Summer already...

The last day of April but it seems like the first day of summer. After days of cold blustery winds we had temps up to 80 today - and NO wind, how great is that? I did 61 miles with a total ascent of 3600 ft and an average speed of 15 - pretty respectable, and more importantly, a thoroughly enjoyable ride. I loved this scene in the photo - what actually caught my eye as I went flying by was the overturned boat off to the left - the color and design made me think of the Vietnamese fishing boats I remember from many years ago. All that is missing is the eye painted onto the bow. The photo that I could not get was my meeting with a wild turkey. I was going up a longish hill that always slows me down a bit. Mr turkey came out of the woods on the left (country road, no traffic) and took a couple of steps downhill towards me. When he noticed this strange creature in a colorful jersey and sitting on a two-wheeled "thing" he stopped, kind of gave me the eye as if thinking "what is this thing doing in my backyard?" At this point he turned and continued across the road and into the woods. I kept right on climbing and as he stepped off the road and into the brush I was maybe 5/6 feet from him but my presence did not seem to bother him in the least and he continued to saunter into the woods as if he owned the world. One of those semi-magic moments that makes New Jersey such a surprising place.

NJ Spring

Wow - the temperature is about 50 and winds at about 20/25 with gusts to 35. Almost as bad as the Texas panhandle and Dalhart. Yesterday it was a bit warmer with winds of only 15/20 and so I did get out for a couple of hours. Saturday was an even better day - low 70s and no wind. I had intended to get out early and get in a 70 mile celebration ride (celebrating another birthday and the fact that I'm able to celebrate - I don't take that for granted). However, our contractor (who has been rebuilding our bathroom shower) arrived at 8:15 ready to finally do the last step in the process - putting the ceiling under the shower back together. I told this guy he had almost become a part of the family but it was a step-by-step process and so went on for almost three weeks. And so the plan changed with my late departure - I did 73 kilometres instead and finished in time for dinner. This weekend promises to have sun and temps in the low 80s - mayhaps I find time to do the 70+ in miles.

And the answer is....

And the question is, of course, what happened to spring? The good news about New Jersey is that you need only wait a couple of hourse, maybe a day, and things will change. Today was one of those "ten best days of the year". Beautiful spring day: deep blue sky punctuated by hundreds of white, puffy clouds, minimal wind and a high temperature of maybe 70. At one point I was riding through an area of freshly plowed fields and looking across the shiny brown earth to the green trees and the sky and I slid right into the gravel on the side of the road - another six inches and I would have been in the ditch doing what we call an Arty Johnson (remember Laugh-in ?). I did 47 miles and climbed 2700 feet over 3 hours - great ride. My mind was kind of reeling today. I recently made contact with my college class "keeper of the lists" after many years of virtually no contact at all. I received a listing of everybody they have found and even a photo album of a reunion that was held this past December. And then within the last week or so I have learned of one severe heart attack and the guy is in the hospital basically on life support while his wife issues bulletins and asks for support and prayers. Then a couple days ago an e-mail arrived telling me of a guy who I knew well who was rushed to the hospital on Easter and has since learned that he has stage 4 lung cancer - and all this just a few days before his 70th birthday. My memory is of a guy who was an excellent athlete, excelled at intramural everything as well as an all around nice guy. I simply could not get him out of my mind today...It is almost incomprehensible that I would be out on my bike going up and down hills, looking for the flats to move into high gear and just having a great day and knowing that this old friend has been basically told he has six months to a year if he is lucky. I know, of course, that the philosophers have been pondering such situations for centuries and the questions are many, the answers few but that makes it no less disconcerting. I did sit down today and write this guy (also named Bob) a birthday card but it seemed woefully inadequate. Life goes on but can be cruel and unfair - I know it is a cliche but here's another lesson in living in the present and grabbing for the ring while it is there to grab.

Where did spring go?

After a week of sun and seventies all of a sudden the clouds rolled in and the mercury showed 47 when I went out today. As another cyclist noted even the squirrels' teeth were chattering. I was back to two layers and long sleeves but still in shorts - if I could wear shorts on the ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe I can wear shorts anywhere (almost). The clouds were the big, puffy, rolling gray that a couple of months ago would have meant another blizzard was about to hit. Today they were broken up by slashes of blue sky and even an occasional shot of sun and had a kind of beauty that made me wish I had a camera. In any case I did forty miles before I decided that my feet were on the verge of freezing up and I headed for the barn. I did manage to get in 2100 feet of climbing which is not bad for a relatively short day. I did one long hill that was one I chose frequently last year when I was training for the XC. It is about a mile long and the grade runs between 9 and 12% all the way up. I remember taking it maybe 10/11 years ago for the first time on a very hot July day. I was training for nothing, it was well before either Anchor House or any thought of a cross-country....I was maybe halfway up and must have been really struggling because a police officer pulled over just ahead of me, got out of his car and suggested that I might want to stop for a few minutes and make sure I was OK. Today it was just another hill and I actually enjoyed it...Life is good.

Why do you do this?

Another better than average spring week with temps into the high 60s and low 70s - absolutely perfect for cycling. Would that we could keep this through July and August.

I did about 55 miles on Wednesday and another 33 yesterday. I'm trying to use the new bike computer as a kind of training tool and so am watching cadence and heart rate a little more closely and I'm starting to see the effect. I've got my average heart rate down with the spikes now no more than 168-170 (I hit 195 the first day I had the heart monitor on).

I was on my way out on Wednesday and Susan asked me what I was training for? in the sense of 'are you planning an event similar to last year's cross country?' The simple answer, of course, is no, I don't think I will be doing a cross country this year. But the question did get me thinking while I was wandering around the countryside. I do track my performance every day. I record mileage, time, and average speed. And now with the new bike computer I also record climbing distance, heart rate data, cadence and keep all that on the computer. There must be some point to keeping all that data and so what am I training for?

I do love cycling - there is something truly exhilarating about getting into a rhythm on a clear road, about doing a steady climb up a hill, and, even more, hitting a smooth downhill where you can move into the drops and just fly. And finishing a good ride - the legs are tired but it feels so good to simply relax and recover...and beer can taste so good too.

But the real answer is simply that this is training for life. I've reached the point in life where some of the parts don't always work as well as they did forty or fifty years ago and the only solution I know for age is to simply keep going. And the harder you go the harder you can go. I like the idea that steps don't bother me, that my heart seems to be serving me well, and that I can still swing my leg over the crossbar on the bike without putting my life in mortal danger. It is indeed a wonderful life and well worth making the most of it....

The photos are from yesterday's ride. The farm is called the Old Stone House Farm and I caught a view of the wisteria climbing up the stone center of this wonderful old barn. I wish it was a little sharper but it's enough to carry a small camera on the bike - no room for a tripod.

More New Jersey Spring....

Many years ago I lived in Altadena California and was offered the opportunity (?) to transfer to New York City. The logical place to live was New Jersey and I remember thinking "live in New Jersey?" I had an image of oil refineries, turnpikes and greater downtown Newark and the idea of leaving the foothills of the San Gabriel mtns for that took some creative imagining.

Needless to say I took the job and along the way discovered a New Jersey that only the natives know about. And when the snows finally melt and the trees and grass all come back in the spring-time it is almost as magical as the views of the San Gabriel peaks and canyons. Except for a couple of rainy days I've been out almost every day on the bike the last week or so and if I could I would just package this time of year and keep it for the full twelve months. Yesterday was a perfect example - the temperature was somewhere around 70, the sun was out, just a bit of a breeze, dressed in shorts and short sleeves (the three layers and tights a distant memory) - how perfect for a bike. I did about 55 miles skirting the Sourlands and checking out a bit of horse country along the way. What kind of a perfect day was that?

And a final note - I was stopped at a red light and a motorcycle pulled up to my left. He pulled down his helmet and yelled "Great day for a ride, huh?" I was tempted to respond with a "get away from me" but the spirit of the day prevailed. I said "you got that right - enjoy." And off we went when the light turned green - I may even start waving to those guys again.

The Best Time of the Year

Our house has a stream (officially Five Mile Run) that runs along the back of our yard and beyond that is big section of green area where there is no housing and all trees and untended land. Combined with the many trees in the developement it gives us a kind of park like environment - one of the big reasons I bought the house in the first place. We get a pretty good variety of wildlife thanks to that little creek and our trees and this morning I was treated to two woodpeckers trying to clean out the insect population in our yard. And my thought was that this is a good omen for the day - I need to get out and enjoy the country. And the country is enjoyable. Everything that was gray and brown last week is now in flower or is turning a brilliant green. The trees are all in bud and many are showing leaves. The flowering trees are a brilliant white and pink and with the early spring they are now in full bloom. And I know, I should have taken my camera - maybe next time. I did an anchor house route today called the Tour d' Manure - lots of farmers out plowing and spreading that good stuff on their fields. Very soon we will be watching corn and soybeans coming up (no snickers please, New Jersey is the Farm State after all). And it was an almost perfect ride: the temperature was 80 when I got home, the first time this year I've gone out short sleeves. I did about 45 miles with a few hills and am getting better at coordinating my heart rate with my cadence; that little Garmin is a great training tool, I wish I had started with it twenty or so years ago. Quite honestly the only thing missing is people. I have always been kind of a lone rider, mostly because when I was working I could never coordinate with someone else's schedule and almost every ride was opportunistic and spontaneous. The cross-country ride spoiled me I think. I now go out and I wonder how George is doing, whether Jim has pulled up to the hotel, where Mike might be - and usually it was easy to see Hank and Champ and maybe Nancy for lunch or a D Q. In an ideal world an XC ride would be something to do every year....(but don't tell Susan I said that).

April Fools Day...

It may be the first of April but no foolish jokes by the New Jersey weatherman. We have had what a friend labeled as bipolar (aka schizophrenia) weather the last couple of weeks. We had a weekend of sun and 70's a couple of weeks ago followed by torrential rains, gale force winds and a return to the cold weather of winter. Today was gorgeous, a true return to spring. There are a couple of roads that I like that take me into the Sourland Mtns (not true mountains by Vermont or California standards but lots of hills and climbing to get to the ridges at the top). The area is sparsely populated and generally scenic. One particular road runs by a couple of streams and woods on either side. Today all the streams were running fast bouncing over the rocks on their way to whatever river they finally join. Wild flowers are popping up, the forsythia is in full bloom and daffodils are all over the place. I'm back in shorts and single bike jersey and even had to put a bit of sunscreen on my nose. I looked at my log from 2009 and I am so far from what I had ridden by April first last year I cannot imagine catching up - of course at this time last year I was training for the cross-country and riding every chance I had. However, I did do 53 miles today with almost 4,000 of climbing and I felt good tonight so I must be doing something right. I'm really hoping today is a harbinger of the weeks ahead - I'm really ready to shut down the indoor bike and go for the sun.