Best $1 Ever

Bike To Work Day 2016... I was flying down White Oak in the valley and this happened:

I got screwed! Earlier that morning, I was going through the checklist in my mind of everything I would need to change a flat to make sure I could change my tire if I had to.  I always do this when I'm biking to or from work.  I wondered if I was really prepared to fix a flat on that day.  I knew I had:

• Pump
• Tire irons
• Patch kit
• Spare tube

Yes, I thought, I had everything.  I just didn't think I would actually need it.  So there I was, hauling as fast as I could away from work, towards my house on Bike To Work Day, trying to make it to one commuter pit stop before it closed, and PSSsssst the tire went flat.

I had my GoPro running, and I considered filming myself changing the flat, but then I thought, "what if I can't do it and then all I end up filming is myself having a pity party right there on the curb."  So I turned off the camera and took out all my gear and got to work fixing the flat.

I love having a road bike with quick releases, it makes getting the tires on and off very fast and easy.  Removing the screw from my tire involved unscrewing it and inspecting the inside of the rim for damage.  I used the tire irons that I keep in my backpack at all times.  They cost $1.  They're lightweight plastic.

So I got the tire and tube off the rim.  I removed the flat tube and placed a $1 bill over the hole in the tire.  The image below uses the wrapper from an energy gu or bar, which also cost about $1, but I was taught by Riverside Bicycle Club to use cash so that when you get to the bike shop, the mechanic gets a nice tip!

Photo from bikehacks.com

When I reached for my pump, I took one look at it and realized (S#@$) I had brought a mountain bike pump instead of a road bike pump.  I have at least 3 small pumps and some of them are configured for Presta and some for Schrader.  But luckily, just this month we had purchased several adapters for a cost of, you guessed it, only $1.

After opening the Presta valve and fitting it with the adapter, I placed the tube inside the tire and gently inflated it.  This gives the proper shape to the tire and makes the fit snug between the tire and tube.  I shimmied my gloved hands along the tire with the tube inside it to make sure that the tube was seated comfortably in there.

I replaced the tire onto the wheel, again it helps to be wearing gloves, firmly gripping the tire and stretching it back into place.  I did use the tire levers a little bit here, too.  Then I put the wheel in my lap and started pumping to reinflate the tire to specificication (110 psi).  The pump I have has a gauge on it.

Mini Dual G

Try as I might, I could only get just past 60 psi but I figured hey, I'll just ride slow and get to a bike shop.  But I ended up riding all the way home.  So I guess the take-home message is that you MUST travel with these items at all times.  This flat was not patchable I would say, so I'm grateful I had a spare tube.  And the $1 adapter saved my a$$.

From our commuter workshops we learned that most cyclists fear biking to work because they aren't sure how to address changing a flat tire.  I did the job in about 15 minutes with very little drama and with no help whatsoever from passersby.  If I can do it, so can you!

Profound thought from the ride home: If I ride fast, it'll hurt less when I get hit by a car from behind. That's physics people!  But why was I having such a morbid thought?  Hey drivers: give me 3 feet.  And slow down please.  I got a flat while riding in a bike lane.  If I had swerved to avoid the hazard (screw, glass, etc) and not swerved towards the door zone, there would have been nowhere to go since cars were whizzing by me at 50 mph in an area with a 35 mph posted speed limit.

CicLAva ~ The Valley

I realize this post is almost 2 months late.  It's been on my "to do" list.  CicLAvia - The Valley was AWESOME!  Like many of the "open streets" events we've attended, we rode to this one from our house, CAR FREE!  The weather was overcast for most of the day, which was nice biking weather.

We met with Walk Bike Glendale at the Glendale Central Library.  Congressman Adam Schiff was there.  We had a large feeder ride, maybe about 80 people.  Along the Chandler Bike Path, we combined with Walk Bike Burbank.

It was about 11 miles to the start of CicLAvia.  We took California west to Concord, across the Fairmount Bridge to the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk.  We rode along Riverside to Keystone, and up to the bike path at Chandler.  The organizers did a great job puting in protected "bike lanes" between Vineland and Lankershim using orange traffic cones.  Wish those were permanent!  We posted a video of the feeder ride here.  This was my first experience as a ride marshal.  I hope to attend some workshop for training to become an official, but for now, my experience with group cycling in the Riverside Bicycle Club will suffice.

We arrived in North Hollywood and split from the group.  Some video from the CicLAvia event is here.  I don't think our GoPro battery lasted long enough to capture beyond the Universal City Hub, but we did get one video at the hub.  The course was dreamy and many businesses were packed with customers.  I was reminded of this event at a recent Bike To Work Day ~ Happy Hour at the Moose Den where I met someone who skated the entire CicLAvalley.  I did take a little bit of video at our lunch stop, which gave me the idea that about 80,000 people participated in this CicLAvia.

As a reminder, the CicLAvia ~ Pasadena event is in TWO WEEKS.  Will you walk, skate, or bike it?  We're headed to Pasadena today for the Amgen Tour of California finish!  Hope to see our friend John Morlock, from Ride 2 Recovery working a booth there.

Lycra doesn't last forever

Today I aimed to solve a very important problem: the full moon view through my cycling shorts!  My husband in his infinite wisdom handed me a couple hundred dollars and told me to buy some lycra for my birthday in 2009.  I bought a couple jerseys and 3 pairs of cycling shorts.  Two of them were Performance Ultra shorts and the third is only meant to be worn under another pair of shorts (in other words, it was see-through the day I bought it).

I've been wearing skirts and dresses over my cycling shorts for about a year now, embarassed at knowing that my goods are on display if I don't.  Like these suspecting (or unsuspecting women).

At least these women have underwear on.  I've tried wearing panties under cycling shorts but it kind of defeats the purpose of having a comfy chamois when you get your knickers in a bunch between your tush and the cycling shorts.  It's been suggested that you have your shorts inspected by a cycling friend once at the beginning of every season.  Hilarious (but a good idea)!

I bought a UC Riverside kit in 2012.  To my dismay, the thread is unraveling in the leg area.  I will attempt to mend it and continue to rock those bibs.  They are my most comfortable chamois.  I don't wear them often, partly because they have a white panel and I would hate to see them covered in grease.  I reserve these bibs for special (long/technical) rides.

Independence Day Ride 2013

I've already got two new pairs of yoga pants so I can get my Zumba and running on.  Bought them at Target. Both have 'secret pockets' for your ID and a house key.  They are both from a Champion line of athletic wear called C9.

Now I have bought two new pairs of cycling shorts.  Bought them online through Nashbar.

Hopefully these will last another 5 years. They are called Women's Vineyard Shorts and have a gelpad chamois.  And while we're on the delightful topic of chamois... I tried chamois butter for the first time.  It seemed like a good idea for our Independence Day Ride to be free from chafing.  I used it both days and it relieved the feeling of needing to adjust my toosh to the saddle.  You know that moment where you're squirming around trying to find just the right position?  Well I didn't have to do that.  Everthing just slid right into place.  I even used it as aftersun lotion.  If it's soothing to my bum, why shouldn't it be soothing on my arms, right?

I will close with this list of things I look for in excercise clothing:
*REFLECTORS
*Bright Colors

Based on my previous posts about bras and lycra, I wanted to mention the buzz about Nike's new line of sports bras.  Will they live up to the hype?  Will they have reflectors and bright colors?  In my size?

References:
http://www.blokespost.com/bicycles/check-your-mates-cycle-knicks-day/5268
http://nikeinc.com/news/the-right-fit-and-the-right-support-the-nike-pro-bra-collection
Album of my 'best ride' photos
https://plus.google.com/photos/114038315072081187656/albums/5779170335416490209?authkey=CPGH_ZP43MXotgE

Coolmax or Dri-FIT?

The predominant fabrics used in the tit slings I discussed in the prev. post are:

• Polyester/Lurex®/Coolmax®/Dri-FIT
• Spandex/elastane/lycra
• Nylon/polyamide
• Cotton

Each fabric has its advantages and disadvantages

• Tenacity (Tensile Strength) dry or wet
• Abrasion Resistance
• Absorbency/ability to wick moisture
• Stability under heat and UV
• Tendency to Mildew

Humphries, Mary.  Fabric Reference, 4^th Ed.
Prentice Hall, 2009, p. 16.

This image relates groups of textiles; both manufactured fibers (shoots) and natural fibers (roots).  It took me awhile to untangle the branches, seeing as how there are many names for polyester and nylon.  As far as I can tell, spandex is similar to polyester but more rubber-like, being able to stretch to 500 times its original length.  I thought Lurex was pretty cool, it seems to be a metal-coated polyester that was only in one type of my bras, giving it a shimmery quality (Carmel).

According to Humphries, the advantages to polyester are that it has good strength and resistance to abrasion, but it collects oily stains, has low perspiration absorbancy and tends to pill.  The advantages of spandex is that it is elastic and 10 times stronger than rubber, it can be used uncovered, it is more resistant to oil and dry heat than rubber, and it takes dye.  The advantage to nylon is that it has the greatest strength and resistance to abrasion, but it has low UV light resistance and tends to pill.  The advantages to cotton are that it is absorbent and strong when wet, but it swells in water and has a tendency to mildew.

Simile, Craig B. (2004) Critical Evaluation of Wicking in Performance Fabrics, M.Sc. Georgia Institute of Technology: USA. p. 15

With both manufactured and natural fibers, there are shapes of the individual fibers that make up the spun bundles of fibers (yarn).  Mary Humphries does a good job of presenting what many natural fibers would look like under a microscope.  Craig Simile, in his Master's thesis, presents a microscopic view of an individual fiber of Coolmax.®  By testing a variety of materials, he concluded that fabric with yarns containing larger effective capillary radii (pores) had higher permeability at high levels of saturation (very sweaty people).  Once saturation dropped below a certain level (less sweaty people), the yarns with smaller effective capillary radii were able to sustain higher permeability.  I would conclude then that Coolmax® or Dri-FIT are better for less sweaty individuals while cotton is better for more sweaty individuals, due to its large pores.  A major finding of this work is that the ability of a fabric to wick moisture depends on the amount of saturation, so there may not be one ideal fabric for every athlete.

Kan, et al. Materials, 2013, 6, 4985-4999.

One interesting side effect of porosity of a fabric that was considered by Kan, et al. is that UV protection offered by Cotton alone (SPF 10-20) is inferior to Cotton/Coolmax-Blended knitted fabric (SPF 20-40).  The figure presented here shows that the highest SPF was recorded by Coolmax in combination with conventional ring spun combed supima cotton, followed closely by Coolmax alone.  When a garment is worn, such as my old worn out Performance bicycle shorts (80% NYLON & 20% LYCRA), light is allowed to enter just as sweat and hot air are allowed to escape.  When I go for a bike ride now, I've got to wear a little skirt over my cycling shorts, otherwise I end up with a train of men following me.  I've not been chatted up by so many guys (young and old) as last weekend when we were walking around Pasadena in our Spandex.  It appears that Coolmax is better at keeping lightly-to-moderately sweaty people dry as well as protecting them from the sun.  Sorry super-sweaters, you are at greater risk to suffer a sunburn if you are in the heat and dressed in cotton, but at least you will be able to keep cool!

Shillingford, C.; MacCallum, N.; Wong, T.-S.; Kim, P.; Aizenberg, J. Fabrics coated with lubricated nanostructures display robust omniphobicity. Nanotechnology 25 (2014) 014019, p. 6.

If you're wondering what I'm talking about with reference to porosity, check out these scanning electron microscope images of Nike Dri-FIT (polyester) in panel B with thread width 200 microns in a square weave pattern when compared with Muslin cotton in panel D with thread width 350 microns.  The Nike Dri-FIT showed poor breathability.  The researchers measured how much water transpired through the fabrics compared to a dish completely covered with Parafilm and a dish covered with Parafilm with a large hole poked into it.  These fabrics have many tiny holes. Dri-FIT did not allow a significant amount of water to be transpired through it, while cotton allowed most of the water to evaporate!

Hopefully in a future post, I can take this discussion from the microscale to the nanoscale and talk more about the polymers which make up these fibrous materials.  I've read a statistic that sports bras are only good for 72 washes, possibly because nylon and polyester are sensitive to strong alkali (most laundry detergents).  This is why I always treat my delicates with a neutral pH detergent (Woolite) and wash them on a gentile cycle.  Also, I dry them on a clothesline rather than in the dryer.

Works Cited:

• Humphries, Mary. Fabric Reference, 4th Ed. Prentice Hall, 2009, p. 16
• Simile, Craig B. (2004) Critical Evaluation of Wicking in Performance Fabrics, M.Sc. Georgia Institute of Technology: USA. p. 15
• Kan, C.-w.; Yam, L.-y.; Ng, S.-p. The Effect of Stretching on Ultraviolet Protection of Cotton and Cotton/Coolmax-Blended Weft Knitted Fabric in a Dry State. Materials 2013, 6, 4985-4999.
• Shillingford, C.; MacCallum, N.; Wong, T.-S.; Kim, P.; Aizenberg, J. Fabrics coated with lubricated nanostructures display robust omniphobicity. Nanotechnology 25 (2014) 014019, p. 6.
• More about Polyester http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olefin_fiber
• More about Spandex http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Spandex.html
• More about Nylon http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/amides/polyamides.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon
• 7 Underwear Facts that might Surprise You http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/7-underwear-facts-might-surprise-you/
• 5 Reasons NOT to wear a Thong to the Gym http://yearofthedetox.com/2012/02/18/5-reasons-not-to-wear-a-thong-to-the-gym/

Christmas Ride Report

Our Christmas Century was most epic!  We started out with our new Panniers in Glendale and ended up in Newport Beach.  Through the city, we enjoyed riding the bike lanes on Verdugo, Colorado, Eagle Rock, and York Blvd.

1) water stop at Jack-in-the-Box on York Blvd. (7 miles)

Through South Pasadena (Monterey Rd), Alhambra (Chapel Ave), and Rosemead (Hellman Ave) we rode along broad residential streets. We climbed an overpass to cross the I-10 on Jackson Ave and followed fellow cyclists along Garvey Ave to enter the Rio Hondo Bike Path.

2) water stop at 7-11 on Hellman and San Gabriel Blvd (15 miles)

We went under the 60 freeway and crossed the 19 (Rosemead Blvd) where a guy was selling flowers and candied apples. Rio Hondo was super-scenic and colorful with leaves and a variety of plants at this time of year.  From there it was easy to follow the signs for the San Gabriel River Trail.  There were plenty of parks to stop and use the facilities and refill our water bottles.

3) water stop at Santa Fe Springs Park (27 miles) **restrooms closed until after New Year's Day!

We met a fellow cyclist who was a total inspiration.  He had lost possibly more than 100 pounds after being bit by a mosquito and experiencing a year of paralysis.  He told himself that if he ever became mobile again he would change his lifestyle.  And we saw him that day riding from Pico Rivera to Seal Beach and back in one day.  Way to go!

4) lunch at Liberty Park (33 miles)

When we got to the terminus of the San Gabriel River trail at Seal Beach we took a few minutes to eat and take photos.

5) water stop at Alamitos Bay (42 miles)

One of my favorite parts of the route was crossing through the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.  We were definitely saddle sore at this point and all the biodiversity really cheered us onward.  There were also plenty of restrooms and water fountains along this part of the route.

6) water stop at PCH and Goldenwest (50 miles)

I loved the Huntington Beach portion of the ride, especially the dog-beach.  It was super fun to see all the dogs frolicking in the waves while we were suffering through the last decade of miles.  I definitely got to use all kinds of layers.  I was rocking the UCR cycling kit (Champion System), which I call the Cadillac of chamois and dear husband was sporting the Sugoi.  We both had bib-style shorts and tight-fitting jerseys.  I also had Pearl Izumi long-sleeved outerwear which came in mighty handy as the ocean breeze picked up and the sun began to set.

7) arrival in Newport Beach (54 miles)

I was feeling really beat-down just before I saw the sign welcoming us to Newport Beach.  Luckily I was traveling with a native (dear husband) and he knew a shortcut to get to our hotel (North Bayside Drive and Back Bay Drive).  It was really fun seeing all the fishermen and riding over a bridge to avoid the big climb at the intersection of the PCH and Jamboree.  We checked into the Hyatt Regency and got a room with a sliding glass door so we could roll our bikes up and into our room.  We stayed two nights and had a great walk around Balboa Island on Christmas day for some cross-training.  We made it a priority to book a hotel with a jacuzzi which we used at the turnaround point for our trip, soaking with massaging jets for 20 minutes.  I also did a cold-treatment by standing in the pool for 15 minutes, followed by a return to the hot tub without jets on for 10 minutes.

We packed plenty of nutrition for our trip.  Sliced apples, oranges and pears were our fresh fruit for hydration, sugars and electrolytes.  We used Quaker oatmeal bars (chocolate chip) and Gu shots.  Clif shot bloks and PowerBar performance energy bars, Hammer gels, and Jelly Belly Sport Beans.  Pretty much anything and everything to get us through the ride.  On the way there we also had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which we didn't have on the way back...

8) water stop at Huntington Surf & Sport / Mobil gas station (72 miles)

We rode along PCH rather than close to the water to get home faster.  It was weird that there were very few pedestrian crosswalks, but it was pretty to see the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve from the inland side rather than the ocean side.  I bought a Huntington Beach sticker at the Surf & Sport.

9) snack stop at Out*Spoke*N (74 miles)

We stopped at a bike shop to get some Gu.  It was a good place to have a chat with other cyclists but we were on the move and didn't stay long.  I'm sure if we had timed it better we could have spent more time here and less time at the gas station.  It was kind of hilarous though to stop at a gas station and not fill up our gas tanks, just breeze on through fueled by carbohydrates and water!

10) water stop at Liberty Park (84 miles)

Some of the ride I was sans-jersey and styling my sports bra and bibs.  It was cool and refreshing.  There was a bit of wind on the ride home, a hot dry wind that left us encrusted with salt.  Interestingly, we didn't have any electrolyte beverage, but I think that's why the sports chews and bars were so important.  We tried to eat every 45 minutes.  Also tried to drink every 15 minutes, but it was probably more like 20.  I wish my Garmin watch would beep when it was time to eat or drink.  At least it keeps track of pace and time (and date).  I only wore sunscreen on my face and I ended up with a gnarly cyclist's shorts tan and a farmer tan on my upper arms.

11) lunch at Wilderness Park (90 miles)

This stop was idyllic with crane, swans, pelicans, ducks and a cute puppy frolicking among the families enjoying the outdoors there.  The restrooms and drinking fountains were welcoming features of the park.  I never knew much about Downey, CA but now I can say that I've been there.  We also never knew there were so many horses along the way.  It was interesting to be riding along in a turn-of-the century mobile (a bicycle) flanked by 1800's style transportation (men on horseback) and modern day machines (cars stuck in traffic on the 605 freeway).

12) water stop at 7-11 on Hellman and San Gabriel Blvd (103 miles)

By the time we hit the 7-11 again, all the fight had been knocked out of us.  We could bearly make complete sentences, let alone argue about whether or not a video should be recorded.  At Huntington Dr and N Atlantic Blvd we had a brief stop to put on our lights since the sun was setting and we had to hustle the remainder of the journey in the growing darkness.  Each half of the trip burned 6000 calories and took us about 7 hours.  Shoutouts to Dan Slater and the Riverside Bicycle Club for giving us the knowledge and confidence to undertake this epic Christmas ride.

When we got home, we ate the last of our carb loading meal.  It was great to have a home-cooked Christmas.  We also got a free dessert at the restaraunt Shor consisting of a pumpkin crème brûlée and two sugar cookies.  Guilt free!

Mission Inn Run ~ Race Report

The 2013 Mission Inn Run (10k) course was a blast!  I got to cross the finish line with family, which is definitely the highlight of this race.  The water stops were plentiful and it was amazing running through the best parts of downtown Riverside on such a nice day.

I definitely wish I would have treated myself to some new running shoes because I'm having a keepsake of the race that is a sharp pain in my foot.  Finishers were awarded medals that were color-coded according to which course the runner (or walker) completed.  That was a nice touch.  You could tell which course the athlete was traversing by the color of his or her bib.  The kids (short courses) were white, 5 k was blue, 10 k was orange, and half-marathon was green (I think).

We had a super-weekend because we rode our bicycles to the train station in Glendale and took the train to LA.  From LA we boarded the San Bernardino line and disembarked at Rialto.  We took a sweet bike ride down hill to the SART which got us to Market street.  We rode by the health expo and on to our destination, the home of our family members (18 miles total).  We picked up our bibs & T-shirts Saturday night, via car.  We took a car to and from the race, but immediately after the race we dined at the Crest Cafe.  After that we got back on our bikes and rode to downtown Riverside station to take the train back to LA, then from LA to Glendale via train, and finally rode our bikes home (7 miles).  So it wasn't a totally car-free weekend but ALMOST!

I really loved running along the SART, through Fairmount Park, along Redwood Dr.  Saw the new Ryan Bonaminio Park, which was gorgeous.  I placed 673rd out of 749 participants.  Only 3 women in my age division (76 women) finished after me.  For some reason I feel good about this.  At least I showed up and I ran my own race (albeit with my family members).  I felt really good in mile 1 and mile 4 and in between I felt pretty dismal.  I definitely didn't walk or run the entire time and had no discipline about when to run or walk.  With no training, it's no surprise that my foot is still throbbing, but I believe it will heal itself.

I'm already looking forward to the years to come...

LA River Ride (preview)

When my collaborator said Friday is writing day, I must have heard RIDING day because I took off on Friday afternoon at 2:30pm like a bullet and overshot my destination.  It's easy to do on the LA River Bike Path, which takes you along the I-5 corridor.

The wildflowers were spectacular and the skies couldn't have been bluer.  I met my mirror image.  At a stoplight.  She wanted to ride with me, perhaps considering I was wearing as much fluorescent yellow as possible in addition to reflectors.  With the help of her mobile device and McDonald's free WiFi, I got back home without reaching my original destination.  Something about the next turn being 'Apex' I knew there would be no soon end to the climbing and I was out of gas.

Sometimes it's fun to see where the city leads you.  There were two streets I identified with.  One I called out 'Muhlenstrasse' because it was steep like the street in Jena I used to push my bike up on foot rather than choke halfway up.  It was actually called Alessandro.  Why is it always a freakin' hill?  That guy must have been one powerful dude if every street named after him is a long climb.  Made me think of a friend from Jena of the same name.

Long days give way to high productivity.  I can feel the solstice coming, it's only 10 days away.  From LACC you can see a cathedral of Scientology, the Hollywood sign, and Griffith Observatory; it might be fun to visit the last one on the solstice.  They have a cool sculpture that reads out the time and date by objects' shadows and alignment with the heavenly bodies and the energy emanating from them.

20 miles of SMILES

Speaking of collecting photons...The radish (easter egg blend) seeds are almost ready to harvest.  Spinach too.  Harvested Mexican Poppy seeds today.  Lettuce and chard are bolting.  Squash is flowering and fruiting.  So are tomato and pepper.  So is basil.  I started more radish (white icicle), new carrots (Danvers #126), new salad mix, and a bunch of herbs that I haven't had in awhile.  V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.  Spell it with me!  Made some new seed packets too.  And a new set of QR codes.  Just need popsicle sticks to finish that project.  And time, love, and tenderness.

complacent

I'm giving myself free reign today.  It's a holiday.  Technically.  So I will begin working after my #madwriting session.  I was thinking of a title for my post.  Something short that would summarize my general state.  I would say Complacent.  I typed it in to dictionary.com and got some ideas for why my brain would have come up with that particular word.

The first definition that popped up said "pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied: The voters are too complacent to change the government." With synonyms: "smug, unbothered, untroubled."

I was thinking BINGO that is how I feel about many things in my life right now.  I feel like there is a lot of noise in my headphones and it's my job to turn down the noise and turn up the signal.  This is why I've been doing #madwriting more often, but in a private journal like Julia Cameron suggests.

But sometimes, it seems, you have to focus on the noise for a minute.  Like acknowledge it during your morning pages and then it clears you out for more creativity and focus later in the day.  I've been preparing for the academic year to begin for the entire month of August it seems and classes start tomorrow!

This is a bike-centered blog so I want to share some bicycle noise with you.  I didn't make it out to some bike-related events in the area that I heard about and wanted to check out (or check-in to), but didn't want to (or couldn't afford to) spend the money, fuel, time, etc. devoting an entire weekend to a recreational pursuit.  One: Festival of Bikes, Two: Tour de Lake Arrowhead, Three: Swap Meet, Four: Public Outreach.  I guess I'm just not that into the lifestyle that I can devote a weekend to biking and forsake all other events.

Last weekend, we attended a Car Wash to raise money for John Morlock who we met through facebook.  He is a veteran who rides in events with other veterans.  He is part of an organization called Ride2Recovery that supports veterans who can be provided bicycles (with adaptations if necessary to accommodate any injury) to complete long (~600 mile) multi-day rides.  The idea inspired me to stand streetside waving a flag for an hour in Burbank, while dear husband was soaping, washing, and drying cars with a group of young marines at the American Legion.  We met another veteran Robert Kugler who also rides a Ride2Recovery-issue bike, who was there along with his wife Charlie.  Both of them are from Nebraska, like me!

I encourage anyone who understands how awesome cycling is to consider how you might support the Ride2Recovery organization or participate in their events.  I believe there is no better way to heal yourself than to train for and achieve an inspiring tour, especially if you are doing it with your friends (who become your heroes before you finally believe in yourself).  I learned in the power of group cycling by riding with the Riverside Bicycle Club.  There are scientific papers that show you can tolerate a higher level of pain when you are training in synchronization with others.

This is why I love group events, cycling or running.  I'm so stoked to do the Color Run in San Diego.  I think I'm more looking forward to it because it forces me to train (at least a little) and the actual event is all about having fun.  To me, that's what fitness has always been about.  I've spent many years punishing my body, trying to twist it into ridiculous positions and defy the laws of physics.  I've fallen down from exhaustion in a dance studio, and I've fallen off my bike a few times.  I think doing the color run will be less about competition, and more about being with my friend Sam, whether we feel like we want to walk or run to get through the course.  I'll definitely post a report when we get back.

I have to spend some time on Clitoral Mass.  I mean Critical Mass.  It's one thing that I shout in my head at cyclists that I see not wearing helmets.  It's totally silly that I shout in my head at cyclists I see with no lights on.  I never want to go on group rides in Los Angeles because I hear that everyone's taking drugs and doing dangerous things.  I heard someone always leaves in an ambulance.  What kind of ride is that?  Who wants to get together on a weekly basis and say, "hope I'm not the person who leaves in the ambulance on tonight's ride."  Or maybe they say something like, "I'll never have a manuvering error when we're hammering through a densely-populated area at night on drugs and I'm 18-years old."  I'm not that age anymore, so I just can't go on those rides.

In other bike-related news, I tuned up our old bikes to get to the Farmer's Market and the bicycle parking is off Central Ave now not on Caruso Ave.  It's great to be able to lock your bike to a solid rack in the shade right next to the security office with cameras pointed at it.  As my friend pointed out, if I were going to steal a bike, I would steal that new fixie over there.  Well I love the bikes we have, and I hope we have them for a long time more.

Also, the little shop we got Mike's shoes & pedals for the Performance, and seat for the Trek has gone to new ownership.  I love to support local bike shops, because how far do you want to have to walk if you get a flat near your house?  If you don't support your local shop, you'll have to go all the way to a big-box retailer on foot (assuming your bicycle is your main mode of transportation, but who in the US would be in that situation?) Anyway, the new owner calls the shop simply Glendale Cycles and he is very calm and unassuming.  He has a mountain bike, a road bike and a BMX bike for himself.  He's had the shop just a few months now, but don't be afraid to go there if you are ever in the area.  The phone number is 818 937 9440.

1053 words. #madwriting.

As of late...

I feel like I am totally messing up and totally succeeding at the same time.  I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, the wrong thing, too little, or too much.  I guess that's where one's own sense of intuition into what's right and wrong comes in to play.  I feel like I'm happy with my figure, but I don't feel healthy.  At the end of the day I feel absolutely exhausted.  I feel like my heart is beating too fast and I am trying to move too many agendas too far each day.  But I'm afraid if I slow down, I'll fall off this train, and it's been such a fun ride so far.

I entitled this picture (excuses) because I've used the weather as an excuse to skip exercising for two mornings in a row.  I mean in Nebraska, this would be considered a nice day.  We'd try to sneak something in.  But in California, these hazy mornings mean sleeping in.  I see a few people strolling the sidewalks of Glendale, but not many are out.  Last weekend, the visibility was 10 miles, so I hiked up into the Verdugo Mtns and took a picture of downtown LA.  Yesterday, the visibility was 3 miles and today it's 1.5 so I just told myself to skip it.

My weight on the scale went up, but also has my activity level over the past three weeks.  I will get a performance evaluation on Tuesday which I am looking forward to.  I justified skipping workouts since I've been so hard on myself lately, I might actually need a rest day.  Today we are getting massages.  We've had a contract for monthly (or more) massages at a chain called Massage Envy.  It gives me an excuse to shave my legs at least.

So when I start skipping workouts and making excuses, I tell myself to think of exercise as a daily pill.  Instead of taking an antidepressant pill, weight control pill, birth control pill, immune system boosting pill, vitamin D pill, I just go for a walk.  There's nothing wrong with spending an hour a day in nature.  Moving.

So I guess you could say the view from my handlebars is getting better.  Got to sneak in a ride with RBC on a Tuesday night.  It was great.  I worked at UCR during the morning, then took my bike to Don's for a tune-up.  Then, I headed down to Adams via Victoria and La Cadena Dr.  I love the scenic glamour of Riverside et environs.  I have no idea where we went on the ride, but it was my first night ride in a long time.  I remember passing across Overlook at one point and thinking, I'm glad we're crossing this beast and not heading up it.  I missed my biking friends and it was a sweet rendez-vous.

I've been doing some crazy gardening.  I germinated a bunch of seeds under lamps and transferred them to the front lawn.  If they survive, we'll eat them all summer!!!  Our new goal is to OCCUPY GLENDALE until July.  Glendale is awesome, it's nearby a bunch of fun places.  In July, we will visit the windy city of Chicago.  So by then, the garden will either be established or wilted from not surviving.  It's crazy windy here.  There was a wind advisory (above 35 mph gusts) for this morning.  Take that Chicago.

Dorkin' Out with Team Garmin-Cervelo

Forerunner 110

So I have a bit of a crush on Thor Hushvod and I am happy to finally have given myself a moment to blog about it.  Watching Le Tour this year has been inspiring me to "take the high road" i.e. do some climbing on my morning commute.  It also encouraged me to set goals and develop a winning team, so I was stoked when team Garmin-Cervelo won the team competition in Le Tour.  At my bicycle club Winter Holiday Party last year, we did a white elephant gift exchange and I got a DVD called Beyond the Peloton.  That's how I got the crush.

Anyway, I got a Garmin Forerunner 110 as a gift from my husband last month and so far it is pretty cool.  I can easily see the route if I upload the data to MapMyRide, which I had been doing before manually and sometimes it would take quite a bit of time to remember where I had gone.  The Garmin works for both running and biking (that I have tested) but all my workouts seem to upload with a "run" default setting and I have not yet figured out how to change that.  Other than that it beeps at me at each mile.  That's kind of encouraging.  I track my workouts under the username fb.KayK.679.  Then I can see if I'm overtraining in one area or another (biking/running/aerobics).  Also I can track my weight and mood and how that corresponds to what I've been doing.  At least that's what I use it for.  I used to post my workout stats to a Leaderboard with another club member, to compare things like distance, calories, pace and weight, which was also pretty motivating.  Supposedly you can swim with the Forerunner 110 too, as long as you don't dive.

So should I retire the Nike+ device (see prev posts RE: elation, frustration, realization, and commiseration)...  Well the watch/USB fob logged 89 miles, the shoes have 231 miles.  So it worked about 38% of the time, give or take my accuracy in uploading workouts manually.  The Nike+ system seems in retrospect more geared to Apple users and I am not one of those.  No iTunes for me, but for those who do, it has the potential to coordinate your playlist with your run.  So I guess I may give in to my Garmin.  Especially since the Nike+ was not compatible with cycling.  MapMyFitness has all kinds of features besides cycling, so overall I am happy with that platform, even though most of my profile is cycling-related and I access it through MapMyRide.  I know they have a good iPhone app, but I use my Sanyo SCP-2700, which is just as good for me.  Speaking of triathlons, I dropped my phone in the jacuzzi in La Jolla, took it apart, let it dry out for 3 days, put it back together and it is still working fine.  The Nike+ wristband has been a handy watch even when it didn't work for uploading run data.  I don't think I'll trash it just yet.

While I'm doing a technology review, [ahem, avoiding writing my dissertation] I might as well tell you about my Shell Eee PC. "Easy to learn, easy to work, easy to play" (Eee) is the company motto and I think they did a good job.  I've had it since before I went overseas (over a year).  It has been my video phone for Skype (low-cost international) calling and videoconferencing.  I've written my dissertation on it, thanks to a large hard drive (250GB).  I am addicted to multitasking and the Intel Atom processor has yet to overheat like my previous Tablet PC.  Which my dad and I tried to fix like this, and then had to take it in for service to get a new mother board put in.  I installed Google chrome for browsing and use pretty much the entire Google suite of cloud computing solutions.  And just now, I had forgotten to save the entire above writing and it restored itself.  It weighs less than 4 pounds with AC adapter and I can take it everywhere on my bike.  Obviously I use it to track my wellness activities.  Also I use it to back up photos taken with my phone.  All this technology supported my husband and I while living apart for the past year and a half.  I tagged this post "green" because the Eee PC's annual electrical consumption is less than $3.

I tagged this post "weight loss" because I am back in a size 8 for wedding season.  Hurrah!

A liberated woman!

GREEN STATS from MAPMYRIDE.com Since 02/18/2009
Total Workout Days: 496 
Distance Traveled: 4,547.33 mi.
Gas Saved: 252.63 gallons 
Money Saved: $879.15 
Carbon Offset: 4,890.9 lbs. of CO2
Total Burned: 203,916 (kcal)


My bicycle liberates me from a dependence on gasoline.  My bicycle liberates me from excess body fat.  My bicycle liberates me from sitting in traffic jams.  My bicycle liberates me from anxiety and depression, bringing me closer to my friends and relatives.  The bicycle liberated women from having to wear 35 pounds of heavy dress (as was common prior to 1890s, before the golden age of cycling, around the time of the founding of my bicycle club). 

Viva Le Tour de France!

the Dog Days are over

The sunny summer heat in Germany has given way to crisp fall air and cold rainshowers. My biking time has grown shorter corresponding to our day length. I am totally missing my cycling club in Riverside, there is a meeting tonight and they are riding at the LA Velodrome tomorrow. My bike here is not fixed, nor is it good for off-roading, but it is PERFECT as a grocery-getter.

Fortunately, I have found a nice group of crazy American running buddies. I've called our pack the ICE Runners. ICE=Institute for Chemical Ecology. We ran last Thursday in the rain and this Tuesday I totally crapped out and slept late instead of enjoying the morning run-shower. Tomorrow is another day and I WILL run rain or shine since it is my last time running with my new friend Evan. My Nike+ wristband is totally useless for web-interfacing but still records mileage and pace. It's at 69 miles right now. My shoes have fallen to less than $1 per mile, so I can say that they have been worth the investment.

Mission Inn Run

Even though I've been commuting to work by bike, I haven't been on many "monster" rides lately. I did half of a big RBC ride to Tom's Farms last weekend but I wasn't able to finish the ride due to a time constraint. For some reason lately I've been more focused on running. Hmmm... psychological damage from the crash? Well at least the flesh wounds have healed. The alternate explaination is that opportunities to enjoy running have presented themselves and so I put a bit more time & money into that hobby for awhile. For one, I got a new pair of shoes....

The unbiased product review website http://www.productwiki.com/ says "The Nike Zoom Nucleus MC+ is a women's trainer shoe retailing at $115. It targets women who train or run long distances. It features a breathable upper with a supportive overlay design and a secure midfoot saddle to help keep users foot in a neutral position. Zoom Air™ unit in heel and forefoot. Decoupled Crash Pad helps reduce overpronation. Supportive shank, BRS 1000™ heel. Duralon™ and Waffle® Fill add cushioning, traction and durability. Nike+ enabled for instant workout feedback when used with a Nike+ SportBand or iPod® nano and Nike + iPod Sport Kit. Wt. 11.0 oz.

I got them because I was feeling some knee pain, and my new running buddy Ronly Schlenk recommended I replace my old shoes if they weren't cut out for long distance runs. I've been running about 5-8 miles per week throughout September and 10-15 miles per week throughout October. I'm not sure what all the stuff in that description means, but I did try on about 8 pairs of shoes in a store called Running Center in Redlands. The staff was very polite, respectful and helpful, carefully observing my stride in a variety of shoes. My old shoes were cheap ($30) and from Big 5 Sporting Goods (I got them on sale). According to MapMyRide, I started using those shoes 2/09/2009 and since then have put 139.86 mi. on them, making their price $0.2145 per mile. Hopefully these new kicks will help me kick butt and last long enough for me to justify the pricetag. And I know that footwear can't be expected to work miracles, but I am hoping this knee pain will be slightly alleviated. It might help if I stretch more regularly.

We (my husband and my mother-in-law and I) discussed during the race today our running goals. Here's what we came up with (1) that we would make team T-shirts with quotes on them (2) to do a 10K as our next event and (3) complete 4 half-marathons in 2010 as a team. If you have T-shirt ideas, if you want one, let us know because we're doing them as Christmas gifts. Talk about living! There's nothing more exhilarating than crossing a finish line with a cheering crowd and super-fast 10K runners sprinting past you, nothing more motivational than watching a sea of runners invading the streets of downtown Riverside for the sheer joy of running together, nothing more fun than running into friends old and new (Matt, Danny, Bernard and Alena, and Hugh) it was great to share this day with you; nothing is a more perfect expression of love than crossing that finish line together!

Road Rash => Rest Day

What can a cyclist do on a rest day? Write a blog post... So I'm on a complete rest day on account of I had my first crash yesterday. And am I feeling some pain today? Yes, I would be lying if I said I wasn't. Is it worse than my monthly menstral cramps? No. I am a bit sad that I won't have foxy arms & legs for halloween, but if it still looks gnarly I can dress up as a crash victim zombie and get some fake blood.

What happened? Well I'm still not sure, crashes happen really fast. What's going through my mind right now is (1) I ran 10 miles the day before and didn't get more than 5 hours sleep two nights in a row and worked long hours all week and I have slow reflexes even on a good day and therefore the bottom line is that I messed up (2) I got new tires and new brakes and this was my first ride after two major mechanical changes to my vehicle so the bike was to blame. The sweethearts I ride with keep offering to take the blame for me going down, but I'm just glad that I didn't take anyone else out. There is no ride worth going on if you injure yourself or someone else. I should have taken it easier that day.

What are my goals? Why put my body through this torture? What am I proving? And to whom? All these are great questions. The truth is that I don't know. I know I'm doing what feels good and right now I am training heavily. I enjoy the views and the outdoors and it brings me a warm and fuzzy feeling that lasts about a day-and-a-half. Which is coincidentially about as long as it takes for the pain from the exertion to fully hit my muscles. About the fourth day without a workout, I start to twitch and feel a pain in my muscles from not doing anything. If I go five or more days, I start to get really crabby at work and at home.

I just read a great article about how exercise can raise the baseline levels of both norepinephrine and dopamine. I think that's what I'm benefiting from. I know that without it I'm suffering. Everyone around me sees it, but I must endure. Luckily the cycling helps.

In the Interim

It's been so long since my last blog post, I had to look in the photo archives to see what I had been up to "in the interim." In August, we attended a bunch of parties, I worked in the lab a lot, yet I was able to log 250 miles between biking and running (4 runs). In September, my lab moved to a new building, we hosted a dinner party, I worked slightly less, and I logged 225 miles between biking and running (7 runs). Apparently though, I was not able to log in to Blogger and post anything. I was (and maybe still am) a little depressed. Grad school is hard.

My second time trial (Aug 29) was exciting, not as scary as the first. I got nearly the same time as the first one, but I didn't do any particular training in between them so it makes sense that I wasn't able to get much faster. I didn't mind winning the $30 prize for being the fastest woman in my age group. It didn't matter that I was only one of two people in that category. The important thing is that I enjoyed participating in it and I was able to reinvest the prize money into awater bottles, sunscreen, and new lights for my commuter bike!

My dear husband and I got to attend a fun party, the 3rd Annual Foilman (Sept 5) hosted by some fellow bicycle club members, Wade & Edith. It was a super-duper-sprint-Triathalon, complete with timers and prizes, but we just enjoyed being there and having great conversations. It was so relaxing and great for Mike to meet all (0r most) of my wonderful biking friends. It just made me realize how badly we need to get a bike for him so he can tour with us.

We also got to participate in the SmartRiverside Citrus Heritage Run (Sept 26) with family, my husband and myself along with my Mother-in-law and her husband. We arrived at sunrise and ran along almost the same route as the bike time trial. It was cool, shady and relaxing since I wasn't going for a personal best time. The point (in my mind at least) was to spend time together as a family and celebrate Riverside's history and beauty. There was even a marching band along the course to entertain and motivate us. Of course we had breakfast afterwards at the yummy Crest Cafe, which was the perfect way to end the race.

It's funny this year has gone by so fast. It's already the 10th month and time (mile by mile) has flown by! I've gone back to biking to school every day and trying to ride with friends or my club as often as I can. I've also tried to do Power Yoga at least once per week and I'm incorporating some interval training. People are asking if I'm sick or something since I've lost so much weight. I credit my genuine love for cycling and the support of my husband. Here are my updated stats from Map My Ride (prev. updated on May 18 post)...

Total Workouts in 2009: 157

Total Distance: 1,804.52 mi.

Total Burned: 82,030 kcal (approx. 23 pounds)

Gas Saved: 100.25 gallons

Money Saved: $348.87

Carbon Offset: 1,940.9 lbs. of CO2

My dear husband always asks me "What are your goals?" Like it's not OK to workout whenever I feel like it and do whatever feels right on that day. I'm not sure what to think about that. On one hand, I think I should just listen to my body, but on the other hand I feel like one thing I'm lacking is discipline and structure. One goal I have is to finish a triathalon. It doesn't seem right to have taken advantage of my relationship with the UCR Triathalon Club to get a sweet bike at a price I could afford and never actually use it in a triathalon. Hence the running. I also got a cap & goggles so I anticipate that I'll start swimming in the near future. TTFN.

My First Time Trial

Well, this morning my alarm chirped at 5:30am but I couldn't drag my butt out of bed until 5:47am so there went my extra 17 minutes. Was it worth it? Well I did get 17 extra minutes of being sandwiched between my husband and my furry little mutt Edna, so maybe it was just as well. It will become clearer later why this information is important.

I got out of bed and started getting the stuff I should have laid out last night together. Bike, water bottles, Clif bar, fruit snacks, cycling shorts & top, boyshort underwear, sports bra, cycling socks (not really but they said I [heart] my [dog] on 'em and I thought they would bring me luck), cycling shoes, wallet, phone, camera, house keys. I went into the bathroom and washed off yesterday's mascara, walked back out to the living room and put on fresh mascara and all-over sunscreen, SPF 70 on my face and SPF 30 everywhere else. All this time I was walking around naked and then I looked out my balcony and saw some people watching me in a truck parked outside my apartment. Got dressed.

About 6:00am, I decided I needed caffeine, made a latte, ate the Clif bar, drank the latte, played with Edna, meditated, read "Effective Cycling" on Time Trials one more time. Put on my socks and shoes, cycling gloves, helmet. Said goodbye to Edna, Mel and Mike. Somehow it was 7:00am before I left the house. When I set my alarm I knew I'd be lagging but I thought I'd hop out of bed rather than drag it out for 2 snooze periods. I knew I'd have to hustle a bit to get down there on time and I had rather wanted to "stroll" down there and warm up gently. It did feel good though, zooming down Victoria Ave with little traffic and only the thick air pushing back at me.

I got down to "registration" at 7:30am, but there was nobody there! Instead of freaking out, I headed over to where I read the "starting line" would be. I kept thinking I saw other cyclists in front of me but I think it was just my imagination because when I finally encountered the other riders and trial organizers, it was 7:43am and I was LATE. It's a reoccuring theme in my life, the lateness. I'm working on improving in that area of my life.

Luckily, they let me register anyway. A half-sheet form and $5 later, I was known as rider 115 (Kayla) and I was wearing my matching orange jersey and Mike's orange sunglasses, right down there in the orange groves where we got married. The volunteers ask me if I have a goal. I tell them that it was too much work to make a projection and calculate it and I didn't let myself lose any sleep over it last night. I think they were surprised but they agreed that it was better to be well rested.

I started eating my fruit snacks. It was hard to stay calm. It was only 7:45am by my watch and I had nothing to do until 8:00 when the trial was scheduled to start. So I started disassembling my bike. I took everything off that I could: water bottles, front/rear lights, watch and routesheet clip, bag with tools/spare parts. On second thought, I decided to keep one water bottle. I don't know why but later on I was glad I had it. I started watching the ants, hustling in synchronicity along in discrete paths across a dead palm frond. I started thinking about how this race would be just me & the road without anyone to draft behind. Yikes.

Since I still had time I started doing Yoga. This helped my nervousness to dissapate, to get my mind focused, and to get limber from the ride over. It felt good to do some deep breathing. I wonder if anyone has designed a set of stretching exercises for cyclists that can be done using the bicycle as a prop. If not, someone should.

Next thing I knew, it was time to line up and we were told a few things about the route. Pothole here, wide turn there, have fun. There were sixteen riders and I was second to last. So I'm standing there. And standing there. I do a few circles in the street. Car up. Circle again. Car back. Back in line. Standing there. I started talking to rider 116, who had followed me down Victoria in the morning. I told him that he's going to be following me all race too because there's no way I'm letting him pass. I decided it right then.

People started coming across the finish line. It was so exciting! I was cheering for them but I got in trouble because the timer and the secretary couldn't hear each other on either side of the start/finish line. But it was cool to see the other riders come in hard. There was a family of spectators with a cowbell that totally made me smile. The other two lady riders (besides me) were neck and neck, I'd say that was the most dramatic finish of all.

When there were about 5 riders ahead of me, I started to realize that it was time. There was no way that I was going to be able to quit. I was in the queue and it was inevitable that I would be giving it my all in a couple minutes. All I could think about was that I had to pee. Why did I drink that latte? Should I go now or later? Maybe I drank too much of my water? I don't want to feel cramped down there during the trial... So I said it outloud. "I have to pee." Rider 116 says "I'll hold your bike, go in the orange groves." Guess what I did...

I came back out and two other guys went in! I guess I started a trend or maybe we were all nervous. Two riders ahead of me. One rider ahead of me. Rider 115, are you ready? Yes. Secretary, are you ready? 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Go! I was hauling as fast as I could. That may have been silly. I got to the first turn and had to slow down quite a bit. Then I hustled to the next turn and had to slow down again. I was facing gravel, potholes and a large dump truck full of concrete in the oncoming lane (although stopped at a stop sign). It was intimidating and I slowed down a lot. Coming around the turn I saw the hill ahead of me and thought "maybe I should have strategized a bit more on my gearing here." But it didn't really matter.

I kept my cadence high and my breathing deep and regular. I put my upper body in a comfortable but somewhat lowered position for most of the hill. Towards the end, but before the turn, it gets steeper and I started to hurt. I thought, "maybe I burned up too much on the ride over here." Rounding the turn, I kept my cadence high and tried to visualize myself just hauling down the final straightaway and not letting 116 catch me. This is where I really opened up.

My thoughts returned to me when I saw a car on my left, wanting to turn onto the street I was on. Luckily, he saw me, but unluckily he was going my way. I decided to use it to make me go faster. I kicked it into a higher cadence and higher gear until I saw that sweet finish line. When it was clearly in view, I spun even faster and started really gulping air. Whew, when I rolled through the finish I was so amazed with myself. I didn't want to cry or anything, I just wanted to cool down and roll on home. I didn't really care about my time because I had no expectation to begin with. I finished 3 miles in 9 minutes 13 seconds which translates to 19.5 mph. That exceeds any previous speeds I've loosely documented so I'm happy with it. Now I have a time to beat. And 115 finished before 116.

When all entrants had crossed the finish line (including some of the volunteers) we took a group photo. I can't wait to see it because I know I'll have a glowing smile on my face. And I'll be surrounded by a truly great group of people.

One last topic, my knees hurt. I'm icing them now. I wish I wasn't. Any advice?