Day off

[bill_schubert]

When I was in the Navy I used to run 2+ miles every day just to stay loose with longer distances on the weekend when I had more time.  After a 15K in my late 40s that I could barely finish due to what turned into many years later a hip replacement, I started riding a bike rather than running.  I've tried to run a bit since then but it will never happen again.  Fortunately I love biking.  My rough calculations are that I've put in more than 50,000 miles on a series of bikes.  Probably more than that.  

While I ran the computer company a few years ago I would get up at 6:30 and ride 20 miles a day five or six days a week.  I think it kept me alive and healthy during the stressful period of learning about and surviving owning a small business.  

Getting my hip replaced a few years ago slowed me down some and I did not ride much.  Then year before last my opposite knee stopped me riding at all.  But Zoe made me walk until we routinely walk every morning without fail.  That kept me in surprisingly good balance and movement shape.  So now I'm riding again.  But oddly I've gotten older and maybe need a little more rest. 

This morning my mind says go, get on the bike.  But the other part of my mind says that was an hour and a half on the bike yesterday that ended in good old fashion exhaustion.  So maybe I need to take a day off.  

I'm taking a day off.  Zoe and I went for our walk this morning.  I'm going to go to the store sometime today and otherwise watch le Tour and Wimbledon.  Let all those younger bodies run around while I have a rest day for mine.

But tomorrow.  Maybe do a little longer on the road bike.  Take an extra water bottle and food and see if I can get further towards my goal of Einstein and back.  

Comments

[amw.livejournal.com]

Do you bike like a "serious" cyclist? I often see those road bike guys blow past me at a million miles an hour and i imagine they must get thoroughly exhausted. I think i cycle more in the "grew up cycling to school in the next town over" way, where i kinda womble along looking at the butterflies and stop to sit down and have a drink every hour or so. I'm wondering if that kind of pace will work for me or against me when i start touring.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

I'm probably more of a serious cyclist. I don't stop, don't really like to stop. I eat and drink while I'm riding and watch the world as it moves by rather than stopping for it. I'm not really fast. Riders in a group generally ride around 19 MPH. But riding in a pace line (non competitive peloton) is an entirely different feeling. It is great fun to take turns leading out and drafting. I've done a lot of that but most of my time has been alone and I average closer to 13 MPH by myself. More like 11 now days. That is on my road bike. On my mountain bike I've been riding trails likely at 10 or less. Fat, knobby tires made for the off road trails I did for a while have a lot of drag. I'm going to trade them in for more narrow kind of hybrid tires since I don't do trails/mountain riding anymore.

If you're touring then you get there and experience it the way you want to. The only requirement is you get to wherever you need to be at the end of the day. The time in between doesn't much matter how you do it. With paniers and pack the resistance is going to be really high anyway so excessive speed is not going to be happening much anyway. If I were doing it I'd plan a four day excursion fully loaded to get the idea of what a day's distance can be achieved. I'd also spend some time at REI. That is exactly what they specialize in:

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bicycle-touring-basics.html

Very good info.

[amw.livejournal.com]

Yeah, REI has some great info on there. I think i used some of their backpacking tips years ago too. Once my panniers arrive i will do a couple of test rides just to see how much they slow me down. My expectation is i should be able to go 50km (~30 miles) a day at least, since i've done that kind of distance casually on much worse bikes (like a single speed in China). If i can make it longer distances then that's fantastic, but i'm only banking on the 50. Hence the tent and water filter, because i'm preparing for a worst case of breaking down exactly half way between towns, then perhaps having to walk the rest of the way. I'm sure i could hike 50km in a day if i really wanted, but i'd prefer to leave myself a 2x safety buffer. I think this is my software side coming out - always set your estimate to give yourself 2x as much time as you theoretically could do it in, then you're prepared for anything.

Your mention of "leading out and drafting" is all jargon to me! I can't imagine it being enjoyable biking in a pack with other people. When those peloton guys zoom past they all look deadly serious (and i've been sworn at by some of them too, especially when riding a rental bike in places like San Francisco), so it's cool to hear they are really having fun behind the scowls!