Bike-commute day 95—to work

Tuesday, 25 October 2011

Going to work today is the second half of my commuting day, since I drove to work yesterday with my bike in the van and then rode home. This part of the year always has an alternation of drive-bike-bike-drive since the daylight is so short. And tonight, during the drive, I'll stop at Cardinal Fitness to get in a bit of weight training. The leg routine is due tonight.

Today was the first time I broke out the quilted tights. Since my breath was visible when I took Howard out, I thought that a heavier layer would be good, even with the temperatures above freezing. At some midpoint of the ride, I decided that I was overdressed. I had begun to heat up, even though my effort was not too great. I've got to learn once again when the added layers are necessary, when they're too much.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 41°F at 07:40
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south 
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:15 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 6 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 19—to work

Recently the City of Dayton released its 2025 Bicycle Action Plan, and it asked for comments to be sent to Andrew Rodney. Among my suggestions, I asked that the city establish alternative, designated routes that are parallel to the bikeways and can be used during river flooding or bridge construction. I would hope, in implementing this suggestion, that the street department would install facilities that make the alternate routes safer than they already are.

For the most part, these routes already exist, though they are not designated or in much use by cyclists. For example, these parallel routes already exist near the bikeway that typically is flooded during high water:

• East Monument Avenue parallels the Mad River Bikeway from Irwin Street west to North Patterson Boulevard.
• The Riverwalk and a gravel path parallel the Great Miami River from North Patterson Boulevard to the Monument Avenue Bridge.
• An unnamed delivery street parallels the Great Miami River south from Washington Street to Veterans' Park near Stewart Street.
• East River Road in Moraine parallels the Great Miami River south from Carillon Boulevard to the point where the river-level bikeway rises to join East River Road.
• North Alex Road parallels the Great Miami River in West Carrollton.
• North Miami Street parallels the Great Miami River in Miamisburg.

Not all of these are contiguous, and some construction is needed to make them so. But the existing routing needs little more than a marking system or curbing system that makes sharing the road safe.


My energy level on today's ride was fairly low. The 705 device worked well until 38:08 into the ride, when the 705 went to autopause for no reason. (I remember that just prior to the shift to autopause, a loose twig got picked up in the rear wheel, at the cadence sensor, and that I looked town to check that it was clearing from the wheel.) I lost data from just south of Linden Avenue through just south of Woodbine. I turned off the device, waited 10 seconds, turned it on, and waited for acquisition of satellite information before resuming. This restart caused an additional lap time (split 4).

Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 41°F at 06:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the east
Clothing: 2-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Full-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: between 00:46:25 and 0:57:00 for 12.00 miles
Heart rate:124 bpm average, 142 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 2 pedestrians, 2 cyclists
Here is a playback of the ride. 4th Garmin day.

Note about the illustration
The line drawings were published online and captured by me during the playback. The video provides stills from The Art of Frank Patterson by Horace F. Button, which was published 1952 by Temple Press, Ltd.

Bike-commute day 14—to workThe 7-headed Hydra

I'm back on the bikeways after a couple of rainy days. Sunday this week was clear and warm, even into the 80s, and the start of warmer days reminds me of the need for hydration.

The experience of competitive athletes and their trainers has revealed the easiest way to improve training and racing performance: maintain sufficient fluid levels in your body. Most people function well enough with a bit of dehydration, but even slight dehydration can be a problem for the active person. And it gets worse, much worse, as the daily temperatures exceed 80°F.

If you've been cycling during the early Spring, your body has been using the generated heat from exercise to keep your extremities and core warm. Typically you'll sweat little in cold weather. As the air temperatures warm, though, your body shifts from warming to cooling. Sweating increases, and the sweat works to cool the body by evaporation. Athletes are able to sweat sooner and more profusely. But sweat depends on a proper balance of hydration, and it works even better with a tip toward overhydration.

Body fluid levels are important for smooth joint movement and efficient muscle contraction-release also. With dehydration, most of your tissues shrink slightly, much like a drying sponge. Fluids aren't available in enough quantity to lubricate the cell-to-cell interaction, and your strength and stamina both suffer.

Go into each workout—or each commute—with a reserve of body fluid levels. Your performance and cooling ability will benefit greatly.

• Drink fluids throughout the day, including with each meal or snack. Also sip about 20 oz. of water in the evening to replenish your levels through the off-time.
• Weigh yourself immediately before a ride of 45 minutes or longer, to help measure the body fluids lost during exercise.
• While cycling, drink 12 to 16 oz. each half hour. Alternate between a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink to replenish electrolytes. 
• Weigh yourself at the end of the ride, to find the difference in weight before and after the ride. Take in 1.5 times that difference in fluid oz. of water. (Each pound lost equals 24 fluid oz. water to replenish.)

Some of this information comes from advice provided by Chris Carmichael of Carmichael Training Systems.
Temperature: 35 to 41°F at 06:35, 51 to 55°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 3-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Goretex full-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 0:49:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 2 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 1 dog

08:05—departing from home.
08:19—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:29—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:42—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
08:54—arriving at work.

Bike commute day 7, heading home

Gary C. was out the office door at the same time I was this evening, and he asked me if I was dressed warmly enough. My three layers don't look too bulky, with every layer a tight-fitting, relatively thin fabric. I assured him that whatever the weight of the fabric, I would be warm enough, given that the cycling itself provides some heat from inside.

He also noted how the fluorescent yellow of my jacket sleeves make me much more visible, and I agreed that it helps a lot in the early evening of such a gray day. On my way, I wondered why so many cycling outer layers are black or dark. It seems that all tights and quilteds should have at least a reflective stripe, piped on the outside seams, much like the satin ribbon on tuxedo slacks. Similarly for jackets and arm warmers, some reflective areas should be a standard part of the design.

Temperature: 37-39°F at 19:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the west
Clothing: 3-layer top; 2-layer bottom, closed-finger gloves.
Time: 0:51:00 (approx.) for 12.5 miles
Bikeway users: 0 cyclists, 9 pedestrians

18:33—depart from work.
18:46—trestle remains at Linden.
18:58—west gate to Eastwood Park.
19:09—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:24—arrive home.

Bike commute day 3, to work

Temperatures: 34°F at 07:10, 36°F at 09:10
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (longsleeve poly-Spandex Reebok shirt, longsleeve skinsuit, closely-woven wool-acrylic cycling jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, Lycra tights); ankle socks; quilted gloves. (Cool, but comfortable body.)
Time: 0:53:xx for 12.5 miles

I opened this posting at 07:10 or 07:15, knowing I need to speed up my preparations to get out the door and on the bike. I had awakened this morning still tired, from a weird dream where my family doctor Barry was encouraging me to compete in the Gay Games coming up, in raquetball or swimming, and Chuck to compete in cycling. Still groggy, I struggled to slip off the wrist supports that I sleep with and shushed Howard from his snuffing and sneezing at my bare legs. Then up to tap off the alarm and pee, followed by my daily weigh-in. "Damn! 169 pounds, it says." So I pick up the 10-pound dumbbell beside the scale, step on again, let it register, step off and set down the weight, and step on again to see that the reading is now 168.0. I take that as the most accuracy I can get—"gotta get a more reliable scale," I think, write it on the weight record, and pull on some gym shorts and a tee. After I let Howard out of the bedroom and turn on the poster light over the stairs, I accompany him downstairs and to the kitchen. It's 05:39, time enough for the routine of turn on WYSO for Morning Edition, make a double latte, let Howard out, cut a slice of bread for toast, let Howard in, let Howard get the Wall Street Journal, sit and read the paper and take my daily pills and feed Howard in four portions of kibble, make another double latte, take Howard out to poop, bring him in and treat his ears with a fungus cleanser-preventer, treat him to a chondroitin, sit at the computer to check my email and record the morning temperature in the draft my blog. And today's routine has an added trip upstairs to place a bill on the printer-scanner, back downstairs to scan it to a file, enter the bill information in my spreadsheet, send the bill's due date and amount and scan to Chuck, and check for any recent payments that Chuck has made. That's why I sat writing at ten minutes after 7, "I've gotta hurry up if I wanna ride today. I still need to poop and dress for the ride. I've been tired this morning, not enough to keep from riding today, since it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow." So I pushed out of the chair, headed upstairs for—as they said in the 18th Century—"my toilette" that includes putting in my contact lenses, the poop, flossing and brushing teeth, applying D+T ointment, and trading the gym clothes for the riding kit. Downstairs, I assemble any stray items and cash into my backpack, decide what layers I need to wear and which to pack with, roll the bike out to the stoop, and close the door. Whew! finally ready, at 07:34 today, about 15 minutes later than what I think is optimal and about 10 minutes earlier than what I think is a point of baling out on the ride.


The clock times given are about 20 minutes off, as given on my bike computer.

07:55—departing from home. At my corner, a school bus was stopped to pick up students. I entered the intersection and turned to continue on Princeton, but stopped for the school bus. The driver waved me on, and pulled in his stop sign, which he realized was my reason for stopping. What a nice gesture.


From the Monument Avenue bridge, the Miami River level was a bit lower than yesterday. The forms of the flanks of the low dam were discernable underneath the flowing water. This has become a usual path during the flooding: the gravel path under the YMCA, sidewalk to the Main Street-Monument intersection, through Riverscape Park. The railing down to the river was flooded only to 2 feet above the bikeway.

08:08—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway. This is a notable minute less than yesterday—but an approximate time, since I noticed the computer only after about a quarter mile past the checkpoint. The Mad River bikeway was flooded again, but only to a point where the bikeway was just visible under the muddy water. Of course, still nothing to bike through. The Monument Avenue route had moments of disgusting truck exhaust, where diesel engines were idling at the Rumpke plant and other places. About a quarter mile after Findlay Avenue, after I signaled to turn onto the grass that leads to the above-river bikeway, a chugging hatchback driver ignored or misunderstood my signal and passed me. No big deal, since I noticed he had been on the left side of the road most of the long block, to avoid the big divots that Winter had taken out of the road.

08:22—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park. A minute more than yesterday. Run-off from the hills above the transition at Smithville and Springfield was completely fluid across the bikeway. No cross traffic at  Airway, and extremely light traffic at Burkhardt.

08:35—passing the trestle remains at Linden. A minute faster than yesterday. No traffic at Linden. Beyond the graffiti wall, I saw one of the regulars that I've come to know over several years of bike commuting. We've never stopped to talk, but I call him Double-Dog-Jason. This dark-haired man in his late 30s always has two dogs towing him along, and he always has a pair of flightline headphones that usually don't prevent him from saying hello. I've seen him walking south on Woodman, in part of the same circuit, and he is relatively exact in the timing of his walk. His return to a routine reminded me of others who should be again on this part of the bikeway soon: Millie and ...Ethel, Eunice? (two women in their 70s or 80s whose husbands have various health issues; at the moment the one who is more easily brought to visualization is withholding her name in my memory banks), Becky (an owner and walker of a pack of rescue dogs, including an old Lab and a St. Bernard), Gary and Amy (a father and daughter who make a daily tandem out-and-back to the Riverscape from this area). My thoughts have stayed with me to my crossing at Woodman, which had no traffic, and brought me to remember other unnamed regulars who I have frequently seen in the quarter mile from Woodman to Founders. The section seems easier, quicker, almost downhill, and I think that the ease comes from having had 40 minutes of warm-up riding. Something that I never learned to use while I was competing in my early 40s.

08:48—arriving at  work. Two minutes earlier than yesterday, and a minute less through the overall route. I've taken the ride up a bit in intensity, and still feel good, not drained.

Bike commute day 1

Finally today was the first day I commuted by bike this year! 2 March is, I think, the earliest start date for me—though I need to check my database from years past.

Temperatures: 28°F at 07:20, 43°F at 10:20
Clothing: Top with 3 layers, with closely-woven wool-acrylic cycling jacket included; lycra tights; ankle socks. Wool-acrylic balaklava, Thinsulate gloves. (Cold fingers at ride's midpoint, coolly comfortable otherwise.)
Time: 0:54:xx for 12.5 miles

8:03—depart from home, via city streets through Upper Dayton View, Lower Dayton View, and Grafton Hill areas to the Miami River. The river flooded the bikeway by about 3 feet, so I took the gravel path above the river and beside the YMCA, through Riverscape, and to the Mad River bikeway.

8:17—Zig-zag down from the Green Pedestrian Bridge. I found that the Mad River Bikeway was also flooded, took Monument Avenue through to Findlay Street, and crossed to the Mad River Bikeway as it moved above the river banks at that point. The bikeway was clear for ths part of the route.

8:29—West Gate of Eastwood Park. The gate was open at the rail underpass, and the maintenance area of the Park Service was open, with some activity inside the shed. Below the hill at Springfield and Smithville, about 12 feet of runoff had frozen across the bikeway. I noticed it in enough time to decide to walk the bike, and good thing: I slipped a bit as I crossed the first bit of solidly-frozen, fairly thick ice. It looks like two light manufacturers have ceased operations—the metal worker at Ridgeland and Fair Park avenues (maybe Green Machine Tool) and the bulk dry cleaner Multi Service Inc. at Radio Road. In the shady areas south of Burkhardt, a nicely sawed-up tree evidenced the winter work of the Park Service. I surprised some half dozen deer who were grazing on the fairways surrounding the DP&L headquarters. Gentlemanly and light traffic at Springfield, Airway, Burkhardt, and Linden.

8:43—Trestle abutments at the junction of Creekside and Iron Horse trails. The repair work of the subsidence has held up well over the winter, though I notice now some other areas that are rippling from upthrust. No traffic at Woodbine Avenue and Spaulding Road, and distant traffic at Woodman. Very light traffic at Research Boulevard.

8:57—unclipping at Eastman Kodak.

Trial run

On Saturday 19 February the weather had cleared enough for a trial run through my usual commuting path.
Temperature:

• 36 to 40 degrees F

Clothing items:

• sleeveless undershirt
• skinsuit, short sleeve and short legs
• arm warmers
• light tights
• light fleece long-sleeved jacket
• light insulated gloves

I opened the jacket's top 10 inches at about mile 8. The trip included the gym and a 30-minute upper body workout. For the return, I removed the arm warmers, which left me comfortable.
Times:

• About 60:00 out
• About 56:00 back