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Comic: Trying to Buy a New Bike Jersey Elicits New Self-Discovery

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I decided it was time I picked up a new bike jersey. I though it would be fun to have a jersey with matching arm warmers, so I could have a universal top that would wearable year-round for the mild Washington weather. However, after having to return several pair for not being able to get the arm warmers up past my elbows, I took some measurements. Apparently, my biceps are a full 2.75 inches bigger around than what garment makers expect for someone my size. Yeah, I'd like to say my arms are ripped with muscles, but since I have below average upper body strength for women my age, there is only one possible answer for this phenomenon- I have PIG ARMS! Ohmigawd! I have pig arms! I broke into Weird Al's "Fat", singing "Ham On", "Hambone". I recently got hooked on reading Bikeyface, a comic biking blog written/illustrated by a woman cyclist on the east coast. Her pictures inspired me to sketch and image of my own, to help express how much realizing I had porker horker hambone arms made me laugh. Here, I am, selecting a bike jersey with my arm meats:

Horker Arms
Horker Arms

Horker ArmsI totally did not do Bikeyface justice with this comic, you should really check her website out! In the meantime, I will keep searching for a new jersey!

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Does Eating the "Right" Combination of Macronutrients Improve Cycling?

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comparison of macronutrients  

Recommended daily allowances for protein in America have been a loaded topic for years. It seems obvious that the federal recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is bloated to support America's bloated beef agriculture, fast food industry, and the midwestern "meat and potato" diet. For that reason, I ate a significantly lower amount of protein than "recommended" for years. If you eat a balanced 2000-calorie diet where your main source of protein is low-fat, sustainable nuts, beans and plants, you will never reach the recommended 46 grams of protein. At the same time, the current cultural hate on carbs stemming from the fad-love of the Atkins Diet has further bloated the American idea of protein consumption. However, as a physically active adult prone to falling asleep after eating, I've found that eating more protein, especially for my first meal, helps sustain my energy and level of wakefulness throughout the day. It goes without saying that my protein needs would be decreased when I am less physically active. I found it easier to loose weight under the Weight Watchers plan by cutting out exercise. It is much easier to stay within the Weight Watchers point system, which depends on eating large amounts of fiber, by eating 15 or less grams of protein a day.

Now that I'm focusing on athletic training and not weight loss, I am not sure how much protein to eat. You can find as many different recommendations as you can sources. So when the Cycle Oregon spring training handbook came out with it's 60-20-20 recommendation, I decided to follow that. I started tracking my food intake on MyFittnessPal, a much simpler, faster, and more comprehensive tracking software than the WeightWatchers tracker. I manually adjusted my macronutrient goals to match Cycle Oregon's 60-20-20 recommendation. Over the past couple of weeks, I've gotten closer to meeting my goal, but have yet to reach it. A great sale on avocados stymied my goal, as eating a half cup of avocado every day for a couple of weeks always shot my fat consumption up too high. However, even in my first avocado-free week (see above), I still haven't reached the 20% protein goal. It continues to go up every day, and there are several days I meet my protein goal in grams, but I haven't reached the ratio quite right. I'll keep trying, just to see if eating at this ration does improve my training and energy level. We shall see.

A full week of commuting

image Last week was the first full week of commuting I've ridden in a long time. Perhaps in more than 6 months. It feels fantastic!

Here are the highlights of the week:

  • Dexter at Mercer is open at night again! This intersection has been under construction since last summer. Mercer in this area has been under construction since I moved to Seattle, so for at least 3 years, but it's only been since last summer that Dexter was significantly detoured. After 8 PM, the whole intersection and several blocks around it have been completely closed, requireing me to wind around the hainus construction at South Lake Union to get back on Dexter. That is a tiring detour at night, because drivers are tired and annoyed at being detoured as well, and with the accessable roads changing on a weekly basis with minimal signage, the path is difficult to navigate on a bike in the dark. But now it's open! And we seem to be passing on the finished portion of the road for that 2 block section! This makes riding home at night infinetly more enjoyable!
  • With the newly opened road, there is a new bike lane and new street side parking. For the first two days, confused cars parked on both the parking lane and the bike lane, making streetside parking two deep and causing me to ride in the street. It was pretty funny to me, especially since there are signs everywhere explaining what to do. I wonder if tickets were issued or if drivers simply took a few days to figure out what to do.
  • I was passed by a guy on an expensize racing bike wearing a full racing kit and....no shoes. Just socks.
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To the Fair!

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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.
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Ride to Bellevue Pond

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Screen Shot 2015-03-10 at 12.32.45 PM
Screen Shot 2015-03-10 at 12.32.45 PM

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!

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Kubota Gardens

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kubota route

kubota route

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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FullSizeRender_1

Seated for a proper classroom

Seated for a proper classroom

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photo 1.JPG

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Achievements?

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mapmyride
mapmyride

The other day, I decided to track my morning commute on my my ride. I've never done this before. The following day, I was sent an email displaying "New Course Achievements". What does this all mean? I wasn't sprinting. I wasn't competing against anyone? I looked on the stats, and the people who ranked behind me were not necessarily slower than me, and they weren't necessarily female, although the "queen" is supposed to be a female. MapMyRide, you are odd!

42 Traffic Lights in 8 miles

I recounted the number of traffic lights I pass through on the way to work. I counted this before, but wasn't sure if I got the numbers right. I did, I pass through 42 lights on the way to work. Interesting tidbit- over half of these lights are in the last three miles as I approach downtown. You can imagine how much of a difference in ride time this would make depending on how many reds and how many greens I hit. I've improved a lot in anticipating the timing of many lights, and adjusted where I sprint and where I cruise in some places. This cut 10 minutes off my ride time. I could work on this more and save even more time, I'm sure, but I am not real motivated, especially since my lungs limit me from sprinting in some areas I see other cyclists take full advantage.

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I was so worried!

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As I rode into work on the sunniest of mornings, I got to thinking about riding for fun. This lead me to thinking about my bike, and how it needs some maintenance. This got me thinking about my favorite bike repair shop. It's on the way to work, but horrible inconvenient otherwise. This means I procrastinate on getting the work done that I need. At this time, I approached the building, and to my shock- it was closed down! The windows were boarded up! I rode on in sadness and disappointment. I felt for the little guy, the small business just trying to do good, honest work and how that is in our economy. I felt guilty; if only I'd gotten my work done sooner, maybe they would have stayed in business. I irrationally felt like my one chain replacement would make or break the business. As I shook my head in remorse, I rode up to another building a half mile down the road. And there was the Wrench- bigger, shinier, closer to town! Wow! They must be doing fantastic as a business! The new lot had to have a much pricier lease. I pedaled the rest of the way into work with a smile on my face, happy for the world, and comforted knowing some things do go well sometimes.

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My body fat percentage

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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?

Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3

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 image

Here's the commuter getting ready to go inside.

Achievement Unlocked!

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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
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Flying Wheels Summer Century

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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!

Miles Ridden in a Year

I can't find my annual totals from way back, but I did calculate that I rode 1784 miles in 2014. This is disappointing considering that I rode 3048 in 2013. 2013 was a much better riding year. I really hit a wall in 2014, not riding for months on end. I haven't done that by choice in over 10 years!One of my many hopes for 2015 is to get back up to that 3000 mile level.

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Bike MS 2014 Mt. Vernon Washington

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I'm Riding Washington State in 2014

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It's been a big year for MS research. We've seen 2 oral medications come on the market that have proven to slow progression of the disease. This is huge, as the only treatments available up until now have been injectable. There is also an exciting new drug, Ampyra, that can improve walking ability. It's the only drug specifically targeted to improve the daily life of people with MS (MS drug research has been singularly focused on slowing down the disease, not treating the chronic symptoms people already face). The MS Society funds research that results in these and other breakthroughs. We are in a very hopeful time.

Please support me today. This September I'll be riding in Washington state. I'm excited to ride in my 6th new state this year.

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Bike MS 2013 Monmouth Oregon

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