I'm Feeling Great - How About You, 50+'r?
 

Physically, feeling fine (except for a bruised leg where I ran into the back of a car last week and ended up on the guy's trunk lid...but, that's another story).

But, I broke up with my GF a couple of months ago so I'm behind on my "intimacy" needs. Thus, I find myself a bit more impatient and irritable than normal.

On the other hand, I've recently put together a "bike shop" in my garage, and completed my first bike build (a Time Trial/Triathlon bike), and I'm starting on the second one (an errand/around town bike).

So, some good, some bad....so it goes.

I hit a new HIGH STRESS level today........Between a 17 yr old son (was I that age once!!), some job issues, money going out faster than coming in (multiple college tuitions due) and other family things I didn't even attempt to take my BP because it would just be one more thing to worry about........Physically I feel a little sore from Saturday's ride but just terrific othwerwise. Thanks for asking!!

I tend to dose off in meetings easier than I used to, but that could be because the meetings are a bunch of boring crap.

I used to worry that I was coming down with adult-onset ADD. I just couldn't keep my attention on the BS in those meetings. But then I realized it wasn't me - the meetings really were BS!

BTW, I'm bummed that it's been raining all Sunday and today, and I wanna ride. In fact, I wanna twist the pedals off the cranks! Lemme at 'em!

I lived to see the sun rise, my wife and two sons today. My dog was eager to see me when I got home from work. Today was a good day.

I voted "Feeling Otherwise" though, by and large I, do feel great.
I'm a little sore from yesterday's ride myself but, worse, I tweaked an old elbow injury during the ride somehow ans it's causing me some small amount of grief. OTOH, if that's my only worry, what am I complaining about?

I feel great, except for my frozen left shoulder.......especially when forcing movement to regain my range of motion.. :D

Tired from pushing further than normal on Saturday and Sunday. But its a good tired.

I feel like a hundred bucks.

I was feeling great until I tried to learn to knit by watching an on-line video. Now I feel like a complete idiot. :o

I had a great day at work capped off by a very nice bike ride tonight. Frickin rare, that combination.

Feeling really good today. Took a one day break from cycling and put up a very nice fence around our new hot tub (called a spa these days). Shoulders will be sore tomorrow from digging the post holes, but the fence will look quite nice when stained. Looks like a great day for cycling in the morning. Had freshly harvested (very large) scallops, pan seared, with a nice salad and (believe it or not) a very good California Tempranillo. My wife was very complimentary about the fence and in about 30 minutes will be in the "spa" enjoying a perfect Wyoming evening (69 degress F and 30% humidty). Looking forward to tomorrow when we will have a planning committee meeting for next year's Dead Dog Classic Memorial Stage Race (named in honor of Dan Birkholz - USOC cycling coach and Laramie native who died in a plane crash near Colorado Springs some years ago).

Cheers
RockyMtnMerlin

Isn't that sort of like learning to clip and unclip watching a video....except you don't fall of the knitting needles.....:p

My wife Gianna and I took an unintended day off work. Climbed "The Dragon" - US129 from Chilhowee Lake to Deal's Gap at the TN/NC line. We've done this often. I started out a bit stiff. Breaking in a new bike, so I raised my saddle a little and pushed it back a little, then all was good. My knees started to loosen up. The climb from lake at 900 ft to the gap at 1900 ft was easy. Beautiful, but already getting hot. In spite of a drop in the middle, we were still at the top too fast. So we kept going on NC28 "The Hellbender." Really started getting tired, but my legs felt a bit better. Crossed the bridge and did a killer steep 1 mile climb w/o trouble at all. Ate lunch at Fontana Village. Gianna was a horse guide there 25 years ago, lived there for a number of years before I met her. Good food, lots of water, and at the top of a nice drop. Really started feeling good on the way down the drop. The new bike handling nicely. But very sensitive. Clearly not a beginner's road bike. Pulled along Cheoh Lake in the heat. Bursts of cold air would sometimes hit us, blown up from the lake. Amazing feeling. Hit the big climb up to Deal's Gap again. Over before I was ready for it to be, no big deal at all. Then the 318 curves of 129 down to the lake, in 11 miles. Endless tight turns, leaning hard, tires gripping nicely, great feedback from the bike. Kept up with several motorbikes for quite a while. Started feeling really good. Brain fade on the uphills from the heat, but soon passing away with the cooling downhills. The sensation of hot sun, then warm air in the mottled shade, then swinging around into the wind and cooling. Working up hill, then slipping down through the turns. Too soon we were back at Chilhowee Lake, whipping along the flat road nicely into the afternoon breeze. Lots of pressure bumps on that stretch. Bump bump bump bump bump. Just an incredibly beautiful ride. Now, hours later and nice dinner done, and about to go to bed, my legs feel fine. Back feels great. A bit of twinge in my right calve, overworked it last week. And the usual aches. But I feel super. I'll get to all the stuff we didn't do today tomorrow.

This is the last of the longer hard rides before I take Gianna up to Philly to ride the livestrong challenge next Sunday. This will be the last challenge I think. Her dad died a month ago of cancer. So now we're tapering off for this ride and I think for the whole charity ride thing. The philly ride is 100 miles with 8000 ft of climbing. We did 46 today with 4000 ft of climbing, no trouble at all, no aftereffects except those associated with the heat. So I think she'll be fine on the longer ride. She'll start early and won't do so much sight seeing!!!!

It's been a nice day off. Although we'd intended a short morning ride only! First day in forever I haven't done anything particularly useful except ride, rest, and enjoy my family.

We'll go up and do a 50 mile loop in a couple of weeks. Run along Fontana Lake, then pop over to Robbinsville and hit 129 back to the Deal's Gap area. Should be a blast. 4000 ft of climbing, most in the first 20 miles, then a long sweeping fall downstream for 25 miles. Hills in there, but more drop than rise by far in the second half. I expect that to be another fine day off.

After a nice 1-hour ride, I feel much better now! :D

:lol:

Feelin' fine, overjoyed even!!!

After almost seven weeks of inactivity, well lots of activity at the dinner table
but not on the bike...I finally climbed back on the Schwinn Airdyne five days ago.
Started out doing 20 minutes at 55-60 rpm, up to 25 minutes now. Felt great after
each session. Took the Raleigh C-40 out for 5 miles around the "hood" on Sunday
and did 20 miles Monday morning. feels great to be riding again.

8/21/07
edit: Did another 20 miler this morning...this time on my '86 Raleigh Marathon.
After working my entire summer away, I started a vacation period Monday
morning. Though the main purpose of the time off is to deliver the twin
daughters to colleges, it's great to be able to slip in some bike time. Damn
the rain showers, I'm free to ride again and nothin's gonna stop me !!!!

Good Poll,

I'm staring at a tracing off a Wall, "John Claggett" KIA May 20th, 1970
cpl, 1st Airbourne, Silver Star for his actions that day long ago.


EVERY DAY is a gift.

I miss ya Johnnie.

The meetings serve an excellent purpose. They keep the people that you don't want in the lab looking over you shoulder busy elsewhere.

However, there are the tours! :( "And in this compartment, we can observe engineers in their natural habitat. Please keep your arms and legs inside the tram. Please do not feed!"

Overall I prefer meetings to tours.

All green and wrinkled? :D

Don't feel bad about learning to knit. My friends tried to teach me last year and I finally gave up. It wasn't one bit relaxing and after a few minutes I was ready to use those needles on someone:eek:

Considering that in my 20s my rheumatologist said there was a strong likelihood I'd be in a wheelchair by the time I hit 40, and that I'm 50 now, still have the original knees and hips and I'm and on target for 4,000 miles this year on my bikes, even the bad days are good.

Although I could do without the dreary weather this week...

Today I did my first commute on my Miyata. It is also my first commute in the rain. Everything feels wonderful!

Can you tell the endorphins have kicked in?