"You're almost there, dude!"

The other day, as I peddled up the last push of the long Fremont hill, a panhandler hollered out to me, “You’re almost there, dude! You’re almost there, you can do it!” Often times, I drag on the way home from work. The Fremont hill is one I could spin through quickly and get a pretty good work out from. But, the timing is all wrong. It’s the end of my day. I’m tired, and I’m usually still recovering from the hair-bending stress of peddling through downtown. I tend to go as slow as possible, with my only motivation to keep peddling enough to not fall down. This guy on the side of the street had no idea how far I had to go, but he must have seen how much I was dragging. Supportive people are the best! If you have ever offered words of encouragement to a complete stranger, this is my thanks to you! Keep it up, your words move mountains (or move people up mountains, in this case)!

Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 191

Resting heart rate and exercise

I recently purchased my first activity tracker, or fitness wearable, or whatever you call this trendy market of tech gadgets. I now track my heart rate 24/7. Interestingly, the watch gave me a resting heart rate much higher than the last time I measured it. This measurement I took months ago came out in the low 50's. And for the first few weeks I wore the watch, it measured me nearly as 60. In the past two weeks, my activity level has jumped up to "normal levels." I was relatively sedentary in February. Oddly enough, the watch calculates my resting heart rate now to be a bit lower, at 57. I am not sure if the training effect takes place that quickly, or if the watch is just "learning" me more. There is a training effect where the resting heart rate drops with increasing fitness levels, so resting heart rate can be a good indicator of fitness. 

Maybe I am getting healthier, maybe I was pretty healthy all along, either way, I am happy to see, (that according to some random chart I pulled off the internet) I still score as an "athlete". So, that's cool. I do feel like my cardiovascular system is pretty strong. And I still get out of breath every time I climb a flight of stairs! The part of myfitness I need to improve is my strength, I am still below average in many scores there. Luckily, I have at least one thing down pretty good! 

Cougar Mountain! Zoo Hill!

I completed my first climb of Cougar Mountain/Zoo Hill! Actually, I very well may have done this climb before, before I knew how “legendary” it was. It’s one of the steepest climbs in the area. I hear cyclists can reach grades up to 20% depending on what part of the road they are on during the turns. A couple of years back, I looked for places to get climbing training nearby, and time and time again this climb jumped up as the best. The numbers intimidated me; what?! 17%?! I can’t keep up on 6% climbs! I didn’t plan the climb, and my legs were already spent from riding the day before, and yet, I did it. I’m pleased with my performance. I didn’t try to go fast, I only tried to keep from stopping. And once I got to the top, I felt surprised that was all it was (You can actually see this, by how much I sped up on the last segment). 
Maybe I’ll get to ride it again this year. It will be interesting to see how I perform now that I know what I’m up against. 
 

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Look at that Hill!

Thought the heart rate peice was pretty interesting

Traffic Flagger WTF?!

Today, a flagger stood his stop sign in front of me as I biked through a construction zone. Various construction zones for investment properties have blocked the portions of the bike lane on Dexter Avenue. for the 5 years that I’ve been commuting. Being stopped by a flagger is a regular occurrence, however, when there is just one bike on the road and no cars, like today, the flagger will often let the bike pass. I didn’t mind waiting, though. The flagger didn’t look at me so he may not have known no one else was there. Maybe he was new at his job- he seemed pretty focused on the semi-trucks backing into the road. Then he walked behind the semis, with his sign. Should I go? Should I stay? The flagger was gone, so I should go…I guess. The flagger left without glancing at me at all. Here’s where I got annoyed. The semis pulled into THE BIKE LANE. So, the flagger stops me, then blocks the bike lane without so much as an acknowledgement to the person on the bike. A little polite nod would have been enough. Common courtesy can make someone’s day.
I can’t remember exactly what year it was, but in earlier years of my commuting career, the flagger for another investment property greeted cyclists with warm smiles and fun conversation. I looked forward to greeting this eternally cheerful bearded dude every day. We chatted about the weather, the traffic, the job, whatever. The jubilance of the bearded flagger was kind of legendary, too. Every commuter I talked to, whether at work or at Bikes and Bagels or at other bike-themed activities, spoke fondly of him. Connection is a sort of thing you can have on a bike that’s different from commuting in a car. You can actually converse with other commuters at lights, say hello to parents walking their kids to work, pedestrians getting coffee, and anybody else you see. You aren’t confined by the closed walls of a car. Most people still choose to stay silent, and that’s where the happy bearded flagger shined. It didn’t matter how many jackhammers pounded around him, he still hollered “Good Morning!” to me every day. Acknowledgement of your existence is a wonderful thing, especially in hazardous areas. I miss that cheerful flagger! 

Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 191