Screws In My Coffee

I am starting the week with my ODO at 1202. I rode 139 miles during week 30. I rode 519 miles in the month of July. This is the first time in about 4 years that I am riding my bike on a regular basis.

Today I bike commute 31 miles in two hours and 16 minutes and averaged 13.6 miles per hour. I rode in to work via Bee Caves and Barton Springs and then rode to the gym via Bee Caves and up 360. Weather conditions were High Dew Point Humidity Visibility Pressure Winds 90°F 67°F 49% 10.0 miles 29.89 From ESE 14mph I had trouble riding up Great Hills after turning off from 360. Right afrt I started up the very steep hill (to me) I decided to shift into my Granny Gear and I lost my chain. I was very hot and tired at the time and tere is no shoulder and there was a lot of traffic at the time. I waited for all traffice to pass and put my chain back on and then attempetd to get on my bike to continut the steep climb. I had to ride out into two lanes of the street to get my balance and enough momentum to start riding up the hill. I am proud to be able to ride this year in the Texas heat. Last year I could not ride when it was this hot, especially up hills. When I got to the

I started the week with my ODO at 1063. Today my round trip commute was 32 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes and averaged 15 MPH. I rode from home to HT via Bee Caves Road, Barton Springs, Congress, Cesar Chevaz. I rode from work to home via Springdale, Oltorf, Bluestien, HWY 71, HWY 360, Bee Caves. Weather conditions were High Dew Point Humidity Visibility Pressure Winds 91°F 68°F 47% 10.0 miles 29.87 From SE 14mph

I rode 109 miles for week 29.

ODO 1032, totals for the day - distance: 35.48 miles, Time: 2:28, Average: 14.3 MPH total mileage for the week: 87 miles Today I got up at 4 AM to gor to Auditorium Shores to be on TV with the Early Show's weather guy Dave. I rode to town in the dark using my head lamp. The temperature was cooler than my normal moring ride so it was enjoyable. On my return trip home in the evening I continued past Cuernevaca on Bee Caves to HWY 71 to get a few extra miles on my commute. I want to increase my daily milage from 26 miles to 30 or 35 during my week day commute. I am not going to reset my cycle computer after my moring commute as I have been doing in the past. Instead I am going to keep the total daily mileage on my return trip so that I can quickly see how fare I have to ride to meet my daily goal.

Mileage is 967 and I rode 17 miles for the day

Mileage at the start of this week was 766 and now it is 945 giving me a total of 179 miles this week. Yester day on my ride to the gym in North Austin I rode for 58 minutes, 14 miles and averaged 14.1 MPH. Today I will be working at a pond on the Austin Pond Tour so I do not know if I will have the time to ride today. It sure would be nice to get a 21 mile ride in this evening so that I can have my first 200 mile week in Texas. When I'm riding my bike I notice dogs in cars and trucks hanging their heads out of windows. They look so happy and I wonder if my excitement about having the wind blow in my face while I am riding is connected with hanging my head out the window of a car when I was a child. It seems riding a bike can bring me closer to my feelings of youth than most things that I do during the day. Having the ability to power yourself with a bike on flat ground at 18-20 MPH is really cool. Going down a hill on a bike at 35-48 MPH is the ultimate E ticket for me. I remember

ODO Mileage is 917, trip mileage 13.74, trip average 14.7, trip time 55 minutes. I did not know about Endorphins when I was young. I learned about them in my mid 20s when I was jogging on the Venice Beach in Southern California. I think that another runner explained the process to me about your body producing them when you run or cycle. Yesterday during my ride out to the 24-Hour Fitness gym in North Austin I was really happy to be riding my bike. When I got to the gym I did my usual resistance training but I still had the need to run and get on an orbital aerobic machine. So I guess that I am getting my body trained on getting a dose of Endorphins every day when I bike commute. When I rode my bike to work in Portland, Oregon I got to a point when my body was not happy unless I was riding my bike. I never thought I would get back to that point in my life again, but it looks like that is happening now. There has been a lot of research on the release of Endorphins into th

Mileage is 890. My ride home was 14 miles in about an hour. Tempertures in Austin are in the high 90s with 85% humidity. I rode through town on 6th and hit Congress to Barton Springs turning on Rollingwood after Zilker Park. I follow Rollingword until it crosses Bee Caves Road and turns into Old Walsh Talgton. I take this through the neighboorhods up to 360 then turn north to Bee Caves ten to Cuernevaca. I like this route because it is very low traffic and has moderate hills. I'm at that point in my bike commuting conditioning that I do not have the need to ride as fast as I can all of the time everyday. Last night I rode home slow through the hills and got passed by two young ladies riding slow waiting for their third friend. This did not bother me and I had a little conversation with them before I picked up my pace.

I suppose that I may be a complete ditz on this, but it is getting very hard for me to tell when I am talking to a live person or a computer with a voice. Today I was on the phone with IBM support creating a trouble ticket for a server and the person that was on the phone sounded so polite yet robitic that I could not tell if I was talking to a human or an andriod. ÂÂ

Milage 862. My ride home yesterday was a discovery ride. I wanted to see how Westlake drive went from Rosebud Terrace to 360. My total commute home was 18.33 miles. It took me 1 hour and 24 minutes and I averaged 13.1 MPH. The ride on Westlake was a typical rolling hill affair which for me translates into a training ride. These training rides are rides where I can not get into a real grrove and have to constantly think about going up hill or down hill and shifting my gears. I can not tune out and just be at peace with the ride. These rides are good for my training but I do not want to do them every day especially when it is hot.

Well I finally decided to ditch Moveable Type. I have not moved my old blog files over but if you want to look at the old blog click here.  I liked MT while I was using it but I kept forgetting my password. The real problem is that I have to get Send Mail working properly on my server so that my password can be sent to me via email. So as a typical geek I decided to try Word Press for a blog. I am in the habit now of writing in the morning before I cycle to work so having a blog that I can access is required.

Mileage 830. I rode from work up to the LCRA building on Lake Austin Blvd. I went past it and proceded to wander up the hills past 35th street and Balcones. I eventually turned around and went back to the LCRA building to meet with some friends at Lucy's Boat House for dinner.

Mileage is 804. I just finished a 38 mile ride from my house in West Lake area to the LBJ Wild Flower Center. I went via Cuernavaca, Bee Caves, Barton Spring, Southwest Parkway, William Cannon, Escarpment, SH 45 to the dead end. I then reversed on SH 45 and went to the LBJ WFC. I returned home via MoPac, 360, Bee Caves. My total riding time was 2 hours and 30 minutes and I averaged 14.8 MPH. It was hot and there were 10-15 MPH head winds coming from the south east. I have some head winds and some tail winds. Surprisingly I liked the head winds because it kept me cooler. It is funny that in the Texas heat when you have a tail wind it is the same as riding in dead air so the sweat does not evaporate and you stay hot. When you have a head wind the breeze sweeps across your skin and the sweat evaporates and you feel cool.

Mileage at the start of this week is 766. I am not riding on week-ends so I will adapt my bike commute to a longer evening ride. I like riding during the evening after work as it relaxes me and it gives me something to look forward to during the day. My goal is to ride 100 miles a week during July. I did not make my goal for the first week of July but I will make my goal for the second week. My plan is to ride to work every day like I have been doing a minimum of 13 miles. After work I will do a longer return home like I did riding to the Wild Flower Center wich gives me a 30 mile commute home. If I do this commute twice in one week that will be 86 miles or about 80% of my total weekly goal. My hill training will come when I ride home using the Redbud Terrace route. I do not like riding this route when I think about how hard it is but after I ride it I feel great. During my ride up the steep hills on Redbud I do enjoy the fact that there is hardly any traffic on it.

Milage at the start of today is 753. Yesterday I rode from downtown Austin nort to the 24 Hour Fitness near 193 and 360. It was hot and there were head winds.

Yesterday on 7/5/2006 I took the long way home. I rode from Huston-Tillotson University to the Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center and then home on San Augustine Drive. I traveled on Mo Pac and 360 for most of the trip. The weather was hot and humid. I stopped at the Bicycle Sport Shop and added two water bottles to my bike. I need to carry sports drinks in addition to my water blader on my back for hydration in the hot Texas heat. I am drinking a lot on my rides but the sweat does not evaporate from my skin beccause of the humidity. I am getting use to the fact that riding in Texas means riding when it is hot and humid. My starting milage for the month of July is 683 miles. My total milage for my bike commute on 7/5/2006 was 43 miles. I am excited about increasing my riding distance in preperation for the Hotter Than Hell Ride in August.