Uphills and down

Who would have thought that a little biking to get fit would have resulted in actual "training?" Well, folks, that's what's happened. I started riding my bike at the end of February. It wasn't long before I thought, "I could actually register for an organized ride." Easy enough, pay the fee and you're in.

Next step, find out where the ride will take me and drive that route. The route is 34 miles. I knew that. I have been riding 15-25 so I didn't see a problem with distance. Then, I got a look at the actual road.
OMG, what have I done?!
The route was riddled with hills. Not one or two, but many. That meant, I had to now think about my rides; I had to train to prepare for those hills. But where? Where could I find hills that would challenge me without deterring me? I asked other riders, including the guy at work that competes in triathlons and my older brother who does Ride the Rockies. Their suggestions were good but I thought I needed something different.
So, yesterday, I went back to the course I would face in 7 weeks. I parked at the bottom of a hill, unloaded my bike and mounted up. For 35 minutes, I rode uphill covering almost 4 miles. When I didn't think I had another hill in me, I turned around and headed for the car. It took less than 15 minutes to travel the same distance. Going up, my average speed was roughly 7 miles per hour. On the brief trip back to the car, I maxed out at 34 mph.
After I got my bike back on the car, I drove up the hills to see what was beyond the point where I turned around. To my surprise, I was a short distance for a long flat plateau.

I will ride again tonight or tomorrow. I will tackle those same hills again knowing that I have already done the worst of the ride. When I get to the top, I'll be rewarded not only with the satisfaction of having bested myself, but with a breathtaking view of the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

It's Easter, it's Spring!!

I am so happy that it finally feels like Spring out there.  It was Lucas' Spring Break this week so I took a few days off, too, in hopes that we could do some riding together.
I worked Monday and Tuesday and successfully rode to work on Monday.  The ride to work was a little dicey because I chose a direct route straight in on 17th.  I had to negotiate through traffic, no fun.  Determined to find a better way, I followed a bike route home heading east on 7th and then cutting over to Alameda between Monaco and Quebec.  I felt safer, avoided the traffic and was surprised to find that the route was a tenth of a mile shorter than the route to work.  Round trip was almost 18 miles.  Those 18 on top of the 23 miles the day before were all than my backside could take so I drove to work on Tuesday.
Tuesday night, we attended a class at REI on training for the long ride.  I plan on riding in the Elephant Rock Ride in June so a few tips from professionals couldn't hurt.  The session was informative but I left feeling a little intimidated.  I had not really thought about the other 1499 people who would be traveling the same way at the same time.  I'm not much for crowds especially when I am on my bike.  I am trying to put that out of my mind and just focus on my training.
Wednesday, we bought a bike for Lucas.  With it, I was confident that he could keep up with me and would enjoy riding.  On Thursday, we put that theory to the test.  We drove to Cherry Creek State Park to try a ride around the lake.  You might remember that I have not made that loop yet.  Each ride as gotten me closer to that goal but I hadn't yet actually entered the park.
We set out at about 10:30 in the morning.  The birds were singing and the sounds of nature were wonderful.  As we rode, my plan was to keep the water on our left.  We chatted some but also rode in silence, listening to the sounds around us.  On this weekday morning, it often seemed that we were the only ones in the park.  After about 40 minutes, the trail we were on headed out of the park.  Hmm, that didn't seem right.  I knew we were pretty far south.  Sure we just missed a turn somewhere, I turned us around.  I was worried that this might not be the positive experience for Lucas that I had hoped.  Well, God bless him, he kept his sense of humor.  We discussed our options at every intersection and traveled some routes that were not meant for bikes.  Eventually, we made our way to the Park Office.  There Lucas found a much needed restroom and I got an obviously needed map along with some explicit directions from the Park Ranger.  With renewed confidence, we set out for the trail that would take us around the dam and back to the car.  We survived the ride which was over 14 miles!  We could only think about one thing when we were back in the car.  LUNCH!
Saturday, I signed up for the Elephant Rock Ride committing to ride the 34 mile course.  Once I had paid my non-refundable fee, we set out to see what I was in for.  We drove the route.  It leaves from the Douglas County fairgrounds heading up a fairly long hill.  It then wanders around the hills east of Castle Rock and over to Franktown before returning to the fairgrounds.  As I drove up and down, up and down, I had one thought that kept running through my head.  WTF was I thinking?!?!?!
Training took on a whole new meaning.  I couldn't just ride to ride and clock miles.  I actually needed to prepare for these miles, crowds and hills.  #$%^!!
I am happy to say that the week ended on a high note.  Rather than celebrating Easter by overeating a wonderful brunch and a few chocolate eggs, we went for a ride with family!  We were back at the reservoir with Jim and Lynn.  We rode another 14+ miles but were never lost.  There were plenty of hills.  I was often the last to the top but I climbed those hills, I paced myself.  I did it.
I wrapped up the week with a total of 46.35 miles for the week.  That's a new weekly high.  And, for those of you keeping track, I have now ridden 205.6 miles towards my goal of 1855 miles! 

23 Miles to the Reservoir

From Drop Box

Yes, today's ride was 23 miles long and a sign of my frustration with the Spring snow that kept it cold and wet most of the week.  
On Monday, I rode 13 miles and found my way to the Cherry Creek trail  which would take me to the reservoir if I turned left.  Riding after work and racing against the sun, I knew I wouldn't make it to the reservoir that night and turned right.  The trail was very  peaceful for the mile or two I rode before getting to Iliff where I could connect with the Highline Canal trail that would take me home.  I make it home safely but without the benefit of the sun.  I cut it too close to make it home in the light.
Tuesday, snow.  Wednesday, schools closed and work delayed to 10am. Thursday, lots of melting slush.  Friday, rain.  Really?!  Saturday, cold but I couldn't stand another day without a ride.  It was a quick 6.75 miles but it was a ride.  I knew warmer weather was coming so I was satisfied. 
Today, I was committed to making it to the Cherry Creek State Park where the reservoir is the centerpiece.  I set out shortly after noon following the route I defined on Monday.  It seemed easier this time, maybe because I knew what to expect.  In no time, I made it to my trail-head and turned left.  Now, every turn was a surprise.  I admit that I was a little frustrated when I crossed Havana headed east and realized I was only about two blocks south of where I had been before I made it to the trail.  I  am not  much for doubling back on myself when I am traveling under my own power.  Let it go, I thought.  A few minutes further down the trail, I reached my biggest obstacle to date.  There was a fairly short but really steep hill.  I am proud to say that I didn't dismount and walk but must admit that walking might have been faster!  I needed lower gears than ever before to make that climb.  I reached the top winded and exhausted.
After catching my breath and taking this photo, I decided I could go further still. 

From Drop Box

I opted to follow the trail along I-225 to the west.  It wrapped around the dam and came to an intersection right by Cherry Creek High School and the entrance to the park.

From Drop Box

At this point, I considered my goal met.  I had ridden about 10 miles.  I noticed a number of riders who had driven to the high school and parked, unloaded their bikes and set out around the reservoir.  Cheaters, I thought.  Riding along on my moral high horse, I turned around to head back toward home.  I finished my ride by following Monday's route from the Cherry Creek trail to the Highline Canal.  By the time I got home, I had travelled 23 miles in about two and a half hours.
I'm beat but proud.  I'll sleep well tonight, which is a good thing.  Tomorrow, I plan to ride to work.

GPS for bikes?

Best laid plans and all that, I failed to get to the reservoir. Oh, wait, that phrase starts out "best laid plans." Perhaps that's where I went wrong. Mine were more "rough laid plans."


According to the map of bike trails throughout the metro area, I could follow Westerly Trail south and hook up to a route that would get me into the State Park and the reservoir. The problem was that the trail ended and the "hook up" was a little vague. I failed to commit the map to memory or to take the map with me and, instead, hit the trail confident that I would find my way.

Well, maybe not. I rode the trail to its end at Yale. I noted the sign indicating that the bike route was to the left. I traveled east for a block and turned south again. Within a couple of blocks, I came face to face with the stone wall that separated the community from the highway. I was looking for my route to take me under the highway and over to the reservoir (just about a half mile for the crow) but found only that the street I was on took me in the opposite direction. Now what?

I followed the road as it curved around first east and then north, the same route the highway took on the other side of the wall. My choices were to wander around the neighborhood looking for the secret passage, head west to the major thoroughfare that I would take if driving or abandon the reservoir plan and focus on logging miles. As I was listening to mountaineering expeditions gone wrong via audio book as I rode, I decided that the best plan was to ride for miles on streets and trails I knew rather than wander around hoping for direction.

I rode safely over nineteen and a half miles. I saw places I had never seen before and also traveled some trails I have come to love. I consider the ride a success even though I failed to make my planned destination. I'll study the map a little more and maybe try to drive the route in the next couple of days when they predict rain and snow. Next weekend, I'll try the route again. If I can't find my way to the reservoir, I'll shop for that GPS unit I can mount on my handlebars!

First day of Spring

It's Saturday, the first day of Spring.  I won't be riding my bike today thanks to a wet Spring snowstorm that blew though yesterday.  It snowed all day and into the night.  We woke to 6 to 8 inches of snow.
The sun has been shining today and its warming up.  Much of the snow has melted leaving puddles and mud to freeze tonight.  Tomorrow, we'll be back in the 50s or even 60 degrees.  I'll ride tomorrow sometime.  The only question is when.  Lucas has tryouts for a basketball academy.  We aren't certain whether that will be morning or afternoon.  We'll find out in the next hour or so.
My goal was to ride to Cherry Creek Reservoir.  I had planned to take the afternoon to do that.  If the tryouts are in the afternoon, I'll rethink my destination. 

Stalled by a flat

After my long and successful ride over the weekend, I was very excited to keep logging miles.  With several commitments on Sunday afternoon, I headed for storage in the morning to get in a little ride before my schedule could get in the way.  I was on my bike ready to push off before I noticed that my front tire was flat!  Arrggghhh!  Suddenly, my enthusiasm was as deflated as the tire.

I did my best to read the tire size in the dark of storage and retain those numbers until I got back home.  The numbers were not familiar to me even though I have been fixing flats on bikes since I was in 7th grade.  My experience was all tied to the sizing of department store bikes.  My new bike, purchased at an actual bike store, had 700x35 size tires.  I actually doubted that I had found the right series of numbers on the tires so I headed to the internet to confirm that was the size and not a model number or even a brand name.

With my ride canceled, I headed to Target for a few groceries and a new inner tube.  My hopes were dashed again when I discovered that department stores only sell department store bike sized tubes.  There were no 700x35 tubes.  The only solution offered was a $20 bottle of sealant.  I read the packaging and was encouraged to learn that the stuff would even work in car and bus tires.  I'd give it a try.

I didn't get to my repair until Monday afternoon, after work.  While I would have loved to be out riding, I knew that I was grounded until the tire was fixed so I hauled the bike up to my apartment, gathered my tools and broke the seal on my wonder goop.  Following the directions step by step, I successfully removed the cap from the valve stem!  Step 2, remove the valve core.  First question, what's a valve core?  Back to the internet for a quick Google search of "remove valve core."  My search returned a variety of consistent, clear explanations.  There was one particular explanation that I wish I had read early.  The author explained the process but noted that sealants are not really very effective and suggested that it was much easier and more effective to just replace the tube.

I pushed on successfully removing the core, pouring in the sealent and reinserting the core.  I pumped up the tire, and my enthusiasm along with it, and went for a test ride.  I rode five miles doing loops around my neighborhood before returning the bike to storage.  Yay, I had done it!

Tuesday was warm and sunny.  We had dinner plans with Jim at 6pm so I called to delay those to plans until 7pm.  I really wanted to ride.  Home from work, I dressed in my bike shorts and t-shirt, filled my Camelback, turned on my iPod and went to retrieve my bake.  At storage, I put on my helmet and gloves and mounted my bike.  Fwap, fwap...flat tire.  Damn!  The guy was right.  The sealant didn't hold.  With my head hanging, I headed towards home.  My choices were to dash to the bike store to get a tube before dinner, go home and sit in front of the tv and pout, or figure out how to save the fitness effort.  I entertained the first two options as I walked.  Then, I looked up and saw the fitness center at my complex.  I had the access key in my hand.  Just do it.

I mounted the stationery, recumbent bike and rode.  It's a lot harder to ride inside, no wind in your face to cool you, no hills to coast down.  I rode for 25 minutes and a distance the bike measured as 2.5 miles.  In the same amount of time on my bike, I would have covered twice that distance...but I wouldn't have sweat as much.  I got a good workout, elevating my heart rate and making my doctor happy.  I learned something along the way. 

When the weather is bad or the sun has set, I really don't have an excuse for not riding.  I can get my butt on one of those indoor bikes and ride.  It won't be fun.  It will be hard.  But, it will bring me closer to my goals.  I counted the 2.5 miles against my 1855.  I earned them.  And, if I logged a few more of those indoor miles each week, I will get stronger and fitter faster.

I plan to ride in the Elephant Rock Cycling event in June.  I have to decide soon whether I will ride the 34 mile or 62 mile course.  With more time on the indoor bike, the 62 mile course might not be so tough.  Today, I'll get some inner tubes and repair my tire.  I'll ride my bike today and tomorrow.  On Friday and Saturday, when it's cold and snowy, I'll get on one of those indoor bikes and I will push myself to go a little further or a little longer.  I won't like those rides but I think I'll like the results.

Distance Record

I rode east today on the Highline Canal.  I am lucky to live right on the canal.  This gives me great access to the trails that traverse the metro area.
Anyway, I have been riding 5 to12 miles routinely so, today, I wanted to push myself some.  Last weekend, I rode east about 7 miles before turning back.  Today, I planned to try going out 12 miles.  The weather was nice all afternoon. 
When I ride, I listen to audiobooks on my ipod.  My favorites are non-fiction adventure like Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.  Today, I listened to K2, another book about the challenges of mountain climbing.  As I was hearing about ice, snow and cold, I rode along the trail passing horses, prairie dogs and 3 golf courses wearing bike shorts and a sleeveless shirt.
At about the 11 mile mark, I was in the rural countyside.  I knew I wasn't far from my goal.  Then, I noticed some signage on the fenceposts next to the trail.  They read, "No Trespassing, Firing Range."
Goals are good but I had already gone further out than ever before.  No reason to push my luck.  I turned around and headed home. 
I ended my ride with 23 miles.  Two hours, 19 minutes of pedaling gave me a new record distance!  Yay!