back to biking and another first for Joyce

Well, this last week was not a great biking week for me. I was on-service for the first time in months, so it was a bit busy work-wise. The only biking I managed to get in last week was on the trainer in my garage on Sunday. I tried to be efficient and multitask. Since I'm a not-very-good subscriber to Netflix (I simply don't watch enough movies) and have had this new DVD for the last 2 weeks, I decided to watch my movie on my laptop while cycling on the trainer. Sounds like a great idea, right? The movie would distract me from the boredom of cycling in place for the next two hours. The laptop was some distance away from the trainer and the screen was small, but no problem. Then I started my workout and realized that I could not hear the dialogue with the whirly-whoosh of the bike's tires on the trainer. Still, not a problem: I put the subtitles on feature on the DVD and was reading the movie while biking. The problem came with the movie itself...I guess it wasn't a very good idea to watch "Hotel Rwanda" while attempting to bike. It was such a sad movie at times that I was crying, sweating, reading subtitles and cycling all at the same time. A few times I was just sitting there, motionless, engrossed in the movie. I just couldn't believe what had happened over there in Rwanda! It was also amazing that I hadn't heard very much about the genocide over there, which makes me realize the power our news agencies have over us. The news can really control what we see and understand in our world just by deciding the content it releases. Instead of hearing about Britney or Anna Nicole, let's learn about more important things in the world! Okay, sorry, this is a biking blog...

The good thing about taking a break from biking last week was that I was able to heal somewhat. The bruises on my legs are so much better, and the muscle that I pulled in my left popliteal area finally stopped hurting. It was nice to actually walk around without achy soreness for a couple of days.

Finally came off-service last night, so today Mel and I were able to get in some outdoor cycling. We rode about 20 miles (me, more like 19 miles) and even though it was a level ground at the Shoreline/ Bayland's Trail, the headwind we faced was incredible! We pedalled rather hard and went pretty slowly because of the strong breeze. When the wind came from the side of our trail, we had to grip strongly to our handlebars just to keep straight! I think my shoulders and arms will be sore tomorrow.

A not-so-momentous first also happened today: I hit my first people on the bike! Whoops! There was a couple stopped on the trail ahead and another set of bikers coming the other way. Mel was able to squeeze through the middle, but I panicked and did the very thing I was avoiding...falling over ON TO the couple themselves!! Amazing how it didn't hurt as much falling on to people than the hard ground. I think I mostly hit the girl, which was bad, because I was taller than her and fell on her pretty hard. It was a hard enough fall that it knocked my water bottle and bikeseat askew. I can't believe that happened! Oh well, the couple were nice enough, but I still feel badly.

I'll need to put that behind me tomorrow, when we go riding on Canada Road with Jerry, the coach for the California Coast Classic. I'll try not to embarrass myself too much!! (Or Mel for that matter!)

East Bay Adventures: March 25, 2007

First let me say that I am a bit disappointed that there have been no blog entries since my last entry 1 week ago! What's up Joyce and Dwight? :) I guess I should also admit that I am a bit disappointed in myself since the haven't ridden much in the past week. My original plan had been to ride 2 or 3 times during the week and then both Saturday and Sunday. Due to other commitments such as meetings and my paper I hardly did any riding.

I finally did go for a ride Sunday March 25. My original plan had been to go back to the Tilden Regional Park and do the ride that I had struggled with a few weeks ago. However, the weather didn't cooperate. Both Saturday and Sunday the park was fogged in and did not look very inviting. Despite the clouds and breeze I managed to get on my bike Sunday. I can't tell you exactly how far or how fast I rode due to more cyclometer trouble. I rode along the Ohlone Greenway from El Cerrito to Berkeley, through the streets of Berkeley, over the bike bridge to the Emeryville Marina. At that point, I stopped for a break and my tripometer registered 11.9 miles. When I started back again, the computer when crazy. It was reading MPH much faster than I was going and suddenly the miles were increasing more than I was riding. I stopped, readjusted things and it seemed to return to normal. I rode for 2 hours 45 minutes including a couple decent hills. The cyclometer read 33.3 miles, avg 11.9 mph, max 72.2 mph (man I am fast!!!!!). I think I rode about 30 miles at about 11 MPH.

I brought the bike to the bike shop to discuss this. They say that electromagnetic things like power lines can interfere with the computer. I guess I have a magnetic personality! Actually my ipod was part of the problem. I will have to be careful with puting electronics too close to the computer. I will keep close tabs on the computer for now but may need to replace it.

Hopefully this week will include more miles than last week. Next weekend we have our first ride with Jerry Kruse, our CCC trainer. Don't want to look TOO bad.

Steven's Creek/Shoreline Trail: March 18, 2007

The thought of getting on the bike today after yesterday's long ride was not too appealing. I woke up stiff with sore shoulders, neck, and back. When I put my cycling shoes on my feet ached a bit. When I got on the bike, my butt was sore immediately. What were we thinking, riding 530 miles over 8 days? Thank goodness I have Joyce to motivate me, otherwise I might have rolled over and gone back to bed rather than get ready to ride.

We decided to take it easy today since yesterday was a bit strenuous, especially for Joyce who broke the 10% rule. I guess she needs a remedial class in math since she was off by more than a factor of 10! I rode over to Joyce's (2.3 miles away) and we headed for the trail. We rode at a leisurely pace, averaging ~11 MPH. Of course I can't vouch for the accuracy of my odometer since it flashed speeds of ~25 MPH for a few seconds a couple of times and somehow the max speed is recorded at 54.1 MPH. As Joyce pointed out, if we kept that pace up we would finish a century in less than 2 hours! Joyce rode 16 miles and I rode 20 miles today. The ride was pretty enjoyable except for the aches and pains that increased along the way. It was a bit breezy but sunny. We saw lots of shore birds, some ground squirrels and jack rabbits. Joyce didn't even fall when we got startled by a killer flock of pigeons :)

I don't know about Joyce, but I was pretty tired after the ride. I ate a somewhat more balanced lunch today (turkey, cheese, avocado sandwich) and then sat outside for a while letting Forrest enjoy the sunshine. Then came the nap. It makes me wonder, can I take a nap after every ride? That seems to be my pattern lately. Now it is time to work on my paper, we'll see how that goes.

Another goal reached! (and breaking all the rules!)

Coyote Creek Trail

Today was a pretty big day for us! Mel and I headed down to San Jose and met Dwight at the San Jose velodrome. At first, I was only going to ride about 14 miles, keeping in line with the 10% mileage increase biking training "rule," since my most mileage previously had been around 12 miles. Well, the Coyote Creek Trail runs from Coyote Hellyer County Park in San Jose for a level 15 miles to Anderson Lake County Park in Morgan Hill. It is a nice, paved bike path that is listed as a 2 waterbottle ride (most likely for the amount miles, and not for any hills). It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and we started off at a nice pace, on a flat path, with very few distractions (such as tons of walkers or little kids to run over). So, the conditions were ideal! Well, we just decided to keep on going and going and going! We ended up cranking out around 31.5 miles round trip!! I am in serious violation of the 10% rule! I didn't fall, practiced my sharp turns, and the only mishap of the day was a near collision with some roller-bladers (whew, that was close!). I did have some eye issues (where are my soft contacts? note to self...must find, soon) and we also had a refresher course in flat tire changing! There was a little bit of glass or plastic in Dwight's rear wheel which caused a slow leak in the tube. Mel fixed it up, while I downed two Luna bars. I thought the worst part was the last 5 miles before the turnaround point as we headed towards the end of the forward trip towards Morgan Hill. After that, we cruised along at a good pace back to the velodrome parking lot, slightly coasting downhill and thinking about the good food we would treat ourselves to. We had the best post-bike lunch ever: 2 huge scoops of ice cream! Check it out...



So the major milestones of today were:
1) First bike ride with Dwight (yay!)
2) Most mileage ever for both me and Mel (31.5 miles, what were we thinking?!?!)...and our first 2 waterbottle ride!
3) Most amount of Luna bars I've ever consumed in 1 day (4 total bars: two before and two during) and most amount of bugs ingested (TNTC: too numerous to count)
4) First flat tire to be changed by Mel (strong work!)

After today, I also expect more blogs from Mel and Dwight, so I won't be accused of being a blog-hog. Okay?

Joyce vs. Nature!

Sunday, March 11, 2006: Canada Road

On this day, we were able to get out to Canada Road in Woodside for a bike ride. Because it was Bicycle Sunday, there were plenty of other cyclists around, even though by the time we arrived, the road had already been opened up to traffic. It was a nice ride, but I experienced my first bike malfunction when my gears got stuck...Mel's super-duper biking friend suggested lube for the chain.

That was only the beginning of my bicycling difficulties! First, here's Mel on Canada Road...

Tuesday, March 13, 2006: Steven's Creek Trail in Mountain View

Yesterday, we rushed home from work early to go on a little bike ride. Little it was indeed, since I was fighting against the natural elements! Both Mel and I were in a bit of a hurry since we wanted to get some mileage in before it became dark. I should have had something an energy bar and something to drink, because yesterday was just one fall after another. Not only were we in a rush, but it was breezy and getting dark. I took off my sunglasses and had so many contact lens issues! I'm going to have to wear my soft lenses from now on for the bike rides, that was horrible! I had a big crash in the middle of the ride- my bike and I slid off the trail and partly down the grassy slope. Grass and twigs were all tangled in my bike wheels and the chain fell off the gear things. Mel and I had to do some adjustments and the front tire also became a bit wonky (either it bent or the front brake got squished a little). Good thing I'm getting in the damage now because today is time for our 1 month baby check-ups at the bike shop. I would like to get my handlebars raised a little bit if possible, my chain fixed and for them to look at my front tire. We really need a bike repair/maintenance class after yesterday's experience! Good thing I'm taking my bike to the "doctor" this afternoon!

Canada Road: March 11, 2007

I know this post is a bit late but I want to be sure to document every ride so you know how hard we are working. Today we rode on Canada Road. Lesson #1, if you want to take advantage of bicycle sundays on Canada Rd. you need to get there during the hours that the road is closed (9-3). Oh well, the traffic wasn't that bad and the day was beautiful. My "super-duper biking friend", aka Jessie, came with us. It was great to have her along to push me a little. We rode 18 miles into Woodside, the houses were amazing! Joyce did a great job, riding about 12 miles. Good thing it is time for her bike's 30-day checkup, it needs some lube! Remember, next time it is ok to accept help from strangers, especially if they are fit, cycling strangers :)

Sawyer Camp Trail

Today was a warm and sunny day, perfect for a bike ride! We got up early (well, early for us), had coffee on the way, and went up to the Sawyer Camp Trail between Crystal Springs Dam (in Hillsborough) and San Andreas Dam (in Millbrae). According to the guidebook, it is a 1 waterbottle ride, running 12 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 250 feet. By the time we arrived, there were already lots of people (especially walkers and runners), but luckily they were concentrated mostly in the first few miles of the trail and not towards the end. It was a really pretty, shady/sunny, curvy ride. It was mostly flat in the beginning, but had one little hill at the end (at around mile 5) that really winded me. I'm still getting accustomed to the whole gear shifting thing, so it took me some time to figure that out. I'm sure we had a great advantage with our fancy road bikes, though, compared to the other bikers struggling up the hill. We took a snack and water break at the turnaround point and went back (with lots of downhill and me braking most of the way!). Along the way, we passed the Jepson laurel tree and the site where Captain Portola discovered the SF Bay. See, not only is this a physical experience, but we're also learning so much about the Bay area. It's educational. Not only that, we had an impromptu, casual scenic drive around the surrounding hillsides of Palo Alto while driving to and from the trail. (In other words, we got lost.) Unfortunately, the total driving distance was about 50 miles to earn our 12 miles of riding, so there's still some imbalance there. All in all, it was great...I achieved double digit mileage (better compared to last week's measly 6 miles), didn't hit any little kids, tried a hill, and only fell once! I even rode with a little boy for part of the trail when I was going slow...so he is my first bike buddy (unbeknownst to him, of course) besides Mel. Everyone seemed pretty fit and relaxed on the trail; some were nice and talked to Mel. So, this is what people do on a Saturday morning when I'm usually lying around in bed! Amazing!

See how pretty it was? The weather was great!

Here's us at the break during the turnaround point (mile 6)!

Tomorrow, we are biking again! It's good to keep practicing and Mel did great despite her recent cold. There's more pressure because Mel's super-duper biking friend is coming along with us. I think I will practice on a quiet stretch of the path while they do loops around me. Still not brave enough to tackle a 2 waterbottle ride, but I know someday in the future, we'll have to...

Finally, good weather!

As Mel mentioned in her comment, we finally had a chance for a little bike ride yesterday. We went to a bike path in the East Bay, riding along the bay from around El Cerrito to Richmond. It was a nice, sunny day and the weather was perfect! It was really pretty along the path, but I was mostly concentrating on not falling and not hitting anybody. I was pretty nervous since it was my first time riding my new bike outside the garage, but luckily, no injuries! I need to practice getting on and getting off the bike, as well as stamina on the bike, since I feel the positioning is a bit uncomfortable (my back, shoulders and hands are sore today). I feel like such a poser with all my new stuff and I can barely ride! I'm amazed by all the little kids on their bikes, going fast without training wheels! I need a little courage from them. I must admit, I'm a bit daunted after the first ride! It's hard! Will I ever be able to ride 70-80 miles a day for 8 days straight?? I'm going to keep practicing though and we'll see how it goes. If not this year, maybe 2008?

Here are some photos of Mel and me with our bikes before the ride:






Doesn't Mel look cute with her pink bike?

Today, I rode for about an hour in an empty, large parking lot of an office building near my house. There were no people, no traffic, and no little kids to wander into my way. I practiced starting, stopping and turning. I then rode around for a while for aerobic activity. I still have a death grip on my handlebars, but feel a teensy more comfortable. I will keep at it...

Tilden Regional Park: March 4, 2007

After yesterday's leisurely ride along the bay I thought I would check out a trail in my recently purchased book "Northern California Biking". This book rates the difficulty of the ride on the scale of 1 to 5 waterbottles, 1 being the easiest and described as "..suitable for families with young children, novice riders, or those wanting a casual, recreational ride..." Since I was closeby, I chose Nimitz Way and Wildcat Canyon in Tilden Regional Park. It is rated 1 waterbottle, is 7.8 miles and described as "mostly level with only one short hill right before the pavement ends at 3.9 miles. It is well-loved by every kind of rider, including those on tricycles and training wheels". I thought no problem, it will be a nice short ride on a beautiful afternoon. So I drive to Tilden, park at Inspiration Point and head off for my 1 waterbottle ride. I have the book with me in case I decide to convert it to a 3 waterbottle ride that joins another trail.

All I can say is that my definition of "mostly level" is obviously not the same as the authors. There were lots of ups and downs, and the "short hill" had me in my easiest gear going 5 MPH. I may have to ask the author if she has any 1/2 waterbottle rides! This was a humbling experience, and it made me wonder what I have gotten myself into. Perhaps it was payback for having teased Joyce about not breaking a sweat yesterday.

I guess its time to start working on the hills!