fathlete

Ready to Ride? What to Do Before Biking

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 2 Comments

A certain friend who shall remain nameless sometimes shows up for a ride with A Dude Abikes.  This person is almost always not ready in one or many ways, from not having water in his bottles, having eaten, or done anything to his bike.  This is very vexing to A Dude’s soul.  So I always ask, “Are you ready to ride”?  I thought it might be helpful to share the things that A Dude recommends.  Over time you’ll find what works best for you, it will become second nature, and you’ll memorize the list.  In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt and might help to write or type out your and have it visible.   Continue reading →

My 1,500 Consecutive Days of Yoga: Everyone Knows It’s Bendy

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

Still Stretchy After All These Years (4+)

Early readers of this blog or those new ones perusing the archives (welcome!) know that I have a daily yoga practice of 30′ (or more) going back to December 4, 2013.  (I count the anniversary as December 6th, because I lost two days to having been on anesthesia for an exam.)  When I counted up the days, the 1,500 benchmark seemed impressive enough to revisit.  I actually reach that day Monday but becoming a D-list celebrity steals that fire.  (I’m writing this Tuesday about this blog I forgot to finish on Saturday.) That’s OK, I’ll just do more yoga and it will calm the jangled nerves from all the paparazzi camped outside, clamoring for a few bon mots or a candid picture of A Dude Abikes. Continue reading →

To (Vitamin) B, or Not to B: A Cautionary Tale + Fat-Burning with a Home Trainer

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Hey, I Thought This Was a Blog About Bicycling!

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A week as a vegan dangerously depleted my B vitamin levels.

After still feeling exhausted, groggy and not coordinated enough to bike safely, I took action and called my doctor. He ordered B6, B12 and iron tests. Then I went to get a Vitamin B complex injection. Soon after, my headache, brain fog and some fatigue lifted. I felt ok enough to see the hilarious new movie Jumanji:  Welcome to the Jungle with occasional riding partner Saurabh, and going home I had the occasion to run to catch a bus. A Dude Abikes does not run (maybe some day), so this was a significant sign that I had more energy from the shot. Even though I was drinking fresh organic fruit and vegetable juice and eating soups that I or a health food restaurant made, it was imbalanced and I paid the price. Hard. It will be interesting to see the lab results.

The lesson for me, and maybe for you, Dear Reader, is while something may seem healthy and doable, it may not work for you individually. Buyer beware!

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My First Week of 2018:  Exercising & Eating Better Is Hard Work, But Worth It

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

“Moderation in all things, especially moderation.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not Every Body Can Be Like [Your Favorite Celebrity Vegan Name Here]

It’s no coincidence the acronym for this cool clinic spells N.A.P.

As predicted, out of necessity, I ended up modifying my diet to include more than just fruit, vegetables and nuts. While I lost 13 pounds in 7 days, I believe it was too much radical change, detoxification and finally deficiency that led me to add back in a tin of sardines in olive oil and a fish oil tablet.

I knew something was off when I went to Neighborhood Acupuncture Clinic today. I couldn’t fall asleep as usual, and pedaled home as if in a sea of jelly. This is dangerous, and I dropped and cracked my shades. Which makes a dude sad since they are very nice and were donated by a nice guy. Sigh.

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It’s Late on a Sunday, and You Haven’t Met Your Goal. What Do You Do? (Day 7)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment
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Check out this cool short map video of my Sunday night ride:  https://www.relive.cc/view/1346454488

It’s Good to Know Your Limits, So You Can Exceed Them

Dragon fruit at Wheatsville Coop. Not as smoky as expected.  For dragons.

It’s late on a Sunday night, cool and windy outside.  You’re tired after a long week.  But you haven’t met your bicycling (or running, blogging, yoga, walking,  crotcheting, or whatever) goal.  What do you do?

Well, you could stay in and rest, get ready for the week, and try again next week.  Or you could drag yourself out the door and go for it.  Only you know what’s best for you, but I can tell you what I did:  I went for it.  Why?  Because I like to push myself to see what I can do.  And I wanted to start the first week of the year meeting as many goals as possible.  Looking deeper, I can see that my motivation came from a desire for consistency in my bicycling practice, especially since I have cut my goal in half from two years ago to 50/week (although I may raise it again). Continue reading →

My Journey Toward Being a Little Less of a Fathlete (Day 5)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.

— Theodore Roosevelt

Bike Life Is Hard; The Struggle is Real

Bicycling on average of almost 100 miles a week for the last two years, totaling 10,020, was damn hard. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to really put in words what I went through to accomplish it. Yes, there’s much more serious suffering in the world, and I’m not comparing war, poverty, disease, accidents or having to even look at or listen to US President #45. However, when I put “suffering” in my posts as a key word, I am not kidding. I often truly suffered while biking. But I’m grateful for making the choice to push myself far beyond my limits or expectations of others who believe people with excess adipose can’t kick some serious ass. Wrong!

Some people say biking IS suffering. Strava has a “Suffer Score.” From saddle sores, to wrecks, muscle pain and cramps, nearly getting hit, maimed or killed by shitty drivers every single day, cold, wind, rain, snow, 100+ degree Fahrenheit Texas summers, and hills – gott im himmel, the hills! – and of course being on a bike for 10 hours riding 100 miles in a day four different times, twice back to back — is super [expletive] challenging. Even more so when you’re overweight, not so young anymore, and a full-time desk jockey until I was laid off a few months ago. (Anyone wanna hire A Dude?) So yes, the struggle is real, as those who do any sport at some distance and intensity know. But it’s nothing to be afraid of: Suffering forges you into a better, tougher, fitter you. And that’s way (weigh? whey?) more important than a number on a scale.

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Equanimity & 499 More Words in 30 Minutes (Day 3)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment
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A statue epitomizing equanimity during a rare recent snow

Today’s blog is a writing exercise.  A Dude wants to see if he can write 500 words in 30 minutes.  He can tend to be long-winded, and while that may appeal to some readers, it may dissuade others.  Since I intend to write daily for some period, perhaps even the whole of January, it behooves me to be brief.

It’s refreshing to hear from people who read my blog recently.  One is a fellow cyclist who bikes in the winter — in Finland!  Thank you all!  This blog was intended to be an experiment, and I have a lot to learn about doing it well.  New Year resolutions being what they are – much sound and fury signifying nothing – I’m not making many hard and fast rules for myself right now. Continue reading →