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

[Tex]

I just wear a bright yellow shirt with some reflective elements on it. At night I stick to sidewalks or paved trails through neighborhoods which have street lights. A head lamp could be useful if it's too dark as you sure want to avoid twisting or breaking your ankle.

For clothing, I live much further South than you, but layering is the key. You can bet up there in winter you will need some type of wind breaker pants. Usually this is enough for your legs, but if its in the 30's or lower, you may need some with insulation lining in them. For my torso layer I like the Underarmour brand, long sleeve turtle neck, with a light wind breaker over that. For my head and ears I wear a beanie. Underarmour also makes a hood/face mask that might be better for those really cold mornings.

 

[llarian]

(snipped) For my head and ears I wear a beanie. Underarmour also makes a hood/face mask that might be better for those really cold mornings.

Hey, Tex!!

This might be a dumb question, but what do you refer to as a beanie? I can't get the image of the newbies beanie in "American Pie: Band Camp" out of my head!

Perhaps it is similar to what I called a touque. This is a knitted cap that can come down over the ears. In the military we called it a watchcap.

Keep it between the ditches ... and have a Merry Christmas.

 

[johan]

I started cycling recently, preparing for the Cape Argus in March next year.

At the moment I'm still quite out of shape, nearly 20% overweight... but losing the extra slowly. My fitness is coming along slowly but surely, I'm now able to do a 44km ride confidently... ramping up slowly to the Argus's 109km!

Here's a recent ride I did: http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/1792639?key=1d64abe430eeffaaff8538815096a953b471b8cf

SportyPal is cool because it uses your phone's GPS to gather stats (total climb, total descent, fastest speed, etc).

I'm riding the Argus on this:

Oh, er, wait, no not that one...

This is actually what I'll be riding on:

(yes, that's me, doing 60 km/h downhill)

One other thing, I'm riding with a group called the Cape Cows (yes, we'll actually be riding in cow-outfits, see below)... I'm shamelessly collecting money to support children with cancer, so please donate here: http://johanpretorius.givengain.org

I sure hope these outfits aren't as hot as they look!

---------- Post added at 23:11 ---------- Previous post was at 22:33 ----------

For the guys having bike maintenance issues, see this site:
http://sheldonbrown.com/

It's horrible-looking, but has LOTS of awesome info, I was able to fix my bike's gears first time around using an article I found on there.

 

[Tex]

19.7 average speed today on the bike... Moving pretty good! Maximum maintained speed was 30 mph. Only one "hill" crossed in the form of a bridge, 83 feet high with 5% grade.

Hey, Tex!!

This might be a dumb question, but what do you refer to as a beanie?

Something like this..

 

[Tex]

So, I've officially registered for my first half-marathon (13.1 miles)!

Race day is March 18, 2012. Next week my training block begins. It's quite ambitious, so I'll have to see how my body responds to it. My total weekly mileage for week 1 begins at my current physical level. Every 4th week is a recovery week with drastically reduced mileage, then 2 weeks out from race day begins a taper.


[table="head"]Wk.#|Mon|Tue|Wed|Thu|Fri|Sat|Sun|Run Mileage
1|Rest|3 Miles (tempo)|2 Miles (easy)|2 Miles (intervals)|Rest|10 Miles (bike)|8 Miles (long)|15
2|Rest|4 Miles (tempo)|2 Miles (easy)|2 Miles (intervals)|Rest|15 Miles (bike)|9 Miles (long)|17
3|Rest|4 Miles (tempo)|2 Miles (easy)|3 Miles (intervals)|Rest|2 Mile (sprint)|10 Miles (long)|21
4|Rest|3 Miles (easy)|Rest|4 Miles (tempo)|Rest|Rest|20 Miles (bike)|7
5|Rest|5 Miles (tempo)|3 Miles (easy)|3 Miles (intervals)|Rest|10 Miles (bike)|11 Miles (long)|22
6|Rest|5 Miles (tempo)|3 Miles (easy)|4 Miles (intervals)|Rest|15 Miles (bike)|12 Miles (long)|24
7|Rest|6 Miles (tempo)|3 Miles (easy)|4 Miles (intervals)|Rest|2 Mile (sprint)|13 Miles (long)|26
8|Rest|4 Miles (easy)|Rest|6 Miles (tempo)|Rest|Rest|20 Miles (bike)|10
9|Rest|6 Miles (tempo)|3 Miles (easy)|5 Miles (intervals)|Rest|15 Miles (bike)|13 Miles (long)|27
10|Rest|4 Miles (tempo)|2 Miles (easy)|3 Miles (intervals)|Rest|10 Miles (bike)|8 Miles (long)|17
11|Rest|3 Miles (tempo)|2 Miles (easy)|Rest|Rest|2 Mile (sprint)|RACE DAY!|7
[/table]

Easy = Foundation run; 30 to 90 minutes of steady running at a comfortable pace.
Tempo = 20 to 40 minutes of steady running slightly under a 10K pace.
Intervals = Short segments of hard running separated by segments of recovery jogging.
Long = Basically a long foundation run at a comfortable pace.

 

[DanM]

I just got a jacket and pants from REI, I just tested them out on a short mile run. I can tell that I haven't been running as much as a should, I ran it in 8:12 today.

This is a bit off topic, but does anyone else on here climb? My first climbing lesson is on Saturday. This is where it will be and if I like it enough I might get a membership there.

 

[Tex]

What a bike ride today with amazingly perfect weather! I traveled 28 miles and nearly averaged 20 mph, technically 19.9 mph. Mind you I did say average! New personal best!!

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/hT0kbvf1FXY

.

 

[Tex]

Short video clip from my ride today. Got rained on for the first time. I was testing a new camera angle with this video, but my leg just hits the camera when I pedal, so I'll have to work on the mount.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksU-Gn2GhIc"]Cycling - Todville Rd. (Wet Conditions) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Tex]

Oh my god, drivers in England are CRAZY! I would not be cycling if this is the norm there...

 

[Scruce]

Oh my god, drivers in England are CRAZY! I would not be cycling if this is the norm there...

Yes, this is extremely true, what with my father being a driving instructor. This is why I cycle on the streets instead of the main roads. In fact, just yesterday we nearly had a crash when a car pulled out too early on a 'T Junction' to our car.

 

[Evil_Onyx]

Oh my god, drivers in England are CRAZY! I would not be cycling if this is the norm there...

Why are cyclists using video cameras? - YouTube

Yep that is pritty normal for London and most city centers but not so true once you get in to the country, also the reason i ride as part of a group if i can.

 

[Scav]

There is something ironic in that video.

Look for the blue banner on the building, on the other side of the road, in the sequence with the cyclist's confrontation with the angry motorist ("You do not hit me car!"). Contrast that banner with the guy's angry expression.

On a more serious note, I actually have something on-topic to report. A mile and a half in just under 29 minutes. Nothing great, but nothing too shabby considering the last time I was in any serious shape was half a lifetime (and 40 pounds) ago.

 

[Tex]

Congrats Scav! Keep at it, your times will continue to fall relatively quickly at your age.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

I need some kind of a miracle to finish my first ever half-marathon next Sunday! :shifty: (the time limit's 3 hours)
Thanks to my tight schedule in college, I didn't train as much as I would like, and I believe there's a 50/50 chance that I wouldn't finish it. So.......

 

[martins]

Oh my god, drivers in England are CRAZY! I would not be cycling if this is the norm there...

It's been a while since I cycled to work regularly, but I've had my fair share of encouters like this, including a few accidents. Motorists around here do seem to suffer from selective blindness when it comes to cyclists. These days I stick to recreational cycling, as far away from traffic as possible.

 

[Tex]

I need some kind of a miracle to finish my first ever half-marathon next Sunday! :shifty: (the time limit's 3 hours)
Thanks to my tight schedule in college, I didn't train as much as I would like, and I believe there's a 50/50 chance that I wouldn't finish it. So.......

Best of luck in your race, have fun most importantly!! :thumbup:

It's been a while since I cycled to work regularly, but I've had my fair share of encouters like this, including a few accidents. Motorists around here do seem to suffer from selective blindness when it comes to cyclists. These days I stick to recreational cycling, as far away from traffic as possible.

Didn't know you enjoyed cycling!


In other news, I rode a charity event this past weekend on Saturday. Got some video, but a lot of it came out with the camera angled too far down. New helmet I got for my birthday which I hadn't tested with the old camera mount. Anyway, here is what I have:

 

[Tex]

On Sunday I rode to Galveston Island solo, making total weekend mileage on the bike 113 miles. Handlebar mounted camera footage from Sunday's ride:

 

[DanM]

I went for a run today, I shot for three miles but only got 2.4 because my shins just couldn't handle it. I ran three miles yesterday and I've only been running this far for about a week, so it was a bit too much to do it two days in a row. I also went for my first bike ride in a while today, and man does that thing need some tuning up.

 

[Scav]

Cycling: Galveston Beach Seawall - YouTube

I've been at that beach! When I was nine years old.

 

[martins]

Didn't know you enjoyed cycling!

I do, although finding a nice cycle route from central London without spending at least an hour on a train is a challenge. My "house trail" is along the river Lea from Tottenham north - about 100km round trip, which is good for short winter days and even leaves time for a nice pub lunch and a few pints.

On my recent trip to Philadelphia I managed to borrow a bicycle from one of my colleagues and found a nice trail along the Schuykill and Perkiomen rivers, past Valley Forge park, about 140km round trip, nice for a day's outing.