Just back from a good ride with my buddy Matt

My friend Matt and I went for a ride this evening at lake Draper, followed by beer and pizza at the Wedge in downtown OKC. You know, you don't want to be too healthy so you have to balance everything out. I'm still working the kinks out of my new trip computer, but if it's to be believed I averaged 17.5 mph, which is way up from 14 - where I was a couple of weeks ago. Saturday I'll be doing a 50 mile ride from Lake Hefner out to Okarche and back. I'm leaving at 7 a.m. Unfortunately, the timing's not good to get fried chicken at Eischen's for lunch. (Like I said, it's all about balance.)

Tuesday nite Draper ride

Just got home a while ago from a ride with a few of the guys going to Moab. I did six miles on the hills out on SE 134th; even with the hills, my average speed is increasing - signs that I actually am making progress. I'll probably go out again for a while Thursday night, then on Saturday I'm going on a 50 mile ride, which will be my longest to date.

I also sent in my re-commitment form today, so I am officially on the hook for the balance if I don't raise all of the $3500. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far. If you were thinking of donating but haven't so far, there's no time like the present.

These rides kick my ass while I am on them, but when I'm done and the endorphins have kicked in, it's a really great feeling - all worn out and floppy, like a really happy rag doll.

8 weeks until Moab

The ride in Moab is exactly 8 weeks from today. It's getting closer a lot faster than I realized, and I am going to have to get more serious with my training. This morning I went on a group ride that left from Schlegel Bicycles in downtown OKC and went out to Lake Draper and back. My coach (the TNT coach) is a really great guy; he stayed with me the whole way, but set a challenging pace. Most of the other riders are on the triathlon team, and are quite a bit faster than I am still. It was only a 30 mile ride – not as long as my ride to Okarche, but I set a quicker pace and thought it was just as a more challenging a ride.

I picked up a copy of The Time Crunched Cyclist, and would like to start training along the book's recommendations. Basically, it recommends shorter but higher intensity workouts with the goal of being at or above the lactate threshold in order to improve both aerobic and anaerobic energy production.

Good news on the fundraising front - my boss made a $400.00 contribution yesterday and two colleagues from work donated an additional $100.00, which brings me to almost 25% of my $3,500.00 goal. If you'd like to donate, there's a handy link at the bottom of the page, or you can visit my TNT page. Any donation is appreciated, even ten bucks. It all gets me closer to my goal and goes to cancer research and assistance to cancer patients. (Though admittedly the $25 and $50 or higher donations get me there a little quicker and might allow me to beat my goal.)

Part of the route at Moab (from http://skinnytireevents.com)

Memorial Ride for Clyde Riggs and Alan Spencer

A second man was killed over the weekend while riding his bike; this one was a hit and run, just 4 miles from where the first man was killed. There was a memorial ride that took place tonight, and I decided to go. I'm glad I did. There were close to 300 people that took part. Memorials were put up for both men. Here's a picture of one of them, and a news story about it from Chanel 9.

Local cyclist killed

This is really sad, and makes me a little paranoid.

Oklahoma City businessman, bicyclist killed in collision

Clyde Armstrong Riggs, 75, died at an Oklahoma City hospital Sunday morning after he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in the 5200 block of E Britton Road about 8:30 a.m., police Capt. Dee Patty said.

Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-businessman-bicyclist-killed-in-collision/article/3477576?custom_click=email_lead_story_title#ixzz0u8oha1MT

Velocipede

Velocipede (Latin for "fast foot") is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velocipede)

Lake Draper

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New saddle = greatness

I stopped at Schlegel bicycles yesterday and talked to Dane, who helped me pick out a new saddle for my bike. The original saddle was way too hard and narrow. I thought I just hadn't gotten used to it yet, but talked to another guy the other day who said that he'd also had trouble with that saddle. My ride this morning was much more comfortable, so I could concentrate on other things besides my sit-bones.

I got out to Lake Draper this morning about 7:30 and did one lap plus 10 miles out and back on SE 104th St. There are some much bigger hills out there than I'm used to, and I really knocked myself out on them. Thank goodness for whatever little convenience store was out there that I came to just when I needed it; a quick break, and a refill on water, and I was on my way again.

I stopped by the bookstore last night and picked up a book called The Time-Crunched Cyclist. It sounded interesting, and hopefully I can pick up some good tips from it.

Last night's ride

Last night after work, I headed out to Lake Draper to meet up with Bob (the TNT coach for Moab), Don and a guy named Mark who I hadn't met before. I did one lap around the lake, which is about 14 miles, but it was so hot that's about all I could manage. Also, I had been out to Draper the night before last and really push myself, so I didn't have much to give on the ride yesterday. Today I'm going to rest up, and then get out early tomorrow morning and do some hills. Don told me yesterday that the first 30 miles of Moab is all uphill.

Hello, World.

For my first blog post, I suppose a lengthy introduction would be in order, but who has time for that. I'll give you a few basics, and if you don't know me already you can get to know me as I post more.

So here is the skinny: I'm 41 years old, living in Oklahoma City, and started cycling again last month after not having ridden a bicycle in probably more than 10 years. I joined Team in Training to get motivated about riding and to raise money for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. My plan is to ride in the Moab Century Tour in September, and raise $3500 for the society along the way.

I guess that does it on the basics. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you check back in often to see how I'm progressing in my training and fundraising. Speaking of which, feel free to make a donation (tax-deductible of course) using the widget at the bottom of my blog.