To the Fair!

The boy had tickets for the spring fair in Puallayup with the goal of eating lots and lots of elephant ears. I decided to offset the bodily effects of fair food gorging by riding my bike there to meet him. The perfect weather perfectly complimented a fantastic ride! I let MapMyRide set the route for me. Then, rather than writing turn by turn directions on a tiny piece of paper taped to my handlebars, I copied the route into Google Maps, put one ear bud in, and let the GPS voice guide me. This worked out well, because I didn't have to worry about the paper blowing away or getting rained on. I also didn't have to worry if my next turn would be a long way away, or if I'd already passed it.

Riding down 1st ave south of downtown felt odd. It didn't feel like a road intended for any bicycle to go on. It was a divided highway with four lanes, littered with light industrial buildings on both sides. It just seemed so...busy. I took comfort in the shadows passing me on the pavement. The city intended this for bikes, even if there isn't another crazy cyclist in sight. In fact, I saw none on the entire stretch of road. Riding on the road felt like an adventure in tourism, however. It was a lot of fun! I passed a mannequin store. You don't see those every day. I also passed the Living Computer Museum, and the Museum of Flight. I rode by Starbuck's corporate hub, as well as Boeing. I enjoyed riding on the Green River Trail. This was a forested trail nestled in the twists and turns of cooperate centers and workplaces. It was also long, straight stretches of power line shadows. I enjoyed the brief moments I could really get into a rhythm without stoplights to break it. I really got to pedal quickly as I got onto the Interurban trail, a separated bike path that spans miles and miles and miles south of Seattle. There are so many biking opportunities south of Seattle, I wish I wasn't so reluctant to pass through downtown to get to all these gems. I started to tires after miles thirty. But, at mile 35 I got a second wind knowing that fair food would soon be in my hungry belly. The closest thing to wildlife I saw were some forlorn looking peeps smushed on the sidewalk that looked like they'd survived there since Easter. I rolled into the fair parking lot with barely enough time to stretch before B arrived to meet me. We wondered the fair, ate way too much fair food, ate some more, looked at exhibits and livestock, listened to The Coats in concert (acapella band), and smiled and laughed before watching the sunset on the way home.

Ride to Bellevue Pond

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The day was too sunny and pleasant to not ride. So, I headed out to Bellevue Pond via the Burke Gilman Trail over the north side of Lake Washington. The cool, crisp air numbed my right foot while invigorating my soul at the same time. Great ride!

Kubota Gardens

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Friday a group of riders from work got together and rode to the lovely Kubota Gardens, a free city garden in south Seattle. It was the first time I visited the area, and it was a fantastic trip. Everything you look at and take in is better when viewed from the vantage point of a bike.

We made a lovely loop that took us up some hills headed south from downtown, and also took us through Seward park on the way north. This route lends to great riding with is mostly smooth roads, accommodating vehicles, and views of Lake Washington in the sunshine. We captured amazing glances of Mt. Rainier while pedaling up and down the charming Chief Sealth Trail. I felt like I was riding the through Powerline Park in Beaverton, Oregon. Both parks boast a well maintained, multi-sue path down a long and narrow greenway that follows power lines. You could steal amazing views from either park if it weren't for the obtrusive powerless in the way. Just check out the photos I linked above- they could be the same park!

The group took some fun photos once in the Kubota gardens. Check them out!

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Seated for a proper classroom

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My body fat percentage

I took a body fat test with a trainer at my health club. The club used a clever ploy of trying to ring members into paying top dollar for personal training by handing out free hour-long fitness tests. Much to my shock, I actually scored right smack in the middle of the "ideal" range for females of my age. I scored at 24.8 percent body fat, which is in the "average" category for women overall, but is a bit better for women my age, cause, I guess I'm getting older. I'm pleased to discover that my body fat percentage has largely stayed the same over the years, even though I used to be stronger (and fatter!). Now that I'm older, I am actually scoring "healthier" as I guess most people gain a few pounds of fat here and there just as part of the aging process.I have a body fat scale at home, but am skeptical as to it's accuracy. Somehow I take the measurement at the club more seriously, even though the technology used is pretty much the same. This gave me a clear opportunity to set a goal. If I'd like to qualify as "athlete" I should reduce my body fat to 21.8%. If I excursive at the rate I intend to, I can do this by April 11 of this year. Can I do it? Will I do it?

As an aside, I found photos of women of different body fat percentages online, in trying to figure out what my goal should be. The heavier women appealed to me more. I would like my body to be more defined, but I don't have interest in being skinnier. I told my trainer my goal was to stay the same weight, but increase my lean muscle mass. If I do this, I will get skinnier as a result. I think actually, my goal should be to increase my lean muscle mass while improving my percentage to the point that I am actually at 20%, but weigh more than I do. I could do the exact math to figure out how many pounds of muscle I'd need to not really be much skinnier, but that seems a bit over zealous, considering I haven't actually succeeded in increasing muscle mass in some time. So here goes. I'm putting my goal out there.

Danger abated. Lovely Acquired.

A woman driving sped through a two way stop of which I had the right of way on my bike. This sort of thing happened frequently at intersections near my home, as Seattle tends to yeild left at all intersections. This means that all they have to do us look to the right and go, because everyone to the left must yeild to the vehicle on the right. I frankly disagree, perhaps becuase I don't consider myself a Seattlite, who knows. I think those who have stop signs should stop. Being used to this intersection, my pace was slow enough to stop on a dime. I proceeded. At the last minute, already half way through the intersection, she saw me and stopped. I gave her the polite (I hope) flat-handed stop signal  hand as I curved around her stopped car. It was all very pleasant and civil. Another great ride!The sun is shining, the weather is warm, today is at its very best. Horray, today! Here are some photos of the park I rode to, where I am now writing this post, with the sun on my back.

2 days in a row!

I did it! I stayed above 10mph on the Fremont hill for 2 days in a row! This time I counted that the hill is 2/5ths of a mile long. Trust me, it seems like it goes on forever.All drivers were great today. One female ruder with panniers like mine blocked me out of the curb at a light. Making me awkwardly sit to the side of her so I wasn't in the way of a turning lane. But pretty uneventful ride otherwise. The ride home was dark and rainy, but great. I like days like this.

7.95 mi./7.85 mi. 36mins./ unknown 13.21 mph average 24mph max

Here's the commuter getting ready to go inside.

Achievement Unlocked!

I lost my commuting base this year, much to my sadness, but I just simply didn't feel like riding in the traffic and urban roads any more. It's more tiring that fun. But, today I rode! And I gave it my 100%. It's been a goal of mine to ride this certain hill without breaking below 10mph for almost 3 years-and I never did it- until today! The hill is particularly bad, it starts out quite steep, then appears to level off. But it doesn't, the hill lessens in slope, but keeps going, and going, and going. That's why it such a killer, it's too easy to push so hard trying to get up the steep part of the hill that you wimp out at the end of the hill. The fastest riders start out slow, a pace slow enough to maintain the whole way. I never manage to do it, I've gotten close, but have always dropped below 10mph, even if for only one pedal stroke.  Of course, my heart rate was above 170 for the whole thing, and I rode the rest of the way in with a burning throat. I chickened out on the way home, so I didn't ride home. Still, I'm happy I did it and rode. I am going to set my goals light, and give myself a full four weeks to ramp up to the 60 miles a week I've been riding for a couple of years. But I am going to do it. It starts today.

• 8.52mi
• 41 min.
• 12.32mph
• 23.4mph max
• 347' climbed
• 351' max
• 140bpm av pulse
• 173bpm max
• 305 calories burned

Flying Wheels Summer Century

My first century of the year will be the Alaska Airlines Flying Wheels Summer Century | Cascade Bicycle Club. I'll be riding with a social team this year, which should make the miles fly by. The idea is if I can kill this ride, I'll be in good shape to prep for Cycle Oregon at the end of the summer. More about this ride coming soon!

Cycle Oregon 2015

I'm riding my first week-long tour in 2015. It's been decided! I'm riding Cycle Oregon – The Best Bike Ride in America. Check back to more updates and info about training soon to come! Cycle Oregon

Chanelling "America's Toughest Bike Race" and failing

I really wanted to get training going for the MS Ride.  But for this ride I was severely ill-prepared.  I had not fueled up enough, I was not fit enough, I was not dressed enough, nor did I have adequate bike lighting.  It was hard to pick clothing for this ride.  Just the other day it was snowing, but the online weather reports said 79, matching my thermometer.  At the same time I was riding into the evening where it would get colder, but I'd be pushing up hills which would make me hotter, but I'd be speeding downhills which would make me colder, but most riders out here are in just tee shirts.  Sadly, I developed full-body goosebumps on my first decent that remained the rest of the ride. I was numb and shivering when I had still an hour of riding to do. I cut my route short (full route on link at bottom of page) because I worried about getting too cold. I came home and gingerly lowered myself into the nicest bath ever, but by the time I got out I was so famished I felt faint and immobile.  It took 30-40 minutes to get food and another 30-40 to feel better.  Yesterday it seemed like the cold was my biggest problem.  But today, I think it was just too hard of a ride.  Mapmyride started using climb ratings modeled after climb ratings given by the UCI for races like the Tour de France and other professional cycling events. Category 5 is the lowest level, it must be at least 500 meters in length with an average grade of 3% or more.  As the numbers get smaller, the climb gets more intense.  This ride has stretches ranking in category 5, 4, 3 and 1.  With the hardest climb, category 1, spanning 10.8 miles.  I can't ignore the fact that I live right on the stage 6 route for America's Pro Cycling Challenge for this year, aptly titled "America's Toughest Bike Race."  I'm just a casual rider who hasn't exercised at all all winter and barely rode 1000 miles in the past 2 years.  This is not the route to "get me back into shape."  Oh well.

• distance: 26.76 mi
• time: 2 hr. 35 min.
• av. speed: 10.36 mph
• max speed: 37.35 mph
• av. cadence: 57
• climb: 2791 ft
• max altitude: 8879
• av pulse: 145
• max pulse: 163
• temp 50 (and I was in shorts and a short-sleeved jersey! What was I thinking?!)
• Ride map

Flatland Riding 101

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Today I left the cold and snow and mountains for a ride on the sunny front range.  I couldn't have picked a more perfect day.  These are the days to ride in Colorado, when you can find that nice mix between snow and sweltering.  I hadn't ridden in Longmont before, but I what I found was a pleasant similarity to many of the rides I've done in other parts of the front range; Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, etc.  It was at that point when I realized I that these trails were no worse than any of the trails we rode in Italy.  This trail particularly reminded me of Ravenna.  Since Ravenna is, besides being the mosaic capitol of the world, is also considered one of the world's most bike-friendly cities. It was at this moment that I decided to pretend I was a tourist. First, the wildlife. Early on my way I caught an epic snake sighting! This guy was just making his way across the bike path!  Only every once in a while do I get to see something other than a garden snake! So cool!  I hope he made it all the way across safely!

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Later on, as I entered into more marshlands, I saw some unique and colorful birds.  I wish I was able to photograph birds so I could later identify them, but sadly, birds just move too much.  I also came across some ducks, which was very Oregon-esque.  When I came into a park that was a sea of geese, I was floored.  Like always, it was then that I was reminded that we've taken away the homes of all these creatures that were here first so we can have our pavement.  But, before I got too sad, I had to appreciate the City of Longmont for recognizing and valuing what was originally here.  At least, as part of their city planning, they retained some places for these animals to go, albeit crowded places.  They keep the species alive and provide some education to the young and pleasure to people like me.

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I should interject here, that I really admire a town that builds such wide, wonderful bike paths.  The cool thing about these paths is, while they connected park and greenways and rivers, they also connected to strip malls and big box campuses.  I admire a town that thinks about alternative modes of transport.  I thought a minute about the people who work in these stores.  They are huge, they must employ hundreds of people all for a very low wage.  The expectation is to buy some $20K car and also pay $4 for every 20 miles they drive it.  On the flip side, some person can spend $300 on a decent bike and the only fuel they have to pay for is the Chipoltle they had for lunch.  Bike commuting is such an economic way to live, and yet, so many city designs prohibit it.  Las Vegas, for instance, makes it very difficult for one to ride around in town.  Now, the weekend warriors can escape town and have world-class riding nearby, but these sorts of pleasures and income-restrictive, and I admire any town that thinks of it's every person.  Even Denver has a huge and wonderful network of bike paths, but they are not entirely helpful for actually trying to get someplace, and going off the bike path is pretty unpleasant.  I did have to veer off the trail for a few miles on this ride, and for a short while was riding on one of the town main thoroughfares.  It had no bike lane and not much of a sidewalk, but that was only for a mile or so, and I'm sure only because there was a more appropriate road nearby.  For the most part, the entire town was littered with wide roads and bike paths.

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The last animal I want to mention on the tour of your typical flatlander's bike path is the prairie dog.  The prairie dogs run rampant in these parts, almost to an epidemic level in some places.  They are always poking in and our of their holes near roads and bike paths.  I guess they are the places they can get away with digging holes.  Like all rodents, I admire how prairie dogs wait until the last minute before they have to find safety.  They are always testing their limits.  Every prarie dog that got scared would run to its hole, but rather than instantly burrow to safety, they would hang out at that hole for a while, knowing that everything isn't a threat and they could find safety in a second.  They all took a similar stance, poised at the hole, tails thumping.  I know their epidemic populations are doing something bad to the Colorado ecosystem, but I still like watching them as I ride by.

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Another great thing about this ride was the random trinkets of art all around.  Every mile or so, I'd come across footprints in the walkway.  They were always something different.  That's a lot of footprints!  They were quite entertaining, and I was pressed to stop and photograph every single one, but, I didn't, for fear I'd never reach my destination!  There was stretch of footprints, though, man's shoes, that was imprinted a little too deeply.  It caused quite a jolt on the bike and I feared I'd pop a tire.  The footprints spanned the whole walkway, so there wasn't any avoiding them.  Other than that, though, the footprints were and absolute delight!

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There were so many other fun things to see as I passed by.  It made for a very casual, laid-back ride, as there was so much to see.  It made me miss my Steph, as this ride would have been perfectly paired with a latte.  Apparently, Longmont passed a public art bill which explains the bits of art all over.  None of it was that mindblowing, but it was these little details that entertain on what could be a boring ride.  Left hand canyon, for instance is signified on one of the bridges.  Although the hand is also the logo for Left Hand Brewing company, which also makes it's home in Longmont.  Perhaps the hands were made by them.

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There was one spot where I had to detour as the existing bike path was being dismantled.  That was loud.  Really, it was a very Front Ranch typical bike path.  If it weren't for the art, it could have been any other town.  The beauty of it is not unlike the beauty of Alaska.  Once glance you see a barren, brown, desolate dirt pile, but at another glance you wildlife and geology and land formations that you just don't see anywhere else.  What is this white striation in the rock, rock people?  Quartz? Limestone?

All in all, this was a great ride.  There was no point that I wasn't perfectly entertained.  With the exception of a few bodily complaints (sore back, not enough sunscreen) the ride was absolutely perfect!

• distance 29.53
• time: 2 hr. 14 mins.
• av. speed: 13.22 mph
• max speed: 29.7 mph
• av. cadence: 70
• climb: 673 ft
• max altitude: 8065
• av pulse: 145
• max pulse: 168
• temp 78-80