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Category Archives: exercise
Clean your bike! I did….
Spring is in the air. Finally. If you are a cyclist there is a very large gap between the start of Winter when you quit riding and the beginning of Spring when you begin riding again.
It’s about two months early for Spring to show its colors out here….and in spite of the calendar, the grass is getting green, trees are budding, and folks are spending time outside. Pretty soon when it warms a bit more there will be clean cars, gardening services rushing from yard to yard, and outdoor fitness buffs will grudgingly show off their lumpy acquisitions of weight gain while they trudge along to some unknown song playing on their music player.
And if you’re me, your bicycle just got a bath. I haven’t been riding lately but noticed a layer of dust had settled on the paint, also saw I had not scrubbed the goo-cumulation from the last ride back in October, and could NOT tell by looking at the dark cluster of grease toward the back of the bike there were gears back there waiting to power the bike on down the road! So I gave CashFlow a bath.
Up she went onto the bike stand and my attention turned to the rear wheel. The cassette was detached and summarily reduced to the parts of its sum with spacers, gears, and the end cap were drowned inside a half coffee can full of Simple Green. The de-greasing had begun.
The bike then received a full wipe-down with a damp cloth. Chunks of road tar were addressed with a toothbrush dripping with more Simple Green and lot of TLC. Another wiping with the cloth and CashFlow was looking like her old self!
Now the wheels. I think you can clean just about anything if you take the time and apply yourself to the task at hand. Greasy spokes and road grime had given the bike an old beat-down look to it and the goal for today’s bath was to remove that layer of ugly and replace it with the look I am accustomed to….this was a Beast-to-Beauty transition, and it would make me a happy man to do the work. I used the toothbrush soaked in Simple Green to remove the layer of grease on each cog and spacer. Only when they looked all bright and shiny would I move on to the next one. And I made a promise this would not happen again! We’ll see how that goes.
After re-assembling the cassette with those shiny new looking cogs, the rear wheel looked great. Of course I cleaned up the front wheel and when they were both put back on the bike, CashFlow looked great. I am so proud of her!
CashFlow is clean now, and with Spring nearly here, I better figure out how to get my newly acquired weight into some cycling shorts and start working it off so CashFlow can be proud of me too.
I still need to clean the chain, but I’ll do that before my first ride….which will happen soon!
Exciting News….finally!
Well here is an unexpected pleasant bit of news (for me); I had a really good ride!
As you may know from my previous entries, I have been struggling BIG TIME with my cycling. My mind remembers my previous fitness level and how capable I was at all sorts of things. Climbing, sprints, long distance…all of it…I was good once. And for a cyclist to suffer during a contest or training ride is expected. And I was pretty good at that too! Ride to the pain, then ride through it….made me a better rider, it did. But that was then. My NOW? My body rebels at the mere <i>thought</i> of going faster, harder, or longer. I suffer, but that’s about it.
Yes, the suffering has been great, and I still know how to get there, but the results have been pretty much the same. Every ride begins with me hoping for a shred of evidence of my past strength, but ends with me wondering when something good is going to happen. Every. Single. Day.
I saddle up and struggle to get comfortable. Then it is SNAFU….and nothing to report. Oh sure, there is an occasional glimpse of power like when I tuck into the TT position and TRY to go fast. But that always ends with my heart POUNDING like a drum during the High School fight song, sweat pouring down my face like someone dumped a bucket of water on my head, and my legs SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER to stop or at least slow down. Dutifully I wind it down and plod the rest of the way to work or home. Every day. And you know wut? It’s getting old!
Yesterday’s Ride
Which is why yesterday’s ride was so much a pleasure that I am pounding out this note. First, I took the sunrise photo….wait a second, that was a little later in the ride. First, I had a nice little warm up…..no wait, that was before I realized it was going to be a good day! The first thing I did was…wow, I’m writing myself into a corner. Back in a sec…..
Much time has passed. Cup of coffee in hand, a Saturday morning happening all around, and a clear mind. OK, here is how the ride happened; I started the day off at 5:30 am with a shower, got some breakfast and pondered the day. The weather has been trending hotter and hotter until yesterday when we actually busted a hundred degrees. So it’s been hot. I’ve also been having trouble with my weight. After 9 months of being off the bike, I gained 16 pounds. This is understandable (not acceptable, but I’m past that). So after being ON the bike for almost three months, I thought I might have some success to share. Alas, that is not the case, as I am down only 6 pounds (might be the beer, or my darn sweet tooth…don’t know for certain). Anyway, clocking the scale at 186, I am still carrying 10 lbs. too many. So I’m working on that too.
But I stopped after my morning cereal and thought, “today is going to be a good day”. And way back in the 80’s I learned from Jack and Gary Kinder, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” So what happens today is my fault. I can make it or break it. Today is my day. It’s up to me.
So I got in the closet and dressed for success. Instead of riding shorts, I put on my bibs. These provide excellent comfort and do not allow any chafing in the seat area. They also wick away moisture really well and just make for an all around better feeling outfit for a long ride. And today was going to be that 18 mile ride in to work and eighteen mile back home; with the return during the 100 degree sunny afternoon. Comfort would be important.
The day got going with some really good energy, a good vibe, and some hope for a good ride. I was a little late out the door so I decided to cut corners if I could. Having shed some demons by giving myself a little pep talk is a good thing to do anytime you can do it, and by golly I did it, so lets get this thing underway! I pushed off and here we go.
I ride back behind my old High School, note the darkness all around, and quietly thank the manufacturer for the light I bought a couple of years ago. I can see the street really well and I’m fairly certain drivers and anyone looking my way won’t miss the glowing orb coming toward them. I’m seriously lit up!
Then it is past the old bridge on Norris and I’m taking back roads all the way over to the bike trail at Watt Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard. In a zig zag pattern I’m crossing Marconi Avenue, then Arden Way, and then I’m across Fair Oaks Blvd. before dropping down onto the bike trail. And here is where I have a decision to make, do I continue on for the sake of getting the full 18 miles or do I take the shortcut through Sacramento State University and arrive to work on time. Since I started my ride ten minutes late, I take the shortcut. It cuts the ride by about 4 miles and will easily save a few minutes, so I’ll be okay on time.
Morning Rides are BEST!
This is why I ride a bike...Sunrise over the American River
The ride gets started up again and I am noticing I have some “legs” today. But the streets of downtown are waiting for me and I don’t really feel like going hard, so I continue on to work and arrive in the bike lock-up room at the designated time of 7:20. Here it is Friday and an 8 hour shift awaits.
The workday is over and here is the good part; time to ride! Like I’ve said before, “work is the thing I do between rides.”
Warm up with a ride through the streets of Old Sacramento. There’s Fannie Anne’s on the right, there’s the old candy shop, here comes the Train Depot. People are everywhere walking the planks out in front of the shops, I have only a few cars to contend with, and it’s on to the bike trail. Here comes Discovery Park, and just like that it is behind me. I decide to test my legs.
And here is where it gets REALLY good. I tuck in to the Time Trial position. Elbows are resting on the handlebars and my hands lightly hold the shifter cables out in front of the bike. My neck has been getting better and better at holding my head up to see the road streaming in front of me and the bike is in its highest gear selection. This is a hard test and you can get going around 28 to 32 mph…..and that is what I am going! Mile one comes and goes. My heart rate is hammering out a nice tempo, my mouth is agape and pulling in air for my lungs to process the coveted oxygen, and my legs are busy just doing their job of mashing the pedals toward the ground again and again; today with power!
Huh? What is happening?? My mind is REELING! Is this really going on? Like a finely tuned athlete, I am SCORCHING the bike path and seriously LOVING IT! This is very similar to some of the efforts I was able to do before Cancer came a calling on my prostate!!
Mile two is here and yes, I am spent. But I should be! Maybe I should not have gone so hard for so long, but I did….and here I am to talk about it. I survived the test! And my brain is now thinking (and worrying just a little) about how I’m going to get the rest of the way home. And instead of LISTENING TO THAT CRAP, I motored home, pushing it the entire way. My ride of 18 miles was completed in just less than the 70 minutes it has been taking me. Pre-surgery I was doing this regularly at 60 minutes, and I am very pleased with the results of this ride of 58 minutes!
The take-away here? Never, ever, stop trying. Strive to do something and then give yourself a chance to be the winner you are.
Today is your day….what are you going to do with it?
Believe it. Do it. Begin now.
HowzitGoin’ David?
First, I have a couple of anniversaries to note:
September 12, 2011 – Two Month Anniversary of my first bicycle ride (7/12) after a nine month medical leave
September 20, 2011 – Four Month Anniversary of the day my prostate was removed
And then, this is how things are going on the bike:
My comfort in the saddle is finally getting manageable and the amount of energy I have post-ride is a lot better than before. I can do longer rides without too much struggle and the 9 mile morning/evening commute is getting a little faster all the time. I can take the pain of a hard effort better this week than last, and the recovery time seems to be a little shorter too. All of that is really good news!
On the flip side; Man is it depressing how much fitness I still don’t have! If a glass of water is my level of fitness, and FULL is where I was nine months previous to July 12th; I was EMPTY. Up 16 pounds, soft jello-like muscles, and no cardio to speak of, I was just empty. Nothing to offer but a new reality to endure.
Currently, the fitness glass is either half-full or half-empty, depending how you see things, and filling slowly. I have lost 6 pounds and the cardio is on its way back. The soft jello-muscles are slowly transitioning their way into the hard-working pistons they were – way back in October, 2010. And, as an added plus, my resting heart rate is down around 58 bpm. Good news!
“Think of what you want most, then become it”. June is when I began thinking.
When Doc said I could begin walking, I walked. If you read this bLog while I was recovering you know I walked several times and each time was better than the time before. I remember the first time I couldn’t get down to the end of the street without having to turn around and practically RUNNING back home to get in to the bathroom! A week or two later, I was down the street and around the corner for a 3 mile walk. After that a 7 mile jaunt. When you dedicate your life to a thing, nothing is terribly difficult!
After the first post-surgery PSA blood test I was told I could ride, so I rode. And it hurted me….but I hung in there anyway. And I rode every day for as long as I could handle the pain. I think the first ride was about 12 miles. After my neck muscles allowed it, I was back on the bike for a little longer ride of 18 miles. After my butt stopped feeling like I had left the saddle inside it, I was out again for more. I don’t recall the progression now, but suffice it to say I rode EVERY chance I got. And while I was not working, it was so easy!
After one month of riding as often as I could, on August 15th, I was back to work. After three months off (two of which were all about healing, the final about getting strong), I was back on the job. Which is when the bike commute began anew.
To refresh your memory, the bicycle commute takes me along the top of a really flat and paved levee for 3 miles before dropping on to our local river-hugging bike trail. Fully paved, lined, and marked for runners/walkers/bicycles there are no cars or motorized vehicles of any kind on any part of this ride, and that goes for another 4 miles. Then, I pick up another levee on the other side of the river that winds over to the downtown area where I integrate on to an actual road for a half mile and find myself at work with 9 miles logged. It is a nice ride of 30 minutes and it doesn’t hurt all day like it did one month ago….which is really good news because I turn around and go back the same way after work, and do this every workday! I make the commute as difficult as I can handle by keeping constant pressure on the pedals, and about half-way thru going into Time Trial mode for a dose of true effort. The commute is anything but mundane and it helps make me strong again.
Work is the thing I do between rides.
Health Stuff
Just yesterday I went to Vampire House where they drew blood from my arm again. PSA test and hoping for zeroes. Results next week….wish me luck!
And OK boys and girls, this is the serious part. If you don’t want to know the details about what happens when a doctor removes a man’s prostate, read no further.
Seriously….if you don’t want to know, stop reading.
I’ll wait.
{insert music here. Use the theme from “Jeapordy”}
OK, if everyone is gone who should be/wants to be gone, and the rest of you are interested in the embarrassing details, here you go:
Peeing. This WAS a problem. And I did not think it would ever get back to normal. They did the surgery and left a catheter in to allow the urethra to heal. They cut and reattach this pipe during surgery. After ten days they removed the catheter and I was certain I would never control my pee again. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to…wow, there’s a thought. Or maybe I would be in that awkward 10% of folks who never get that control back. Wear diapers? Ugh, THERE’S a lifetime of embarrassment! What a bummer it is to even THINK like that! Fortunately I did not need to harbor those thoughts as it became less and less of a problem to control starting/stopping and when/where for the next session in front of the porcelin. Today I have about 99% of that control back and have little concern knowing it will completely heal the way it should. I’ll put a check in the box marked “Success” for that problem.
Erection. Nope. None to report. It is easy (and disappointing) to report this as the one malady I currently endure. This was/is a concern they prepare you for and they also seem to think it will work itself out over the first year or so. I guess the nerves – even though they were spared during surgery – take time to heal. I guess. Fantastically, my wife is very supportive and has no concern either way. And really truly, me too. I mean, I don’t NEED an erection, but it is still weird I don’t get them anymore. After a lifetime of success, failure is the new reality. So I’ll put a check in the box for “Hopeful”. Not a complete failure yet. They say it needs more time. And apparently, thanks to the surgery, I’ve got that. Thanks doc!
Auburn, CA at Garmin Connect – Details
This is a map of today's ride to Auburn
And it was a great test of my new Neuvation wheels. NICE! They are stiff and quick to respond. Compared to the 5 year old Bontragers I have been riding these things are built to race!
The ride-specs are available for your review too. Check it at this link: Ride to Auburn – Ride Details.
I’ll probable have something to say about the ride but for now, I must rest.
New stuff
New ride:
I had the pleasure of taking another “ride of distance” today. This one measured 45 miles and took 3 hours from start to finish. I had a couple of 5 minute water/recovery stops and then cooled down with a nice spin for the final 4 miles. To top off this nice ride, the Garmin cycle computer tells me I burned 2703 calories. On Saturday my ride took 5 hours to cover 67 miles (had 2,600′ of climb) and the calorie burn is listed at 4041.
New Focus:
Build muscle. What I need to do now is convince my body that is the “new normal” and it better get cookin’ up the muscle recipe to build the necessary fibers to maintain my habit! Or ELSE! Just cuz I was off the bike for NINE MONTHS, does NOT mean I’m going to allow my body to get soft(er). But I am here to tell you, right now it hurts. I have been back on the bike for a little less than a month and it hurts. My whole body is in pain from head to toe. All the support systems are seriously stressed, and it hurts like crazy. All day. Of course you know that means I’ll be ignoring the pain, putting down more miles, more often. All to help the systems understand this is serious and you best come on-line with some expediency. That’s just the way it is in the Land of Dave. Comply or be crushed!
New mantra:
Ouch. (Say it slowly and repeat often for best effect.)
New favorite saying:
Rode hard, put away wet.
New goal:
Auburn, CA.
65 Miles
what a ride!
Yesterday, I finally got a ride of significant distance.
More inna minnit….
OK, I’m back. Posted that little bit via Windows Phone 7. Nice feature!
The ride of “significant distance” was a 65 mile slow ride to hell and back. By that I mean – it hurt. And I am dead serious. I think the ride lasted about 15 miles too long and I knew it because I was plodding along at about 16 mph instead of my “new” usual speed of 18 mph.
Oh, and my Garmin 305 is sporadically functioning, and this is most likely due to its lack of use over the last 9 months. So there’s that.
Anyway, back to the ride. It got started nicely with some really nice weather. A little cool at 62 degrees and a bit breezy as well. But hey, I was going for ride, was dressed, the chain was lubed, and off I went. Mark the time at 9:00 am.
At 9:10 I was logging mile #5 and off the street working in his garage is a friend of mine. Detour #1. I pulled over and we talked for about 20 minutes.
9:30, I excused myself and took off down the road. The American River Bike Trail was the next destination ……………….
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Goals are made to be broken
Yes, goals are made to be broken and I am here to report the successful squashing of another goal. And this is something to crow about from the top of a tall building! Here it is:
Riding goal this week: 100 miles
Actual riding mileage: 130 miles
This is how it happened. For each of three rides, I used the American River Bike Trail. It is familiar and there are zero cars to worry about. The first ride was a round trip to Beal’s Point, 40 miles covered. The second ride was an out-and-back to downtown Sacramento for a coffee at my favorite shop, Chocolate Fish Coffee. That was 40 miles, and I was beat like a rented mule from the effort. The third ride was a 50 mile trip up to Beal’s Point again (the little hills “make me strong like ox”. Say this with a russian accent and clench your fist to get the full 3D movie effect), this time with an add-on over to Douglas Blvd, and it felt great! It felt great to be on the bike, felt great to battle the wind, and felt awesome to turn the crank with some strength.
As a disclaimer, I am a L O N G way from being strong enough to brag about my riding prowess. But the ability to actually generate some power while riding, if only for a short distance, is a thing of beauty indeed! And, to further keep you fully informed about my current riding strength and stamina (or lack thereof), I was passed on ride #2 by an old dude on a squeaky mountain bike, and today a gal blew by me on the way up a small rise like I was an old dude on a mountain bike. OUCH, I have to adjust my thinking!
In spite of getting trounced by these obviously fit and healthy individuals, I still loved being out on the trail and fully enjoyed the ride. It felt great to be back!
Now then, where is that building? I got me some crowing to do!
Top Secret. SHHHHhhhh!!!
Be vewy vewy quiet……please. Nobody tell my Urologist! Today I did a no-no and went for a ride on my bike. I RODE my bicycle today. CashFlow is out of the house!
OK, there, it’s out, and it is a Secret no more. I don’t feel better about telling that lie yet though. Oh wait, I haven’t really told a lie, it’s just that I went against doctor’s orders. Against his very direct statement, “you can ride your bike after 6 weeks. Not sooner.” Bother.
Here is what I know. The Six Week Rule (SWR) is all about letting the previously abused-during-surgery parts and pieces fall back into place and let them realize they have a little more room than before. And to let the tube that was cut and sewn back together get healed up again for long-term duty. And previous to the newly made-up SWR I’m pretty sure he also said everything looks good, and to just go about life. So, I changed the SWR to the new and improved FWR (Five Week Rule). And then I went for a ride.
And it was good.
I am here to tell you, it was REAL good! Now, I say that because I’m not bleeding, and I didn’t fall off the bike, and I didn’t hurt my muscles too much by riding hard, and so far so good…..and it FELT really good while I was on the bike. Now that I am off, it feels as if I went for a ride. No aches or pains to report, and nothing went Bump while I was out.
Oh sure, I forgot some things about riding a bike. As an example, I forgot:
- about the bike seat penetrating my butt like I was a new convict at the prison just after Lights Out
- about how much energy is required to actually move forward faster than granny using her walker to get across Fair Oaks Blvd
- how difficult it is to haul the added 12 pounds around when you’ve been off the bike for NINE MONTHS!
- how great it is to be back on the bike
So I knew this is how it would be too….but that doesn’t make it any easier! And I have to think CashFlow (the name of my bike) didn’t know what happened.
Don't leave me alone too long.....things happen!
After months of slumber some dude who looked like the previous owner is pumping up the tires for the first time in months, and lubing the chain, and adjusting and primping the derailleurs, and it seemed like time for a ride! But the dude who climbed on to do the pedaling was fat and didn’t seem to know how to miss a pot-hole in the road, and couldn’t possibly have been the same guy. I felt bad for making CashFlow carry my fat butt around Carmichael!
And now I am happy to report, in spite of riding sans prostate (or perhaps BECAUSE of it), my life just got better…..again. Man it’s good to be me!
PS – on a dare from my nephew, I shaved my head. Picture that!
A Failure to Communicate
Famous Quotation: “What we have here, is a failure to communicate” Can you guess where that line came from? Anyone? Beuller?? Leave your comments below.
This “failure to communicate” on this site is very one-sided. It’s all me spewing verbiage about how things are going in my life and all that. Well, I am not one to apologize for the way things are; so let’s get this started.
May 20th, just 27 days ago, my physical being changed. Got a faulty part removed. The doc said to do it, and he did it. Easy. Right? Nope. Perhaps the extraction was easy (for him), and I guess since all I did was sleep through the entire procedure, the operation was pretty easy for me too. But I am here to tell you, robot assisted laparoscopic removal or not, healing might be the toughest part!
Oh sure, doc said to “the first week, aspire to nothing” (don’t do a thing) and live “a sedentary lifestyle”. Light activities, no lifting, and don’t cough either! The key here is to let the parts and pieces fall back into place and re-connect the way they were before they were surgically violated. Be a good patient and just focus on healing.`
And I gotta tell you, I am a really good patient! You want sedentary? I got that. You want my aspirations to be zero? I can do that too. Didn’t cough or sneeze or lift a finger (thank you Renee!), no not at all. The surgery felt like a punch in the gut, and it was simple to stay “sedentary” that first week.
The second week was easier. The pain was significantly less. I was given a green light for walking. Even VERY LIGHT (less than ten pounds) lifting was authorized. So I walked. Miles at a time, I walked. Since my bladder is still learning how to do its job again, my only constraint was: where is the next toilet? First trip out was around the block, next time it was three and a half miles, next trip about a mile, next trip seven and a quarter miles, and the latest trip was about two miles. Yes, I am good at walking!
Week three was more of the same. Just tried to eat and drink anything that would help me get strong. And sleep too. And I walked some more.
Now I am working on week number four; post surgery. Day 27. More walking and now I am working angled push-ups (using the countertop) into my day and really easy leg-ups. I don’t think I’ll be doing much more until the next visit to the doctor…..which is in twelve days.
And this is what it has all come down to. June 28th is find-out-how-surgery-went Day. One week prior to 6/28 I let the vampires have a go at my veins to draw some blood, then have it checked for PSA numbers.
PSA is Prostate Specific Antigen. If you have a prostate (and are more than 16 years old), you have evidence of it pulsing inside your veins with every beat of your heart in the form of PSA numbers. Detectable amounts are always there, unless you DON’T have a prostate. Like me. And when the PSA levels are measured on June 21st and the results are communicated to me on June 28th, they should be REALLY LOW. If they are, the recent surgical procedure can be deemed a clinical success. Only then will the balloons and confetti fly, champagne with lots of toasting, and speeches and dinners, vacations, etc….all that. Good news like this should come with a parade. Or at least a party!!
If not. It would be a bad sign. The reality is, if PSA numbers are remotely similar to what they were prior to the surgery, the cancer may have spread to another area. Even though the prostate has been removed, the misbehaving cellular activity from the originating cells may continue from their new home (in a kidney or liver or ??). And there we go with the “watchful waiting” and possibly more “treatments”. Ugh.
This may be why I have been a little quiet lately. I’ve been a little distracted…..so that needs to change. I think I’ll just start looking forward to a party!
Break out the comfy shoes!
When I woke up today and checked the weather, the Weather Guesser said it was going to be nice. So I ran a System Check on my body and found it to be fully functional and ready for just about anything (Dr’s blessing is on anything active without heavy lifting. No running. Please walk; often). And shoes? Oh yeah, I’ve got those. So I felt good, the weather was going to be nice, and the shoes are ready. What to do, what to do?
You KNOW I got those shoes laced up and went for a walk, right?!
Departure time: 11:40
First stop, the Post Office. I’ve had this bill to mail for at least a week but it just sat waiting for me to do something about it. So I did something about it and dropped it at the Post Office.
Next stop, StarBucks. It was right across the street from the Post Office so why not? I missed my morning coffee and the lack-of-caffeine-headache was settling in for a spell. As it attempted to gain a foothold, I was going to do my best to beat it into submission. And my effort worked! The coffee was good enough to bring relief, and I was on my way to the next spot on the map.
Where to? Hmm, the paint store was not on the list but as you walk by a place, it takes a while to get from one end of the parking lot to the other, and I’ll be danged if I didn’t think of a project requiring some paint before I concluded my jaunt across the parking lot. Enter the store, talk to the guy, blend it, buy it, and off I go to the next place.
That’s when I got to my actual destination: Windmill Nursery. This was the place I wanted to go, but didn’t think I would actually get there. It is quite a way down the street and I couldn’t be certain I would feel up to the challenge. They have the best plants and ideas for planting plants there….and I just love the place. I found a green Lace Leaf Japanese Maple to buy next time I feel rich. It is perfectly formed and nicely large but priced to stay at the store. If I find an ad with a discount for Japanese Maples for these guys, it will be mine!
And then I hoofed it home.
Arrival time: 2:10
Good thing I had some comfortable shoes waiting for me in the garage, this would be a real test for anything less.
I’ll figure out the mileage and post the update shortly.
And here is the distance covered: 7.26 miles.
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