So I rode with one of my favorite biking buddies today, Jeff - he's one of the first people I started to ride with on a regular basis many years ago - and is a constant source of support, always ready to go for a ride.
We used to ride all the time a few years ago - and today was a reminder of just how much fun it is to go for a ride with someone you connect with - we always tell fun stories, catch up on the latest gossip at our respective companies, chit-chat about life, etc.
Today's ride was not exactly one of our epic ones - just a short, simple ride - I did all of 7 miles today - and didn't feel quite as bad as I did on my first ride a couple of days ago - we rode for just over 1/2 hour (actual moving time, since I've setup my Garmin Edge 500 to auto-stop when my bike stops - cool feature!) - and I even "attacked" a few small hills. Well, perhaps "attack" is stretching the truth - a bit - but you get the idea - it felt like I was attacking those small hills. I'm sure an impartial observer would be asking why the old guy on the bike was moving so damn slow up that little itty-bitty bump in the road. But I was imagining it was more like climbing up Mt. Diablo or some other monster-sized mountain. Some day next year, I won't have to imagine anything - it'll be all too real!
When I talked to Jeff last night, he asked the usual - "Are you riding - or hiding?" - and for the last couple of years, it's been "I'm hiding!" - but this morning, he showed up promptly at 9:00 a.m. - and there I was, ready to ride! So we rode - and now I'm feeling better that I've done 2 rides in the last 3 days - exactly as planned.
Now I just gotta keep moving - or, to paraphrase the end of a great speech that Tom Hanks gave at the end of Castaway (one of my favorite movies):
"And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing (and riding). Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide (or bike ride) could bring?"
:)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Did I Just Do A Century Ride Today?
Nope. It just FELT like a century ride, unfortunately - my first ride in a long, long time. Too long, as it turns out. I thought that getting onto the Comeback Trail would be tough - but it's going to be even tougher, as I found out today.
The ACTUAL ride was only about 30 minutes long - and wasn't even 10 miles long (more like 6.5 miles) - and it wasn't even hilly - it was FLAT! And I still died... :(
I guess something happens once you get past 55 (the last time I did a real ride, I wasn't even a Senior Citizen) - I'm 56 now - so THIS is what's it's like to be an old-timer, I guess. Ugh! I have a feeling it's going to be a tad harder to pull off those extra pounds, too.
But here's the good news - my new Garmin Edge 500 worked really, really well - I love it - and will be posting all my rides up on the GarminConnect website, with my handle (polarlight) - so everyone can watch me go from "Mr. Slow" to "Mr. Go"... :)
But it's gonna take awhile - I figure about 6 months before I can point with any pride to any rides I do - but it looks like I'll get some help along the way - I've already heard from a bunch of my riding buddies - Chimene, Andy, Jeff, and Jason - and I'm sure they'll help drag my butt around, firmly attached to the saddle of my bike - and hopefully get strong enough to cause them some anxiety when we hit some hill (like I did at one time - a very long time ago!)...
So today's initial ride was nothing to write home about - but at least it's a start - and that's all it was meant to be. It would have been closer to an hour, but I got started late (work crap!) and then spent a bunch of time getting my new Garmin Edge 500 configured just right - I mean, they now give you 3 (count 'em!) different displays to toggle through - and you can even have the toggling through the different screens done automatically while you ride! - and each screen can have up to 8 programmable fields - and you can choose from about a zillion (well, maybe closer to 42) different fields - nice! It'll be fun to get home tonight and upload the data to my PC - or maybe I'll just upload to the GarminConnect website, since it has all my older rides (used to be called MotionBased.com) - I'll decide later...
So it wasn't a century ride - but in about 6 months, I plan on doing a *real* century ride - and hopefully, get in good enough shape to tackle the Santa Cruz Mtn Challenge next summer - but that's just dreaming right now...first you crawl, then you walk, then you run, then you get on your bike (and die) - and then repeat as needed... :)
The ACTUAL ride was only about 30 minutes long - and wasn't even 10 miles long (more like 6.5 miles) - and it wasn't even hilly - it was FLAT! And I still died... :(
I guess something happens once you get past 55 (the last time I did a real ride, I wasn't even a Senior Citizen) - I'm 56 now - so THIS is what's it's like to be an old-timer, I guess. Ugh! I have a feeling it's going to be a tad harder to pull off those extra pounds, too.
But here's the good news - my new Garmin Edge 500 worked really, really well - I love it - and will be posting all my rides up on the GarminConnect website, with my handle (polarlight) - so everyone can watch me go from "Mr. Slow" to "Mr. Go"... :)
But it's gonna take awhile - I figure about 6 months before I can point with any pride to any rides I do - but it looks like I'll get some help along the way - I've already heard from a bunch of my riding buddies - Chimene, Andy, Jeff, and Jason - and I'm sure they'll help drag my butt around, firmly attached to the saddle of my bike - and hopefully get strong enough to cause them some anxiety when we hit some hill (like I did at one time - a very long time ago!)...
So today's initial ride was nothing to write home about - but at least it's a start - and that's all it was meant to be. It would have been closer to an hour, but I got started late (work crap!) and then spent a bunch of time getting my new Garmin Edge 500 configured just right - I mean, they now give you 3 (count 'em!) different displays to toggle through - and you can even have the toggling through the different screens done automatically while you ride! - and each screen can have up to 8 programmable fields - and you can choose from about a zillion (well, maybe closer to 42) different fields - nice! It'll be fun to get home tonight and upload the data to my PC - or maybe I'll just upload to the GarminConnect website, since it has all my older rides (used to be called MotionBased.com) - I'll decide later...
So it wasn't a century ride - but in about 6 months, I plan on doing a *real* century ride - and hopefully, get in good enough shape to tackle the Santa Cruz Mtn Challenge next summer - but that's just dreaming right now...first you crawl, then you walk, then you run, then you get on your bike (and die) - and then repeat as needed... :)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Comeback Kid
Unbelievable. I was doing so good - and was in such good shape. Then, I stopped riding. Why? Well, it certainly started innocently enough (heard that one before, I'm sure!) - I simply got burned out when trying to desperately train for the Death Ride with a couple of my riding buddies - actually, it was just one main riding buddy - Ed. He's a great guy - and a really strong rider - especially considering he's actually a few years older than me. Ed was able to retire - I'm still a working stiff - and he had time to ride as much as he wanted - and he really wanted to ride a LOT, to see how well he could do on the 2008 Death Ride (he ended up doing quite well, btw!) - and since I had done the Death Ride a few times, I was trying to get psyched up for that really hard ride - but I was working at a new company (SeaChange) - and I had been put onto a really hot project - lots of fun - but also lots of work...
So I tried to meet up with Ed as often as possible - and tried to play "catch up" on the miles (and the elevation gain) that you need to put into your legs to ride a successful Death Ride (in this case, "successful" means just finishing it before it gets dark!) - but alas, I was trying to ride too much in too short of a time period - and I simply burned out.
Yep - I just burned out. I was on a ride with Ed - starting in Palo Alto (right near where the Noon Ride takes off most days during the week - a racer's training ride) - and we were going to ride up and over to the coast and back - I don't even remember the exact climb we did to get over to the coast - all I remember is that I struggled immensely to get up the climb that took us to the coast - and then *really* struggled to get back from the coast - all I remember was stopping about 1/2 way up this one climb we were on - and I just said, "Screw it! I'm NOT doing the Death Ride this year - no way, no how! I'm DONE!". And that was it - I crawled my way up to the top of the climb, then drifted back down to Palo Alto to our start point - put my bike back in my car and told Ed he wasn't going to do the Death Ride with me - I was done.
Really done. I then decided to stay off my bike for a month or so, to just get away from all the training and racing I had been doing. But that one month turned into two months. Then three months. Then the legs began to really atrophy - and I started thinking about how painful it was going to be to start riding again. So the three months turned to four months - and so on, until today - two years and six months later - 30 months off the bike!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
So now I'm motivated again - I've gained a BUNCH of weight (probably 30 or 40 pounds - I'm actually afraid to find out!) - and it will be really, really hard to ride again. But ride I will. I know I will. How do I know? Well, I'm going to use my blog to keep all my dedicated followers informed (all one of us!) - and someday, maybe one of my kids will read this - and use it as inspiration to get themselves onto some kind of exercise track - and make it a a permanent part of their life!
To be truthful, I know that one of them is already on the right road - our middle son, Mitchell. He is in good shape and is on a really good diet, too (vegetarian - well, actually, he's a pescetarian, since he'll eat fish for protein) - and I'm confident he'll maintain those healthy habits all his life - because I'm going to really BUG HIM BIG TIME if I see him start to wander away (like I have - a few times in my life, unfortunately).
And our youngest son, Grant, is really into surfing - which involves a lot of exercise, too - although he doesn't do it often enough - you need to find something to gives you some kind of good aerobic exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week. I plan on starting out with 3 to 4 - and then slowly increasing it to 5 or 6 times a week, like I used to do when I was in the very best shape of my life.
But our oldest son, Jake, is kind of like me when I was in my early college career - after a couple of years just studying for classes (like Jake) - and totally stopping any kind of exercise routine (in high school, you HAVE to exercise!) - I had gained about 20 or 25 pounds (just like Jake has now) - and one day, I decided to get myself back into shape - so I looked around and decided to choose biking - what a great choice! I hope that Jake (soon!) finds something, too - and then sticks with it all his life, to keep himself as healthy as possible. Because after all is said and done (are you listening carefully, Jake?), your health is the only thing that really matters, along with your relationships - but you can't have any relationships with people unless you are able to visit them - and do things with them - so if you're bound to some hospital bed and in the poorest of poor health, you can't enjoy the fruits of all your hard labor - or enjoy your family and friends, either - so get in shape, then STAY in shape - and have fun, living life to the fullest. Okay, time to jump off my soapbox... :)
But THIS time around, it will be a little different. Rather than try to keep on pushing myself to ride faster and faster - and harder and harder - and get back into racing - I'm going to keep it light - and fun. With the emphasis on "fun". Oh, I'll do my fair share of huffing and puffing (especially in these first few months that I ride again) - but I'll keep things "fun" - I'll only ride harder when I feel like it - and it won't be to try and set some new record (although I'm sure I'll occasionally test myself, just to see how far I've come in my comeback).
To get started on the right foot, I've just had my trusty Trek Madone 5.2 bike all cleaned up and tuned up at my favorite bike shop, Chain Reaction (in Los Altos) - I bought my bike at the Chain Reaction store up in Redwood City, since I used to work up there (at SeaChange) - but now I'm at a new company (Panasonic in Cupertino) - and the other Chain Reaction store is now the closest to me - and I'll be starting on the comeback trail tomorrow, December 1, 2010 - and my first ride will be really nice and easy.
Oh - and I will be recording my rides, as usual - and I just purchased a new Garmin Edge 500 cyclometer to assist me in my comeback endeavor - and I'm really looking forward to recording a lot of FUN rides - and getting myself back in shape. I'm now 56 years old - and I know what I have to do.
So here we go...again... :)
So I tried to meet up with Ed as often as possible - and tried to play "catch up" on the miles (and the elevation gain) that you need to put into your legs to ride a successful Death Ride (in this case, "successful" means just finishing it before it gets dark!) - but alas, I was trying to ride too much in too short of a time period - and I simply burned out.
Yep - I just burned out. I was on a ride with Ed - starting in Palo Alto (right near where the Noon Ride takes off most days during the week - a racer's training ride) - and we were going to ride up and over to the coast and back - I don't even remember the exact climb we did to get over to the coast - all I remember is that I struggled immensely to get up the climb that took us to the coast - and then *really* struggled to get back from the coast - all I remember was stopping about 1/2 way up this one climb we were on - and I just said, "Screw it! I'm NOT doing the Death Ride this year - no way, no how! I'm DONE!". And that was it - I crawled my way up to the top of the climb, then drifted back down to Palo Alto to our start point - put my bike back in my car and told Ed he wasn't going to do the Death Ride with me - I was done.
Really done. I then decided to stay off my bike for a month or so, to just get away from all the training and racing I had been doing. But that one month turned into two months. Then three months. Then the legs began to really atrophy - and I started thinking about how painful it was going to be to start riding again. So the three months turned to four months - and so on, until today - two years and six months later - 30 months off the bike!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
So now I'm motivated again - I've gained a BUNCH of weight (probably 30 or 40 pounds - I'm actually afraid to find out!) - and it will be really, really hard to ride again. But ride I will. I know I will. How do I know? Well, I'm going to use my blog to keep all my dedicated followers informed (all one of us!) - and someday, maybe one of my kids will read this - and use it as inspiration to get themselves onto some kind of exercise track - and make it a a permanent part of their life!
To be truthful, I know that one of them is already on the right road - our middle son, Mitchell. He is in good shape and is on a really good diet, too (vegetarian - well, actually, he's a pescetarian, since he'll eat fish for protein) - and I'm confident he'll maintain those healthy habits all his life - because I'm going to really BUG HIM BIG TIME if I see him start to wander away (like I have - a few times in my life, unfortunately).
And our youngest son, Grant, is really into surfing - which involves a lot of exercise, too - although he doesn't do it often enough - you need to find something to gives you some kind of good aerobic exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week. I plan on starting out with 3 to 4 - and then slowly increasing it to 5 or 6 times a week, like I used to do when I was in the very best shape of my life.
But our oldest son, Jake, is kind of like me when I was in my early college career - after a couple of years just studying for classes (like Jake) - and totally stopping any kind of exercise routine (in high school, you HAVE to exercise!) - I had gained about 20 or 25 pounds (just like Jake has now) - and one day, I decided to get myself back into shape - so I looked around and decided to choose biking - what a great choice! I hope that Jake (soon!) finds something, too - and then sticks with it all his life, to keep himself as healthy as possible. Because after all is said and done (are you listening carefully, Jake?), your health is the only thing that really matters, along with your relationships - but you can't have any relationships with people unless you are able to visit them - and do things with them - so if you're bound to some hospital bed and in the poorest of poor health, you can't enjoy the fruits of all your hard labor - or enjoy your family and friends, either - so get in shape, then STAY in shape - and have fun, living life to the fullest. Okay, time to jump off my soapbox... :)
But THIS time around, it will be a little different. Rather than try to keep on pushing myself to ride faster and faster - and harder and harder - and get back into racing - I'm going to keep it light - and fun. With the emphasis on "fun". Oh, I'll do my fair share of huffing and puffing (especially in these first few months that I ride again) - but I'll keep things "fun" - I'll only ride harder when I feel like it - and it won't be to try and set some new record (although I'm sure I'll occasionally test myself, just to see how far I've come in my comeback).
To get started on the right foot, I've just had my trusty Trek Madone 5.2 bike all cleaned up and tuned up at my favorite bike shop, Chain Reaction (in Los Altos) - I bought my bike at the Chain Reaction store up in Redwood City, since I used to work up there (at SeaChange) - but now I'm at a new company (Panasonic in Cupertino) - and the other Chain Reaction store is now the closest to me - and I'll be starting on the comeback trail tomorrow, December 1, 2010 - and my first ride will be really nice and easy.
Oh - and I will be recording my rides, as usual - and I just purchased a new Garmin Edge 500 cyclometer to assist me in my comeback endeavor - and I'm really looking forward to recording a lot of FUN rides - and getting myself back in shape. I'm now 56 years old - and I know what I have to do.
So here we go...again... :)
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