Until four months ago I concentrated almost solely on computer related work and hadn't had any significant exercise for years. My brother-in-law Frank Rigel had died of cancer a couple of months before that, and when his son Andy mentioned the LiveStrong fundraising ride in Portland, the time seemed ripe to do something worthwhile that combined fundraising for cancer research, and cycling, an activity Frank enjoyed and encouraged in his son (Andy is an Expert Class mountain bike racer who recently placed 3rd in the National Mountain Bike Series Finals).
So, I bought a bicycle and started riding.
Since then I've ridden three 100 mile rides, a 92 mile, a 76 mile, two 46 mile, and many of my usual 24 mile ride from Anacortes to Deception Pass and back via Mt. Erie.
Yesterday I rode my bike up Orcas Island's Mt. Constitution for the first time !!! I started from the little village of Eastsound, first going up Flaherty Hill (about 500' elevation increase in 1 mile), then up beautiful Mt. Constitution itself (about 1900' elevation increase in 4.7 miles). The scenery was of fir trees, a narrow road, steep dropoffs, and occasional pocket vistas of the water, nearby islands, and the ferries -- a very pleasant place to improve fitness. I wasn't fast, I tried to keep my heart rate below 140 bpm, to ensure that I would have the best chance of having enough strength to get to the top (I wear a heart rate monitor which transmits to my Garmin Edge 305 cycling computer). I reached the summit 1 hour and 50 minutes after leaving Eastsound. I was so excited I called Coach Andy and my wife Marcia to let them know "I'd done it"! After a few minutes rest I coasted back down the mountain -- Then I WAS fast.
So, I bought a bicycle and started riding.
Since then I've ridden three 100 mile rides, a 92 mile, a 76 mile, two 46 mile, and many of my usual 24 mile ride from Anacortes to Deception Pass and back via Mt. Erie.
Yesterday I rode my bike up Orcas Island's Mt. Constitution for the first time !!! I started from the little village of Eastsound, first going up Flaherty Hill (about 500' elevation increase in 1 mile), then up beautiful Mt. Constitution itself (about 1900' elevation increase in 4.7 miles). The scenery was of fir trees, a narrow road, steep dropoffs, and occasional pocket vistas of the water, nearby islands, and the ferries -- a very pleasant place to improve fitness. I wasn't fast, I tried to keep my heart rate below 140 bpm, to ensure that I would have the best chance of having enough strength to get to the top (I wear a heart rate monitor which transmits to my Garmin Edge 305 cycling computer). I reached the summit 1 hour and 50 minutes after leaving Eastsound. I was so excited I called Coach Andy and my wife Marcia to let them know "I'd done it"! After a few minutes rest I coasted back down the mountain -- Then I WAS fast.
Next time I ride Mt. Constitution I'll work at keeping the heart rate in the 140 - 145 bpm range, and get a little faster.
In the past 110 days I've improved my endurance and my speed, and increased my maximum heart rate from 157 (my theoretical maximum) to 166 beats per minute. I've ridden grades as steep as 24% for a short time, and now believe I can endure the 7,000' elevation gain in the 100 mile LiveStrong Challenge ride. My challenge now, during these next few weeks, is to improve my speed so that I can complete the 100 miles in the 8.5 hours allotted.
I owe a big THANKS !!! to all who've encouraged me along the way, with their help and with their donations to a worthy cause.
If you'd like to join our team by contributing, go to http://portland07.livestrong.org/teamrigel. We haven't achieved our team goal yet, so any contribution you make, even very small donations, to any of the team members, will be greatly appreciated.
But above all, I'd like to encourage you to find some exercise that you enjoy and wouldn't mind doing frequently and regularly -- cycling has made a big difference in my feelings of overall fitness and wellbeing.
In the past 110 days I've improved my endurance and my speed, and increased my maximum heart rate from 157 (my theoretical maximum) to 166 beats per minute. I've ridden grades as steep as 24% for a short time, and now believe I can endure the 7,000' elevation gain in the 100 mile LiveStrong Challenge ride. My challenge now, during these next few weeks, is to improve my speed so that I can complete the 100 miles in the 8.5 hours allotted.
I owe a big THANKS !!! to all who've encouraged me along the way, with their help and with their donations to a worthy cause.
If you'd like to join our team by contributing, go to http://portland07.livestrong.org/teamrigel. We haven't achieved our team goal yet, so any contribution you make, even very small donations, to any of the team members, will be greatly appreciated.
But above all, I'd like to encourage you to find some exercise that you enjoy and wouldn't mind doing frequently and regularly -- cycling has made a big difference in my feelings of overall fitness and wellbeing.
1 comment:
Congratulations on all of your training and hard work...and on your first blog post! It's all very impressive.
Post a Comment