Easy Like A Sunday Morning

Busy day at work today... I didn't get one Push-Up in... I did get a few German exercises done though on my breaks and I'm hitting my lessons after this update.

I'm still doing sets of pull-ups, I'm up to 5 so far and I should get a few more in before bedtime. My bike ride was the same as yesterday... I think since I have a spare tire on my bike with tiny cuts and holes in them I'm a little leery of traveling too far from home... I guess I'll have to shell out for a new tire, so I can ride worry free.

Ok it's Sunday, so I'm outta here... check in again tomorrow... bis morgen.

Short and Quick Ride

I got up to 300 push-ups last night and this morning. These are not all at once, I do sets of 25 during downtime's and breaks. I also did my 5 sets of Pull-ups and I'll probably do a few more sets before the morning is over.

My bike ride was pretty typical... 1 hour and 15 miles, just getting my hour of cardio in... I also walked 2 miles last night before work, also I did some German lessons on my breaks and lunch off of an app I downloaded for free on iTunes... and I'm going to do a few more German lessons on my home computer after this update.

Yesterday I didn't ride because of rain and wet streets, but I did do a few hours of German, mostly "adaptive recall" of lessons I did months ago... I don't want to take in too much new stuff all at once, it might not sink in, so I do a few review lessons and then a couple of new lessons, hopefully I'm learning something.

I think that ought to be enough for today, How's your day going?
Catch up with you guys tomorrow. Tschüß

40 Miler (Now with picture goodness)

The Rising

Kensico Dam

Inscriptions

Walkway to the Center

Click on the pictures for larger versions

I did my usual sunrise ride today, but I was going for distance this time... first I rode down to the Bronx and then I took off for White Plains, when I got to White Plains, I decided to go further and I rode up to Valhalla and the Kensico Dam Plaza with the 9/11 memorial, "The Rising"

The Rising is an 80 foot high sculpture with the names of the 111 victims from Westchester inscribed at the bottom, and you can walk into the center of it also.

On the way home I got my first flat in over a year... I've been out of practice so it took me a while to change it... the piece of glass that got me (actually a piece of mirror) left a big slice in my tire, so I had to be careful on the way home... every few miles I got off the bike and checked to make sure I didn't pick up anything else.

But I wound up with 40 miles anyway... I probably would have gone for 50 if it hadn't been for the flat... next time... oh well... have a great day all.

Quickie (not that kind) Update

I got up to 250 Push-Ups today... I made improvements on my Pull-Ups also, went cycling for an hour and now I'm going to go eat shower and do my German Lessons.

The reason for the quick update is that I want to make it to a concert tonight... It's the Amish Outlaws http://www.amishoutlaws.com/ at the Cross County Mall... should be fun... and I have to get some sleep beforehand... ok no time to explain, later all

Cooler Mornings

The mornings are cooler now... in the 70's... great for riding, I did 15 miles in my hour's ride... I also did 200 push-ups today, up 50 from yesterday... some days are gonna be more and others, when I'm busy are going to be less, but I will do some push-ups or other comparable exercise or work-out.

I also did 5 sets of pull-ups, up one set from yesterday... I won't mention the reps of each set because they are embarrassingly low, but I did add a rep on one set... and I only count the pull-ups that I do with full range of motion.

I still have to do my German Lessons as soon as I finish up here, I did 2 yesterday and I'm going to try and get through 3 today... we shall see.

OK let me run, see you all tomorrow.

Cool Down

I had a great day today... not only was it a cooler day, but I was also inspired to do extra physical activity... don't ask me why, I just got into it... along with my usual daily routines, walking and cycling, I also did 150 push-ups and 4 sets of pull-ups.

I rode for an hour at a pretty good pace, even though the wind was coming at me from the east and the south... according to Weather.com they were only at 10mph, but they sure felt a lot stronger, maybe because of the cooler temperature.

So hopefully I can keep up these new routines... with the push-ups and pull-ups and also get my German Lessons in... which I will start as soon as I'm done with this blog post... on rainy days or other days that I can't ride I'm going to start working some weight training in also... I can even start doing that on my days off... just the basic compound exercises to start with... and I'm going to take it easy at the beginning and slowly work my way up... no reason to screw up my shoulder again, that's if its ever healed at all... I haven't attempted a dip in a while.

OK German time... auf wiedersehn

The Heat Is On

It's still pretty hot here, although I only needed a half a bottle of water today on my hour plus ride... I just rode around the neighborhood, making loops of a few different areas... some quiet streets, the Irish section of Yonkers and the Northern tip of the Bronx, all within 5 miles of my home.

My average speed was right smack-dab in the middle of my fastest and slowest rides of the week... fastest was 16.2 mph... slowest was 14.2 mph and today's was 15.2 mph... Everything else was pretty much the same or close to my last few rides... heart rate, cadence, calories, climbing etc... so I should be pleased.

Ok it's Sunday and no reason to keep anybody here reading this stupid blog... have a great day.

Another Scorcher

phewww, it was hot out there... I did almost the same ride as yesterday, but I was a little faster... I went through both my water bottles... well, one bottle was water and the other was beer... just kidding,... the other bottle had a mixture of half water and half gatorade... but that was the first time all year that I even went to my second bottle, much less finish it.

I'm going over these computer stats, comparing yesterdays & todays... today I rode a mile and a half more... 3.5 minutes more, but yet I spent one less calorie today than yesterday... I did climb 37' less today than yesterday, but that's not that much.

OK I need a shower and I gottta replace the calories... but the shower is more important, nobody in my house wants to give me a hug, I try to tell them I need a hug after a hard ride, but they ain't going for it..LOL

ok, stay cool everybody

The Best Laid Plans

Yesterday I planned on an easy ride but I felt good and wound up going hard and finishing with a personal best... this morning I planned on a longer ride but a couple of miles out I wasn't feeling it and wound up with a short ride... my legs just didn't have it today, my avg. speed was 2 mph slower than yesterday, in a car 2 mph doesn't matter much either way, but on a bike it's a big difference... I was slower but my heart was working harder, so I guess I was tired plus it was hotter also... 80°F at sunrise.

Oh well, it doesn't matter what you have planned, once you're on the road it could go either way... I wound up with 17 miles in an hour and 12 minutes... and I was cooked.... Tonight I have to work so tomorrow's ride will have to start later and it'll be close to 90°F by the time I get out on the road... might be another slow ride.

ok Stay cool everyone.

Need For Speed

I know I said I wasn't going out for speed today, but half way up to White Plains I realized I was going good and feeling good... so I kept going, pedaling hard and fast... hammering, as it's called... 23 miles, I did... and I got a new personal best... 16.2 mph... my max speed was 33 mph in a 30 mph speed zone, tsk, tsk.

Maybe the secret to increasing your speed is to take a week off between rides... they say you need more recovery time as you get older... but I wouldn't get too many miles in that way... and I definitely wouldn't reach my mileage goal... I'd rather ride every day... I'm not training for the Tour de France anyway, just the Tour de Hans.

Ok time to do stuff... see ya tomorrow

Felt So Nice, I did It Twice...

... well not quite twice... I went out for my first ride in 9 days, and I figured I'd go out for a nice easy hour long ride, maybe around 15 miles... I did that and rode up to the fence outside my home, and I says to myself, "Self, you're feeling good, why not do another lap or 2."  So I did another 5 miles.

It was a little hot, my computer registered 91°F at one point, but the overall average was 86°... tomorrow it's supposed to climb up to 100°F so you know I'm going out as early as possible... sunrise is at 5:40 am... so that's probably when I'll hit the road... I don't know how long of a ride it will be... I won't know until I get on the road... but it'll be at least 25 miles... and I don't think I'll be riding for speed either... just a ride for a rides sake.

Okay, I'm glad to be back and I'll see you all tomorrow.

I'm Still Alive

Hey everybody... just a quick note... I survived my birthday, not unscathed, but still alive... basically, I overindulged, which I figured would be OK for a weekend... and it would have been OK if I had followed some basic principles, but since I didn't go about things in a sane and reasonable way, I am paying the price still, 4 days later... and no, it wasn't the alcohol this time... it was too much cheese combined with very little fiber and very little water consumption... and that's all I'm going to say about that... it was painful... hopefully, lesson learned. I'm at about 90% on the feeling good scale and hopefully I'll be fully recovered in a day or 2.

My bike was another story, the quick fix that I was hoping for, was actually a component breakdown, my right shifter was broken... a new set of Shimano Ultegra STI 10sp. goes for $498... but I only needed the right one... so eBay to the rescue, I got one for $139... now I just have to wait for it's delivery... come on Post Office!!

So both me and my bike are on hiatus for a few days... but we'll be back, better than ever... stay tuned...

A Mechanical Ride

On yesterdays ride when I shifted, some of the gears seemed jumpy, some wouldn't shift right away and sometimes it would jump up 2 gears when I only wanted to shift up one... I didn't want to play with the cables too much because I was out for speed and the shifting wasn't too bad once you got used to it... so I figured I go out for a mechanical ride today to see which gears are giving me trouble and adjust accordingly.

I just couldn't get it right, if I had the lower gears finely tuned the higher gears would give me problems and vice versa... until finally I over-adjusted and the cable stopped working all together and I was stuck in the highest gear, luckily I didn't stray too far from home and I didn't have too much of a climb, and I made it home without too much hassle.

So now I have to go through my bike maintenance books to see if it's a problem I can easily fix myself or if I have to bring it into the shop... with all the the "Fix It Yourself" talent I have, I'm probably better off just bringing it into the shop, mostly likely it's a same day fix... and if I attempt it myself, it'll turn into a couple of weeks fix, plus 10 times the cost of what it would have costs me had I brought it in in the first place.

Anyway tomorrow I'll turn 54, so there goes my "Riding my Age in Miles" birthday ride... I could do it later in the week... so if you don't hear from me in a couple of days, I'm probably celebrating... it's a 3 day holiday for me... so everybody enjoy, I'll be back a little older and maybe a little wiser... nah, who am I kidding, LOL

Speed Milestone

Fast ride today, well, fast for me anyway... I rode from Yonkers to White Plains for a distance of 20 miles with an average speed of 16 mph, a new personal record. If I lived in the flatland's I'd have a lot faster times... when I'm on flat stretches I average 19 - 21 mph+, but just like life, there's gotta be bumps in the road... you gotta endure the uphills to enjoy the downhills and you gotta endure the uphills to enjoy the view from the top also.

I spread out my pre-ride carbs a bit, I had a banana 2 hours before my ride and then another banana half hour before, along with a handful of almonds... that might have helped a bit to keep me going at the end, while my bike computer was going from 16.3 mph avg. down to 16. I was pedaling hard to keep the reading above 16, and in the end I did.

Ok, I'm beat... time to take care of a few things and then shower & eat... have a great day all.

Quick Ride, Quick Update, Quick Shower and Then A Quick Lunch

Yesterday it rained in the early morning, so no ride and no update... It rained last night, but it was nice & sunny this morning so I took a quick hour long ride of a little more than 15 miles.

Nothing much else happening, so I'm going to wrap this update up real quick, then shower & eat... have a great weekend, Y'all

Sunrise 35 Miler

All Right!! My longest ride of the year so far... 35.73 miles... my GPS took me on some nice quiet roads lined with million dollar mansions and gated communities here in Southern Westchester... but I don't think the GPS cares that I don't like hills... it had me do over 1800 feet of climbing, that's about 1200 feet more than my average ride.

But I made it through and I did it at a respectable pace also... 15 miles an hour... I was riding hard at the end because I saw the average mph go down from 15.4 down to 15.3, then 15.2... I just couldn't let it go down past 15... so the final 2 miles I was really pushing it to keep it above 15, and I did it.

Usually my back starts protesting after 20 miles but this morning it didn't make itself known until about mile 30... so I decided to ride another 5 miles after that, and it was ok with that.

And to top it all off, I get to replace 1400 calories... which is one of the reasons why I ride in the first place, so I can eat, eat, eat.

I only drank about 22 ounces of water during my ride, which isn't a lot, but I must have been well hydrated before my ride, because sometimes I go through 48 ounces on a 20 miler... and I lost 3 lbs. on the ride also.

One thing I saw on the ride was 3 dead skunks on the road... somebody must have gotten the 3 while they were crossing the street... I took a picture of them that I was going to post, but looking at it again, there's too much blood and guts for my G-rated blog.

Hot Fun In The Summertime

It's creeping up to the 90's again, but I got my ride in already... 21 miles today, not all out and not too leisurely, just a nice enjoyable ride... there's a chance of thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow morning so that might keep me from this weeks sunrise ride... I'll be tracking the forecast all night.

I forgot to check my standings on Bikejournal.com before my ride, so I had no idea how many miles I needed to move up in the rankings... I'm rapidly closing in on being in the top 3,000 out of 5,000+ riders that track their mileage on that site... and I'm trying to get into the top 50 of about 100 New York riders that log in their miles there... right now I'm 64th and about 170 miles away from  #49.

Of course these rankings mean nothing and they aren't even verified, I just use them strictly for motivation... for example: If I'm planning a 16 mile ride and see that the guy or girl above me is only ahead by 19 miles I might add 4 miles to my ride just to pass him or her and move up a ranking... it might be silly but it works.

Sunny, Sunny Day

It's a sunny day and it's going to be a hot one, in the 90's... I'm glad I got my ride in early while it's still in the 70's.... I did almost the exact same ride as yesterday, not the same route, but the time/speed/distance are almost identical... except I did 100 more feet of climbing which might be why my average heart rate was higher, as was my calorie expenditure... not much higher, just a little.

I think I need to start going out with specific goals for each ride... like one day hills, another day speed and another day endurance and distance... and of course, probably the most important day, the recovery ride... as we get older we need more time to recover, or so they say... I'll probably have to find out the hard way, LOL.

Happy 4th

Happy Independence Day!! It could be a little sunnier, but at least it's not raining... it's cloudy and muggy out today... 69°F when I got home... topped off the air in my tires and out the door I went. I stayed out for a little over an hour for almost 16.5 miles, just doing neighborhood loops.

My heart rate was 10 - 15 beats a minute slower than comparable rides, I wonder if that means my heart doesn't have to work as hard as it used to for the same results or if it just means I wasn't trying hard enough, hmmm.

Dinner time now... enjoy the rest of the holiday... I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Ciao.

A Sunday Soakin'

As if my legs did a rain dance we had thunderstorms this morning, so my legs got out of pedaling me around Westchester today... They should be well rested tomorrow then, but they'll have to drag a little more weight up them hills, because I ate as if I rode... plus a little extra in Independence Day Fare...  that'll show 'em.

Heavy Legs Today

I guess after 2 back-to-back, comparatively longer rides, my legs had a right to protest a bit... I jumped on my bike as soon as I got off of work and headed on my way... a few minutes into the ride I knew it was gonna be a rough one... my legs felt heavy like they had lead in them... but I wasn't about to turn around.

I rode for an hour for a distance of 15.29 miles... the rest of the data did not reflect how I felt... my average speed was still above my total average for the month of June. My average heart rate was right on par with my June average. The only thing that was just slightly below my average was my cadence. So in spite of how I felt I still had the numbers... of course I always look for improvement, not the status quo.

One thing I might look at is nutrition and what I put in my tank before I ride and how many hours before I ride... that also could have an effect on my performance. I eat about 500 calories 3-4 hours before my ride... about 50% carbs, 20% fats & 30% proteins... that actually looks pretty good, the only thing I might change is to consume some more carbs 2 hours before the ride, maybe a banana or something.

Oh well... it's a beautiful day... everybody out the door, LET'S GO!!

Two In A Row

I enjoyed yesterdays sunrise ride so much I did another one this morning. This time I rode North to White Plains and back. 28 miles in an hour and 50 minutes.. I was doing good at an average of 16.1 mph but as always, the last few miles is uphill and I saw my average go down to 15.3 towards the end.

I'm having a great run of rides, 6 days in a row so far... and the weather looks good for the rest of the week, so I might get to continue my streak and chip away at my mileage goal... I have 1,469 miles to go towards my goal of 2,011 in 2011... In the month of June my average ride was 19 miles, I would need about 90 riding days to meet my goal... that's 3 solid months... you have to consider that the year is half over and I've only done 30 rides so far this year.... uh oh.

I think I'm gonna need some words of encouragement... let's hear it.

OK my weekend's over, back to work tonight... everybody else enjoy your weekend.