Sick Week Done
Thursday back to work wasn't awful though I did wax and wane my way through the day. By the end I forgot to take my medicine on time and I didn't totally crash, which is a good thing. On the other hand I did sink a bit so I'm not completely out of the woods yet. I played the "better safe than sorry" card and stayed off the bike for a 4th straight day. I had the green light to ride after work but I don't want to screw up my weekend by being impatient.
Sitting on the Path on the way home, the man with the world's largest ass stands next to me. It's pretty gross. If you're 6-4 and weigh 350 pounds you really should watch where you put that thing. Thankfully he got off at the first stop.
More people stuff. A young girl talking to a young guy. No wait, 2 young guys. She's blathering on, saying stuff like, "So then Mark says he didn't know there was a turtle in the soup and Shelly was like NO WAY and I couldn't stop laughing and..." Both guys are wearing expressions like, "I wonder what you're like naked." Other than that they don't seem to care.
I found my bike manual online and got the specs for the bearings that would be in the kit and the cost was $25 before shipping. I threw in one extra bearing and with shipping it comes out to $33. That's for all the bearings on the rear suspensions, the 4 linkage bearings, the 4 dropout bearings, and the 2 swingarm bearings. Compare with the $95 I would spend at the shop and it's a slam dunk. Even if I totally screw the pooch I can go buy another set and try again. Then I can do it a third time and still only come up $4 short. So I take on more responsibility but the cost is considerably lower this way and I have more control.
I guess the only downside is that I have no squishy mountain bike to ride this weekend but I'm not willing to pay an extra $62 just for one weekend ride. I can rent a bike for cheaper. Plus I'd have to find the time to bring the bike down and pick it up. Each round trip usually burns at least 90 minutes so we're talking 3 hours right there which is one nice long road ride.
Still undecided about the weekend. I'd like to get 5-6 hours of saddle time in so that's the general plan. Unsure if I will get up to Four Bridges Road or not. Unfortunately next weekend is going to be like pulling teeth trying to get my time in so I can't take it too easy this weekend. It sucks because I was really liking the idea of the Marysville Enduro next Sunday but it looks like we'll be going to South Jersey and a 4th of July party. So any riding at all Sunday will be difficult at best.
General plan right now is to maybe get in a fast 40-50 mile loop on Saturday then tackle the Four Bridges ride on Sunday. Could also swap that out with a trip out to Califon to climb West Valley Brook and maybe Bissell. Or maybe both of them on consecutive days. I'm on a mission to chart every big climb in New Jersey and rate them all. Might give the Lebanon 52 a shot in 2 weekends, and Fiddler's Elbow isn't too far off the radar either. The big question there is do I drive to that or ride it from the house? That's a pretty big day if I do it all from the house.
I've mapped out a GPS route to get Bissell, Guinea Hollow, and West Valley Brook in a loop. It's about 52 miles with 4000 vertical. If I'm close to 100% I think I could knock that out in about 3:15, or possibly a sub-3:00 if I lay it on the line. The Four Bridges Loop I made is 45 miles and 3550 vertical. So it's a little shorter but a hair more vertical per mile. I'd shoot for a 2:40 on that loop I think, just 2 water bottles so no stops.
Either way I need to get back on the bike soon as I can. I have put on 8 pounds since I stepped off the bike Sunday. I am bloated beyond all control. I have started to retain water like a dam. It's so bad that I start to sweat profusely at any minor provocation. I was sweating Wednesday lacing my wheel back up. I wonder if this is one form of my body's way of compensating for being dehydrated on these long rides. If it is, I'm not a big fan. My first order of business will be getting back on the bike, followed immediately by the second order which will be a steady tempo diet to shed this useless water weight. That will also help me get back into the groove of riding after this very inactive week.
Didn't take any medicine overnight and woke up feeling generally OK. So I think I'm passing on riding again today and calling it a full clear for the weekend. Again last night Julia was a mess until about 11:30. She has the same cold and we gave her a decongestant, which just causes all of the mucus to drain into her throat and stomach. She then coughs profusely, wakes up screaming, vomits it all out, then sleeps really well.
Ah the weekend, just one measly work day away. It looks to be a good one so enjoy it any way you can. Terren, hope you feel better and get on your bike. Jake, sell the parachute. Steve, have fun tomorrow and sorry I can't join. Say hi to Kirt. ChrisG, dunno your plans but I'm reasonably certain your wheels will be on the ground. George, enjoy Switzerland, not fucking Suisse! And Walter, who apparently reads but doesn't comment, hope you have a good weekend making people think you're the worst dad on the planet as you jump curbs with your empty child carrier. Everyone else have fun in the sun.
Sitting on the Path on the way home, the man with the world's largest ass stands next to me. It's pretty gross. If you're 6-4 and weigh 350 pounds you really should watch where you put that thing. Thankfully he got off at the first stop.
More people stuff. A young girl talking to a young guy. No wait, 2 young guys. She's blathering on, saying stuff like, "So then Mark says he didn't know there was a turtle in the soup and Shelly was like NO WAY and I couldn't stop laughing and..." Both guys are wearing expressions like, "I wonder what you're like naked." Other than that they don't seem to care.
I found my bike manual online and got the specs for the bearings that would be in the kit and the cost was $25 before shipping. I threw in one extra bearing and with shipping it comes out to $33. That's for all the bearings on the rear suspensions, the 4 linkage bearings, the 4 dropout bearings, and the 2 swingarm bearings. Compare with the $95 I would spend at the shop and it's a slam dunk. Even if I totally screw the pooch I can go buy another set and try again. Then I can do it a third time and still only come up $4 short. So I take on more responsibility but the cost is considerably lower this way and I have more control.
I guess the only downside is that I have no squishy mountain bike to ride this weekend but I'm not willing to pay an extra $62 just for one weekend ride. I can rent a bike for cheaper. Plus I'd have to find the time to bring the bike down and pick it up. Each round trip usually burns at least 90 minutes so we're talking 3 hours right there which is one nice long road ride.
Still undecided about the weekend. I'd like to get 5-6 hours of saddle time in so that's the general plan. Unsure if I will get up to Four Bridges Road or not. Unfortunately next weekend is going to be like pulling teeth trying to get my time in so I can't take it too easy this weekend. It sucks because I was really liking the idea of the Marysville Enduro next Sunday but it looks like we'll be going to South Jersey and a 4th of July party. So any riding at all Sunday will be difficult at best.
General plan right now is to maybe get in a fast 40-50 mile loop on Saturday then tackle the Four Bridges ride on Sunday. Could also swap that out with a trip out to Califon to climb West Valley Brook and maybe Bissell. Or maybe both of them on consecutive days. I'm on a mission to chart every big climb in New Jersey and rate them all. Might give the Lebanon 52 a shot in 2 weekends, and Fiddler's Elbow isn't too far off the radar either. The big question there is do I drive to that or ride it from the house? That's a pretty big day if I do it all from the house.
I've mapped out a GPS route to get Bissell, Guinea Hollow, and West Valley Brook in a loop. It's about 52 miles with 4000 vertical. If I'm close to 100% I think I could knock that out in about 3:15, or possibly a sub-3:00 if I lay it on the line. The Four Bridges Loop I made is 45 miles and 3550 vertical. So it's a little shorter but a hair more vertical per mile. I'd shoot for a 2:40 on that loop I think, just 2 water bottles so no stops.
Either way I need to get back on the bike soon as I can. I have put on 8 pounds since I stepped off the bike Sunday. I am bloated beyond all control. I have started to retain water like a dam. It's so bad that I start to sweat profusely at any minor provocation. I was sweating Wednesday lacing my wheel back up. I wonder if this is one form of my body's way of compensating for being dehydrated on these long rides. If it is, I'm not a big fan. My first order of business will be getting back on the bike, followed immediately by the second order which will be a steady tempo diet to shed this useless water weight. That will also help me get back into the groove of riding after this very inactive week.
Didn't take any medicine overnight and woke up feeling generally OK. So I think I'm passing on riding again today and calling it a full clear for the weekend. Again last night Julia was a mess until about 11:30. She has the same cold and we gave her a decongestant, which just causes all of the mucus to drain into her throat and stomach. She then coughs profusely, wakes up screaming, vomits it all out, then sleeps really well.
Ah the weekend, just one measly work day away. It looks to be a good one so enjoy it any way you can. Terren, hope you feel better and get on your bike. Jake, sell the parachute. Steve, have fun tomorrow and sorry I can't join. Say hi to Kirt. ChrisG, dunno your plans but I'm reasonably certain your wheels will be on the ground. George, enjoy Switzerland, not fucking Suisse! And Walter, who apparently reads but doesn't comment, hope you have a good weekend making people think you're the worst dad on the planet as you jump curbs with your empty child carrier. Everyone else have fun in the sun.
3 Comments:
At 9:36 AM,
Anonymous said…
Yea...yea...Switzerland....
not Suisse.
You make one tiny euro-elitist comment..and they are all over ya...lol.
Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better.
I will try to enjoy the suffering of das climbs...hope you do too, you vertical addicted maniac.
At 9:46 AM,
shaggz said…
good to hear you are going to start crushing edges again! I am at about 95% and am backing into the biking thing tomorrow. The next week will be all steady road stuff. I am still taking prednisone, which shoots my resting heart rate up over 25 points. I am apprehensive about those effects, constantly moving in and out of the aerobic zone in the woods.
At 5:49 PM,
Anonymous said…
what, no love for jake today? bah! post your four bridges ride will ya. i'm curious about your take on it (as i have been for oh, four months now)...plus i'd like a different 40ish loop.
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