Category: cycling (Page 27 of 37)

For the Love of Bikes blog came into being in November 2009 which puts me in my 3rd year of blogging about my infatuation with bikes and my passion for riding.

Who knew there was still stuff to say?

In 2011 I published 119 posts and authored all but 2. I haven’t compared them but I think the number of posts is up from 2010. It’s possible I get more verbose the older I get. I’ll have to ask my husband and daughter, bet they have an opinion on that.

According to WordPress stats, FTLOB website logged 17,000 hits. The most popular post continues to be the first Katy Trail trip report. The 2nd most popular post is Memorial Day Memory.

What was that? You want to know my favorite posts from 2011?

Since you asked, my favorites in no particular order:

• Katy Trail 2011 (5 posts)

• Improvements in OK Bike Law

• Another Viewpoint (guest post)

• Lance Armstrong

• California Bike Tour (6 posts)

• Redman Aquabike Race Report

• Memorial Day Memory

• 2011:  Looking Back

• Tour de France 2011 (24 posts)

*Image was not created by FTLOB, only loved and shared.

Happy New Year!

I closed out 2011 by taking a short ride which put me over the 3,000 mile mark in total miles, 3007 to be exact. My mileage goal for 2011 was 2150; I didn’t have a specific mileage goal for indoor training in 2011 but I do for 2012.

As I have previously mentioned I make resolutions/goals in biking and other areas. Overall I had 8 resolutions/goals in 2011, I completed or surpassed my goal in 4 of the 8; made a passable grade in another 3 more, and failed miserably in one!

Not bad, at least I graduated to 2012!

My mileage goals for 2012 are:

3,200 miles biking

90 miles running

60 miles swimming

I want to compete in the Redman Triathlon again and 2 other triathlon events, either sprint or olympic distance. I have not been swimming since October but I want to get back to it. I enjoy it and like the physical benefits too. The running I also want to continue because there are few aquabike events, which means if I want to do triathlons I have to be able to compete in all 3 events. 

I would like 2012 to be the year I get the century monkey off my back. I am sort of exaggerating because I’ve never felt that a century was something I had to accomplish, but I’ve never done one (been as close as 98 miles but wasn’t an official century so it was just a 98 mile ride – day of a 2 day MS 150 ride – so I think I need to check it off my list. How can I have a bike blog and never have done a century? Don’t tell anyone that I am operating here without it, please. Thanks.

Another bike tour or two would be nice, but nothing is planned at this point.

That is where I stand, what are your big biking plans for 2012?

The day isn’t over, but my year in miles is:

Bike Rides: 2,384 miles

Indoor Riding: 615 miles

Total Biking: 2,999 miles

Swimming:  30 miles

Running: 43 miles

At 2,999 miles for the year, I’ll find some time today to go out and ride for a mile or two.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! I appreciate you following For the Love of Bikes – may 2012 bring you many safe and pleasurable bike rides!

And in case you missed the video Kim posted:

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a favorite time of mine. After the rush and excitement of Christmas things slow down and there’s a lull until the New Year comes in.

That lull is a time of reflection and review for me. For starters, I pull out my resolutions (actual goals) for 2011 I made nearly a year ago and look to see how I did. I refer back to them a few times during the year, sometimes to see what I thought was important enough to make a goal and sometimes to motivate me.

For instance I always have biking mileage goals, but I also have specific goals within that. I have a “commute” goal, for any trip where I use my bike as transportation rather than for recreation or fitness. Beside biking, I have goals related to education/learning, social, volunteering and other activities.

Beside checking the status of my resolutions, I reflect back on the year. Looking back at the highs and the lows – reliving the highs, reflecting on the lows, and trying to better understand or learn from them.

And there are some years that have life changing moments or events that continue to impact long after they’ve passed. This year was one of those.

Right after 2011 began I had a life changing event. It might not be an exaggeration to say it was nearly a life-ending event.

As we often do in the winter, my husband and I decided to get in the hot tub after midnight last January 28th. I was tired, but love to take a hot tub especially after exercising.  Earlier in the evening I had done a 35 mile session on the spinner. We had just bought the spinner the month before and I was using it almost daily. I had also had a glass of wine. I felt fine when I first got in, but after being in for several minutes I got an odd feeling in my chest (similar to how your stomach feels on a rollercoaster). I got out of the hot tub so I could sit on the side to wait for it to pass.

That’s the last thing I remember until I came to a few minutes later. My husband, bless his soul, stayed calm – I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have if the situation had been reversed. When I fainted I slid back into the water; fortunately he was paying attention, saw me and got my head above water, shouting my name repeatedly trying to get me to come to or at least some kind of reaction. After a few times and no response whatsoever he added slaps to the face – slapping harder the longer I was unresponsive. He wasn’t sure I was breathing. About the time he was thinking of how he could get me out of the water so he could call 911 I came to.

Fortunately, that was not one of the times I got into the hot tub by myself. Suffice to say, I don’t get in by myself any longer.

I had numerous medical tests run – which took months to complete and get the results of – the first week in April actually. I lived in fear at times and at other times in awe that it turned out like it did. Until late March/early April I didn’t know if I would ever be able to push myself physically again. For months everything was in limbo – but it was okay because I was alive. May sound overly dramatic, but at the time the drama was completely real. Terrifyingly real.

I woke up every day thankful to be –  It’s a good way to live actually and I should still wake up every day thinking and feeling that.

My near drowning was the main reason signing up for and completing the 1.2 mile swim in the Redman triathlon was so difficult and such a powerful accomplishment for me – and why I felt such immense relief when I came out of the water at Hefner and at Tallchief too – I had survived.

The year when my health was most in question was the year I pushed myself the hardest.

I’m not completely sure why, but a small part, was to face my fear and push past it.  And here I am almost a year later, thanks to my husband, looking back at a year that I was fortunate to have. I learned something last January that writing this post has helped me to reconnect with: A feeling of gratitude just to still be here.

I’ve been less than happy with the Garmin Connect website this year. It’s often down or slower than molasses.

Does anyone know of a website where I can upload the data from my Garmin device directly (bypassing Garmin Connect) and track/compile it?

Speaking of data, I’m in the process of compiling my 2011 data for bike rides, indoor cycling miles, swimming and running. Still hope to get in a couple of outdoor rides before the week is over.

It’s always interesting to go back and look at what transpired over the year in terms of cycling and other fitness, and how it compares to the year’s goals/resolutions. I’ll report what and how I did here. Feel free to list yours too in comments.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or any other holiday you chose to celebrate! I did, despite the fact that Santa didn’t bring me a bike… (no I don’t need a bike but then what does need have to do with bike desire (love). Santa did bring me this very cool bike clock – actually it was a gift from my daughter and her family.