Reset to Day Zero again

Drats, got all my stuff laid out the night before and ready to go and woke up Monday with a sore throat. Wednesday is set for the new kick off date.

Day Zero

Haven't started swimming or spinning yet but I am prepared to take the plunge on Monday. Pun intended! Our high school offers adult lap swim on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It's going to be an early morning for me on Monday.

Trip to Dick's sporting goods landed me a new swim cap and goggles, can't imagine I'll need anything else right off.

The begining goal is to get two swims in a week for 20 min each. Let's see how doable that is to start. I'll be checking into the spin class this week two and get the details. WoHoo!

I'm looking forward to getting back into some physical activity, I have already noticed that with two weeks of not biking that I am stiffining up somewhat. Not good. Gotta keep moving.

Riding season is over till Spring of 2011

Saturday November 20, 2010 Not a single ride since last week. I was tempted today because the sun was so strong but it was quite chilly. I'm thinking I have my winter fitness picked out. Here is a new training facility that offers spin classes and our High School has a pool with lap swimming. I just need to synch times with my exercise buddy.

I haven't had a Humira shot since June for my RA, dare I say that this is in remission right now?

I suppose I'll never know what the effects my fitness plan had on it.

I can spend some of the winter months researching new routes, parks and pathways and putting together a spring/summer fitness plan with goals and objectives. That actually sounds like fun!

Day 110

Saturday November 13, 2010 Returned to the "scene of the crime" and went for a short 6.7 mile ride today. Wanted to accomplish a few things

1) wanted to look over the area where I fell
2) didn't want to end my riding season on a short bad note (weather is supposed to turn wintery next week and this is in all likelihood my last ride of the year)
3) wanted to do an easy ride due to the tenderness from yesterday and a respritory cold that is gaining a foothold and this path is dead flat with no bumps or hills.
4) did not want to let fear gain a foothill, sorta like getting thrown from a horse and climbing back on.

Took it very easy and didn't watch my speed, avg MPH or whatever, just wanted a little fresh air, stretch out the kinks from yesterday and go at a very moderate pace. Mission accomplished.

Day 109

Friday November 12, 2010 worst tumble yet on the bike. Fell while approaching a lighted intersection and thought I was closer to a stop than I was, tipped over into a grassy depression and my elbow met the ground but the momentum continued to carry me, the result was a jammed shoulder accompanied by shooting pain in the shoulder and neck. I stayed on the soft ground for a while to gather my wits. I was in no hurry whatsoever to get up. A jogger stopped, a car, another bicyclist, I waved an OK to them and finally thought about getting up when another jogger stopped, I accepted help in getting my bike off the ground and promptly decided to end my ride for the evening. The jogger offered to wheel or ride my bike back to my car but I said I was ok with pushing it. After a couple of blocks on got back on and pedaled back to my car. Ouch. Bummer.

I had hoped to ride the Huron Valley Rail Trail, parked at McHattie Park in South Lyon and pedaled out of town, the accident happened by the intersection and the RR tracks near the mill where the trail proper begins. 3 miles a limping along...

Day 107 & 108

November 10, 2010 No riding, taking care of tasks and chores

November 11, 2010 11.5 miles today, day off work and rode at Hudson Mills, 1 trip on the outer loop and 2 trips on the inner loop, chain hopped off my bike and I just couldn't get it back on, it as all kinked up.

Walked 2 miles back to my car. Hooray for the bike shop, they had me back up and rolling in no time. Rode my bike up to work and back for an evening meeting. Happy day.

WEEK #16 Total Miles for the week 49. Who would think that a person could get so much riding in during November!

Day 106

November 9, 2010 three laps at Independance Lake for a quick 6 mile ride and the weather continues in Indian Summer mode. Yay!

Day 105

November 8, 2010 Who would think we would have 60 + degrees this time in November? Great bike ride through Island Lake from behind the mall all the way into Kensington and back with my friend Deb A. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful ride. The first 300 ft of the trail is in dirt then it turns to pavement. A much better path than riding right along the rail bed.

Photos are of our starting point, looking back, stop at Kent Lake along the way the the I-96 bridge over Kent Lake near the entrance to Kensington.

A tad bit over 15 miles today of an exhilirating ride! And another fun component was running into fellow biking friend Jim G. and his biking pal. How fun!

Day 104

November 7, 2010 Can't believe how nice it was again today, we are in an Indian Summer trend with tomorrow through Wednesday with mild temps in the 60's, no wind and loads of sunshine. Rode from behind the mall to Island Lake, I was on a bit of a timetable and got in just over 7 miles. Had a wreck and broke my rear brake lever, I was three miles out from my car but made it back just fine with front brakes. Ordered a new one from the bike shop so I'll be single break the rest of the week and I do plan on riding with this last gasp of autumn. I got off with a scraped elbow, not bad.

Yesterday I was really feeling it in my knee from so many days off of riding, today after yesterday's ride I was all limbered up again and really felt ready to roll. I was feeling in a real grove and climbed a few hills that I had previously had to walk up, my stamina has been much improved from the few days off also.

Truly beautiful day!

Day 102 & 103

November 5, 2010 no rides

November 6, 2010 Temp 43 but abundant sunshine and no wind made for a good riding day 9.5 miles at Hudson Mills inner loop 2 x and outer loop 1 x. Still plenty of others out enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

Day 100 and 101

November 3, 2010 cold, drizzly and cloudy with temps in the low 40's. No bike riding

November 4, 2010 for all intents and purposes biking season is over for 2010 in Michigan, at least for me it is. I imagine one or maybe two days warm enough to hop on for a ride before the snow sets in but it's time to turn to another form of exercise to help out my knee and arthritis in general.

I'm researching swimming options at our local school and also a therapy complex nearby that has an underwater treadmill, both options will be no to low impact physical activity that will blend quite nicely with limiting stress on the joints.

There''ll be an occasional post now and again but not much till spring time again when I can get back on my wheels!

Week #15 35.5 miles. Good daily average

Day 99

November 2, 2010 One (1) little tiny mile today, kinda laughable but it was election day and had my eyes dilated for an exam and my car ended up getting left at work so I had to pedal up there to get it. Me and my long one mile commute!

Day 98

November 1, 2010 It's the first of November and I'm still bike riding. Very short ride tonight, not too cold out at all, I was just feeling out of sync with my bike and could not find a groove. I'll need to have a better ride than that to end my season on. It's sure winding down, next week it'll be dark by 5:30 or thereabouts. 4 little miles for the day

I've been scouting out other forms of fitness that is non-impact and swimming is looking attractive, hmmmm.

Day 97

October 31, 2010 Island Lake State Park, rode the length of it from Island Lake to Kent Lake for 10.8 miles.

"All the leaves are gone and the sky is grey..." and so that old Mama's and Pappa's song goes...bike riding season is winding down but what an invigorating day to be out and about!

Day 96

October 30, 2010 9.7 miles at Kensington. Entered in through Island Lake State Park and explored the Huron Valley Rail Trail a wee bit.

Degunked and degreased the gears and chain today, relubed it and shifting was smooth and quiet and chain didn't hop off once. Knock on wood. New saddle is working out very well and much quieter than the other one. All in all it was a very silent ride except for the wind and that is a welcome sound in your ears. It was a beautiful sunny day for a ride with temps near 60.

Day 95

October 29, 2010 5 laps at Independance Lake for a 10 mile ride. Cool but not real cold. It felt good to be out again after a few days off for the weather. My knee was a bit stiff for the first 1/2 mile and I felt out of it and didn't catch a rhythm until the second lap, finished strong for 5 laps and never had to walk up a single hill. Nice. The woods are thining out quite a bit so the sceanery is changing from week to week. Running short on daylight too, it's pretty dark by 6:45

Glad the weekend is here and with it the opportunity for some longer rides, the weather looks to be cooperative too with temps around 60's. Hope it's not too windy.

Day 94

October 28, 2010 Winds over 25 mph and temps low 40's Brrrrrrrrr. Wind dies tomorrow and temps back up to 50-51 and Saturday mid 50's with low winds. Another day off from riding. Boo.

Weekly total mileage for week #14 is 39.8

Higher than my running average but significantly off from recent weeks. Darn weather!

Day 93

October 27, 2010 Winds stronger today than yesterday gusting to over 55 mph. No riding for me.

Day 92

October 26, 2010 High winds and storms all day 45 mile an hour + gusts, good day to take the bike to the shop. Editing this to add in the results of the trip to the shop, conclusion, no physical mishaps the chain is hopping off because of road conditions and driver error. Ok, I can live with that and try to stay in better tune with my bike and also know that these things just happen from time to time. Of course they couldn't get me out of the shop without a purchase, so I came home with a new saddle. Botranger, WSD (womean specific design) Suburbia model with a built in light that either blinks or can be set to be steady. So despite the weather I had to come home and try it out. I needed to burn off some work stress and a windy day was great for that. Love it so far, very comfortable 5.5 mile ride in this fierce wind, slowed me down a bit and Avg MPH was 7.8. Down considerable from yesterday's Avg MPH 9.2. Map of yesterday's route

Day 91

October 25, 2010 9.25 miles for the day at Lakelands Trail. The terrain is so flat in comparison to where I've been riding, that plus my increase in strength and stamina had me upping my miles per hour and my average for today's ride was a mile per hour faster than it's been. My speedo dosen't do cadance but I have to assume that is up as well. So, at least for the moment, everything is looking up. I continue to feel strong.

I had technical difficulties again at the beginning of my ride. There was a small incline and on the downside of it my chain hopped off again. After having watched the two guys who helped me out the last time I ended up fixing it myself this time. It was a struggle and I got very greasy but it was a proud feeling to fix it my self and pedal off again under my own power. Bikers need to be self-reliant and I need a small tool kit! Luckily Zukey Lake was just about a 1/2 mile down the path and I stopped by the waters edge and used the sand and grit and lake to wash my hands off, well somewhat anyway.

So two out of the last three rides have given me deraileur problems. Supposed to get strong storms and high winds tomorrow and the next day or so. Off to the bike shop and get this problem checked out since I won't be riding for a few days anyway.

Day 89 and 90

Day 89 October 23, 2010 Day off for rest. Much needed


Day 90 October 24, 2010 7.5 easy peasy ride up one side of the lake and down the other, short on time and needed a "close to home ride" that didn't involve packing it in the car. I haven't ridden on a street in a long time and it took some getting used to the traffic. I didn't like that part.

Physical stuff; last week I had really pushed myself for some longer distance rides each day and as much as I was really enjoying myself I noticed that the Thursday and Friday rides felt more difficult. Getting started was tough and it didn't feel comfortable until I was into the ride about a 1/2 hour and got my pace or gait. Hills seemed harder and felt like they sapped more from me. The last couple of miles on Friday were grinding. I was thrilled with my weekly accomplishments but worn out and spent. Amazing that a day of rest on Saturday and ensuring that I had enough protein (red meat stuff) really made a difference. It was nearly 48 hours since I had been on the bike instead of the usual 24 or less and what a difference that made!

Today I was so energized, riding felt like a breeze. Hills that I had dreaded in the past, I seemed to go whizzing up. Everything clicked and felt good right from the get go till the end. I hadn't realized I was overtraining until I took a break. Not sure I really reached overtraining mode, but notations for the future are thus; push hard, listen to your body, rest and nutrition, push harder, rest and enjoy the fruits of pushing the limits on your next time riding. Yay!

Day 88

October 22, 2010 Found a new way to get to Island Lake State Park, there is a new mall up the road a few miles and if you go all the way to the back of it the rail road runs behind it, it's a half mile of rugged trail with really big chunky rock and slag, once you get past that it enters the State Park, rode the length of it to Kensington Metro Park and a bit into Kensington. Round trip today was 17.56 miles. Great ride and nice weather.

Had a little equipment malfunction and my chain came off down a big hill, I struggled with it for about 10 minutes and a couple of very nice bikers came by and helped me out with it, I was pretty greasy but back on the road again, thanks to their help.

My knee was barking on the way back from the steep climbs and some of them I walked my bike up part way. I was happy to see the water tower at the mall and then a little further up I was so glad to see my car again. Great timing as it was just before dark.

I'm thinking more and more strongly about getting my other knee replaced and just have it over with. I've strenghtened myself up enough to have an easier recovery. It'll be off to the doc soon.

Day 87

October 21, 2010 Another new trail Island Lake State Park just south of Kensington Metro Park. Did 7.3 miles of it today which was R/T of all but a mile of the trail itself. There is a connector to Kensington and also to the Huron Valley Rail-Trail. What a great system, all of them being tied like that together. I'm going to have to map out the route and see what a round trip would be if someone did them all, guessing it's going to be in the neighborhood of 35-45 miles.

Week 13 Total Mileage for the Week 59.9 miles. Awesome if I don't say so myself.

Day 86

October 20, 2010 9.5 for the day at Hudson Mills, 2 x inner loop and 1 x outer loop. A bit warmer today - but nice and autumn cool. It was w-i-n-d-y today but I felt full of energy and raring to go.

Amazing how many leaves have come down in the last few days, less than a week ago I took some beautiful photos in this park, it reminds me to seize the moment when you see a good photo opportunity - take it!

Great ride today - autumn energizes me and is invigorating.

Day 85

October 19, 2010 8 miles today at Independance Lake, did the loop 4 times. Day's are getting shorter and DST is coming the first week of November so that may mean that morning or mid day rides are in and PM rides are out. It felt really good after a one day lay up.

Day 85

October 18, 2010 zero miles today as work obligations took up all time available, I am ok with it because I was planning on a day of rest and this was a good one to do it.

Day 84

October 17, 2010 13.5 miles today on another new trail. Rode from South Lyon to Milford on the Huron Valley Rail Trail. Flat and had some cool intersection crossings that talked to you.

Made it a bit over half way as the trail goes from SL to Wixom. Temps had dropped from when I left home until I started the ride and I was not dressed for a longer ride, started off at 4 pm and as the sun got lower it got chillier so I opted out of the last 3 miles and turned around at just under 7 out of 10. Also found a leg off the trail that takes you to Kensington. That's going to make one nice ride to build up to if you combine both loops.

Day 83

October 16, 2010 Rode the B2B trail in A2 from Brandmere Park to St. Jos with my bike pal Deb. Soaking up the last days of fall. 14.60 miles for the day through woodlands, alongside the Huron River, urban areas of Ann Arbor. The terrain is varied from flat parklands, paved trail, dirt, rolling hills and a few steep inclines. It's a good workout.

Day 82

October 14, 2010 7 miles at Hudson Mills today, did the inside and outside loop. Photos are of Michigan autumn splendor.

I am taking advantage of all these last great days of fall and visiting every park and place I know of that has trails through dense woodlands and waterways. I LOVE Michigan.

Day 81

October 14, 2010 9.25 miles today on yet again another new path. Well it's new to me anyway - Kensington Metropark. When you mention bike paths around here everyone always asks if you've been to Kensington. Well now I have I know what the fuss is all about. It's one of the most gorgeous places to bike. I have not been to Kensington since I was a kid and there was no bike/hiking path back in the day.

Autumn must be the most spectacular time to be there. God has been busy with His paintbrush - rounding one corner after another with my breath taken away by the beauty.

Path rated hilly. It was. Photo is a stock photo from the parks website, not me or anyone I know.

Total mileage for WEEK 12 = 69.45 Miles

Day 80 Map of Bandemere Park to St. Jos in Ann Arbor

Day 79

October 11, 2010 probably one of the last real warm days of the fall season. Too nice to pass up without getting a ride in, daylight fading fast so I took the bike in the car to Independance Lake and did the loop three times for a total ride of 5.2 miles for the day. After the big ride yesterday and a longish one on Saturday I was amazed at how chipper my ride felt, into the second lap I was feeling like I was one with the wind, the path and all of outdoors and really felt strong and invincible.

The path has slightly rolling terrain with some minor inclines, today they didn't feel like anything.

Day 78

October 10, 2010 Tour de Livingstons today! What a great day for a ride. I had been torn between the 10 mile recreational ride and the 28 mile Brighton Howell loop. I ended up with the 10 mile loop but did it multiple times for a total of 26 miles. The first pass I was caught up in the crowd and missed a turn off for my loop, arrived in downtown Brighton way too soon and said, hmmm. Completed the route from where I was and said I like this enough to do it again, this time the whole route! Still wanting to crank out the miles and the mindset had been to do 28 so I gave it another go but skipped a few turns, so that is how I eneded up with the 26. I was bent on riding 28 today so when I got home I rode to work at the Township offices (2 mile round trip) because the Police and Fire Department were having their open house. There, 28 for the day and I'm jello legged.

Don't be fooled by the title "family recreational loop" it was shorter but it was pretty hilly, the 1st subdivision we road through was called the Bluffs. Appropriately named. I conquered some hills and some conqured me but in the end I road and had a good time.

Even on a touring ride I can't help but stop and take photos, especially on such a gorgeous fall day. I heard that there were something like 600 riders in the event, the photos don't do that justice.

From the photos there are a lot of dedicated cyclists with road and touring bikes in attendance, my little city/pathway bike stood out but that's ok. I had fun and would do it again.

Day 77

October 9, 2010 Going for the distance today did the familiar section of the B2B trail and beyond... from Brandemere Park to St. Joseph's Hospital. No photos, I was on a mission, not one of speed but of endurance and distance. Had some big hills and rode up all but one and it was not the steepest. I stopped and took breathers and rests up the inclines but got back on and rode em out. It's a great feeling of accomplishment to reach the top of them and an even bigger thrill on the way back to ride down 'em!

Ride mileage for the day 18

Tomorrow's the big day of the Tour de Livingston, riding for the Howell Rotary to benefit the United Way.

Day 76

October 8, 2010 9 mile ride today with some significant hills and inclines. Road some and walked up some and rode some more. Felt like I could have kept on going for quite some time but I ran out of daylight. Got back to my car parked in the Frustenberg Nature Area and there were three deer grazing in front of my car. Cool. We are going through a superb warm spell here in the early Autumn. Couldn't ask for better fall biking days.

Day 73, 74 & 75

October 5 and 6 out of town, October 7 returned shortly before dark, hopped on my bike and pedaled a quick 3 mile ride before dark. Can't wait for a nice long ride tomorrow. I had a great time away with my sisters for a fall color tour up north and we did all the sister suff, shopping, exploring, dining, wine tasting and a bit of casino gambling. I love my sisters and we had a ball, now it's time for bike riding. Tour de Livngston coming up Sunday!

Week 12 15.5 miles for the week. Boy that's only one good riding day. Vacations are important too! My TdL should boost my mileage for the following week!

Day 72

October 4, 2010 6.5 mile ride today at Lakelands, running short on daylight these days, short but sweet. Autumn is the best time of the year for cycling! Between yesterday and today, getting back into the spinning routine is helping with my knee and general aches in joints. I've seen improvement just in these last two days after a short absence of riding.

Day 70 and 71

October 2, Got bike back from bike shop, rain and a wedding reception to go to later in the evening made for another non riding day. Boo.

October 3, Chilly but only had time for a short late day ride, cold out but gloves, a turtleneck and my neoprene headband kept me warm as toast. 6 mile ride, easy breezy going but for the first two miles I felt the absence of riding for a few days and needed to get reacclimated to the bike it seemed and get a pace or groove going. I was getting winded easily and feeling slow and lethargic, then a power boost kicked in from out of the blue and I was sailing along. That happens sometimes with activities.

My new speedo quit working after the first mile so having the bike in the shop was a waste of time. More boo. Oh well, I am going to try to return it to it's place of purchase.

I haven't taken a Humira shot for my RA since June when I first had pneumonia this year and I think it's time to again, I've been having a fair amount of aches and pains in this last week and the exercise and the rest is not cutting it.

Day 69

October 1, 2001 Boo, bike is still in the shop - no riding today. Insert sad face here!

Day 68

September 30, 2010 Took bike into shop for a little tweaking so there was no riding today. Gnashing of teeth, poor decision, it was a gorgeous day and those days are winding down!

Total miles for Week Ten 39 miles. Low mileage week, but there were three days of no riding at all. Sigh.

Day 67

September 29, 2010 18 miles round trip throught the B2B Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County parks. Started at the foot of Whitmore Lake Rd. and Barton Drive, into Brandemere Park, Argo Dam, Race way trail, up to U of M, around the hospital through a another series of parks, past Gallup Park and the Dixboro Mile to St. Joseph's Hospital on the Ypsilanti side of town. Vigorus trail with extremely diversivied terrain, from very wild to urban and back to pastoral. Gorgeous scenery, points of interest, several canoe liveries, a dam, athletic fields for U of M. This is the Border to Border Washtenaw County trail system that roughly follows along side of the Huron River from the North part of Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti and Belleville. I probably made it 1/3 of the way through the trail system.

Spectacular ride, challenging, rolling hills, flats, significant climbs. On the way back I passed the Dirt Bike Jump Course and there were several kids using it, got some great air shots and shot some video. If I can figure out how to post the video I will.

Boy, I can't wait to see how I'll feel tomorrow. Oh, here I am again lifting my bike over another deadfall. 95% of the path is paved and this photo was of one of the densely wooded sections of it.

Ok, here is the link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6_meILI8XQ and this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOMui9UJahc

Day 66

September 28, 2010 No riding - all day rain, it let up around 5 but my work day didn't end until 9:15. Good day for a rest.

Day 65

September 27, 2010 Short 5 mile ride but very rigorous. My only time to ride today was rush hour so my killer hill was out because it's a high traffic volume road. So I decided to explore the new path I found in Ann Arbor at Brandemere Park. Some portions were closed for tree trimming so I got off the path and used some small side roads. That's when I discovered THE HILL, this one is even steeper than the hill I wanted to practice on, so steep that the road up it tacks back and forth. I road some, I walked my bike some and I rode some more. That was not the only hill I encountered. Very rigorous ride today and the most fun part is exploring new territory. Besides the need of a bike that has many more gears than I have (mine is an 8 speed) hills are not only a function of the bike but also the condition of the rider. I continue to try to conquer them.

I found a Dirt Bike Jump Course just off the path and have photos of it (I bet kids love that), also the Argo Dam (the one with the real narrow crossing) and the U of M rowing team was practicing on Argo Pond upstream of the Huron River. The Argo hut is a canoe livery that is available at Longshore Park. All pictured here.

Day 64

September 26, 2010 8.5 miles today and it was a challenging ride. Did my best to climb that killer hill but only got 3/4 of the way up it. First attempt. Going to ride it until I conquer it! It's very different out riding on the road instead of around town or on bike paths. The roads from Whitmore Lake to Ann Arbor are pretty high speed and the one freeway overpass that gets you to the correct side of the expressway has no bike lane at all. It forces a person to bike it during low volume times or days. It would be suicide to try that during rush hour.

Watch out hill - here I come.

Day 63

September 25, 2010 First flat. Was going to go from home to Ann Arbor along Whitmore Lake Road, about a 9 1/2 mile ride one way. I'd hoped to get some training in on hills because the Tour de Livingston course I picked (28 miles) has a lot of hills and I need to practice and train on hills because they are my nemesis!

So I'm cruising through some gentle climbs and small hills and there is a good hill before the killer hill. I'm shifting up into higher gears to help tackle the big one, singing my little hill song and all of a sudden something feels squishy in the rear of the bike, I hate stopping at the bottom of a hill, let alone this big killer hill but...stopped anyway and sure enough - flat rear tire. A good friend bailed me out with a ride home.

So I'm kinda bummed I didn't get my ride in and thinking that this means no riding for a few days but I tried the local bike shop and lo, they were open. Figured that I'd be leaving it until Monday but lo again, they fixed it while I waited. Unbelievable great service. What a stroke of luck.

There is still about and hour and a half of light and I consider picking up from where I left off on my ride but thought better of it because of the time and I was unsure of the distance at that time. So I drive down to the destination to get a good mileage of the route.

Lo again, there is a park and bike path at the end of this journey and I still have my bike in the trunk AND it's still a good hour or more of daylight! Ha! I thought I was foiled and found myself on a new path I'd never known about, winding along the Huron River and parts of Ann Arbor, crossed over a dam and through 3 parks and some pretty rugged trail conditions. There was a lot of variety on this trail and very scenic, there was one part of the trail where the river was on both sides of me.

Life is full of surprises! You think the day or your ride is ruined and voila! something better comes along. I love good surprises like that.

That dam was one narrow crossing, just big enough to bike or walk through, there is no way that two bikers could pass in opposite directions, it was scary, however not dangerous because there was heavy duty fencing surrounding it. What a blast!

So even though I had planned a much longer ride, I still ended up with a bit over 7.5 miles for the day.

Day 62

September 24, 2010 Day off from riding for rest up for the weekend, planning some longer rides.

Day 61

September 23, 2010 6 mile ride today but it was a rigorous one, hilly. I believe that I can catagorize the rides and routes into three broad catagories. Today would qualify as a Challenging ride.

• Happy is an easy ride with flat terrain
• A Good ride is one with rolling terrain, a few flat stretches and a couple of climbs that are significant
• A Challenge ride is one with all rolling terrain and multiple steep climbs and almost no flats

Week 9 ends with a grand total of 38 miles. Not too bad with a couple of light ride days from the busy weekend of volunteering for special events.

Day 60

September 22, 2010 Short ride tonight only about 4 miles but it was a beautiful day, neither hot nor cold, just perfect. Maybe it was a good thing for a shorter ride because I have been having a lot of aches and pains lately and the beginnings of what I think are shin splints, gives a chance for good recovery.

Day 59

September 21, 2010 12 mile ride tonight, roughly the same ride as yesterday sans the commute. Most days I never ride the same route two days in a row but it's a fun ride and it was a great last day of summer. Weather had been cooler and summer went out with a big bang as the temps rose up into the mid 80's again, a little freaky after the cool spell we've had but who's knocking a great day.

Came home from an errand tonight and my little frog was pasted to the window again, only he's not so little anymore. When he first showed up he was barley the size of a nickle (back on Day 7), now he's the size of a chicken egg. His photo is here but because it's dark there is a bright light in the glass from the flash. He's still cute.