Spring has Sprung

Sunday March 24^th – Tuesday April 9^th

To contrary belief I’m still alive and kicking.  In the three weeks since my last blog post, I've attended several spin classes, rode my trainer indoors, and have had several outdoor rides for a total of 240.68 miles since my last report.  I'm currently just outside Springfield Mo on I-44 heading west.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  1138.65

Total Miles Remaining:  1616.65

Ride Notes:  I’ve been able to get several outdoor rides in and that makes me very happy.  I’ve been commuting to work via bicycle about 2 times a week and I plan on keeping up that pace until winter hits at the end of the year.   This past weekend I did some exploring around Lake Zorinsky and I found several miles of single track that wind around in the grass lands and up into the woods and hills surrounding the lake.   It’s hard to believe that when just a few hundred yards off the main trail that I feel like I’m in the deepest woods of Colorado.  To think this has been right under my nose for years without ever knowing it was there.  I’m glad I stumbled upon this new trail system.  This week while walking the dog, I also discovered a single track trail that leads from my neighborhood and under the bridge on 180^th street into the main Lake Zorinsky trail system.   I didn’t go past the bridge as it was getting dark and rain was threatening.  I’m excited that I may have found a direct route onto the trails.

The Spring that never comes

Wednesday March 13^th – Thursday March 21^st

I attended 4 spin classes, rode on my trainer once, and rode outside 3 times for a total of 128.68 miles.  My current location is on I-70 just outside Greenville, Illinois approaching St. Louis.   This time next week I should be well past St. Louis.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  897.97

Total Miles Remaining:  1857.33

Ride Notes:  I was finally able to put in some real miles outside.  My first ride was a commute to work on Friday.  The weather started out in the upper 30’s and ended up in the upper 50’s.  On my way home from work I took an extra lap around the lake.  It started to go down hill from there.  On the weekend I took a ride on Sunday with high temps into the 40’s.  On the following Wednesday morning, my ride into work started with a temperature of 20 degrees.  I bundled up really good and only my fingers and tips of my toes got cold.  The ride home was in the mid 30’s.  Now we are expecting more snow this weekend.  When will it ever end?  I’m starting to think spring will never come.

Mother Nature is a bitch.

Thursday March 7^th through Tuesday March 12^th

I attended 3 Spin classes, took one short outdoor ride and rode inside on my trainer one time for a total of 71.85 miles this week.  My current location is on I-70 just outside Brazil, Indiana.  I will make it more than halfway into Illinois and be approaching St. Louis by the end of next week.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  769.29

Miles Remaining:  1986.01

Ride Notes:  Mother Nature slapped me in the face this past Sunday leaving several inches of ice and snow on the ground.  I was able to make my exploratory ride on Saturday showing me that the trail I would ride into work was free and clear of ice.  That is not true today.  L  The weather is warming up again, and we are projected to be in the upper 60’s on Friday.  I may get my first bicycle commute into work yet this week.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed and here’s to a warm melting couple of days.

The great melt off!

Thursday February 28^th through Wednesday March 6^th

I attended two spin classes for a total of 32.19 miles, rode my trainer three times for a total of 44.91 miles, and spun once on my home spin cycle for 22.49 miles for a grand total of 107.24 miles for this week!  My current location is just east of the center of Indianapolis on I-70.  I’m getting ready to make a slight turn south towards St. Louis.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  697.44

Miles Remaining: 2057.86

Ride Notes:  The weather here is starting to make a turn for the better, and with temperatures in the upper 50’s for most of the next few days I’m hoping the remaining snow cover melts so I have a clear ice free path to ride on.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to commute by bicycle to work next Wednesday.  This Saturday morning I will take an exploratory ride to see how much ice and snow remain on my route to work. 

I miss my Mother and I wish Mother Nation would give me a break.

Monday February 4^th through Wednesday February 27^th

I took Ill during the first part of February, and went on vacation during the middle part so I have not done as much riding as I would have liked to.  From Feb 4^th through Feb 27^th I attend several spin classes for a total of 84.53 miles ridden, and I rode my trainer several times for a total of 53.27 miles.  Despite my illness and vacation I’m still ahead of schedule.  I’m currently just outside Dayton, Ohio on I-70 heading west.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  590.08

Miles Remaining:  2165.22

Ride Notes:   I’m really getting anxious to start riding outside but Mother Nature is not cooperating.  We have had several snow storms recently leaving ice on the trail I would normally ride.  I’m hoping that in a few more weeks I will be able to start a regular outdoor riding schedule. 

This segment of the ride is making me a bit sad.  My mother died in Dayton, Ohio a few years ago of complications from lung cancer.  I miss her. 

Keeping myself fit and healthy is the biggest motivation on this ride for me.  I can’t help but wonder how things could have been different had my mother had the same mindset.  By next week I should push way past Dayton and the memory of my mother dyeing.  RIP mom, you are missed.

Groundhog Day

Monday January 28^th through Sunday February 3^rd

I attended 1 spinning class, rode my new spinning cycle once, and rode my trainer 3 times for a total of 88.56 miles this week.  I’ve moved out of Pennsylvania, through a small sliver of West Virginia and into Ohio.  I’m still on I-78 / I-76 heading west approaching Cambridge, OH.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  436.76

Miles Remaining:  2318.54

Ride Notes:  I’m actually getting a bit bored with my routine and can’t wait until I can start riding outside.  I kind of feel like I’m trapped in the movie Groundhog Day with a never ending cycle of dong the same thing over and over again.

I’m hoping that Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow and spring will be around the corner!

It’s a slippery slope I ride

Monday January 21^st through Sunday January 27^th

This past week I attended 4 spinning classes, did one short outdoor ride and rode my trainer 1 time for a total of 92.38 miles.  I’m still on I-76 approaching Washington, PA.  I should be able to work my way into Ohio by next week and leave Pennsylvania behind!

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  348.2
Miles Remaining:  2407.1

Ride Notes:  My legs must be getting used to riding this much as I feel good and my legs aren’t as tired as they first were when I started.  I’m very happy with my progress and I am about 150 miles ahead of schedule!

This past Friday I had to go into work at 5:00am so as a result I was able to go home by the early afternoon.  The temperature was a balmy 48 degrees for January and I was ready for another outdoor ride.  I got not more than a mile into my ride when I realized it probably wasn’t going to be a good idea.  I ran into a few lightly snow covered areas that were in the shade.  Those areas of the trail did not bother my riding.  However, where the snow had melted and froze again across the trail was the real problem.  The first patch of ice I encountered got me worried, but I thought to myself that I would probably only run into one or two more of these.  I was wrong.  It seemed like about every 100 feet of trail there was 20 feet of ice.  I turned around and cut my ride short.  I’m hoping for more warm weather to melt this damn ice!

Facing your fears on a Mid January bike ride

Monday January 14^th through Sunday January 20^th

This past week I attended 3 spinning classes, did one outdoor ride, and rode my trainer 1 time for a total of 76.81 miles.  This puts me just east of Bedford, PA.  From the street views on Google maps, this looks like some very beautiful country side to be riding through.  I’m still heading west on I-76.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  255.83

Miles Remaining:  2499.44

Ride Notes:  I took it easy, and only rode 5 days this past week and did not double up on Saturday or Sunday like I usually do.  I’m still making great progress.

This past Saturday my wife and I attended the 5^th annual Polar Pedal Bike ride.  This is an annual social gathering of bike riders that do a short 10 mile “party” ride on one of the MUP’s here in Omaha.  The weather was much warmer than in past years so the turn out was quite large for a mid-January ride.  This was a special occasion as this was the first bike ride my wife has done since her accident back in July of last year.  She said she was frightened a few times crossing some bridges that were similar to the one she had her accident on.  But in the end she faced her fears and pedaled on.  I am so proud of her!

Turnout at last stop.

Trucking along I-76

Thursday January 10^th through Sunday January 13^th

I had one spinning class and rode 3 times on my trainer for a total of 55.62 miles.  This puts me at a total of 179.02 ridden so far and plots me on the map at about 8 miles past Harrisburg, PA. I'm still heading west on I-76.

Progress Status: Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode: 179.02

Miles Remaining:  2576.28

Ride Notes:  I’m happy with my progress thus far and am way ahead of schedule.  My legs are feeling good and I am finding myself in the saddle a bit longer on my trainer than I normally ride.  I want to start working on increasing my pace and put my average speed to well over 16 mph on my trainer.  My plan is to start pushing bigger gears to build up my leg strength.  I may take a hit on average mph at first, but in the long run I think it will pay off.  My endurance seems to be strong, and if I had the time I could probably at my current pace ride for a good 2 to 3 hours at a time.

This past week I finished the rebuild of my single speed mountain bike.  The goal of that project was two fold. 

First I wanted to have my frame powder-coated to make it look better as the paint job was a wreck and was showing the 20 years of age it had on it. 

Secondly, I wanted to build my skills as a bike mechanic. 

It took watching several YouTube videos, asking several questions on http://forums.mtbr.com and buying the correct tools, but I was able to finally strip my bike down to the bare frame, have it powder-coated, and reassemble it.  Both of my goals were realized and I am happy with the end result.

If the weather cooperates I will be able to take it out this coming weekend for the 5^th annual Polar Pedal bike ride.  You got to love riding in the middle of January in the Midwest.  This would be my first outdoor ride of 2013.

Next Scheduled ride: Jan 14^th.  Spinning Class

Banking Miles and Tired Legs

Weekend Jan 5^th & 6^th

This weekend I put in just over 36 miles in 3 rides on my trainer.  I’ve passed Allentown, PA still heading west on I-78, making my way towards Harrisburg, PA.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode:  91.2

Miles Remaining:  2664.1

Ride Notes:  As I was typing this, I should have planned better and downloaded the Billy Joel song Allentown and played that once while riding.  On second thought that would be $0.99 and 4 minutes of my life I would never get back.  My time was better spent watching Storage Wars recorded on my home grown DVR/Media center.  The Brooks saddle is feeling good, but had to adjust the seat angle as I found myself sliding forward when I sat upright without holding the handlebars.

Next scheduled ride: Jan 7^th.  Spinning Class

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Monday Jan 7^th

I rode for 60 minutes in spinning class for a total of 16 miles.  I’m inching my way closer to Harrisburg, PA and am still on I-78.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule

Total Miles Rode: 107.2

Miles Remaining:  2648.1

Ride Notes:  My legs were feeling a bit tired in class today.  I’m currently ahead of schedule, and its tempting to hold back. I know that things will come up that will prevent me from riding in the future, so I push ahead.  Its better to have the miles in the bank than try to make them up down the road.

Next Scheduled ride: Jan 9^th.  Spinning Class

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Wednesday Jan 9th

I rode for 60 minutes in spinning class for a total of 16.2 miles.  I'm about 60 miles outside Harrisburg, PA and am still on I-78.  I hope to be past Harrisburg by this time next week.

Progress Status:  Ahead of schedule
Total Miles Rode: 123.4
Miles Remaining 2631.9

Rode Notes:  I had an awkward work schedule Tuesday as I had to get into work at 5:00am for a change at the call center.   As a result I was a bit tired in class today, but managed to push through it will almost maximum effort.  Cathy slipped on the ice at work and hurt her knee yesterday.  For the next week or so I will be without her at spinning class. :-(

I finally received all of the parts I need to complete the rebuild of my single speed bicycle.  This weekend I should have it all put together.  This was a really interesting project for me and my knowledge of how to work on bicycles has grown greatly.  I will dedicate a post just for this over the weekend.

Next Scheduled ride: Jan 10th.  Spinning Class

Happy 2013! Week 1

Happy 2013!

Jan 1, 2013

I’ve started 2013 with a great start to my virtual bike ride across America!  On January 1^st I did two indoor rides of 12 and 10 miles to work my why out of Manhattan and onto I-78 west. 

Progress Status:  On Target

Total Miles Rode:  22.33

Miles Remaining:  2732.67

Ride Notes:  I ordered a new saddle for my single speed bike project I’m working on.  It’s a Brooks B17 classic in black.  In order to break it in for spring riding, I’ve put it on my road bike which I’m using on my trainer for winter riding.  When I first opened the box and felt the saddle I thought it may be a bit hard, but after a few hours of riding on it, it’s surprisingly comfortable.  I will have more thoughts on this as I spend more time on it and break it in.

Next scheduled ride:  Jan 2^nd (spinning class)

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Jan 2, 2013

Spinning Class was a tough one for me.  I seemed to spend more time in Zone 5 than I normally do.  This must have been a side affect of riding twice yesterday.  I spent 55 minutes spinning for a total of 14.66 miles.  Still working my way west on I-78.

Progress Status:  On Target

Total Miles Rode: 36.99

Miles Remaining: 2718.01

Next Scheduled Ride Jan 3^rd (spinning class)

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January 3, 2013

I took it a bit easy in spin class tonight, and slowed down every time I approached zone 5.  I spent 67 minutes spinning for a total of 17.86 miles.  Still working my way west on I-78

Progress Status:  On Target

Total Miles Rode: 54.85

Miles Remaining 2700.45

Nest Scheduled Ride – Saturday and/or Sunday