2018 mileage: 1488.1
Today's ride was very full on 'adventure,' having way more of it than I wanted. But all's well that ends well!
Michelle and I are leaving tomorrow on a week's vacation to Hawaii. I'm SO excited about this, because I've always wanted to go there, but have never been. Hoping to close out the first half of the year over 1500 miles, I planned to do a long ride today — a round trip to Baker Rd. (about 20 miles) and then an additional round trip to Marsh Park (about 10 more) which would have done the trick. And since the afternoon temperatures were supposed to be favorable, I decided to cut myself a break and compose this morning, waiting until this afternoon to ride. However, in retrospect, perhaps I should have made myself ride in the morning.
Setting out about 1:45 p.m., it was cloudy and 69°—beautifully comfortable riding weather. I was clipping along, going north on the sidewalk along the east side of Maple Road, about 3 miles from home, when I came to one of those stupid crossings (the intersection with Pauline) where, no no apparent reason, it is not a straight crossing, but rather the main sidewalk and the crossing are offset by several feet, so a quick and sudden hook takes place just before the road. Trying to beat the light that was about to change, and get across before the cars that were lined up to enter the intersection, I did not slow to a crawl, as I should have. As a result, the trike tipped over onto its left side. Damage to the cycle was minimal—primarily just the smashing up of my mirror, which will be easily replaced when we return from our trip. Damage to me was relatively minimal, too, although it was showier—my left elbow and forearm got pretty chewed up on the pavement, and were good and bloody.
A young woman about my daughter's age parked her car, and came sprinting over in horror, asking me, "Are you OK?" When I assured her I was fine, she asked, "Where do you live? Do you need help getting back?" I hooked my thumb over my shoulder and said, "3 miles ... no, I'm fine." Finally she began to calm down a bit, and said, "Well, if you'll PROMISE me that you're OK ...", whereupon I smiled and said, "Just fine!" And we parted ways.
I'm sure she would have been HORRIFIED had she known I intended not to return home yet, but to ride on to Dexter ... another 7 miles further. But she didn't ask, and I didn't tell her. 😎
As I continued on I felt generally OK, although my left thigh once again opened up from where it was rubbing against the end of the handlebar, and bleeding some. With blood spattering my cream-colored shorts (primarily from my arm), I was NOT a pretty sight.
As I neared Zeeb Rd., about 7 miles into the ride, and over 4 miles from the point where I fell, the greatest part of me wanted to push on and complete my original plan. But I asked myself, "What would Michelle want? And what would Christy want?" Looked at in that light, the answer was obvious, so I wheeled about and headed for home, abandoning my mileage goal.
Zeeb, pronounced as one syllable, is a source of humor to us. When she first moved here, a couple of years ago, Christy thought it was two syllables (ZEE-ebb), because that's the way her GPS unit said it. 😆
Then to top everything off ... when I used to ride a regular bike, the cage for my water bottle was mounted on a diagonal tube (up-down), so that gravity helped hold the bottle in. But on the trike, the only place to mount this cage is on the horizontal boom running lengthwise on the trike, and without the assistance of gravity, I have lost several water bottles as they slide out while I'm riding. This happened again today, a little less than three miles from finishing the ride ... it's probably the 6th or 7th one I've lost. Understandably, perhaps, today I had my mind on other things than keeping the eye on it that I should have and that I try to while riding.
So, as it was, rather than my hoped for 30 miles, I got in 14.6, in an abysmally slow time of 2:08. The first part of my ride was slow to begin with, but then I lost so much time (and speed) with the fall, that I never got back up to a respectable level.
2018 mileage: 1461.6
I left at 6 a.m. today and rode, deliberately slowly, yet another round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.) thus inching me one day closer to my goal of making 1500 miles before we leave Monday on vacation. Today's ride was 19.6 miles in 2:53, and my already slow time was slowed still further when I stopped at a gas station on the way home to use their facilities, and forgot to pause MapMyRide. So several additional minutes clicked by without any mileage occurring whatsoever.
Today, for the first time in ages, it felt almost cool. Not chilly, but it was overcast, and although the temperature was 63° when I started and rose to 67° by the end, it felt considerably cooler than that.
2018 mileage: 1442.0
Well, I got up this morning knowing that if I could ride to Baker Rd. and back today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, that would give me 1500 miles for the year before we leave on vacation Monday. So, with that clear-cut goal in mind, I set off resolutely, and was able to enjoy near perfect temperature. I went to church first and practiced piano so I could get that done before the kids swarmed in for Vacation Bible School, and then began my ride at 8:30 in 63° sunshine. By the time I finished the 20.2 miles (in 2:45), it had risen to 74°—enjoyably warm, but with no trace of excessive heat.
2018 mileage: 1421.9
An unfavorable weather forecast kept me from riding this morning, so I decided to wait until after the Tigers' game this afternoon. Setting off about 4:00, I intended to ride at least two round trips to Marsh Park, and hopefully three. But two negative factors influenced my ride.
1) The MapMyRide app that I use on my phone tracks the ride as I go, and provides me with voice feedback of the total time of my ride, the distance, my overall speed, my current speed, my split speed (that is, the speed of my most recent mile), and the current time of day. It does this, of course, using GPS (Global Positioning System) data. It allows you to specify the interval of this feedback, and I have it set to every .1 mile, so it occurs roughly every 40 seconds or so. I have gotten to be highly dependent on this, and it serves as a strong motivational factor for me. But today, roughly 6 miles into my ride, the voice feedback stopped, and though I checked the app's settings, I could do nothing to restore it without having to restart the phone, which would have erased the data collected so far.
2) I have opened up a sore on my left thigh from where it strikes the inside end of the handlebar on the pedal upstroke. The pain was not extreme or unbearable, but when I saw blood, too, that convinced me.
So these two factors together led me to choose to hold it to a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing the 10.2 miles in 1:13. I hope tomorrow to get back to my longer (20-mile) ride to Baker Rd. (Dexter).
2018 mileage: 1411.7
Another mileage milestone today as I rode once more to Baker Rd. (Dexter), for the fifth time in the last seven days (and my fifth consecutive ride). This 20.4-mile ride took me 2:45, but it was a LOT more comfortable than yesterday's ride. Leaving at 6:00 a.m., I enjoyed a temperature that stayed at 67° throughout the ride. It spit a few bits of rain, but really there was hardly any ... mostly gray, overcast skies. And this ride kept me on track for my hope (or goal) of making 1500 miles for the year by Sunday.
2018 mileage: 1391.3
Well, Saturday I went to LA Fitness to work out, due to a threatening weather forecast (though it never actually rained here), and since yesterday with a full day, I took it as a rest day. Driving home late afternoon from a commitment near Lansing, I told Michelle, "I was considering riding this evening—but now I think I won't." She replied, "GOOD! It's too hot!"(it was then 93°.)
This morning wasn't a whole lot cooler, but it was tolerable as long as I didn't push myself overly much. Because of the men's fellowship and Bible Study group I go to on Monday mornings, I could not ride as early as I like, but when I finally did get started, at 8:00, it was 78°—so I didn't have to worry about frostbite. 😎 I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. again (Dexter), and after I finished the 20.9 miles in 2:45, the temperature had risen to 89*.
On the 25th (one week from today), Michelle and I are leaving on vacation for a week, so I'm thinking I'd like to see if I can't push myself to make 1500 miles for year by then.
2018 mileage: 1362.4
Went early today (6 a.m., 56°) on an absolutely glorious day and pushed myself to ride another round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.) for the third straight day. (I seem to be on a roll.) This is the first time I have ever done it three straight days. The picture below shows the beautiful blue sky I enjoyed -- taken on Scio Church Rd., the bridge over I-94, on my way home. It was up to 69° when I finished.
I did this ride of 19.4 miles in 2:36.
Now, I have a TREMENDOUS joy to anticipate the rest of the day. My kids and grandkids are coming this evening to hold an early Father's Day celebration with some pool time together.
2018 mileage: 1343.0
Today, like yesterday, I rode a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.), though by a slightly longer route. This gave me 20.5 miles, in 2:51. The bright sunshine had it already at 65* when I began, shortly before 9:00 a.m., and when I finished it was 81°. I guess that, despite our extended winter this year, I can now quit looking over my shoulder for snow. 😎
2018 mileage: 1322.5
This morning I round a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.) for the first time since November 27. Getting a pot roast in the slow cooker first, I then began my ride just before 8:00, in very enjoyable 67 conditions, and when I finished the 18.7 miles in a ride of 2:26, it was 76°.
I have been worried about having a flat tire when I am miles from home, and while I still want to learn how to change a tube, I realized that with the Uber app on my phone, I should generally be able to get picked up by that route!
2018 mileage: 1303.8
This morning I rode a single round trip to Marsh Park, but augmented it with loops on Interfirst Dr. and in Stonebridge, giving me a ride of 14.4 miles in 1:49. When I left, at 9:00, it was 69*°, and rose to 73° by the time I finished. And this ride pushed me over a new mileage milestone for the year.
It was important for me to ride early today, because of a noontime commitment. With the support and encouragement of my family, I was blessed to be able to spend my last two years of high school at northern Michigan's prestigious boarding school, the Interlochen Arts Academy (graduating in 1975). While at IAA, my closes from was Brady Johnson, and though Brady now lives in Vero Beach, Florida, we have remained close all these years.
On Saturday he contacted me to say he was flying up to Michigan this morning, and to ask if we might have lunch together. While I grieve the reason that brings him north (the death of an older brother), I rejoice that we will be able to see one another! This picture of us together (photo credit: Michelle Borton) was taken when Michelle and I went to Florida for a few days early in 2017, to visit her parents.
2018 mileage: 1289.4
I ended up taking yesterday as a rest day, being absolutely exhausted. And today the exhaustion continues! (I don't know why it is_unless the fact that I haven't slept the night through in over a quarter century has something to do with it! 😎) So when I took a nap midday today, and it extended longer than I expected, I had to truncate my plans to ride two round trips to Marsh Park on this glorious late spring day (sunny, upper seventies), and settle for a single one instead, riding this 10.2 miles in 1:15.
2018 mileage: 1269.2
After taking yesterday off due to the heat (already over 80° by the time I was through running errands late morning), I was glad to get back on the ball today, and left at 10:45 (72°) and rode to Saline, and then Marsh Park on the way home, for a ride of 17.5 miles in a slow 2:15, with bright sunshine the whole time, that increased the temperature to 81° by the time I was done.
2018 mileage: 1251.7
Today was as near perfect a day for riding as possible. When I started, at noon, it was brilliantly sunny, and calm, warm but not hot (at 64°), and by the time I finished it was up to 69°. Nevertheless, I settled for a modest ride, being eager to get back to church and do some more piano practice there in preparation for my playing this Sunday morning. So I did a single round trip to Marsh Park, and tacked on just a slight bit in our neighborhood at the end, for a ride of 10.7 miles in 1:27.
2018 mileage: 1241.0
In about three weeks, Michelle and I are going to take a vacation. I would very much like to zip line while there (for the first time ever), but I'm currently about 5 pounds over the weight limit. So I'm going to engage in a fierce battle to "make weight."
Consequently, today I rode consecutive trips to Marsh Park for the first time in a while, after taking the last two days off. I'm now going to try to buckle down and be more disciplined. Today I left a bit past 11:30, at it was already gorgeous—sunny and 64°—and the sunshine persisted throughout my ride, while after riding 18.7 miles in 2:21, the temperature had risen to 68°.
2018 mileage: 1222.3
A great rarity confronted me this morning. I had intended to begin my ride at 6 a.m., and ride three round trips to Marsh Park, for the first time since October 20. But, astonishingly and inexplicably, I overslept -- and I NEVER oversleep -- not blinking awake until 7:00. I was thus unable to begin my ride until 7:45, and consequently decided to limit myself to a single round trip, as we have an extremely busy day, the centerpiece of which is the wedding this afternoon of our dear niece Courtney, shown here as a toddler with my sister Marianne in 1998, and then comically recreating the pose last year.
This 10.2-mile ride took me 1:21, and was much more enjoyable in the 57° temperature than the recent heat (above 70°) in which recent rides have taken place. And I was pleased to encounter my friend Doris Granum on the trail shortly after I had turned back toward home from the park. However, I wouldn't have known her had she not called out a greeting, as she has lost so much weight over the last two years!
2018 mileage: 1212.1
Today with Michelle out of town, I had hoped to do a longer ride (She's taken students on their annual year-end trip to Cedar Point, where they march part of the day for free admission.) But I got delayed and couldn't make the early start I had intended; going out at 9:30 (when it was already 73° under sunny skies), I got bogged down into a tortuously slow and difficult ride, and therefore decided to limit it to a single round trip to Marsh Park, covering the 10.2 miles in 1:27, by which time the temperature had risen to 80°, and I was feeling it. My feet are hurting (or, as the Tigers' announcers like to say, "dogs are barking" 😎), so I m delighted to be home now, with my socks and shoes off.
