Cycling / Running - Logs, Stories, & Pictures (any fellow cyclists or runners here?)

[Kyle]

It works, though I prefer morning or afternoon. I'm too amped up to sleep right after.

Well, I'm too dead when I get up at 6AM, first class is at 8AM, class all day until 4:15PM, I work on homework until about 7PM, and by then it's too late to do it in the afternoon, but I still can be tired by going to bed at 10PM. A nice warm shower, and some good food usually helps. :thumbup:

 

[mojoey]

I think this is relevant...

You can get them here...kinda expensive though

 

[Tex]

^ Sadly, that's a typical price for a cycling jersey.

 

[Tex]

Fantastic weather for a fast bike ride today:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/235277161

 

[Urwumpe]

We reached 23°C today... which is damn warm for late October, a days later in the year, we had the first snowfall on other years.

Sadly no time for sports today... in 20 minutes I have to play taxi again.

 

[FADEC]

We reached 23°C today... which is damn warm for late October, a days later in the year, we had the first snowfall on other years.

I still remember the almost "Siberian" winters of the 1980s.

By the way, yesterday I killed four midges in my flat. Today it was two, for now. This is already more than I had to kill during this entire summer. Rather strange. I don't know where they come from suddenly. I always air my flat without any light switched on before I go to bed. Didn't have a midge in my flat for weeks, until yesterday. I hate them.

 

[Scav]

By the way, yesterday I killed four midges in my flat.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midge"]I had a stupid moment, and asked myself what a midge is.[/ame] I mean, sometimes you just plain forget the innocuous details you learn in school, y'know?

 

[80mileshigh]

I'm proud of my achievement today on the bike.
http://app.strava.com/segments/865226

Congrats! I recently started using Strava and found it to be a huge motivator. I started with the android app, but I've enjoyed reviewing my rides so much that today I went out and bought an Edge 500 bundle (with cadence sensor and HRM). I'm looking forward to testing it out.

 

[mojoey]

Suffered one of many biking related injuries

Rode through the gutter (Darwin Award material right here, folks.), and hit a pocket of...stuff. Went over the bars and into the bushes lining the gutter. Minor scrapes and scratches, though the major injury was the bike, seeing as how during my fall, the wheel turned 20* to the right of dead straight. It woould have been a comedic sight to see me riding with a wounded bike...and pride :lol:

Cost: One pair of beat to hell and back jeans, ego, and two bandages.

 

[Scav]

Went over the bars

I did that once when I was a kid, on a mountain bike. I came across a 5"-diameter fallen tree branch on an asphalt riding trail and, in my infinite youthful exuberance and wisdom, thought I could jump the bike over the tree branch at full speed.

I failed . . . well, spectacularly, sort of. And I didn't have bushes to land on; I had asphalt.

It wasn't just my ego that smarted that day.

 

[Tex]

Congrats! I recently started using Strava and found it to be a huge motivator. I started with the android app, but I've enjoyed reviewing my rides so much that today I went out and bought an Edge 500 bundle (with cadence sensor and HRM). I'm looking forward to testing it out.

Thanks! It is a great motivator and for those of us who can't afford a coach, it allows you to review the data yourself to gauge progress. Segments are also useful for training as you can review time, speed, heart rate, etc. in more detail over portions of your ride. Plus there is the added competition for KOM that makes it fun. You'll be happy with that Edge 500, it works great.

Someone asked me the difference between using Garmin Connect website to upload ride data vs. Strava. I explained Garmin is more like a static website that simply allows you to upload your data and view it. Strava is a dynamic community that allows you to do that, plus share with friends, compete for segments, track your weekely miles/hours, track your bike miles and all components you desire to track on it. Anytime I change a tire out for instance, I create a new entry in my bike log. Makes it so much easier for maintenance and what not.

Suffered one of many biking related injuries

Rode through the gutter (Darwin Award material right here, folks.), and hit a pocket of...stuff. Went over the bars and into the bushes lining the gutter. Minor scrapes and scratches, though the major injury was the bike, seeing as how during my fall, the wheel turned 20* to the right of dead straight. It woould have been a comedic sight to see me riding with a wounded bike...and pride :lol:

Cost: One pair of beat to hell and back jeans, ego, and two bandages.

Ouch, glad you're mostly OK! I couldn't help but laugh at "(Darwin Award material right here, folks.)", but not at your fall. Thanks for some humor this morning as I get ready for another ride.

 

[80mileshigh]

I rode with the Edge 500 today. I'm really pleased with the cadence sensor and HRM and found that data really interesting to analyse on strava (good heart rate, mediocre cadence).

But I lost the satellite signal at one point and it took a while to reacquire it. It held long and lat data on the return leg but appears to have not recorded elevation data at the same point, which is weird given it uses a barometer. I've never had these problems using my android (S3) on the same ride, so hopefully it's just a quirk.

 

[Tex]

The only time I've heard of it losing signal is in heavy trees, but even then it does good. The more you use it, the better it will get at acquiring signals from the best satellites.

 

[Tex]

My blog entry for the charity ride supporting the Galveston Bay Foundation; Bike Around the Bay:

http://blakesenduranceblog.com/2012/10/22/bike-around-the-bay/

 

[80mileshigh]

My blog entry for the charity ride supporting the Galveston Bay Foundation; Bike Around the Bay:

http://blakesenduranceblog.com/2012/10/22/bike-around-the-bay/

Nice ride! From your videos it seems like you have a lot of good quality roads in the greater Houston area with relatively low motor vehicle traffic. I'm jealous!

Here in metro Melbourne we have a good network of sealed trails and bikes lanes, but the road traffic is heavy and a nasty antipathy to cycling has grown amongst motorists as cyclist numbers have increased.

I'm pushing a 15kg hybrid (33.0693 lbs), mostly on trails, but I'm riding so much these days that a transition to road riding is inevitable. One of my dreams is to ride over the Victorian Alps, which are only a few hours north of here:

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2011/06/victorias-secret/

 

[FADEC]

It's week three now with my collarbone fracture. Little pain returns once in a while. But I think it's related to the healing progress. Taking pain killers now would be the wrong thing to do I guess. The pain tells me which movements can be done and which can't. Meanwhile there is no swelling anymore at all, and the discoloration of the skin almost disappeared. Unlike anything the doctors and the internet told me, there is no visible difference of my shoulders i.e. no malposition yet. The two collar bones even look similar (shape and location). And the fracture has become more difficult to feel out. The "small hill" turned into a very smooth junction of the two collarbone fragments. When I move my shoulder back and forth (only very slightly) the collar bone also moves back and forth, accompanied by a feeling of pressure in the collar bone. Only up and down doesn't work as well yet. It's still not really stiff. But I can definitely feel that something is happening. I'm glad that I refused the surgery. It's just amazing what the body does. It's not even 3 weeks elapsed (and I am beyond my 30s...).

Yesterday I was touching my bike. I almost could not resist to hava a ride. But with one arm available it's not a good idea anyway :lol: I can't wait to sit on it again. I hope I will be able to do so in 3-4 weeks from now...

 

[80mileshigh]

Yesterday I was touching my bike. I almost could not resist to hava a ride. But with one arm available it's not a good idea anyway I can't wait to sit on it again. I hope I will be able to do so in 3-4 weeks from now...

This might sound silly, but could you use an exercise bike in the interim? I recently got a pro-form exercise bike (not the high-tech tdf one) and I've found it's a great solution for bad weather days and helps me warm up before a ride too.

The more you use it, the better it will get at acquiring signals from the best satellites.

You're right. They should mention that intelligent GPS-improving logic in the manual, it's a great feature. My second attempt on the same ride went perfectly. Here's a comparison of android versus garmin - this was an out-and-return on a bike trail so there should be two lines, but imperceptibly close:

The Edge 500 is obviously superior here, the elevation looks like it feels too. Maybe the barometer on my S3 was messed up from being in my pocket, but overall I reckon this is pretty solid evidence for the strength of a dedicated GPS unit.

I'm also pleased with today's ride. This is an old training route of a certain Australian who grew up to wear yellow. A couple of these climbs took me to the limit of my current fitness:

 

[Tex]

Very cool! I think the GPS barometric readings on the smart phones just don't compare to the dedicated Garmin units, regardless where you store them. The only downside I have seen with the Garmin, which would effect any device using barometric pressure, is during a thunderstorm. If you're out riding and a storm develops, it will cause false elevation readings from the sudden drop in pressure.

Send me your profile link on Strava and I'll follow your rides.

 

[80mileshigh]

Thanks! Link sent.

 

[FADEC]

This might sound silly, but could you use an exercise bike in the interim? I recently got a pro-form exercise bike (not the high-tech tdf one) and I've found it's a great solution for bad weather days and helps me warm up before a ride too.

I had an ergometer. But I sold it. Tex inspired me to ride on a "real" bike again. I even bought a new one (also inspired by this thread) which is the best bike I ever had

I couldn't use an ergometer right now anyway. Doesn't make a lot of fun with just one arm. And I try to save my right shoulder as best as I can until the collarbone will be fine again.

It turns out that my "executive chair" in front of my PC offers a great comfort for something like the collarbone fracture. I even could sleep in it with the fracture

---------- Post added 10-26-12 at 12:13 PM ---------- Previous post was 10-25-12 at 04:21 PM ----------

Tonight I opened the velcro of the lower sling and pulled my lower arm out of the sling for the first time. I had to do so because now my hand somehow falls asleep whenever I'm in the bed. It takes only 10-15 minutes until the hand is almost completely numb. So I tried to carefully stretch out my lower arm and put my hand on my upper leg while my upper arm remained fixed in the upper sling. It was a strange feeling during the first moments. I could not stretch it out by 100% but my proposal was still successful. It was a great relief to sleep that way. I pulled my lower arm back into the lower sling as soon as I woke up this morning. It doesn't have any effect to the collarbone if I do it slowly. So this seems to be a nice solution for the night.

But it was scary to notice how fast joints and ligaments become "lazy" after only 18 days of rest. There was a slight pain in the cubital joint and the corresponding ligaments when I tried to stretch out the lower arm completely. It will be interesting how the shoulder joint might feel after six weeks of rest.

The first moments after pulling off the bandage in three weeks from now possibly won't be as relieving as one might think...

But I remain optimistic for a first ride with my bike in about 4 weeks. The collarbone feels better and better day by day

That's the bandage:

That's how the swelling looked like, last week: