Dopamine must have been working today as riding was not as difficult as a couple days ago. It was another early morning ride and I think I rode by every major body of water in the city of Minneapolis, starting with Cedar Lake, then Lake of the Isles, the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Creek, Lake Nokomis, Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. Part of my trek was on the Grand Rounds and it was quite nice...love the smooth pavement to ride on!
It must be said that Minnesotans seem to fully utilize the offerings that the Park and Rec Board have made possible. There was some sort of organized walk going on, a run, a canoe/kayak race, a giant tent was being assembled by Minnehaha Falls for an event, sand volleyball was being played at Lake Calhoun, and this was all before 10 a.m. There were numerous other bikers, walkers and joggers using the trails too. My new pet peeve is joggers that use the bike trail instead of the well-marked pedestrian trail. Honestly people! They don't move as fast as bike traffic so become obstacles along the way.
My route ended up being 35.5 miles today. I think I am at the point where my legs could take me farther but other parts are too uncomfortable to continue on, such as numb hands and feet, sore neck and crushed tenders. Perhaps those will be less of a factor as I continue to ride but for now they make going the long distances a challenge. Maybe if I took a pain reliever before I started it would help. I guess a little balance between the naturally produced dopamine and some man-made drugs might make long distances a reality.
Since the ride is now out of the way for the day it is time to go enjoy the rest of my Saturday.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
No Mo' Mojo
My ride began tonight on the Sakatah Trail under a thick blanket of dark clouds. It sort of matched my mood as I was not looking forward to riding. I put in 20 miles on Monday at dawn and was going to try for 45-50 today but I didn't have it in me. I talked with my friend AJ beforehand and she helped me rationalize and get me back on track and I settled on going at least another 20 tonight. She's good like that. There was an author on Fresh Air with Terry Gross tonight talking about how exercise is one of the things that makes us feel pleasure due to the dopamine produced in the brain while exercising. I think mine is broken.
The first ten miles I rode faster than usual, at about 14 mph. This was done partially to work on cardio endurance and partially to get the ride done faster. I have discovered that my legs have the ability to go for longer rides at a faster pace than my lungs. Leisurely riding at 10mph without many hills has made this possible. This is a good thing, however, there will be some elevation changes on the Ride in La Crosse and I will need more than just leg power to get me through. Hubby was telling me about the sprint training that was done when he was in track to help build cardio and it made me think that some type of interval training would probably be helpful. Again, my lack of experience with athletic endeavors makes the learning curve steeper. Riding at faster speeds also tends to make me nauseous and not want to drink water, so I have to find the balance between speed and barfing. Perhaps due to the ominous looking clouds, I only came across five people, four dogs, two frogs, one bunny, and one other bike rider who would have benefited from some dental care on the trail (he gave me a toothless grin). The end of my ride was celebrated with adult beverages in the form of 90 Schilling beer. They were consumed in the name of re-hydration and thoroughly enjoyed.
When I initially signed up for this ride there was some pleasure derived from finding new accessories that could make biking easier or more convenient. I purchased pedal baskets, a water bottle cage, storage pouches for behind the seat and on the handlebars, and new tires. Then there is the whole issue of biking attire. As mentioned in an earlier post, biking attire is sized for Lilliputians, of which I am not one. It is also all made of lycra, polyester and other highly flammable materials, of which I am not fond. So today I rode wearing my yoga pants with the hole in them, my gifted wicking-material tank top, and my 15-year old tie-dyed Henley (yes, I'm wearing clothing older than my children). I want to challenge myself to do well on this ride but am getting irritated at the additional costs that are mounting as the Ride approaches. Is it necessary to have $100 padded riding pants? How about an $85 riding jersey with pockets in the back? It can be truthfully said that I am a cheap ass in many arenas of life, and I'm staring to think that I may become one when it comes to biking attire.
This past weekend I was having a discussion with my daddio about the Ride and he suggested that perhaps my time would be better spent organizing a music festival to bring in lots of money instead of riding a bike. He said we could use his backyard. I'm sure the neighbors won't mind. There may be some truth in his suggestion but it would cost me more money than buying some damn biking pants to get that set up. Help save me from planning Woodstock 2011 and direct everyone you know and don't know to http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/gjengdahl to keep my donations going up. Last year we held a Pan-creative Pancreas Party and sold art and hand-knit items and had Tae Kwon Do students break bricks and boards for donations. It was quite successful and raised $1300 in three hours. It's success hinged on the goodwill of a friend loaning us her studio space and another friend sharing his Tae Kwon Do students for the event.
This year, however, I'm just going to try riding my bike. Why? Why not? It is a new and uncharacteristic personal challenge. And everyone needs one of those every now and then. One big thing that this process has made me realize is that, if I choose to make the time, there is time for a concentrated effort like this. When this ride is done, I am going to turn that time into making art. In the past I have been full of excuses as to why there is not enough time for art...laundry, feeding children, playing with children, family time, a few moments to speak with Hubby at the end of the day, laundry, gardening, feeding children again, and a million other distractions and necessities. But if I have carved out even six to eight hours of time to ride a bike, I can do that to make art too. I have personal investments in both of these endeavors.
I'm hopeful that my mojo will return this weekend so I can do the long ride and have all sorts of dopamine being produced so it even feels pleasurable.
The first ten miles I rode faster than usual, at about 14 mph. This was done partially to work on cardio endurance and partially to get the ride done faster. I have discovered that my legs have the ability to go for longer rides at a faster pace than my lungs. Leisurely riding at 10mph without many hills has made this possible. This is a good thing, however, there will be some elevation changes on the Ride in La Crosse and I will need more than just leg power to get me through. Hubby was telling me about the sprint training that was done when he was in track to help build cardio and it made me think that some type of interval training would probably be helpful. Again, my lack of experience with athletic endeavors makes the learning curve steeper. Riding at faster speeds also tends to make me nauseous and not want to drink water, so I have to find the balance between speed and barfing. Perhaps due to the ominous looking clouds, I only came across five people, four dogs, two frogs, one bunny, and one other bike rider who would have benefited from some dental care on the trail (he gave me a toothless grin). The end of my ride was celebrated with adult beverages in the form of 90 Schilling beer. They were consumed in the name of re-hydration and thoroughly enjoyed.
When I initially signed up for this ride there was some pleasure derived from finding new accessories that could make biking easier or more convenient. I purchased pedal baskets, a water bottle cage, storage pouches for behind the seat and on the handlebars, and new tires. Then there is the whole issue of biking attire. As mentioned in an earlier post, biking attire is sized for Lilliputians, of which I am not one. It is also all made of lycra, polyester and other highly flammable materials, of which I am not fond. So today I rode wearing my yoga pants with the hole in them, my gifted wicking-material tank top, and my 15-year old tie-dyed Henley (yes, I'm wearing clothing older than my children). I want to challenge myself to do well on this ride but am getting irritated at the additional costs that are mounting as the Ride approaches. Is it necessary to have $100 padded riding pants? How about an $85 riding jersey with pockets in the back? It can be truthfully said that I am a cheap ass in many arenas of life, and I'm staring to think that I may become one when it comes to biking attire.
This past weekend I was having a discussion with my daddio about the Ride and he suggested that perhaps my time would be better spent organizing a music festival to bring in lots of money instead of riding a bike. He said we could use his backyard. I'm sure the neighbors won't mind. There may be some truth in his suggestion but it would cost me more money than buying some damn biking pants to get that set up. Help save me from planning Woodstock 2011 and direct everyone you know and don't know to http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/gjengdahl to keep my donations going up. Last year we held a Pan-creative Pancreas Party and sold art and hand-knit items and had Tae Kwon Do students break bricks and boards for donations. It was quite successful and raised $1300 in three hours. It's success hinged on the goodwill of a friend loaning us her studio space and another friend sharing his Tae Kwon Do students for the event.
This year, however, I'm just going to try riding my bike. Why? Why not? It is a new and uncharacteristic personal challenge. And everyone needs one of those every now and then. One big thing that this process has made me realize is that, if I choose to make the time, there is time for a concentrated effort like this. When this ride is done, I am going to turn that time into making art. In the past I have been full of excuses as to why there is not enough time for art...laundry, feeding children, playing with children, family time, a few moments to speak with Hubby at the end of the day, laundry, gardening, feeding children again, and a million other distractions and necessities. But if I have carved out even six to eight hours of time to ride a bike, I can do that to make art too. I have personal investments in both of these endeavors.
I'm hopeful that my mojo will return this weekend so I can do the long ride and have all sorts of dopamine being produced so it even feels pleasurable.
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