July 24 rides

[Brandy]

Short recovery ride, just under 20 miles and back by 7:00 a.m. It was hot and sticky out there!!

[Tater]

74 degrees on the way into work, ugh! I went running off, well actually riding off and left my RoadID and lock key on the washer. DUH! Thankfully I have the spare on a keyring in my backpack. I felt nekkid without my ID though.

[Kano]

Geez, Tater, it sure heated up fast! I just got back from a short not-quite-nine mile jaunt, and it's 86 degrees already! (at 10:15) You probably rode much earlier than me, lucky you!

Mine was a trip home from dropping the car off for service, but it was only three miles by the time I got home, so I thought I'd tour the neighborhood some. Two hills on the way home, made a circle that took me back to a point about half way up the second one, and when I got close to the house again, looked at the odometer and said to myself, oh, what the heck, I'll go another mile!

I swear, hills are the oddest thing: I can be miserable on the way up, but hit that crest and stop climbing, and WOOHOOO! I'm good to go for another however far!

Karen in Boise

[margo49]

Note post number to the left

My first ride after my accident. New beak did not affect the aerodynamics.
Fingers not 100% yet on the bars. Thought I was getting headaches too but loosened the new helmet a smidgin and Voila! (How dumb can ya get??)

Went out at dawn, saw the sun rise over the Golan Heights - all reds and golds and pinks.Tons of tiny birds out - too small to be the early birds getting the worms. My bee-eaters have moved on - not a one at the nesting place.
Still quite a lot of caper flowers about, the grapes coming on and the early dates beginning to change from bright green to a kind of reddish brown.
Hot and dry - the predominant shades are golds in the fields and yellows on the hillsides and dusty greens of the date palms and olive trees

2 1/2 hours over the agricultural vehicle tracks.

[Tiffanie]

Rode with Brandy this morning. Uneventful and somewhat relaxing until I hit a patch of sand and >camethisclose< to eating the asphault on PCH! Boy, did that cause an adrenaline rush/hr spike!

[DDH]

Okay, woke up at 5 got some coffee a couple of pieces of toast, washed my face, brushed my teeth and off I went. Let me tell you. I did not sleep well last night and I really wanted to stay in bed. I am so glad I posted last night that I was going today otherwise I probably would have laid there.
Hubby got my light hooked up on my bike and the red blinking one for the back. Got my water bottle filled and off I went. It was dark and a little scarry. I have to ride down our dirt road out in the country and it is very ruff and torn up so really had to go slow down my first hill.
Anyway, I made it. I only went 8.8 miles and it took me 51 minutes but I did it. I was a sweaty pig, when I got home and the sun was just getting a little higher in the sky.
I was a bit tired and my legs were like rubber, but it was great.
My average speed was 10.4 which probably isn't very good, but it is very hilly out here and the hills kill me. I mean I am in granny gear on every one of them. I wish I had a level area to start out on and build up on, but I don't so I will just have to take what I have and deal with it. As long as the wind is not blowing against me while I am riding up hill, I will live.
Hey, I do have to say. This is the first ride since I quit smoking and man, it was nice to ride and breath. I didn't have a coughing attack when I got home. That was the first thing I noticed.
Thanks for all the encouragement girls.

[mimitabby]

wow, DDH you ROCK!!
your average speed is just GREAT!! and you rode in the dark and gravel too
and went over 8 miles.

considering the heat this is a fine first ride. now if you can repeat it a few times this week you are in great shape.
I think it's cool that you can already feel the diff. from quitting smoking.

thanks for posting (i've been waiting)

mimi who hasn't ridden since saturday because it's too hot (whine)

[mimitabby]

ps when i do hills, my avg speed is often / usually below 11 mph

[Brandy]

You're doing great DDH!!!

[Kano]

ps when i do hills, my avg speed is often / usually below 11 mph

Wow! I'm impressed: when I get on a hill, I'm doing well to keep my speed above 5mph! SOMETIMES, I'm happy to stay above 4!

(maybe if I had a road bike instead of that comfort-beast, then DH wouldn't grumble about me going too slowly!)

Karen in Boise

[light_sabe_r]

Commute to and from work 10km.

Took the long way home... Just went around all this little lanes and Alleyways I didn't know existed in my area. (I've only lived there three weeks)

Was absolutley nackered! I was struggling because of the ride the day before. I just COULDN'T get up those hills which normally I get up easy enough...

getting more confident with my signals and turning, I'll keep practising on these laneways before I ride the road...

[makbike]

I got up early so that I could ride the route I'm going to use on Friday for the club ride. I managed to get 95% of it marked before I headed home to clean up before heading into Louisville for an appointment with my asthma doctor. I rode 54 miles this morning. It was a beautiful morning to be out and about in the country, clear skies, temps in the low 70's, low humidity really can't ask for much more.

[DDH]

Mimi, I wasn't on gravel the whole way. Just the first 1/4 mile is that way. Getting from my house to the pavement. LOL That average speed is only that good because of all the down hills that go along with the up hills. I bet I didn't average 3 mph oh the up hills. Lord how those hills kill me. LOL

I can't wait to start seeing improvement and being able to travel more miles.
All you girls keep me motivated with your post and all you do.
I'm really impressed and reading about everything makes me want to do more.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

This is my first "daily ride" post.

DDH- the hills kill me too. But I'm huffing and puffing up them as best I can, and walking the ones that do me in. No big deal, it's all good excercise. I can feel muscles desperately trying to grow more. Been riding about a month now I think, still riding a loaner until "maybe" next week.

I have no idea how fast I'm going, I just feel good to get out riding for half an hour or for 2 hours, whatever. Some days I do a 3 mile brisk walk all around the town streets and roads instead of a bike ride. As long as I keep moving and eat healthier, then I'm moving in the right direction.

Anyway....
Yesterday I rode a 10 mile fairly hilly ride on back roads mostly- had me REALLY tired but I made it. Felt my thighs and shoulders for sure. Slept like a rock.
Today I rested mostly, but my husband and I got on our bikes to go into town and back (2 miles total) to attend a memorial service. It felt good to not use gas and a car to do that, and to not worry about getting parking- just stashed the bikes in the bushes of the funeral home, rolled my pants legs back down, fluffed up my "helmet hair" and walked in.

It's pretty hilly around our area, and I am slowly trying to build up my leg strength and my breathing/HR endurance- but I know that all takes months and months and is a slow process. But hey- no time like starting in the present.
I am so GRATEFUL to have found an activity that will get me healthy and fit but that is so much FUN as well!! And this forum is full of such wonderful vibrant forward looking women (both beginners and experienced alike), --thank you ALL for your knowledge and your enthusiasm and support!

[DDH]

Thats great Lisa, I'm glad to know I am not alone on the hills.
I only know how fast I am going because luckily my little computer that we had when we first started riding years and years ago, still works! YEAH!!
I love that little computer. Helps to keep up with progress so much easier.