Month: October 2023

4 Years of Consecutive Daily Cycling* + 4,000 Miles Thus Far in 2023

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 15 Comments

The day after my last post, I hit this milestone of 1,461 days of biking in a row*. That blog was a pretty good one if you missed it: 10/10/2023: What to Do Before a Big Bike Ride. It was prompted by my annual long ride, which I did the next day. The weather was cool and overcast with a little breeze and mist. Then it warmed and cleared up a bit; an almost perfect day for riding. I stuck to my favorite Southern Walnut Creek Trail again like last year’s ride, which was delayed a few weeks due to illness. Though the trail was not totally empty of the humans, it often felt that way. Because I had followed (most of) my own advice in the above post, it was a good ride, and I could have kept riding another 15-20 miles, but I stuck to my goal of 58. Naturally, I was kinda bushed, but I had managed it again for the eighth year. One small step for humans, one giant ride for moi.

Over the next few days I took it easy, and over a week later, I’m back to my usual around 15-20 miles a day. Four years every day is a pretty big deal, but it went by with no fanfare. By now, the daily riding is an habit. Unless illness, injury, or death happen, I figure I may as well keep the streak going. Especially since the media and sometimes people constantly remind me that I don’t match their ideal or preferred shape and body weight. Doing less over the summer plus stress added pounds. Slowing down, riding less, and doing other things more, especially making the filthy lucre needed to survive unafforable Austin, make sense. But as David Byrne and Talking Heads told us, “We’ve got to stop, stop making sense.” It sure seeems like there’s more senselessness out there in the real world, e.g. the US Congress and the MidEast.

So, news flash: Rome is burning (has it ever not been aflame?). Meanwhile, A Dude is biking, entering year five of this daily pedal, from one mile in the snow and ice or when sick, to 58. Every ride is the same, and it’s also different. A road less traveled, a new street taken for the first time, changing seasons, sights, sounds and smells. A pack of Volkswagen Beetles meeting up at the Top Notch Burgers passed me the other day; today I saw a dog with blue ski glasses on (the owner said it was to protect her eyes which just had drops put in them). The friend with the titanium freshly installed in his shoulder told me, “Every ride could be your last in Austin.” He’s got a newfound apprecation for life, thanks to the hit and run he survived with some scratches and a new collarbone. But he’s going to get back on the horse to bike to and from work soon as his doctor approves. Like the old Timex watch commercials, we “take a licking but keep on ticking.”

I finished the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth recently. Even star athletes and others at the top of their game got their not by some mystical gift called talent. They found methods to do their best. We can do the same in our chosen (or even unchosen) arenas. They put in the work. They–and we–may also embody the notion: “Live every day like your hair is on fire.” It’s a quote that comes from several different Buddhist sources. Sounds painful. To simultaneously have urgency and equanimity seems difficult. (Especially if you don’t meditate regularly; I wish I could.) But if you have passion and perseverance, they will take you far. In some cases, literally. Like 4,000 miles this year for me.

Is that enough? I try to imagine not biking and cannot. Why would I quit? Trying to imagine it produces a different kind of emotion, something that would baffle me and at least feel like it hurt psychically, a subtle form of torture even. Not bike? It does not compute. Or is it too much? I’ve asked several doctors of late if they think I’m overexercising; none have said yes. Instead, they all encourage me to keep doing it. One may have said “If you get tired, ride less.” If I did’t exercise when I’m tired I would never do it. I do rest, just not enough, even though I try. Sometimes the body and brain simply require me to do lower mileage days, so I comply. “Ride less” seems logical to a point, but to this overweight an aging dude, mostly it sounds ridiculous. I recently read William Shatner’s book Leonard. Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy, would not approve. It’s a conudrum to which he would say: “Fascinating!”

What are the positives of all this riding? Well, I’m so glad you asked! I’ll tell you. A daily ride takes the guesswork out of knowing if I’m exercising (on top of my daily walk and much longer streak of practicing yoga every day). My resting heart rate is lower than my age… and it’s been going down even more lately. That’s just one of the health benefits of exercise. There’s also: Vitamin D (when I am out in the sun–with hat and sunscreen), the feel good hormones, weight loss or at least maintenance, building muscles and lung capacity, being out in nature, seeing cool shit, meeting interesting people, being part of the community (what are called the social determinants of health), improved balance and coordination, increased brain stimulation, more self-confidence, having fun. The list certainly goes on.

Maybe my streak will end tomorrow. I would be pissed but probably also feel a little relieved. Besides, it has *not been verified by the Guiness Book of World Records (or anyone else, for that matter). But hey, check my Strava statistics. So I’ll do me, and you do you. Ride your damn bike, or not. Do whatever it is that you do to keep your mind and body somewhat healthy in this often very unhealthy world. As former folk singer and Unitarian Universalist minister Fred Small once sang, “We’re all just temporarily able-bodied.” Death comes as the end for us all. Let’s just hope it’s not today.

Take it from me: If the day ends in “y,” it’s a good day for a bike ride.

Copyright 2023 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved. Shortlink to this post.

10/10/2023: What to Do Before a Big Bike Ride

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Last year at this time I was not well, so I had to postpone my long annual ride. I eventually got ‘er done, which you can read about in 11/11/2022: 4,000 Miles + Longest Ride of the Year = Tired But Still Pedaling. This year, it seems I’m on track to make it tomorrow, and the weather looks good if a bit grey. I thought it would be interesting and useful to look at what goes into the preparations (and things to avoid). The Three P’s of Performance (as I just began to call them this very moment) are: 1. Physical 2. Practical 3. Psychological. I call dibs on that title, which is a technical legal term for pre-trademarking. Which I’m sure the trademark nerds would say that dibs won’t work, but that’s an example of why they’re nerds. I likee nerds, and was a band geek myself. I digress. Let’s get to it.

While these steps might be used by those who do races, preparation for racers and the pros is much more involved. Fortuately, I’m neither, just a mere mortal dude. In fact, I’m looking forward to reading a book called Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run, because it sounds comparable to my book in progress. Anyway, a long run, swim, or ride–regardless of speed or if the field of competitors is 175 others in the Tour de France, or just yourself on a Tour de You–is something to approach seriously. Done correctly, you will reduce pain, avoid injury, and shorten recovery time. But first, a disclaimer: I’m not a bicycle coach, doctor, or personal trainer. I’m just a dude. This is for informational or entertainment purposes only, so use at your own risk. Your mileage may vary (literally).

Let’s Get Physical

Olivia Newton-John sang it best. While that childhood crush and sweaty smoke show in a leotard and headband singing 81’s biggst pop hit is not required for bike ride training, add it to your playlist if you like. But thank you, Tempo Rider down undah in Australia. (Speaking of Men at Work, that Aussie bad was my frst indoor concert; I got to the third row.) Here’s a bullet list of things my brain just vomited up on the page germanee to this topic, in no particular order:

  • Base miles: Don’t you dare think you can just head out one day for a long ride without building up to it. Unless you’re young, energetic, and a bit crazy. Laying down a month at minimum of regular bike rides to get your body used to T.ime I.n T.he S.addle is very important.
  • The 80% Rule: While it’s ot hard and fast, more tha one bicycling website says to ride this much of your total and no more. For example, for a 50-miler, you’d do 40. Less is okay, but 80% is a good amount to have in your legs. More than 80% is okay if you get plenty of …
  • Nutrition: You should probably eat some healthy food to fuel your body for your daily life as well as your big ride. As for what to eat, no one actually knows. Okay, carbohydrates, fats, and protein. But what sources, how much, etc. is hotly debated. There is something to carbo-loading to make sure your muscles have enough glycogen in them, but don’t overdo it. One rule I do know about is don’t change up your diet right before or the day of the ride. You don’t need a visit from one of the Rrhea twins, and I don’t mean Gona, but her sister Dia. On the day of the ride, eat enough to not bonk. Maybe some chews and gels and sports stuff work for you. Don’t pig out, either. That’s for after.
  • Hydration: Some people swear by drinking a little bit of water every 15 minutes for a couple of days before the ride. Not a bad idea if you can keep it up and manage the hourly skips to the loo. If you’re pee is totally clear, that’s probably too much. If it’s yellow, or you’re thirsty, you’re dehydrated already. When I did charity rides, I liked to take an Epsom salt bath the morning of the ride. On the ride, it’s doubtful you can over do it. Plan for where to refill your bottles.
  • Rest: This is a case of do as I say, not as I do. Taking days off the bike between rides is a good idea, and so is getting plenty of sleep, if you can. At least two nights in a row before your big ride is ideal. Alternating with other types of exercise is ideal, too. This gives the muscles time to heal, which is how they grow. Afterward, plan on a tasty nap and a good night’s sleep.
  • Tapering: I wrote a post on this back in December of 2020 called It’s Tapering Time: Biking Leess Meas Health Gains. Really a subset of Rest, basically, you cut back on your biking a week or more before your bike ride. The time depends on the distance, your levels of fatigue or freshness, and personal preference. But if you keep the legs turning over a little bit, that’s fine, too.

Practical Matters… Matter

There are probably plenty of books written on this subject, so this is just my hot take and not meant to be comprehensive. If you’ve done longer rides before, you’ll probably recognize most of the things. But I think it’s a pretty good list with some A Dudee Abike twists.

  • Bike: Tune it up yourself at your commuity shop like Yellow Bike Project if you have one. If not, try to take it to a trusted mechanic. You don’t want any surprises.
  • Gear: The volunteer coordinator at YBP found a couple of gashes in my rear Gatorskin tire. Fortunately they had a gently used equivalent brand and size for a low cost. Be sure to have back-up tubes, a pump or C02 cartridges (don’t forget the dispenser!). Shades, good gloves, socks, chamois-lined shorts and Chamois Butt’r. Maybe a back-up charger. ID and insurance card, cash. Pretty obvious but if you don’t have the checklist internalized you better write it down.
  • Route: Know what’s going on in your area and map out the road. If you’re not gravel or mountain biking, maybe even drive it in advance What day of the week, or times of day are best? Is there a parade? Festival? Street fair? Construction? Roads that may flood or wash out. Alternate routes are good to have in your back pocket, or on the map.
  • Weather: Yeah, kinda obvious. But you really should be prepared for what’s coming. Tak heed of weather forecasts. Recently we got hail the sze of dog poop, and it broke my housemate’s friend’s windshield twice and put lots of dings in the hood and roof. If it’s going to be raining, hailing, snowing, lightning, icing (not on the cake kind… Mmm… cake!), etc., pay attention. Do you check multiple several weather websites a week before and in the days leading up to your event? What about the hourly weather two days before the ride? Take a good poncho and shoe covers, but also common sense. You may want or have to reschedule if you can or must. Sunscreen and sleeeves for hot sun, and if you’re worried about UV exposure, a big hat to wear under your helmet that covers your neck, ears and face as possible is a good idea. Removable layers if it’s a little cool.

Psycho Killer, Quest Que C’est?

There’s really only one bullet for this, but that would look bad, so I’l split it out.

  • Believe you can do a long ride, and you’re more than halfway there.
  • Miles are mental, in many respects. A 50-mile ride may seem daunting. Four 12.5 milers? Piece of cake. So break it down, one mile at a time, and take breaks. Slow down if you must.
  • A sort of Zen Buddhist approach to the ride doesn’t hurt. If you build it up in your brain that it’s going to be this super hard thing, you may be bringing more suffering upon yourself.
  • Things will go wrong. Roll with them.
  • Have fun.
  • Live to ride another day.
  • Regardless of the outcome, congratulate yourself and be proud. Whatever you did is far better than you laying on the couch watching TV.

Now, go get yourself cleaned up and go lay down on the couch watching TV. And that’s it! my list of the Three P’s approach to a long bike ride (or other effort). Let me know what you think in the comments.

Copyright 2023 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved. Shortlink to this post.

10/1/2023: Third Quarterly Report of My Bicycling Strava Stats

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

I’m not religious, but Halle-freakin’-Berry! Or lujah, or whatever. The record high heat has finally peaked in Central Texas. We had 80 days of 100 degrees or more this summer, and the average highs were higher than ever. Weather patterns mixed with global warming definitely made it a miserable time. The good news is that the triple-digit days are over for a while. Fortunately, this week we’ll be getting some much needed rain and sustained highs in the 80’s for the first time in four months. Weather is definitely a major factor that influences one’s bicycle-riding. Adn let me tell you there were a lot of nights full of sweat, suffering, and struggle. Nevertheless, your dude A Dude Abikes has somehow persisted to pedal.

Copyright 2023 Strava

September in Texas is still pretty hot. Avoiding the sun’s harmful UV rays is more important than ever. One thing that has helped me do that is going to the gym and using the indoor trainer aka stationary bike. I was required to change abodes (move) again, but at least I’m nearer to the gym for a little while. The trainer is boring as heck, like watching a drill making a tunnel, but the air conditioning, fans, and watching videos make it tolerable. There are no hills, just a knob to adjust the resistance, but also no trafffic or getting slowed down by riding sidewalks. Instead of my usual 10-11 mph, I’ll get to 13-14. I always feel like I’m cheating, except I know I’m not, because I sweat like a CEO at a Congressional hearing.

In July and August I rode 407 and 406 miles minus about 40 miles walking each. I did pretty well to make up for the hot months by totalling 596.9 miles in September (again, subtract 40 in walks). That’s a pretty substantial increase. Lower temperatures certainly helped, although I still do most of my riding at night, and it can still be in the 90’s “real feel” temperature counting the humidity.

Another help was the loss of some weight. I’d put on some pounds for several reasons: avoiding the heat meant less exercising and being inside with the air conditioning meant food was nearby. Food is fuel… except when it isn’t. Being a fathlete (fat athlete) is not easy; I do my best to make good dietary choices, but after over five years of that not accomplishing much, I have to remember that genetics, health challenges, and access to high-quality food, also make life challenging. Plus, I had the stress of finding new rental housing in Austin’s exorbitantly priced market and the moving, so stress eating does happen.

Luckily, peer pressure from the new housemate and a smaller place means less late-night cooking. I also have been watching a lot less television by not having a TV in my bedroom and have lost access to several streaming services. I’m still having a salad most nights, but often am not hungry for much else. These are all small, but good things–marginal gains–that hopefully will accrue into better habits and health. It’s not a linear progression, and just like you, I’m a work in progress.

Copyright 2023 Strava

Whether on a trainer or on the streets of Austin, the time and effort that my daily walking, yoga, and especially more bicycling takes is… a lot. I wrote complained about that in my previous post, When You Can’t Get Your Drug of Choice: Bicycling. In fact, in September I exercised for 92 hours, which is over two work weeks. The math is pretty clear: I really should simply quit cycling and get back to work full time. In 2016-17, the first two years of my biking and blogging and journey, I totalled to 10,000 miles on the bike. All but one of those months I was employed full time.

However, we humans are not always rational robotic machines, are we? Also, I suck at math. But there is one formula I’ve seen the last three months which I do fully understad: less exercise = more fat. My weight was up a lot, and after about 200 more miles, it’s back down by almost as much. So while I definitely need to get smarter about time management, I’m not ready to quit. My resting heart rate shot up due to stress, and now it’s down even lower than it was before. And by the way, I just saw my cardiologist and he approves.

In 2020, the first year of The Pandemic, my monthly average was about the same as last month: 550 miles. (Read all about that at A Devil of a Year: 6,666.66 Miles Bicycled…) I’m older now, but it’s nice to know can still throw down and ramp up if I need to. Hopefully, I can keep it up. (“That’s what she said,” according to one Mr. Michael Scott, a paper company manager in President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

So, the first three quarters of 2023 are in the bag. October will bring my big annual ride and four years of consecutive daily cycling (not verified by Guiness–neither the Book of World Records nor the dark Irish stout). Autumn also has more rain and temperatures falling, and then we have the cold of winter. Milder than many sure, but Snowpocalpyse and ice storm power outages could return. If more trainer rides are forecast, so be it. I’ll continue to strive towards my goal of 5,309 miles. Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is. And hey, I’m doing my tiny part to reduce my carbon footprint.

How were your first three quarters of cycling or other activities? Feel free to share your thoughts below. Thanks for reading!

Copyright 2023 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved. Shortlink to this post.