Week 7 training results

Week	Weight	Avg HR	Elevation Gain	Minutes on Bike	Mileage on Bike
10/12/2008 – 10/18/2008	230	139	1641	141	28.44
10/19/2008 – 10/25/2008	230	139	1127	83	8.73
10/26/2008 – 11/1/2008	230	122	3741	413	71.2
11/2/2008 – 11/8/2008	227.8	139.7	2493	262	40.12
11/9/2008 – 11/15/2008	223.6	111.5	3931	207	31.87
11/16/2008 – 11/22/2008	224.2	142	4648	339	56.89
11/23/2008 – 11/29/2008	222.6	140	4354	502	98.61

The weight loss slowed down but given that this was Thanksgiving week and my Father-in-law was here I am not unhappy. I did eat out a lot more this week and that always plays havoc on any diet. I broke 100 miles/week though which is nice. Overall a successful week.

Passe'

The recent black Friday stupidity and tragedies as well as reading about more car vs bike violence has me fed up. I am so [expletive deleted] tired of willful stupidity and selfishness.

So I decided to make a list of crap that is so Over in Southern California speak.

1. French Bashing - without the French the US would not have become a country and democracy as a whole would not really exist. Really it is the height of stupidity to bash the French as a form of patriotism. The people who like to do this are the anti-intellectuals and ignoramuses of the world. Piss on them, they aren't worth anyone's time. And for anyone who think the French are not tough, remember Napoleon, remember Charlemagne. Study some history.
2. Anti-intellectual Science deniers - This is the group of idiots who think global warming is fake. There were 928 peer-reviewed scientific articles on global climate change published between 1993 and 2003, every one supported the core belief of global warming caused by mankind. These are the kind of people who quote the Cato institute and say that driving a car is more efficient than mass transit (it isn't btw). The same kind of idiots who believe that the average UAW auto worker makes over $70/hour. Really you have to be pretty credulous to take this crap at face value. Do you really think auto workers in an assembly line are pulling down $140,000 per year? I don't make that kind of money as a system engineer/software engineer with 15 years of experience. When you see stupid crap on TV or in Car and Driver, stop and think, does this make sense. Run the numbers for a second, does it pass the smell test? Here is an example: Someone on CNN dismissed wind power as 15th century technology. A commentator on the web said: Anyone who would belittle a 15th Century technology that's still in use today doesn't understand technology. Which is a good point, the wheel is a stone age technology, and we use it everywhere. What kind of morons do we allow on TV nowadays?
   
3. The Car is king crowd - These are the [expletive deleted] idiots who think that cars are the only way to get around, that parking is the most important thing and that pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles should all get out of their way. I am done with trying to find sympathy for people like the man who runs down 10 cyclists at the Tour de Tuscon, gets out of his car to inspect the damage, then drives away. Five people are hospitalized and some are in critical condition. I don't have any sympathy for this guy. NONE. The guy who almost runs me over today then rolls down his window and says "I am sorry, but why do you have to make such a face at me" from his F250 with one passenger and nothing in the bed. WTF, are you kidding me. Let me make this simple. I support congestion pricing, I support transit oriented development (do you know that houses in Denver near rail stations didn't lose value during this slump but gained value). I support bikeways and Copenhagen style bicycle integration. I support electric cars. I support recycling, wind power, solar power and think oil and natural gas are resources to be conserved and used only where there are no alternatives.
4. The Taxes are bad selfish pigs and the Fair Tax idiots, actually the entire Government is bad meme - really, come on now. Don't you realize just how much you do every day that you couldn't do without the government intervention that enabled it. The 40 hour work week, any health care at all, our interstate system, the remains of our rail system, public schools and Universities, Water rights, sewers, bridges, libraries, etc. Get your head out of the sand, stop thinking Reagan is god and remember that corporations will screw you every chance they get. Taxes are how we pay for all of this. You don't go 10 minutes without gaining some benefit from our government. You can breath the air, drink the water and your children can get an education. Quit whining. Private enterprise took over a good portion of our prisons, total disaster. Our hospitals have gone to crap under private management. We allowed privatization of our trolley and rail systems in the US under Eisenhower to destroy that infrastructure all in the name of helping corporations. Stop parroting very rich right wing idiots. They are happy to take advantage of you to make more money. Lets make this country a place where the 99% of us can enjoy it and forget about that rich 1% or the ultra-rich 0.5% who might actually have to make due with their $3 million/year incomes. I don't have any sympathy for them, they certainly don't for me.

What issues push you over the edge? Are you fed up with anything? Let me know. Beware if you are a right wing idiot and decide to spam my comment section, I will happily delete your crap.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Kristin, Tony (my father-in-law) and myself will join some of our friends at Salty's in Seattle for Thanksgiving. So no leftovers for us. I wish you all a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving.

Encouraging signs

During yesterday’s press conference with President-elect Obama, the journalists was divided into a White Sox section and a Cubs section. The pool reporter lamented that he — “a genuine White Sox fan” — was assigned to the Cubs section. During today’s press conference, Obama apologized to the reporter and took a shot at the Bush administration’s unwillingness to admit error:

I understand that as a life-long White Sox fan, you were placed in the Cubs section yesterday. And I want to apologize for that. This is also part of the new way of doing business: When we make mistakes, we admit them.

(from Thinkprogress)

Week 6 training results

Week	Weight	Avg HR	Elevation Gain	Minutes on Bike	Mileage on Bike
10/12/2008 – 10/18/2008	230	139	1641	141	28.44
10/19/2008 – 10/25/2008	230	139	1127	83	8.73
10/26/2008 – 11/1/2008	230	122	3741	413	71.2
11/2/2008 – 11/8/2008	227.8	139.7	2493	262	40.12
11/9/2008 – 11/15/2008	223.6	111.5	3931	207	31.87
11/16/2008 – 11/22/2008	224.2	142	4648	339	56.89

Not bad, it is obvious I went off the diet. I did work in my new morning/commute route which is adding elevation and miles to my week. I will recover this week hopefully though Thanksgiving is likely to give me trouble.

A good idea

I like this idea of a gas tax. I know people freak out about stuff like this but give it a read.

Father-in-Law

My Father-in-Law is in town. This means my posts will be limited as we head toward the Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully I won't slack off entirely on riding. No riding today though and it was a beautiful day in Kirkland, sunny and slightly cold. I did manage to take the time to clean my bike, oil the chain and lower the seat by two pegs. I need to see how this affects my riding and the recumbutt experience.

Cycling update

With today's commute being my new 26 mile round trip option (23 miles to work, 3 miles home) I feel like I am on the right track. My adjustment for my cleats finally seems to have dialed in the fit. My panniers and seat bag works great. I will soon have my proper lighting setup with dynohub and LED light. I also want to recline my seat a bit more. I ordered new tires too, conti gp 4000 with black chili compound. But I feel much more confident and strong on the bike and I feel it is the right platform to continue.

I seem to be averaging a cadence of 62rpm. Not horrible when it involves almost 2000ft of climbing. I need to work on it, and as I shed pounds it will be easier to bump up that number. My goal is to keep up the training, keep mixing up the rides, bump up the miles/week, bump up the climbing/week. I don't have any issues on the flats so climbs are my weak point. In general your weakest area is where you can get the largest improvements for the smallest effort. It also has the side effect of being one of the best things I can do for fitness. The hills are a cheap form of interval training.

I also like these long rides since once you get going you are committed. I was 4 miles out today on the ride to work, and feeling the hills but there really was no other option other than keep on going. And it was fine, easy even. I am careful not to put myself in impossible situations but I don't mind pushing myself to do big rides. I am feeling strong and see myself getting stronger. The riding is compensating for my crappy diet skills. I don't limit myself well. I had soda today, and that is verboten. But overall even the diet is going well. Bringing leftovers to work has been great for my diet and the quality of my food I eat.

If I keep this work up I will be fit in no time. I don't anticipate any trouble in March and my first real brevet.

Roadside assistance for cyclists

This is awesome, Pedal Secure provides a roadside assistance program similar to AAA.

Pedal Secure Membership Benefits Includes:

• Transportation to Bicycle Repair Center Or ...
• Transportation to Nearest Return Location (Car, home, work)
• Repair or Replacement of Flat Tire(s)
• Repair or Replacement of Broken Chains
• Repair or Replacement of Damaged Spokes
• Repair or Replacement of Damaged Pedals
• Repair or Replacement of Damaged Cables
• Repair or Replacement of Damaged Wheels
• Four Service Plans So We Can Accommodate Everyone
• We Guarantee to Get You Back On The Road Again!

This is pretty cool, especially considering I had a flat this morning. Now sure I dealt with it, but there will be times I call my wife for help. This could give me other options. I like this idea and am glad to see it is available nationwide. All from a company based in Beaverton, OR, which is cool since I used to live there.

New Commute/Training Premier

Juanita Commute

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Today was the first day I tried the full 23 mile commute. It was a rousing success. I started at 6:30am and got to work at 8:45am. I did have small issues with a slow flat on my rear tire. I saw numerous bike commuters on the Burke Gilman. The wildlife was also out, I saw an osprey dive into the river after a fish and miss, it screamed in rage and flew up to a tree. I also had to ring my bell to get some geese and ducks to let me pass. It is a beautiful route and almost all of it is very safe. The grades weren't bad and I just spinned through the climbing. I love my Corsa and love my Q-Rings.

I would happily do this route 2-3 days a week. I will work it in slowly so as not to over train. I have next week off since my Father-in-law is visiting for Thanksgiving. We pick him up tonight.