Fall already

August has come and gone.  Its now back to school time and the start of the fall riding season.  At least that is the perception.  Unfortunately it seems mother nature hasn't gotten that memo and the last few days have been the warmest we've seen since the middle of July.  Our daytime highs have been in the 104 to 108 range and the humidity has been a bit above normal as well.  Certainly not the fall weather I have been looking forward to.

The warmer temps have limited the amount of time I have been spending on my bike.  I'm still riding every single day, but each day's ride has been shorter than they should be.  I'm only doing 1 to 3 miles.  Sure, for a lot of the rides, I ride hard for the short distances, but I know I need to really concentrate on going for longer rides.  I have impressed myself just a little bit with how fast I've gone on one of my new training loops.  I call it loops within loops on Map My Ride.

Basically I head out from the house, going around the outside of the neighboring subdivision, then I dive into it, loop around a block and head back out to make it back home.  One "lap" is about 2.28 miles.  I like the fact that I'm riding in the subdivision as there is less traffic that I have to worry about.  the roads are also in very nice shape.

Add to that I recently got my bike serviced.  i had thought I needed a new bottom bracket as there was binding and strange noises coming from it when I really applied pressure to the pedals, but a thorough cleaning and greasing and its good to go for a lot more miles before it needs to be replaced.  Now I can pedal and not worry that something will fail or that I'm doing damage to the bike.

My first good ride of the Loops Within Loops route had me complete the distance of 2.28 miles in 9:56 which netted me an average speed of 13.8 mph.  I rode it a few more times, not really pushing because of my bike issues.  Now that the bike is better, I pushed it over the weekend and netted a time of 9:10 and an average speed of 14.9 mph.  Quite an improvement, especially with the short distances I have been doing for the last few months.

I am hoping the weather does finally cool off and I can start getting in longer rides. My first real test of the fall is coming up on September 27 when I am doing the Pedal to the Medal for the Special Olympics.  We were supposed to be doing the fun ride next Saturday but there is no way to register and the organizers haven't responded to my latest email.  The site says to check back mid-August for the registration form and since it is already the first week of September, I don't see it happening.  I'm really bummed too as the grand kids were looking forward tot he organized ride.

So, let's get out there and start putting some miles on as the weather improves.

Get on your bikes and ride!!!!

Feeling Neglected?

Good readers, I do apologize for my lack of posts the last couple of weeks.  Not much exciting has been happening on the fitness/cycling/weight loss front.

One good thing is that I am still on track for my personal cycling challenge.  I have ridden 24 days in a row now and covered just under 50 miles.  Granted my average ride length is short, but the fact that I am actually getting out there on days that I surely would not have is the good news.  I am getting to the point where it feels wrong if I haven't been on my bike on a given day.  This is good!  Now I need to start increasing the mileage.  One problem has been the times I am riding and how they are not conducive to long rides due to the heat.

On the fitness front, I have been walking a little along with the riding, but its nothing to be proud of.  Distances are very short.  Unfortunately I haven't been in the water in a long time as well.  Looking ahead to the next few months' schedules, I see very few opportunities to get into the water.  Lack of training in this arena has caused me to rethink my plans for the fall.  I have decided that I will not be doing Pumpkinman this fall.  I hadn't realized how much moving to the southwest part of town would impact my training.  When I lived on the east side, near Henderson, there were several pools within 10 minutes of the house.  That is not the case, now.

Sure, I know if I really wanted to do it, I would find a way to make the training happen.  That's just it, I am not motivated nor excited to do the event and therefore am not going to do it.

I have been looking for charity ride in the fall and I have one.

http://sonv.org/events/our-fundraisers/pedal-medal-2014

This ride supports the Special Olympics. From the website: "Pedal to the Medal offers something for riders of all levels and abilities with several route options and a free bicycle rodeo for both children and people with special needs.

Choose from a 25 mile, 50 mile or Century Ride.  The 50 mile and Century rides include an optional timed hill climb up Mt. Potosi."

I am excited about this ride as this is a cause I do believe in.  My nephew participated in the Special Olympics for a couple of years back in Michigan and I saw the wonderful opportunities this organization provides for the athletes.  Why not join me on this ride????

Get on your bikes and ride!