Amie, Michael and I discovered a nice little single track trail real close to home. I'm not sure of the official name of the trail, but it is in the Dimple Dell gulch. It is a trail that is shared with walkers, runners, and equestrians. All of which we ran into. It was not crowded at all. Just two walkers, one runner and one gal on a horse. It was a nice ride with some technical areas. This is the first MTB ride on the new XC Comp. I rode the whole trail in full suspension. I love the new bike, it handled all the obsticles beautifully. We had to turn back after about 30 minutes because Michael had to go to work. I can see that this is a trail I will ride many times this summer.
On Thursday I rode hills. Uggh. I rode south from Channing Hall on 150 East and 13500 South. Just past Harmon's the rode goes uphill pretty steeply. It almost turned into a puke hill for me, but I rode all the way to the top near the Chevron station. I briefly considered hooking up with Traverse Ridge Road to see how far I could go before passing out, but thought better of it. I rode down Highline drive and then hooked up with the PRT and rode to Draper park. I opted to climb up the short hill to 12300 South. The ride down 12300 is always fun. Unfortunately, I got a flat on the front near 700 East. Swapped out tubes and headed home. Went for a short ride later while Amie jogged along the PRT from Draper Park. Guess what. Another flat. I hade flat tires. Went to Wal-Mart and bought a slime tube for the front.
I patched the first flat, it had 5 holes. The second flat had 3. Now I am riding with slime tubes front and back. I hope I can say goodbye to flats.
I have a few rides that I haven't logged, I'll just list the milage for them.
4/8
Distance: 5.9 and 3.6
Time in saddle: 35:07 and 49:31
4/9
Distance 16.2 miles
Time in saddle: 1:39:00
4/15
Distance: 8.6 and 3.5
Time in saddle: 1:03:00 and 29:18
4/16
Distance: 2.8
Time in saddle: 45:00
2010:
Distance: 111.0 miles
Time in saddle: 12:33:01
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
A great week overall
Ok, so it was pretty shitty week weather wise. That seems to be behind us now, at least for a while. Today was chilly, but sunny. Beautiful day for a ride or two.
First ride; Weight Watchers meeting. It was only a 3.3 mile round trip, but at least it was something. I had a great week point tracking wise, even with Easter. I lost 7.2 pounds from last week. It kind of makes up for the previous two where I gained weight. It feels nice to be back on track.
A little later in the day, Amie and I went for a longer ride along the Porter Rockwell trail heading south. It was georgeous. It got down down right cold when the sun disappeared behind a cloud. We had to stop by Canyon Bicycle to get Amie some pant straps, then continued along the trail. We spent a total of 1 hour and 19 minutes riding. We covered 12.2 miles of gently rolling paved trail. It was nice to spend some outdoor time with her.
If the weather holds, I will ride to work tomorrow night. I am going to sign up for the five mile pass MTB race on May 1st. I need to get my legs and lungs into the game a bit more.
Today
Distance: 15.5 miles
Time in saddle: 1:39:42
2010
Distance: 70.4 miles
Time in saddle: 7:12:05
Weight: 272.4
Down this week: 7.2
Total down: 8.8 (only 91.2 to go)
First ride; Weight Watchers meeting. It was only a 3.3 mile round trip, but at least it was something. I had a great week point tracking wise, even with Easter. I lost 7.2 pounds from last week. It kind of makes up for the previous two where I gained weight. It feels nice to be back on track.
A little later in the day, Amie and I went for a longer ride along the Porter Rockwell trail heading south. It was georgeous. It got down down right cold when the sun disappeared behind a cloud. We had to stop by Canyon Bicycle to get Amie some pant straps, then continued along the trail. We spent a total of 1 hour and 19 minutes riding. We covered 12.2 miles of gently rolling paved trail. It was nice to spend some outdoor time with her.
If the weather holds, I will ride to work tomorrow night. I am going to sign up for the five mile pass MTB race on May 1st. I need to get my legs and lungs into the game a bit more.
Today
Distance: 15.5 miles
Time in saddle: 1:39:42
2010
Distance: 70.4 miles
Time in saddle: 7:12:05
Weight: 272.4
Down this week: 7.2
Total down: 8.8 (only 91.2 to go)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Another cold, windy day.
It was another cold, windy day. I just couldn't bring myself to tackle hills today, so I opted for an easy ride along the Porter Rockwell trail to the Trax station on 10000 South. I had a head wind going north. I had to stop to put on my jacket. Brr. It was a short ride, but I'm glad I got out and did it. I almost didn't when I realized how cold it was out.
I mentioned a new decision the other day. I had decided not to try to take on Lotoja this year. I am just not prepared. I don't have a team put together, and since I chose getting a new mountain bike instead of a road bike, I don't have the right equipment.
I have decided to start riding in MTB races. The first is May 1st. This will be my first bike race. Looking forward to it. More on that later.
Today:
Distance: 5.2
Time in saddle: 31:34
2010:
distance 54.9
Time in saddle: 5:32:23
I mentioned a new decision the other day. I had decided not to try to take on Lotoja this year. I am just not prepared. I don't have a team put together, and since I chose getting a new mountain bike instead of a road bike, I don't have the right equipment.
I have decided to start riding in MTB races. The first is May 1st. This will be my first bike race. Looking forward to it. More on that later.
Today:
Distance: 5.2
Time in saddle: 31:34
2010:
distance 54.9
Time in saddle: 5:32:23
Crappy weather equals crappy ride
Yesterday I decided to try to get in a ride before the weather turned to total crap. I had a Wii game to return to Blockbuster, so I thought I would just head out on the new bike. I rode up 11400 South to 1300 East where I turned south toward 12300.
Just about the time I turned the corner, all hell broke loose. I was suddenly faced with 30+ mile per hour winds blowing directly in my face. "No problem", I thought "this section is all downhill." Ha. I usually coast down this hill and have an enjoyable time. I actually had to pedal just to make it to the bottom of the hill. On top of that, 30 seconds into the downhill ride hail started pelting me. Yuck.
I had on shorts and a long sleeve biking shirt. I was soon drenched in very cold water. I made it to Blockbuster and dropped off the game. I took my time inside of Blockbuster trying to warm up a bit. When I came back out the hail had mercifully stopped, but it was still pretty chilly.
I high tailed it back home as quick as I could. I would have liked to have had a bit of a longer ride, but it wasn't to be.
April 5:
Distance: 5.9 miles
Time in saddle: 39:33
2010:
Distance: 49.7 miles
Time in saddle: 5:00:49
Just about the time I turned the corner, all hell broke loose. I was suddenly faced with 30+ mile per hour winds blowing directly in my face. "No problem", I thought "this section is all downhill." Ha. I usually coast down this hill and have an enjoyable time. I actually had to pedal just to make it to the bottom of the hill. On top of that, 30 seconds into the downhill ride hail started pelting me. Yuck.
I had on shorts and a long sleeve biking shirt. I was soon drenched in very cold water. I made it to Blockbuster and dropped off the game. I took my time inside of Blockbuster trying to warm up a bit. When I came back out the hail had mercifully stopped, but it was still pretty chilly.
I high tailed it back home as quick as I could. I would have liked to have had a bit of a longer ride, but it wasn't to be.
April 5:
Distance: 5.9 miles
Time in saddle: 39:33
2010:
Distance: 49.7 miles
Time in saddle: 5:00:49
Monday, April 5, 2010
Been a long time....
It's been almost a month since my last post. Lots of new things happening, and a new decision too.
The last ride I took on March 11, my bicycle had a few mishaps. First, the front derialeur quit working (it turns out the cable had worn through it's housing). I did manage to get it into mid range and kept it there. Also, the rear deraileur would not shift into either high or low gear. It made for an interesting ride on the hills. Oh yeah, finally, I got a flat tire on the ride which I fixed with the can of fix a flat I carry.
Last week I finally got around to getting the bike into the shop for a much needed tune up. I took it to Canyon Bicycle (I love those guys). They had it for a few days and did a great job tuning it and replacing cables. I tested it in the parking lot and everything worked just great. Back to training for the Lotoja I thought. After I paid for the repair, the boys wanted to test ride a couple of new bikes so we were there for a while. We were getting ready to leave and Amie said "Have you looked at a new bike for yourself lately?" Which, of course, I had. I showed her one that I was looking at when I dropped the Giant off. She told me that I should take it out for a test ride. I did, I loved it.
I loaded the Giant into the van and started to back out. Amie said "I think you should go get your new bike". I thought about it for a few second and back into the store I went. I loaded the new bike into the van and home we went. Unfortunately, I had to work that night so I didn't get a chance to take it for a good ride. That came later.
Here is a link to the specs of the new bike.
Here is a picture of it:
I love it.
That was Friday, April 2nd. I took it out for a short ride Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday's ride was up 11400 South to 1700 East, then south/west on what turns into 12300 South, north on 300 East and back home. Big uphill from home to 1700 East.
Sunday, I was put on call so I rode most of the way home from Amie's Grandparents house. West on 3900 South to State Street. South on State until 8000 South. East to the road that runs parallel to Trax. Flat rear tire at about 8200 South. My can of fix-a-flat was only half full from when I got the flat on the Giant. There wasn't enough in the can to fully inflate the flat. It was too late and too cold to mess with it so I called Amie and she picked me up.
I spent Sunday night putting a new super thick slime tube on the new ride. While I was in repair mode, I put a super thick slime tube on the rear tire on Amie's bike (it was flat too). Hopefully, I won't be dealing with flat tires again anytime soon.
Saturday:
Distance: 7.3 miles
Time in saddle: 45:30
Sunday:
Distance: 10.0 miles
Time in saddle: 58:51
2010:
Distance: 43.8 miles
Time in saddle: 4:21:16
The last ride I took on March 11, my bicycle had a few mishaps. First, the front derialeur quit working (it turns out the cable had worn through it's housing). I did manage to get it into mid range and kept it there. Also, the rear deraileur would not shift into either high or low gear. It made for an interesting ride on the hills. Oh yeah, finally, I got a flat tire on the ride which I fixed with the can of fix a flat I carry.
Last week I finally got around to getting the bike into the shop for a much needed tune up. I took it to Canyon Bicycle (I love those guys). They had it for a few days and did a great job tuning it and replacing cables. I tested it in the parking lot and everything worked just great. Back to training for the Lotoja I thought. After I paid for the repair, the boys wanted to test ride a couple of new bikes so we were there for a while. We were getting ready to leave and Amie said "Have you looked at a new bike for yourself lately?" Which, of course, I had. I showed her one that I was looking at when I dropped the Giant off. She told me that I should take it out for a test ride. I did, I loved it.
I loaded the Giant into the van and started to back out. Amie said "I think you should go get your new bike". I thought about it for a few second and back into the store I went. I loaded the new bike into the van and home we went. Unfortunately, I had to work that night so I didn't get a chance to take it for a good ride. That came later.
Here is a link to the specs of the new bike.
Here is a picture of it:
I love it.
That was Friday, April 2nd. I took it out for a short ride Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday's ride was up 11400 South to 1700 East, then south/west on what turns into 12300 South, north on 300 East and back home. Big uphill from home to 1700 East.
Sunday, I was put on call so I rode most of the way home from Amie's Grandparents house. West on 3900 South to State Street. South on State until 8000 South. East to the road that runs parallel to Trax. Flat rear tire at about 8200 South. My can of fix-a-flat was only half full from when I got the flat on the Giant. There wasn't enough in the can to fully inflate the flat. It was too late and too cold to mess with it so I called Amie and she picked me up.
I spent Sunday night putting a new super thick slime tube on the new ride. While I was in repair mode, I put a super thick slime tube on the rear tire on Amie's bike (it was flat too). Hopefully, I won't be dealing with flat tires again anytime soon.
Saturday:
Distance: 7.3 miles
Time in saddle: 45:30
Sunday:
Distance: 10.0 miles
Time in saddle: 58:51
2010:
Distance: 43.8 miles
Time in saddle: 4:21:16
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Another ride today
I went for a bit longer of a ride today. I spent a fair amount of time on hills. I rode west on 11400 Southunder the freeway through the construction. What a mess. I cut through the neighboorhood south of 11400 and picked up the Jordan River Parkway trail. I wanted to se what parts of the trail were open this early in the year. I rode north until the trail was closed due to construction at about 11400. It was a bit frustrating because I could see that the path continued past the construction but I could not access it.
I turned around and headed south, thinking I would ride to 13200 south. When I got to the underpass under 12300, the trail was closed yet again due to construction. I decided to take the western spur to see where that led. After going a couple of miles (and through several dirt sections), the trail terminated in a neighboorhood. I rode from there to the Tithing Hill neighboorhood. That was almost all uphill. About a miles worth. It was a good test for my legs. My lungs did great, but I felt the burn. I cut through Tithing hill and back down to the river trail. The road down was a steep surface street with no traffic. I let loose and picked up speed. I maxed out at nearly 35 mph. Fun, fun, fun.
From there I headed back home. Two more stretches of uphill rides before coming home.
Today:
Distance: 12.3 miles
Time in saddle: 1:18:00
2010:
Distance: 26.5 miles
Time in saddle: 2:36:55
I turned around and headed south, thinking I would ride to 13200 south. When I got to the underpass under 12300, the trail was closed yet again due to construction. I decided to take the western spur to see where that led. After going a couple of miles (and through several dirt sections), the trail terminated in a neighboorhood. I rode from there to the Tithing Hill neighboorhood. That was almost all uphill. About a miles worth. It was a good test for my legs. My lungs did great, but I felt the burn. I cut through Tithing hill and back down to the river trail. The road down was a steep surface street with no traffic. I let loose and picked up speed. I maxed out at nearly 35 mph. Fun, fun, fun.
From there I headed back home. Two more stretches of uphill rides before coming home.
Today:
Distance: 12.3 miles
Time in saddle: 1:18:00
2010:
Distance: 26.5 miles
Time in saddle: 2:36:55
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Weigh in today
Yesterday I went to the gym. Rode the Expresso for 36 minutes which was 9 miles. After the bike, I hopped on the treadmill for about 30 minutes. It was a pretty decent workout. I shot hoops for about 25 minutes after that. I was getting so frustrated. I did nothing but free throws. I could not seem to make more than 2 in a row. I made two in a row several times, but choked after that. I would like to get up to 10 in a row. Speaking of basketball, I am thinking about pursuing a goal I have had for 30 plus years. I want to slam dunk a basketball. I know that I need to lose a lot of weight and train the right muscles to make it happen. I'm thinking maybe in about a year or so.
I was ready to ride to work last night, but Amie talked me out of it. It was drizzling and she thought I would not be safe. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to start riding to work.
I went to Weight Watchers today to weigh in after following the plan for 1 week. I was down an incredible 8.6 pounds. It is still unbeleiveable to me. Amie told me that I should feel good about my accomplishments. I told her I would be happy when I started seeing results. She replied that clearly I was seeing results. She has no idea what "results" means to me. After nearly 20 years of marriage, I still find it hard to believe that she can be so clueless when it comes to what is important to me.
Anyway it was a good week with eating. I purposefully let myself get very very hungry on several occassions. I need to learn to be OK with what feeling hungry is. I think I can get used to it with some practice.
Looking forward to a nice long bike ride tomorrow. We cancelled our obligations to the boys' classrooms so, I should have plenty of time to pull it off. I am aiming for 15+ miles.
New weight: 272.6
I was ready to ride to work last night, but Amie talked me out of it. It was drizzling and she thought I would not be safe. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to start riding to work.
I went to Weight Watchers today to weigh in after following the plan for 1 week. I was down an incredible 8.6 pounds. It is still unbeleiveable to me. Amie told me that I should feel good about my accomplishments. I told her I would be happy when I started seeing results. She replied that clearly I was seeing results. She has no idea what "results" means to me. After nearly 20 years of marriage, I still find it hard to believe that she can be so clueless when it comes to what is important to me.
Anyway it was a good week with eating. I purposefully let myself get very very hungry on several occassions. I need to learn to be OK with what feeling hungry is. I think I can get used to it with some practice.
Looking forward to a nice long bike ride tomorrow. We cancelled our obligations to the boys' classrooms so, I should have plenty of time to pull it off. I am aiming for 15+ miles.
New weight: 272.6
Friday, March 5, 2010
2230
Sitting at work. Blah.
This morning we woke to a mild snowstorm. No bike riding for me today. I went to Dimple Dell instead. They have a new bike there called the expresso. It is hooked up to a screen with different courses to ride and other riders on the path. You are supposed to follow a pacer, but I blew past him and even lapped him. You need to create a user name and password for the bike. It supposedly connects to their internet site to track your workouts. When I got home, the website had no idea who I was.
I spent a total of 72 minutes on the machines. I felt it in my legs for a few hours afterwards. I won't count my "virtual miles" in my totals, but I rode about 7.5 today.
I didn't get much of a nap today. After Amie got home with the kids I woke up to celebrate Xan's birthday with him. It is hard to believe he is 8. Time flies. Tonight will be hard to stay awake.
Sitting at work. Blah.
This morning we woke to a mild snowstorm. No bike riding for me today. I went to Dimple Dell instead. They have a new bike there called the expresso. It is hooked up to a screen with different courses to ride and other riders on the path. You are supposed to follow a pacer, but I blew past him and even lapped him. You need to create a user name and password for the bike. It supposedly connects to their internet site to track your workouts. When I got home, the website had no idea who I was.
I spent a total of 72 minutes on the machines. I felt it in my legs for a few hours afterwards. I won't count my "virtual miles" in my totals, but I rode about 7.5 today.
I didn't get much of a nap today. After Amie got home with the kids I woke up to celebrate Xan's birthday with him. It is hard to believe he is 8. Time flies. Tonight will be hard to stay awake.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
13:15
The weather was quite nice this morning. After volunteering in Nick's class, I came home and went for another short bike ride. I rode the Porter Rockwell trail south today. I rode from my house to 11400 South where I picked it up. I rode to where the trail meets up with Highline drive. I rode up Highline for a short distance before turning around. Shortly after I got home the weather turned to crap, high winds and cold. Glad I decided not to wait.
I wore the new workout pants that Amie got for me. They are awesome. Kept my legs just at the right temp and wicked away the sweat. I want a couple of more.
Today
Distance: 9.0 miles
Time in saddle: 50:05
2010
Distance: 14.2 miles
Time in saddle: 1:18:55
The weather was quite nice this morning. After volunteering in Nick's class, I came home and went for another short bike ride. I rode the Porter Rockwell trail south today. I rode from my house to 11400 South where I picked it up. I rode to where the trail meets up with Highline drive. I rode up Highline for a short distance before turning around. Shortly after I got home the weather turned to crap, high winds and cold. Glad I decided not to wait.
I wore the new workout pants that Amie got for me. They are awesome. Kept my legs just at the right temp and wicked away the sweat. I want a couple of more.
Today
Distance: 9.0 miles
Time in saddle: 50:05
2010
Distance: 14.2 miles
Time in saddle: 1:18:55
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
05:30
The weather is starting to warm a bit and it's time to dust the bicycle off. Amie and I are planning a short "warm up" ride later today. Last fall I decided to ride in the Lotoja bicycle race. It is time to start training. I plan on updating with all my rides this year leading up to Lotoja. Most of it will be boring, but then again, I do not expect anyone to ever read this, so who cares.
16:15
Today I joined Weight Watchers. I have done it in the past, but never joined a "meeting". Amie wants me to go to meetings. Studies show that those who attend have a much greater success rate. Today was the first meeting. Uugh I weighed in at a hefty 281.2 pounds. The heviest I have ever been.
I got the bikes down today and pumped up the tires. Amie and I were going to go on a short starter ride. After we changed clothes and got ready to ride, Amie discovered that her rear tire was flat again. I ended up going without her. My butt and thighs are a bit sore, but it was good to get out.
I went a short distance from my house along the Porter Rockwell trail to the Trax station at 10000 South. Out and back it was 5.2 miles and took 28:50 minutes. I have a long way to go before Lotoja in September. I will go on another short ride tomorrow if everything goes as planned.
Today:
Distance: 5.2 miles
Time in saddle: 28:50
Weight: 281.2
The weather is starting to warm a bit and it's time to dust the bicycle off. Amie and I are planning a short "warm up" ride later today. Last fall I decided to ride in the Lotoja bicycle race. It is time to start training. I plan on updating with all my rides this year leading up to Lotoja. Most of it will be boring, but then again, I do not expect anyone to ever read this, so who cares.
16:15
Today I joined Weight Watchers. I have done it in the past, but never joined a "meeting". Amie wants me to go to meetings. Studies show that those who attend have a much greater success rate. Today was the first meeting. Uugh I weighed in at a hefty 281.2 pounds. The heviest I have ever been.
I got the bikes down today and pumped up the tires. Amie and I were going to go on a short starter ride. After we changed clothes and got ready to ride, Amie discovered that her rear tire was flat again. I ended up going without her. My butt and thighs are a bit sore, but it was good to get out.
I went a short distance from my house along the Porter Rockwell trail to the Trax station at 10000 South. Out and back it was 5.2 miles and took 28:50 minutes. I have a long way to go before Lotoja in September. I will go on another short ride tomorrow if everything goes as planned.
Today:
Distance: 5.2 miles
Time in saddle: 28:50
Weight: 281.2
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