Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Old dogs and new tricks


This week has been a good week to ride. Pretty cool most mornings, and I am using some new tricks and tools.



One thing I really like about the bike riding is that I have to make adjustments and changes in my schedule, and how I look at things. I have gotten  little rigid and crotchety in the past few years, and this is good for me.

I have been using the bike riding to also lose some weight, and I  have been turned on to a new phone app in the past week, My Fitness Pal. Tracks what you eat, how much you exercise etc. Really a good tool for those of us that need some structure in our exercising and diet planning, but don’t want to commit to weekly meetings and weigh ins. I will keep you posted on how this works as we go along.

After riding the trails with Jim Haake, I broke down and bought a bell.  It is actually a pretty nice way to let folks know you are approaching from the rear.  Actually, I bought a Bell brand bell (or Bell bell) , which I think is kind of funny. I now have this shiny circle on my handlebars, and I know my friends will comment, “no kidding?”

Learned something else from Jim.  I have been attacking hills, going as hard as I can for as long as I can, then stopping and gasping for a few minutes, then attacking again. Even though I know this is a marathon and not a sprint, I can’t seem to not attack the hill.  Watching Jim make it up a hill by using a slow steady pace was a learning experience, and I now use it all the time.  I have now made it up “Suicide Hill” on Lees Summit road twice with stopping, and the last time I was only gasping slightly.  Much better.

Speaking of gasping, a quick word to those of you that think you could never do this. After around 2 months, I am now cruising up hills at 10-12 miles per hour that I was struggling to get up at all when I started.  It does not take long to get some proficiency, and some stamina.  If you get checked out by your doctor, take it slow, and don’t try to become a racer overnight, you can do this.

More later.

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