I left for work 20 minutes later than usual. I spent my "in case of flat tire buffer" preparing lunch. Like usual, the risks I take don't go unrewarded. I left late enough to watch the beautiful red sunrise (yay!) and ride in daylight (yay!). Sadly, my favorite Louis Vuitton window display changed. The window faces me at an intersection where I reliably hit a red light. They regularly have creative window displays, but the most recent display had product I actually liked for the first time (perhaps their advertising is working on me? Or maybe it was just a great item?) Bridge bike count: 252
Biking up the ramp
Last night I biked up the parking garage ramp at work. This is a milestone of sorts. That ramp is a hated thing. The narrow, short ramp quickly travels 2 floors in a 360+ degree loop. The curve is sharper than the turning radius on the Ford company van. I drive the ramp as slowly as I can, wheels squeaking the whole way, blindly hoping that no oncoming vehicles come my way. It is a ramp I would never take with a manual transmission. In the company van, the driver's seat sits so high that I cannot see the sidewalk until I am on it (the first place the ramp levels out). This isn't a problem on a lower car, and I have come to expect the glare of pedestrians shocked that I proceed into the sidewalk while they are crossing. I wish they knew I couldn't see. There is the loud "caution vehicle exiting" announcement, but still I understandably shock them. When I worked my later shift, I could exit the building via the front doors. Now that I leave while the building is still open to the public, the ramp is my only polite option. I usually walk up it. Other commuters cycle up it without much concern. I have visions of a co-worker in a company van blindly smashing into me. One commuter fell cycling down the ramp. He blacked out with amnesia, and his head felt the impact for a couple of weeks. I am so careful and tentative, but last night I had a brief window with no traffic so I bombed up the ramp to see if I could get the whole way up without crossing the invisible center line. I did it all the way until the very end, where I was able to see if anybody would be coming my way. It worked out well. I'll probably ride up it again, when there is another window of no traffic.
Soaking Wet Commute
The rain pounded hard this morning. Rain fell for the past several days, and a wake formed on the sides of my wheels from the standing water on a good part of my route. It hasn't rained like "Seattle rains" much in the three years I lived here. I think it is only appropriate that the rain is falling so much now, and it happens to be the month I joined the "Ride the Rain Challenge" for commuters. My ears feel deafened during most of my commute from the din of cars and trucks driving by. For about 10 seconds this morning, silence wrapped me during a rare stretch with no traffic around. I got to hear the pitter-patter or the rain falling on my jacket and ground. That sound is one of the most wonderful things about rain. I crave that noise. Months of rain can go by in the city, and I don't hear that noise. I am so grateful I got to hear this sweet and simple treasure.
New Logo
Book Review: Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook
Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook
I almost quit reading this book. I found the first chapter painfully condescending and overly beholden to US RDA guidelines. I hoped to find a progressive text on nutrition, not an advertisement for American corporate food consumption. For some reason, I persevered, and the American commerce influence of the book took a back seat to sports research.
It was in this second section that I felt more at home. Over the years, I've absorbed quite a bit of health and fitness information, whether it be from sanctioned training programs, fitness instructors, personal trainers, cycling magazines, or Weight Watchers. I was reminded of little nutrition gems that I'd heard before, such as "consume 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes during strenuous exercise", or "one quart of water on an empty stomach takes one hour to process." That one I've tested myself, and found one quart equals two trips to the bathroom. The book also mentioned the "100 calories per hour after the first hour of exercise" as a refueling mantra for long endurance rides. This became my mantra when dieting. I realized I had been overfueling to the point it was doing me more harm than good. Following this 100-calorie rule works for me; I can ride for hours without getting hungry, bonking, or gaining weight. The book also reiterated the importance of eating a full meal within 45 minutes after strenuous exercise to stop muscle break down. Consuming carbs post-work out stimulates release of insulin which helps rebuild muscles and reduces soreness. Eating 10-20 grams of protein reduces cortisol. This is usually easy for me to do, but has been difficult to do in Seattle. Most of the longer, harder rides I've completed here were with Cascade Bicycle Club. The club arranges meet-ups in various places in the suburbs of Seattle, where the roads quickly reach to pastoral, scenic farm land. The problem with these meet-ups are that they require over an hour's drive. I can get to the ride quickly in the morning, but by the time I finish in the afternoon, the swell of traffic makes it impossible for me to get home in time to eat this important healing meal. I'm left packing things to eat in the car, which leave a lot left to be desired, especially when I already eat "brown bag" meals 10 times a week for work. One cool thing Nancy Clark brought up was the value of the potato for recovery. A normal potato has 840mg of potassium, which helps to restore lost electrolytes. I love munching on baby potatoes during a ride. They are easy to prepare, easy to eat, full of natural carbs, and taste delicious with electrolyte-replenishing salt. The potato as recovery food is a new novelty.
I recognized data about caffeine that has been covered by no shortage of NPR programs, but I haven't applied it to myself before. Clark documented that a large study from 2005 found caffeine enhances performance by 11%, reduces perceived exertion by 6%, and has stronger effects on endurance activities. Those numbers are significant when looking at a 100-mile bike ride. The study found that over a certain amount, caffeine had diminishing results (due to other side effects like cramping or the jitters) and never enhanced performance by more than 11%. The study determined 1.5mg of caffeine per pound to be the target dose for optimal performance. Since one ounce of espresso has 40mg of caffeine on average, I would have to more than double my caffeine consumption before a long ride to feel it's stimulant benefits (I regularly drink a 2-shot latte in the morning). This is hard to imagine. I think I will stick to my regular caffeine consumption. Perhaps I'll lay off caffeine for a few days before a big event to feel the effects more rather than double up on event day. Tea might be a viable option. Drinking iced tea on a ride sounds quite sophisticated. I haven't ever had iced tea on a ride, but it could be delightful, especially if I add a spot of honey for another little energy surge.
I reached the end of the book near bed time. The final pages covered various recipes the author thought encompassed her whole-food, rounded eating recommendations. While the author's tastes were clearly more American to my west-coast-bohemian-veggie-laden preferences, my stomach growled like mad while I read through her recipes. I must have gone to bed a little bit hungry, as my growling stomach became pretty comical, even alarming the cat! I copied down a couple of ideas. One suggestion was to pour an egg inside a well of a potato when it is half through baking. This sounds like a delicious recovery idea! There were some Italian-themed casseroles that were lower on the cheese and dairy than traditional Italian foods. I also copied a garbanzo bean dish, because I can never get enough garbanzo beans!
Clark completely recovered from the FDA blow-job of a first chapter and revealed a sensible eater akin to my own yearnings. She quickly dispelled the appeal of fad diets and food-culture-phenomenons (as I call them) that have become the primary identity of so many Americans. Michael Pollan said it best when he pointed out that the cultural melting pot that is America misses out on the cultural identity that is food and all the comforts that identity brings. With today's "gluten-free", "Paleo", "low-carb", you name it food identity, I wither under the power in how food extremes have become religion. Even those who insist on eating carelessly do so with a religious fervor. I admire how Clark brings nutrition home, and focuses on eating pure, whole foods without complexity. I'd recommend Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook to any health enthusiast who is completely uneducated on nutrition (does anyone like this exist?) or as guidebook worthy of skimming for valuable gems of infomation.
Cycle Oregon 2015 Baker City, Oregon
BikeMS 2015 Monmouth, Oregon
Flying Wheels Summer Century 2015
Flying Wheels 2015- that first hill
photo credit: http://www.woodinvillebicycle.com/pictures/
Saturday, May 30th began at 6AM with a begrudging half-asleep body suddenly transforming to the wide-awake excited body, the body that only wakes up when about to embark on a new and adventurous challenge.
Bryant picked me up right on time and off to Marymoor Park we fled. Disaster loomed when Bryant realized he didn't have his helmet, and already being at the start and the time being 7:30AM, there weren't many options to procure one. Luckily, Jessi, another in our group had a spare. I grabbed a packet of Wilcox organic hard-boiled eggs before peddling off at about 7:50AM.
Just ten miles into the Flying Wheels Summer Century, a long and steep hill out of nowhere kicked my butt. My heart surged and pounded out of my chest too early, and by mile eleven, even though these clear skies and mild temperatures beckoned a beautiful day, I felt like I had already ridden 80 or more miles. My limp little legs struggles to keep up. My new mantra propelled me forward: "tiny circles, tiny circles". By mile 40, I was certain I had been pedaling for at least 10 hours and we had already ridden over 100 miles. Well, I knew better, but my body was trying to tell me otherwise.
I filled up with too many snacks at Camp Korey, a rest stop hosted by Boy Scouts (it was actually boy scout moms, as I overheard one tired mom proclaim that her son was the only actual scout who showed up for the event). Hills seemed to crop up everywhere, and my little spindle legs didn't much try to get up them any faster than they wanted to. There was a nice long flat stretch where I was able to find a nice zen among the pedaling. We pedaled through tree filled forestland, thriving farmland and smooth, blessed smooth country roads.
It wasn't until after mile 60 that I started feeling good. I finished the ride at about 3:50 with about 6 and a half hours of ride time feeling far better than I did at mile 11. Overall, the ride felt more hilly than I expected, and certainly more hilly than the less-than-4000 feet elevation change. However, the pristine scenery, great roads, and challenging course make this a ride I look forward to finishing again and again in years ahead.
Flying Wheels
Comic: Trying to Buy a New Bike Jersey Elicits New Self-Discovery
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 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!
Does Eating the "Right" Combination of Macronutrients Improve Cycling?
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
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.
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
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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Seated for a proper classroom
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Achievements?
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.
I was so worried!
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.
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.