Rain

Rain, just go away.  Please.  I know we need you to supply sustenance to our plants and all, but can you come when I’m at work, and leave when I’m at home?

Sorry it has been awhile

Other than the ride down in Barnegat with my wife, I have not even touched my bike this week, yet.  I’ve been out at clients most of the week so far, but I plan on riding tomorrow and Friday.

It is kind of a bummer when going so many days in a week without even looking at my bike.

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My end of year goal: 1,000 miles

So, admittedly, it seems as the colder months settle in, my weekly average goes down.  What can I say?  I enjoy riding, but not to the point of insanity (yet).  I have my on weeks and my off weeks, but I’m certainly not as locked in as I was this summer.  My weekend riding has been virtually nonexistent, as I’ve been preoccupied with children, house stuff, and studying.  I plan on riding this weekend while at my inlaws’ house.

That stated, I do want to hit 1,000 miles by the end of the year.  I am at 744 miles since I started logging my daily mileage.  I think the 266 miles will actually inspire me to ride more consistently each week.  If I go above that goal, I will be very satisfied.

I’ll then reset the odometer next January and start fresh with my yearly log.  I have no idea what my goal will be come next year, as I don’t even know how much I’ll finish with this year.  Remember, I started riding to work on May 16th or thereabouts.

I think my wife is going to be getting me bike panniers for Christmas.  Though I found this sweet link about DIY panniers, so maybe I can get her to make these!  She’s real handy with the sewing machine.

Sorry my entries here have been lacking.  Work has been busy, and I’ve been trying to get some progress on my certifications.  I will have to make more of an effort to write.

This morning’s ride was quite uneventful.  I noticed more trash and debris on the streets, but that’s about it.  I spotted a couple middle schoolers riding their bikes on the sidewalk.  I think my tires need to be inflated, as it has been weeks since I checked their pressure.

Oh, and I’m not supportive of that bailout, nor the tax incentives that was pork rolled into the bill for bicycle commuters.  I think when we bailout bankers and hot shot Wall Street execs, in the end, we all lose.  I digress, I have a different blog devoted to politics and economics.  Anyway, I lean Austrian in the economic approach.  If you are interested in discussing this further, hit me up, and I’ll gladly send you some links.

Looking back at these past 5 months, I wish I had taken a picture of that Castle Grayskull I spotted on a trail along the tracks in Mt. Tabor/Denville:

What an awesome find.  I should ride back sometime and check to see if it is still there.  No joke.

Two round trips, and one one way.

Ok, so I finished this week better than expected.  When I get home tonight, I’ll have completed two roundtrips and one one way.

The weather has been totally confusing this week.  One day I’m sweating, the next I’m freezing.   Do we have global cooling, and global warming occurring in the same week?

This morning I’m ascending a hill, slowly, and I hear a ring off in the distance.  A fellow bike commuter overtakes me up 53.  I’ve seen him twice.  If you happen to stop by here, and think it’s you, say hello!

The amount of commuters/pedestrians on the road has dropped dramatically these last few weeks.  I think it peeked around September, and now it is all down hill from now.  I’m hanging tight through this colder weather, but I wonder if I will drop off when winter hits the calendar.

I love riding, but I’m not sure where my dedication level tops out.  It could be that first nasty blizzard does me in, and my bicycle takes a vacation until March.

Well, I’m still here, and still riding on an overall consistent basis.  I find my biggest challenge is waking up in time to prepare for the ride.

I had to work at a client’s yesterday, otherwise it would have been a perfect day to ride.  Today isn’t so bad either, though 45 was chilly.  I wore shorts and a tee shirt thinking my body movement would warm up quickly, but it actually took a few miles in before I was comfortable.

Everyone have a good weekend, and I hope we all get some good miles in!

Slacking.

Well, I’ve been slacking.  MLB’s Postseason is the main culprit.  With some games ending past 1:30 am, it is almost impossible to wake up early.

I am going to ride home tonight though.

Found on CL

Cannondale for 275.00.  I think if you’re going to take a picture though, you might want to fix the chain first:

I know I rode my bike this morning…

…but I can’t remember the ride at all.

This is because I was up until 1:30 AM watching the Red Sox.  They played out in  Anaheim and thankfully beat them 4-1.  Every October it is the same thing.  The networks ignore those on the East Coast by starting games at 10 PM.

I love baseball, and I love my Red Sox, but I feel bad for the young kiddos who can’t stay up so late.  Right now, I’d imagine beantown to be full of walking zombies:  “Did you catch the game?” “Yep…zzzzzz.”

You see, I’m being corny.  Cornier than usual.  Thankfully they aren’t scheduled tonight, so I’ll be going to bed at a normal weekday hour.

I am slow.

I now realize how slow I am.  While climbing a hill yesterday evening, I was smoked.  Big time.  The same hill I’ve been climbing for months every evening.  This thing still kills me.  I don’t think I’ve been able to improve my time climbing this hill since I first started.

As I’m huffing and puffing along, a roadie rides past me with no apparent effort expressed on his face.  Yes, I tried to catch him, but no chance.  He was around the corner and up the hill before I could count to ten. 

It is a humbling experience to realize how slow you are.  I think I was about 15 years younger than him, too.  For years I was always the fastest.  Foot races were no problem.  Rounding the bases, opening up the fast break, I was always quick.  This was something I could count on and pride myself in.  Not now.

If you need me, I’ll be the slow guy in back of the pack.