J is for jersey

I started cycling in earnest in 1973. But I was strictly a tee shirt cyclist. I never owned a cycling jersey until 2003 when my brother-in-law gave me one as a retirement gift. So when I did my first CrossRoads tour, I had two jerseys and I did not bring the gift jersey with me. I wore running jerseys every day, saving the CrossRoads jersey for team days. Now I have a whole drawer-full of cycling jerseys. The photo is the 2014 special edition jersey for staff. Note that Team CrossRoads is on the side of the jersey. 

2013 is now in the books. I pedaled 5,041 miles this year. It was a bit more than the last two years but far short of the 7,500 miles of 2010. The longest ride was back in March at 66 miles when I rode in Arizona with friends. I cycled on 202 days for an average of 25 miles per outing. Long rides are no longer my thing as I no longer have to prepare for the long days of a tour. The fastest daily average was 23.1 mph, when a strong tailwind pushed me to the first SAG on the way to Guymon. 

The sun sets on 2013.  Happy 2014 to everyone!

Rumbling, stumbling, bumbling

Chris Berman of ESPN made this term famous in his football highlights show. Commentators have also applied the term to our president's conferences (whatever happened to his famous speaking ability, anyway?).  The term also applies to my running in the soft sand here at the beach. I was never good in the soft sand during high school. My school was six blocks from the ocean and the cross country team did many of their workouts there. But I am enjoying the heck out of myself. I even felt like a real runner for a few hundred yards the other day. 

Beautiful sunrises every morning. 

I is for indoor cycling

I was waiting until it snowed in Denver to do this topic. Then the title would have been ice and indoor cycling. But, I am now in Mexico and have been doing spin class with the resort. Pepe has been the trainer for 12 years and I have been doing the class with him since 2005. It is a chance to get a great workout while on vacation. 

I will now be elsewhere in Mexico for two weeks. I plan to get in lots of swimming, walking, kayaking, core, and some running. Salud!

G and H is for good habits

How do you develop good habits?  I think that you have to set a goal and then set up little steps or goals to reach the big goal. It will take time. Along the way, mis-steps can be avoided. 

I will have to think some more about what is next in developing themes for this little alphabet blog. So it may be awhile before I write again. I will also be on vacation soon. My vacation was one of the reasons for developing a cross training habit. I do not to lose fitness while away from the bike. 

The first photo is from today's ride. It was in the mid 40s and cloudy. Never was cold, even into the headwind. The second photo was from the weekend. I went past the football stadium both days. It is amazing that hundreds are already tailgating five hours before the game started. 

F is for friends

It is a beautiful weekend here in Colorado. I was pedaling up the dam today when a fellow pulled alongside and we started to talk about how wonderful a sport cycling is. I told him I have met so many good friends over the past few years. One of them is Jim Heller. We met on my first CrossRoads tour in 2005.  We had lunch together in Los Angeles and a fast friendship started. We rode together on most days. Jim and I have stayed in touch over the years, meeting in Indiana for the hilly hundred ride, riding down the west coast in 2010, meeting in Kansas while I have been on the staff, and going to baseball games in Denver. 

Sports brings us together. Paul is a friend of 50 years. We competed against each other in grade school basketball, ran together in high school cross country and track, roomed together during college summers while body surfing and playing volleyball, and now golf and run together. Paul coached a girl's cross country team to its third consecutive Colorado state championship yesterday. Congratulations to Paul and his teams!

The photo is of Jim Heller and me during his visit this summer. Long live great friendships!

E is for eat well

This is the last of my desired goals when I thought about it two weeks ago. Actually, it has long been a goal. Everyone knows that nutrition is important but few put it into practice each and every day. My goal is fewer sweets and more fruits and vegetables. I also need to kick the caffeine habit which I get through diet coke. I do not drink it much, but it really interferes with my sleep patterns. 

Yesterday's workout was a two mile run, a one-half mile swim, and a 2.5 mile walk. Today's photo is from the walk taken just four miles from the house. I feel really fortunate to live in Colorado. 

D is for descending

The bike skill that I am most lacking in is descending. I am generally OK if the road is open. I have never enjoyed descents but developed a near phobia after two high-speed wobbles in 2011. So, I am working to overcome this fear. It will be a little difficult in coming months as the cold weather intensifies the chill factor on a descent. I definitely do not want to shiver and lose bike control. 

My first challenge was on Saturday. As Larry and I rounded a corner to begin a descent, a substantial crosswind hit us and was moving us on the road. I thought "let's see how the new bike handles in this wind."  I went down into the drops for better control (totally against my instincts) and let it go. After the ride, I checked the Garmin and saw that I reached 38 mph, my highest speed of the year. The bike held a perfect line. This will go a long way to developing my confidence. 

After a few freezes, most of the flowers in the garden are now toast. The hummingbirds that feast on these agastache flowers left about five weeks ago.  I will miss the flowers and the hummingbirds.