Weather here in Vancouver has been hot and dry since about May, and everyone's grass is generally brown. However, I biked in yesterday and again today, and was either rained on or threatened! So what bad luck to have missed six great weeks, and to now enter the cooler, wetter and darker part of the year. I'll get my iPod going again and then will be 100% recoverd. Although on the ride home last night I definitely felt far more tired than I ever have been going home, and I guess my body is just taking its time to fully recover.
A leisurely ride in today, taking 60 minutes and including Stanley Park, which I customarily do on Fridays now. Average pace was 21 km/hr versus my 27 km/hr pace just weeks ago, so I've got a lot of fitness to gain back.
2,800 kms YTD.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Exercised the demons (pun intended)
Six weeks after the crash, finally biked in again. Sans iPod and podcasts, but I was mainly staying focused on the bike to see if it contributed to the cause of the crash. I think not, and I must have hit something. So my "demon" is fully exorcized (exercized?), I hope.
Looking forward to biking again, as it contributes so much to a positive mental and physical state.
Looking forward to biking again, as it contributes so much to a positive mental and physical state.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Recovering
Amost back to normal, but still a bit wobbly. I couldn't concentrate for a week after the crash, but now I can function at work and I have some energy. Hand-eye coordination and control over my legs is good as long as I don't go too fast. Picture the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz, and that's probably who I run like.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Ouch...bike crash
My last post was July 8, and that evening I played softball then headed home. Part of my front fender became loose and wedged itself into my front spokes, and caused a wipeout. Several hours and an ambulance ride later I found myself in Lions Gate hospital with a concussion and range of scrapes. Luckily my helmet took most of the shock, but I wound up breaking a bone in my face, and nothing else. I'm a pretty ugly brute at the moment, with scabs slowly dropping off. And it's taken a while to overcome the concussion, which left me "slow" to say the least. And I've been unable to hardly walk, save bike, but I will feel up to it next week!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Summer finally arrived in Vancouver
One of my kids "borrowed" my iPod and when I left yesterday and today it was buried, so no podcasts.
The weather is fantastic here, with blue sky and warm winds. After not biking for six days, during my ride in yesterday I felt strong as an ox and was probably pumped up from watching the Tour de France. I also think the new cassette and chain are creating much better power conversion so I can go faster. The bike computer displays my speed and because this is a constant motivator to keep up the pace I'm certainly going a shade faster on average.
I left at 6 o'clock this morning before the sun rose above the horizon because I had an early teleconference. I think I need to do this everyday in order to avoid too much sun and traffic as well as to just enjoy the view.
2,630 kilometers year to date. My clear weather goal is to get into Vancouver within 40 minutes and to get home within 55 minutes. If it rains then everything changes because the additional wet weather gear slows down the cadence considerably.
The weather is fantastic here, with blue sky and warm winds. After not biking for six days, during my ride in yesterday I felt strong as an ox and was probably pumped up from watching the Tour de France. I also think the new cassette and chain are creating much better power conversion so I can go faster. The bike computer displays my speed and because this is a constant motivator to keep up the pace I'm certainly going a shade faster on average.
I left at 6 o'clock this morning before the sun rose above the horizon because I had an early teleconference. I think I need to do this everyday in order to avoid too much sun and traffic as well as to just enjoy the view.
2,630 kilometers year to date. My clear weather goal is to get into Vancouver within 40 minutes and to get home within 55 minutes. If it rains then everything changes because the additional wet weather gear slows down the cadence considerably.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Managing budgets in NY and Barbados
Great ride in, after tightening the freehub on the rear axle that I obviously didn't do well enough when I replaced the cassette. The new computer is going to greatly improve my performance because I can read out my speed and force myself to maintain it.
Year to date I'm at 2,452 kilometers of biking vs. about 4,900 potential kilometers. Moderate winds, but sunny and really nice overall.
Listened to This American Life on the way in. Great show on how New York state called in the same gent who fixed New York City's budget in the 1980s to fix the state's. The politicians didn't like his no nonsense approach to balancing budgets and his recommendation was rejected. This was contrasted with Barbados, which adopted a US dollar peg in the 1990s, then got the trade unions and company management to agree on how to work together for the sake of the entire country. Granted, Barbados with only 300,000 people is easier to manage than the state of New York, but they got it done.
Year to date I'm at 2,452 kilometers of biking vs. about 4,900 potential kilometers. Moderate winds, but sunny and really nice overall.
Listened to This American Life on the way in. Great show on how New York state called in the same gent who fixed New York City's budget in the 1980s to fix the state's. The politicians didn't like his no nonsense approach to balancing budgets and his recommendation was rejected. This was contrasted with Barbados, which adopted a US dollar peg in the 1990s, then got the trade unions and company management to agree on how to work together for the sake of the entire country. Granted, Barbados with only 300,000 people is easier to manage than the state of New York, but they got it done.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Veterans with brain injuries
I was in Oregon with high school buddies the previous weekend, then in Toronto all last week, so no cycling. But I fit in a run in Beaverton, Oregon which coincidentally is the Nike headquarers. I also fit in a boardwalk run in the Beaches, Toronto with old friend Steve, so didn't feel like a complete slouch.
Here at work in Vancouver the company launched a staff "stepping" program to encourage everyone to get active, so we all have pedometers and daily tracking sheets. I did a run/hike last night around West Van and built up 8,500 steps, then the ride this morning picked up another 4,000. I calculated it would be 5,500 rotations, so with the downhill coasting, 4,000 makes sense. It should be a lot higher on the ride home.
I bought a bike repair stand in Portland, and also picked up some tools over the weekend as well as a cycle computer. I replaced the worn rear cassette by taking it off with the new cassette remover and chainwhip tools. When you replace a worn cassette, you have to also replace the chain so I did that as well. That last sentence implied it was easy, but with trial and error it took about four hours. When I rode in today I found the cranking to be far smoother with better power transmission. Unfortunately my rear wheel started wobbling, and a check on the internet showed I didn't lock down the axle enough. So I get to do it all over again tomorrow.
The new bike computer is great and tells me that I biked on average about 30 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of 65 down a long hill. The ride is exactly 18.5 kilometers and not 18.1. Time was 48 minutes, but I needed about 4 minutes to check out my wobbly rear wheel. The weather was sunny, with some wind, and it was a fine ride.
The show today was on veterans who experience hidden brain injury from shock waves during bombings. Because the symptons aren't connected to visible injuries the traditional military response has been to toughen up the soldier and get rid of the psychological problem. However, the problems are not always psychological and can be from damage to the brain. The army is not doing enough to diagnose, treat and take care of soldiers with this type of injury. The associated cost could be huge to the military, because soldiers can suffer permanent brain damage that affects their ability to earn an income and live a full life after their service.
Here at work in Vancouver the company launched a staff "stepping" program to encourage everyone to get active, so we all have pedometers and daily tracking sheets. I did a run/hike last night around West Van and built up 8,500 steps, then the ride this morning picked up another 4,000. I calculated it would be 5,500 rotations, so with the downhill coasting, 4,000 makes sense. It should be a lot higher on the ride home.
I bought a bike repair stand in Portland, and also picked up some tools over the weekend as well as a cycle computer. I replaced the worn rear cassette by taking it off with the new cassette remover and chainwhip tools. When you replace a worn cassette, you have to also replace the chain so I did that as well. That last sentence implied it was easy, but with trial and error it took about four hours. When I rode in today I found the cranking to be far smoother with better power transmission. Unfortunately my rear wheel started wobbling, and a check on the internet showed I didn't lock down the axle enough. So I get to do it all over again tomorrow.
The new bike computer is great and tells me that I biked on average about 30 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of 65 down a long hill. The ride is exactly 18.5 kilometers and not 18.1. Time was 48 minutes, but I needed about 4 minutes to check out my wobbly rear wheel. The weather was sunny, with some wind, and it was a fine ride.
The show today was on veterans who experience hidden brain injury from shock waves during bombings. Because the symptons aren't connected to visible injuries the traditional military response has been to toughen up the soldier and get rid of the psychological problem. However, the problems are not always psychological and can be from damage to the brain. The army is not doing enough to diagnose, treat and take care of soldiers with this type of injury. The associated cost could be huge to the military, because soldiers can suffer permanent brain damage that affects their ability to earn an income and live a full life after their service.
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