. One hill from bottom to top is one long mile. Any ideas what we can name 'the hil'?

July 21 Saturday

Ten mile ride to Waco and back. One hour time. non-eventful

July 19, Thursday

routine 30 minute ride, nothing exciting but need to fill in and get caught up

July 17: a Warm Up Day

Normal, routine day of riding for thirty minutes. However, I dropped by the drs office for a free weigh in and BP check. Weight was up as it was the end of the day. Now that I know they open at 8AM, I will do this in the mornings. BP was 140 (kinda high) over 60 (really good!) is this working this fast or is it the difference in Walmart machines and highly sophisticated scientific machinery at the doctors office? We shall see...

The Cool Down

Sunday July 15: I had decided Tuesdays and Thursday would be 'workout' days so to speak. A good 30 minute ride somewhere in the immediate area just for conditioning purposes. Saturday would be the "Big Trip" to wherever and Sunday would be similar to Tuesday and Thursday just to work out any soreness that I may incur on Saturdays biggie! I chose a new route, it was only 5.4 miles, finished in thirty minutes but two busting hills that even one was way more than I was ready for! Oh well, there is always Tuesday to work out the soreness.

Just to keep you updated, I plan a weekly trip to the doctor for a weigh in and BP check. Hey, it's free, what else can you get from a doctor for free?

The First Road Trip

July 14: Since I was accustomed to thirty minute runs in the mall parking lot, I decided to venture north towards the next little crossroads community. Ride for fifteen minutes and return. I felt good this cool Saturday morning and progressed much easier than anticipated. I chose to keep going. Thirty minutes and 5.4 miles later I reached the city limits. I pulled off the road and enjoyed the 12 oz bottle of water (Linda suggested a hydration system but until I really stepped it up, this seemed to work nicely) as I reflected on the ground covered and what to anticiapte on the return trip. The return was about as uneventful as the trip up but five minutes shorter. Was I getting that much better already?

Breaking in the bike...and me

The first couple of times, I just stayed in the neighbor hood, learning the gears and practicing, getting familiar and lots of shifting. I remembered my friend telling of a group of bikers meeting at the mall on Sunday mornings early. They would ride at a pretty good clip for conditioning purposes I suppose. It hit me, the mall, early in the morning, not very busy, jut before daylight. The next two weeks I spent hauling the bike over to the mall about 530 AM and riding for thirty minutes, if my legs could handle it, and lungs. I was not out to break any records, simply get familiar witht he bike and the technique of shifting smoothly. Now we are approaching the end of week two, is ther more to cycling than doing boring laps in an already boring mall parking lot?

The Plan

Weeks following July 1: It was obvious I would not just jump on the bike and begin to log 20 - 30 mile trips. The first time was spent riding through the neighborhood trying to figure out those dang gears! I am sure it was entertaining to the neighbors.

The Beginning

July 1, 2007: What kind of bicycle? The only one I had growing up was a single speed Road Master, I think. Nothing fancy but I knew I would need more. After diligent research and consulting a friend that is far more into cycling than I ever will be, I settled on a K2 Astral 4.0 from REI. Besides, it was on sale, reduced over $100. Who knew bicycles cost more than $100 these days. After two trips to REI and consultation with their cycling guru, Linda, I chose the 4.0 and loaded it into my car. Along with a helmet, gloves, and grease/oil ofr the chain. (this is in no way an endorsement for either K2 bicycles or REI...but they sure do make it easy!)

The Saga

58 year old white male, 6'2", 263 lbs., BP 159/83, 48-52-46, the perfect pear! An online singles add? Not hardly, just the condition my condition is in. So, what to do. Well two of my neighbors have already had open heart surgery or angioplasty, as well as an old friend seemed to have open heart surgery like it was a badge of honor based on a score determined by said surgeon, hmmm. What to do? Not being a big fan of big medicine in the first place, I began to weigh my options...what to do? Follow the status quo off to the the doctor or what other avenues might I approach? I remember the story in college of a middle aged guy, which seemed ancient to me then, that was over weight out of shape and depressed, low self-esteem. He deciced he would commit suicide in a novel way that no one would ever suspect what he had done to himself! He would take up jogging! Everyone would see his good intentions and never suspect he had plotted to do himself in all along! So he did. He began to jog. At first it was difficult but as he continued, he made steady progress and was soon jogging ceveral miles a day! The more he worked at it, the better shape he was in and the better he felt about himself.

Okay, I am not going to commit suicide but what can I do? I hate jogging, so boring and even if I did jog I am not so sure my joints could handle the stress. How about swimming, another excellent form of long term exercise. I hate swimming! What else would be as beneficial? Cycling! PERFECT! A bicycle! Easy on the joints, no water involved, and MUCH cheaper than heart surgery!