As promised in I Exercise and Write 24+ Hours Every Week: An A Dude Abikes Round-Up, I deliver the news of my progress for the first half of 2018. You can see all my activities on Strava.
Statistics Are Sexy: My Six Months of Exercise in Review
ATX
Goooooollllll! Alcanze a Mi Objetivo: 2,000 Millas por Bici en 6 Meses. Ahora, Que?
NOTE: Occasionally, I write in Spanish, although not perfectly. To translate this blog, look for a program on the internet that will do it for you. Apologies for already not having this installed.
NOTICIA: De vez en cuando, escribo en espanol, pero no perfectament. Para traducir este blog, busca en programa en el internet lo que puede hacerla para usted. Desculpe que ya no tengo este disponible ahorita.
Despues de tantas millas, mucho eferto, sangre, sudor y lagrimas, lo hice! Monte mi bicicleta por 2,000 millas, o 3218 kilometros en los primeros seis meses del ano 2018. Fue dificil, pero vale la pena hacerlo. Especialmente porque mi objetivo original era 1,500 millas. En este momento, no me siento diferente que ayer, ni sentire muy diferente manana, imagino. Pero es en hecho en mi viaje como biciclista, otro premio que me da a mi mismo. Quisiera agradecer a la Academia, como se dicen en los Oscars. Ahora es un buen tiempo revisar mi trabajo en las dos ruedas, y refleccionar a donde voy las seis meses que vienen.
Keep Walking Even if It’s (Apparently) Not Doing Anything for You
Do the Walk of Life
Today I went on yet another 30 minute daily walk. I try to go early because it’s so friggin’ hot and humid here in Austin, Texas in late June. Summer came early this year (thanks, global warming!). While there are strategies for dealing with the heat that I outlined in a previous blog, acclimation – getting used to it – is inevitable if you want to keep up a fitness routine. (Thanks to Julie78787 for reminding us of this important step.)
But I’m finding my walking is getting a little stagnant. I’m not a morning person but that’s the best time to go to get some Vitamin D without too much harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. It’s not led to any weight loss, noticeable gains in strength, or huge uplift in my mood. But I keep doing it because I believe that it will pay long-term benefits. Here are some: Continue reading
An Imagined Chat with Sophie, My Fairdale Weekender Archer Bicycle
Hello?
What? Hi, who’s talking?
It is I, your Fairdale Weekender Archer bicycle sitting next to you, leaning on this pile of boxes.
Oh, really? I had no idea you – or any bicycle – could speak!
Well, I can’t. It’s really all just in your head.
Am I going crazy?
No, not at all.
Then what’s happening? What’s this about?
Well, I’ve been sitting here for a while, very patiently I might add, and I just evolved into having consciousness and telepathic ability. And I guess I’m just wondering something.
Yeah, what’s that?
I Exercise and Write 24+ Hours Every Week: An A Dude Abikes Round-Up
Today in Austin, Texas, there was some rain, so it was a good day to relax and reflect. This blog post is one of my occasional round-ups of thoughts and things about your sometimes somewhat humble blogger. Although in 10 days we’ll be at the mid-point of 2018, and I’ll be taking a closer look at my data from the walking, writing (blog and book), yoga and of course, bicycling, I wanted to update faithful readers, family and friends of just what is up with A Dude Abikes. Continue reading
O Jogo Bonito: The Beautiful Game of Soccer (aka Football) and Yes, Bicycling
Back on February 5, I wrote a post titled “What the Super Bowl Can Teach Us About Sports Cycle-ology”. The quadrennial soccer / football spectacle that is the month-long World Cup began June 14th, which very many people who are not living in a cave know. After watching all 14 games over the last five days, I’ve been thinking about the lessons soccer aka football can teach bicyclists. (I’m from the US, so I’ll call it soccer.)
THIS POST IS SPOILER FREE IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ALL THE FIRST 15 GAMES!
Continue reading
What Two African Muslims Taught Me About Ramadan, Bicycling and Blogging
Ramadan is the month-long holiday of day-time fasting, prayer and other practices observed by people of the Muslim faith. It ended yesterday, making today Eid al-Fitr. What does that have to do with me and bicycling? I’m glad you asked, so I’ll tell you. Recently I wrote about self-compassion. And then I met a man on a bike ride who was only riding at night. When asked why, he said it was because he was observing Ramadan. No water or food until nightfall, and then biking? To me that was impressive because it showed some serious dedication to both his religion and his sport. He’s a Nigerian living in Texas.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Kenya, a fellow blogger posted a story about encountering a poor woman on the street. She too is an African Muslim who was observing Ramadan. But despite the blogger being charitable and giving away some of her money, the beggar still berated her, and told her it was not enough. One of the teachings of Islam is to be additionally generous during this month, and so she grappled with doing that but not receiving the gratitude she expected. The two encounters were too coincidental not to share.
4 Appointments and 1 Funeral = 0 Miles Bicycled Today
The other day I was gifted the use of a car by a super nice friend during their extended summer vacation. It’s promising to be a hotter-than-usual summer here in Central Texas, USA (oh wait, it’s still only spring), so this is a real nice luxury for A Dude. Compared to me on my bike, cars are efficient, fast and comfortable. I can arrive places without being sweaty, tired and gross. Or transport stuff. Take Sunday drives. Drive getaway in exciting capers. (Just kidding!)
The down sides are, as most people know, that cars pollute, lots of other people have them and get in the way, and they cost a lot of money. A problem specific to less gifted bicyclists who gut out the miles anyway (like moi) is that getting out of an air-conditioned vehicle that takes little energy to operate and then onto a bike which takes alot of energy is quite difficult, psychologically speaking. Especially when you’re tired, which I seem to be most of the time these days. A First World dilemma for sure, but it’s real to me who put in seven 100+ mile weeks in a row. So what’s A Dude to do?
4.5 Years of Daily Yoga Practice: How It Helps My Bicycling and Can Help Yours
1,634 days is a long time to do something consecutively, but today, June 6, 2018, marks that anniversary for me. Back on December 6, 2013, I began a regular yoga practice of 30 minutes per day. (It was actually 12/4/13, but I missed two days early on so I move the anniversary date up two days. If you want to get technical my anniversary is 12/25.) The point is that I have continued practicing yoga ever since, every day – without interruption – at all. I resolved to follow some advice I didn’t have words for at the time: Don’t Break The Chain, when I blogged about forming habits back on January 2. It’s ironic to be proud of what at heart is an humbling and internal practice. But important milestones bear acknowledgement, and since a major thrust of this blog is to try to inspire people, my yoga is a major component of that goal, as well as my life. Continue reading
Paul Simon: Poet, Musician, Legend
Paul Simon and his band played the large concert Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center in Austin, Texas tonight. I hesitate to even attempt to review the show, but I can certainly try to put in words the emotions his music evoked and other thoughts that come to mind. Even that is hard, because he is such an important part of American music for over 60 years. He’s a winner of countless awards, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 13-time Grammy winner, actor, had music featured in movies (notably The Graduate) and much more. There are popular musicians who become famous, but some are at the next level, and he’s one of the greats for sure. Continue reading
A Dude Abikes 