56th ride of 2018 - Thursday, 7/26/2018

2018 mileage: 1720.7

During this morning's ride, a minor calamity befell me. I track my rides with an app called MapMyRide on my iPhone, and I carry it in a cloth neck pouch given to me a couple years ago by my good friend Len Gajda after I had expressed to him a need for a similar item. It's ideal for my purposes—but today, when I got off for a brief break at the park, my typical clumsiness rose to the surface, and when I sat back down on the trike to leave, the dangling pouch caught on a part of the trike, and the cord that loops around my neck ripped free from its attachment on one side of the pouch.

Now I was left with a good cord, still firmly attached to one side of the pouch, but unattached on the other so that I could not wear it. After scratching my head for a moment, I came up with a solution, and took out my keys and used one of them to punch a small hole through the side of the pouch to which I needed to attach the cord. Then, resurrecting one of the knots I had learned in Boy Scouts a mere 50 years ago, I was able to tie it successfully, so that I could wear it for the remainder of the ride. This picture, taken after I got home, shows my inelegant solution.

I was particularly focused on the use of my phone this morning, because when I was up in the night (as I always am), I was haunted by Michael Buble's version of the song You Make Me Feel So Young, and I listened to it on repeat over Spotify for the first half-hour of my ride (down to the park). Here it is:

YouTube of Michael Buble singing "You Make Me Feel So Young"

So, given my equipment problems, and the fact that clouds moved in, threatening the rain that was forecast for this morning, and blocking the bright sunshine with which I had begun my ride (just past 7:00, at 64*), I elected to accept only a single round trip to Marsh Park today, finishing the 10.2 miles in a slow time of 1:20.

The weather did have one nice feature, however. Just after I had turned back from the park, the precipitation moving in from the southwest revealed a faint rainbow on the horizon in that direction.

55th ride of 2018 - Wednesday, 7/25/2018

2018 mileage: 1710.5

Today I went up to Kensington Metropark (one of the real jewels in Michigan's park system, up by Brighton, some 30 miles north and very slightly west of us) to ride with a former student, Tonia, and her spouse, Eva.

Kensington has a lovely paved bike trail that encircles Kent Lake, and I had hoped to do multiple loops of it. But I had only ridden it once before (a couple of years ago, with my friend Kahle), and had forgotten how extremely hilly it is. These hills no doubt did good things for my legs, but they beat me down psychologically so that I stopped after only one lap, completing a ride of 8.8 miles in 1:09. (Tonia noted, accurately, just before we began, "OK—here goes eight and a half miles of hills!") I hope we can repeat the experience, and next time, I'll go into it a little better prepared mentally.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

Eva took several pictures from behind of us riding —me wearing my bright yellow Visibility Vest, and Tonia in an orange shirt—(including one over her shoulder):

54th ride of 2018 - Tuesday, 7/24/2018

2018 mileage: 1701.7

After taking Sunday as a rest day, and then not riding yesterday for no good reason—just plain laziness—I was glad to get back to it today, and rode consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, doing the 18.7 miles in 2:25, and bumping myself over a new mileage milestone for the year, as well. 

My daughter Christy and her kids (Izzy and Danny) are on a two-week road trip, and this week, while they're gone, we're dog sitting their adorable dog Winnie. This morning I got up early (about 6:00) to let Winnie out, and then take her for a half-mile walk around our complex before feeding her. This allowed me to begin my ride just a little past 7:00, and it was 67° (up to 74* when I finished).

Several months after my accident (during my extended hospitalization, May 22 - December 7, which made 1993 seem like a very odd year), one of my doctors told me, "You know, speech is a terribly complex phenomenon, involving the interworking of a number of the body's systems. And in your case, just about everything that can go wrong has gone wrong." I remember hearing this and thinking, "Gee, thanks, Doc!"

However, having lived intimately with my condition for over a quarter century now, even though I am not a (medical) doctor, I think I can identify breath dysfunction as the primary, root difficulty contributing to all the others. And this also explains the wheezy, raspy breathing I experience when I ride hard, pushing myself. It's a challenge at the time ... but on reflection, it seems to me that this challenge must be beneficial ... right?

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

53rd ride of 2018 - Saturday, 7/21/2018

2018 mileage: 1683.0

As I have not been able to ride outside since a week ago today, I was eager to do ao. Last Sunday I was busy preparing to leave on a trip, and took it as a rest day from riding±then Monday through Thursday, Michelle and I spent in the Upper Peninsula, at a cabin in Paradise (near Tahquamenon Falls). They were called "Lakeview Cabins," and here is the view we had of Lake Superior from our yard.

Yesterday's forecast was for rain all day, so I went to LA Fitness in the afternoon, even though I felt rather silly about it, as it was sunny when I left home, and sunny when I left there to return home, too. Last night, the hourly forecast for today looked as an outdoor ride was not in the cards, and I'd have to return to LA Fitness. However, by the time I woke this morning, the forecast had changed enough so that it looked as though I could ride.

I left at 8:15 in damp, cool (67°) conditions, and though I had hoped to do consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, the challenge of pushing through the thick, moist air convinced me to settle for one, and I did this 9.9-mile ride in 1:18.

52nd ride of 2018 - Saturday, 7/14/2018

2018 mileage:1661.1

I left this morning just past 6:00, with a deep reserve of resolve. And I put that resolve to work in riding three consecutive round trips to Marsh Park for the first time since October 20, 2017. It was nice to just keep on spinning along, on a lovely morning -- clear, and calm, but not hot. When I began it was 68°, and by the time I finished it had climbed to 82*.

It was an additional blessing to see a friend, also. As I was in the home stretch of the last round trip, with about 2 miles left to go, I came upon my longtime friend and brother in the Lord, Doug Franklin, sauntering along on a  healthy morning constitutional, several miles north of his Saline home.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

51st ride of 2018 - Friday, 7/13/2018

2018 mileage:1634.2

WHoping to get a jump on the worst of today's heat, I left home at 8:20 this morning, and since Michelle is gone out of town with our car, I rode to church so that I could practice piano, my music books carried securely in the bag on the back of my trike. After a good practice session, I continued west, riding out to Baker Rd. (Dexter), and then coming home I stopped at Cottage Inn for their pizza buffet lunch. I  couldn't seem to make good time today. but I was glad to at least get a good, fairly long ride in.

Link to video (Relive) of today's ride

50th ride of 2018 - Thursday, 7/12/2018

2018 mileage:1615.4

Well, today I was not pleased that I caved in on my original intention of riding three round trips to Marsh Park (for the first time since October 20). But I am pleased that at least I did two. I think this failure is attributable to laziness -- I had wanted to ride at 6:00, but I ended up staying in bed and starting until the late hour of 8:00. As I was dragging my feet, though, it continued to warm up, and was 59°. And after I rode 18.7 miles int 2:25, it had heated up to 78°.

This ride of 18.7 miles took me 2;25, and took me 2:25, as well as carrying me past another mileage milestone for the year.

Today's ride