John's Ramblings » interurban_trail

Use It or Lose It

John — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:29:14 +0000

Tuesday/Thursday night rides in the Kent/Auburn Valley.
Lights Required / Fenders & Mudflaps greatly appreciated!

Skipped the STP

John — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:04:49 +0000

Ridden it twice, and told myself last year that I wouldn’t do it again for a while. Probably a good decision, as we were up pretty late last night after attending a concert by Stevie Wonder. I would have been hard pressed to be up and rolling at the crack of dawn, given that we didn’t get to bed until 1:30 a.m. or so. Still, I had to run out this morning at 7 to get coffee (we were out), and dozens of riders were riding down West Valley Hwy. in waves while I got my bucket of black-lightning at the Bigfoot Espresso. I waxed nostalgic to do the ride for about 30 minutes, or the time it took to get home, kick off my clothes and park my coffee-sipping ass in front of the tv to watch Le Tour.

I’m on the hook for doing some smokey ribs for the neighbor’s party tonight, so I slipped out for a quick loop on the bike before I fire up the BBQ. The Green River Trail is compromised on the west by the levee repair, and the Interurban is cluttered with people and strollers because it’s Kent Conucopia Days. Go home, people, you are in my way!

I’ll try to get to bed at a decent hour tonight, and maybe head up to Sunrise on Mt. Rainier for a little solo torture. I’m still fighting a bit of upper respiratory congestion… nothing too malevolent, but I must hack and spit every 50 yards or so, an activity much better performed in solitude.

Under the weather

John — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:55:49 +0000

Last Tuesday, I went on my usual night ride out of Cycle Therapy in Kent. I wasn’t feeling all that sharp, as I was getting the first twinges of the malaise. I went anyway. My riding friends made sure I fully utilized the time by having me do the entire ride at a brisk pace. The crowning touch is where we cranked it up for the home stretch at 27 mph, including my turn pulling. I was SO on the rivet that once I got my legs going fast enough to exceed 26 mph, I couldn’t keep them from randomly going 27, 28, or 29. I waved myself off just before the point of nausea. I’m not sure if this helped or hindered my battle with malaise, but I’m betting on the latter.

Wednesday I was a fully-fledged sick-boy. I was coughing stuff that wouldn’t, and generally feeling like hammered rat shit. The weather cooperated, producing thunder and lighting for the next 24 hours that would have made riding foolhardy (in my mind, anyway). Soon enough the weather improved, but my condition did not. It wasn’t until last night that I even felt capable of doing some saddle time, and it was only moderate in pace and length. Between the days spent out-of-the-saddle and the illness, I’m pretty well convinced that my training is in the toilet, and I’ll spend the rest of the summer playing “Lanterne Rouge” on every group ride I partake in.

But last night was beautiful… 80+ degrees and clear skies. I opted for a rehab ride over the normal bike shop ride. A friend from my spin class days is rehabbing a knee, which worked out pretty well for the rehab of my upper respiratory system. It was a nice little social ride, and probably exactly the exertion level I should have been doing… no more. Still, I’m thinking “I’m really going to suck when I have to cross the continental divide this summer”. So be it. It was still a nice ride.

The month of June-uary continues

John — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:53:13 +0000

Terri and I were scheduled to lead a Newcomer’s Ride for Cascade Bicycle Club on Sunday morning. We were fortunate to have a small intermission in our crappy weather; it wasn’t raining. It was cold and overcast and the wind was out of the south at about 12 mph. Not ideal conditions, but workable.

We had 8 total riders, however 4 of them ended up being Cascade Ride Leaders (a couple of other leaders came out for an easy spin). Note how everyone is bundled up with long sleeves and/or jackets, and full-length pants. This weather is getting to be a bit much. Come on summer, it’s mid-June for cryin’ out loud!