All posts by Mike

Yes, another long break from the blog

Personal stuff, Tues/Thurs 7:45am ride

It’s not like nothing’s happened to write about. The weather’s had its crazy gyrations, from mid-70s to a low of 28.6 a week ago Tuesday. Finally an ice spotting last week (not something we’d ever look forward to, but seemed strange, as cold as it had been, that there’d been no evidence). Three years since my crash on the black ice on Jefferson, with no lingering effects at all, aside from perhaps just a bit more caution when it’s 36F or below.

Weight has been creeping up a bit, as several of the Tuesday/Thursday morning rides ended up skipping the WOLH section, due to either running behind time or it just being a bit too icky out there. Hopefully that sort of thinking doesn’t prevail; one of the things you wonder, as I approach 66 in a week or so, is whether you recognize the point at which you’re just not doing the same things you used to do, or if it just happens gradually.

And there’s the transition from full-pandemic COVID mode to whatever it is we’re in now. On March 2nd we finally lifted the masks-for-everyone requirement, but staff will wear masks whenever a customer who chooses to wear a mask comes into the store. It’s a tough line, supporting those still very concerned about Covid, while accepting that it’s relatively-safe now, and we no longer have to get into mask debates with people. Most of our customers have been wonderful, but there have been a few… exceptions. I’m watching the R-eff number, which tells you how many are infected by someone with COVID. That number was .54 when we lifted the mask requirement (meaning, .54 people would get COVID from each new case); today, it’s down to .42. A good thing, that.

That’s it for now; about time to get the shop open on a kind-of-drizzly Friday morning. Besides, it’s getting really hard to type until it warms up a bit, as my Raynauds (circulation issue) causes trouble as higher and higher temps. Used to be it didn’t bother me until it got below 50. The good old days! Now, 65F and I’ve got issues.

Maybe I’m not riding far enough to feel better for more miles?

Ride reports (not Tu/Th)

No way around it, the first 10 or 20 miles of any ride lately and I’m feeling gutted. Not much in the legs at all, really ragged breathing (the two are likely related). Through last Tuesday I’d had 4 really sub-par rides in a row, finally, and surprisingly, breaking through on Thursday morning. And that was a bit of a surprise, given that I’d forgotten to use my inhaler prior to the ride. And who knows, maybe not using the inhaler is an indication that albuterol could be doing me more harm than good. Why? Thursday morning, my heart rate was rock solid steady, responding exactly to effort. When using the inhaler, for the first hour or so of any ride, my heart rate goes a bit wonky with effort, spiking at random times. My pulmonologist said that’s normal; I’m sure it is. But maybe it’s interfering with maintaining a consistent effort?

Or maybe I just need to force myself to ride more than 43 miles on a Sunday? Maybe the short loops either up West Alpine or San Gregorio/Tunitas just don’t cut it Maybe targeting my 120 mile/week goal isn’t the right thing to do; instead I should be treating that as an absolute minimum. Who knows, maybe I need to add some Zwift trainer miles in the evenings?

OK, back to today’s ride. Got off to the usual late start, hoping it would warm up a bit. Maybe it did; mid-50s up Old LaHonda, 51 on the way out to the coast, 46 on the upper parts of Tunitas. A far cry from last Sunday’s mid-70s for sure! Took it easy up Old LaHonda, and not by choice. A bit of a headwind out to the coast, but no big deal, just sit behind Kevin’s wheel. No shame in that anymore. Nice cup of coffee and “Miami-style pastry” from the San Gregorio store, then up Stage and over Tunitas. I felt pretty awful going into the first part of Tunitas but started feeling better after the bridge. Much better than the other way around! Kevin still left me in the dust, and waited for me at the grassy knoll. From there it was all about just hanging onto his wheel, which, somehow, I did.