Ridden Words

I should go to sleep.  Though I find myself typing anyway.  Perhaps it’s because Kim’s not done with her blog post yet.  Perhaps it’s because my blog stats are declining.  Perhaps I just want to write something besides an e-mail today. (more…)

Something I’m wondering about blogging tonight. Can you have it both ways? I like the 2 way experience of blogging. The comments I get from readers of my posts. I like making comments on others blogs. I even kind of like the odd “checking for activity” in blog stats and hoping what I’ve written is interesting. (more…)

Rode with Brad on our own variation of the Summits of Bothell course. What I learned about halfway through this course was that the course designer knew what he was doing. More than once you’d be climbing up a hill. A long hill, and the Dan Henry would have you take a side street off to the left or right before you got to the summit. I would think, “No! I’ve been robbed of my summit!” only to turn to follow the course and find an even higher summit awaiting my ascent. He was, IMHO, a topographic genius. (more…)

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 08/26/2007
• Time: 09:00:00
• Total Time: 2:55:59.00
• Average Heart rate: 173
• Max Heart rate: 200
• Distance: 47.06 miles
• Average Speed: 16.04 mph
• Max Speed: 54.8 mph
• Ascent: 4,321 ft
• Descent: 4,321 ft
• Average Cadence: 85
• Max Cadence: 122

I didn’t have much time this afternoon for a ride but I got out and hammered out a flat 12 miles, doing ~10 of them at a good pace - 19.4 before I decided I should cool down instead of arriving at my door step with a HR of 190BPM. (more…)

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 08/25/2007
• Time: 14:45:00
• Total Time: 00:40:15.20
• Average Heart rate: 180
• Max Heart rate: 190
• Distance: 12.3 miles
• Average Speed: 18.33 mph
• Max Speed: 35.1 mph
• Average Cadence: 94
• Max Cadence: 111

Funny story. Last night we were at dinner with some friends and Kim starts to tell a story about her video post exchange with Karl. She sets the stage - “So I have a blog, and there’s this guy from England - Karl McCracken - he’s afraid of horses.” and one of our friends interrupts her and asks, “Karl McCracken? Is Phil his brother?” Well if you knew my wife, you’d know that when she gets telling a story, she likes to finish it. (more…)

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 08/24/2007
• Time: 06:30:00
• Total Time: 2:26:30.00
• Average Heart rate: 173
• Max Heart rate: 201
• Distance: 42.3 miles
• Average Speed: 17.32 mph
• Max Speed: 37.5 mph
• Average Cadence: 87
• Max Cadence: 111

I generally really dig the log book widget on my side bar that lists my weekly workout progress. Except when it says “No Activity 100%” like it does now. I was going to ride the group ride tonight but we got invited over to a friends for dinner and Kim asked me twice so I felt she wanted me to go. (more…)

I’ve not been doing this blog thing for long.  Only since April.  It’s a premise of this site that blogging about fitness accomplishments - athletic accomplishments - inspire others to new levels of accomplishments.  Another that support from other athletes help keep us on track towards achieving our goals.  I’ve read 3 blogs this week by cyclists that have really inspired me. (more…)

Well, after two weeks of 10K ft of climbing in a row, I’ve taken some time off.  Friday was Golf with my father in law.  Walked about 7 miles and had fun (except for the misquotes).  Friday night the girls were on fire and I was wiped so I went to bed with them around 10 with no plans for a ride on Saturday. (more…)

I rode to Pemberton and back again today. This time I took Kim’s Forerunner to get a more accurate picture of the climbing involved than I was getting from the free tools I was trying. I didn’t feel like I was going quite as well when I started out into a chill head wind but once the road pointed down, I got on a roll. Made it to Pemberton in 59 minutes, 2 minutes faster than yesterday. (more…)

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 08/16/2007
• Time: 06:30:00
• Total Time: 2:24:29.00
• Average Heart rate: 170
• Max Heart rate: 195
• Distance: 40.19 miles
• Average Speed: 16.69 mph
• Max Speed: 43 mph
• Ascent: 3,480 ft
• Descent: 3,480 ft
• Average Cadence: 79
• Max Cadence: 110

Ok, I love to climb hills.  Only thing I love about actually climbing them is knowing how high they were and how much I actually climbed.  I’m an engineer.  I love data.  Facts and data.  Give me, give me, give me!  Now, I’m also kind of cheap when it comes to my own gadgets.  I’m married to a gadget gal and let her have most of them.  What this means is that I don’t have a Garmin Edge, Forerunner, or Polar S725x or any other unit that records elevation data for me. (more…)