Statrix Redux

I am so close to being finished with training I’m tempted to go out right now at 9:47pm and finish off the last 3/10ths of a mile. To be honest I didn’t train today. I simply rode my bicycle to and from work as well as an evening obligation later on. It was pure transportation with no thought of training. Still I do count those miles towards training because for me there’s really no difference. I’m not doing interval training or whatever else there might be, I just ride.
So that’s pretty much it. I’m as ready as I’m going to get.
I will, of course, continue to ride the rest of the week to and from work, but that’s just a couple of miles a day. I’ll take ’em though.
It’s really nice to be on the Quickbeam again as well. I forgot just how much I love that bike. It feels quite a bit different from my Friday. I can’t really say it’s a lot nicer, it’s really just very different. The fact that that the QB is a singlespeed makes a difference of course, but the frame geometry also makes for a qualitatively different feeling, even if the seat is at the same height, etc., etc.
Tomorrow is laundry and packing day. When I get home from work I’ll clean all my clothes and then decide what to take and what to leave. I’m planning on going very light, just a couple of shirts, a couple pair of shorts, a pair of convertible pants, a light rain jacket, a sweatshirt, and so on. I will take an Aloha Shirt for “Aloha Night” with Pork Belly Ventures (the charter I’m using) which is a bit odd for me as I rarely wear them here.
Once I’m packed there’s not much left to do but fret about the journey to come.
I’ll try and blog about it here, cross-posting from Posterous probably. I’m really set on only taking my smart phone and a small camera. I won’t be able to upload the camera stuff till I get back, but I’ll try to include at least an update or two as I go along. Batteries are going to be the problem with everything so I’m keeping things to a minimum. In addition there’s no guarantee I’ll even be able to connect with my phone as I’m told that cell service is quite spotty. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to roam on whatever network does exist as Sprint lets me do that pretty much for free domestically. We’ll see.
Aloha

My RAGBRAI training is coming to an end. Today I finished off the last couple of miles of my last “big week.” I rode a wee bit over 175 miles this week. I’ve now got a total of 1830 miles in the last 14 weeks or about 130 miles a week. It wouldn’t really be a lot of miles if I were training for a race, but thankfully I’m not racing.
My plan was to ride 1550 miles in 15 weeks, so I’ve got a little leeway. I could probably skip the 65 scheduled for this week and still be fine, but I figure one last medium distance ride tomorrow (35-40) miles plus the few miles I pick up commuting to work before I head to Iowa should buy me 65.
Once I finish my ride tomorrow I’ll be cleaning and lubing my Friday and breaking it down for packing. The rest of the week I’ll be back on my Quickbeam which hasn’t even seen the outside in a month or so. I really wanted to get in the miles on the same bike I’d be riding and it pretty much worked out to plan (save for my frame problem which was handled superbly by the Bike Friday folks).
I’m also working out my electricity issues for RAGBRAI. I do want to blog daily but I don’t want to take a computer. I’m hoping I can do it from my HTC EVO because that’s all that’s coming. I’ll be taking a small digital camera as well, but I won’t be able to upload those shots till I get back. I think I’ll be using Posterous because it has a nice interface on Android and I’ve set it up so it’ll post here as well. I don’t expect I’ll have a lot words as typing on my phone is not all that much fun. It works well, but I’m fumble fingered.
In any case RAGBRAI starts in a week (actual riding begins Sunday) and I’m about as ready as I’m going to be.
Aloha!

On my return from RAGBRAI one of the first things I get to do is go to a Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. It seems Bluegrass Hawaii is having them in on August 22nd at 3:30pm for a concert at McKinley High School. I’ve already got my ticket!

I remember when I got my mandolin I was stoked about Bluegrass Hawaii as they used to meet at Old Stadium Park in Moili’ili. I even brought my mandolin there soon after I got it and strummed along a little. But wouldn’t you know it, the next month they moved out to Wahiawa for the most part. As I don’t have a car that was pretty much it. Sadly it’s just not worth spending hours on a bus for me, especially as I’m pretty sucky at mandolin. Still I love Bluegrass music and even paid my dues for Bluegrass Hawaii though I don’t attend.
In any case the concert is sure to be a blast and perhaps I’ll see you there. Coming so soon after RAGBRAI I may well walk to it. 🙂
Aloha

I can never find this when I want it, though I do keep copies around…sigh. Basically it’s simple instructions on how to pack my Bike Friday. I generally keep a copy inside my suitcase just in case TSA decides to completely unpack my bike. They haven’t yet, though I have found their calling cards.
Anyway one starts with an empty suitcase…

And you finish with this…

But of course that’s cheating. Here’s the whole deal…

But before I pack, I’ve still got 100+ miles to ride.
Aloha!

This week is the final “big week” of riding before RAGBRAI. I’m scheduled for 175 this week and yesterday knocked off 77 of them. My only regret about yesterday is I completely spaced out the Zach Manago Ride in Paradise. I finally remembered after I’d gotten to far in the opposite direction to make it possible to turn around and get on board.
I really tried to get into the spirit of RAGBRAI though as I stopped for musubi and cold drinks, then later for coffee, next for lunch (at the Downbeat Diner & Lounge – a must stop if you are in Honolulu’s Chinatown), followed by another stop for an hour long gabfest, and finally for dinner in Hawaii Kai. Of course after that I still had ride home. In any case it was an all day ride. I got in after dark as I didn’t want to be riding into the setting sun when cars coming up behind me would have a hard time seeing me.
For the last several weeks I’ve been riding my Bike Friday exclusively and, knock on wood, must have the fit dialed in pretty well. I’m not experiencing any lingering aches and pains. Let’s hope that continues!
I’d given some thought to swapping last week’s miles with this week’s goal-wise as I scheduled 150 last week and rode 186. Ultimately I’d probably have felt bad about it so I guess I’ll do all 175 somehow this week. Last week was easy with the holiday tossed in…no such luck this week.
I’m also going to pack this weekend (once I’ve finished by 175). That means I’ll be switching bikes back to my beloved Quickbeam. I’ll have to knock 65 miles out on it next week, but that should seem like a piece of cake (and maybe just one ride).
Packing is always a bit nerve-wracking as my Friday and its suitcase can get pretty close to 50 lbs. if I not careful. I definitely want to stay in the weight limit to avoid fees, or worse, having to repack in front of an agent who will notice that it’s a bicycle…major fees.
Aloha!

Keep in mind I have a couple of bad practices here. Just before the Stadium I cross the street and ride on the sidewalk for couple of blocks to the entrance to Pearl Harbor Bike Path. You can avoid this if you want to fight traffic to get across the turn lane. I’ve done it…it’s…um…well I ride the sidewalk for a block or two.
The same holds true in Waipahu. I take a couple of blocks on the sidewalk and cut through the car lots to get through the very last bit of Waipahu between Hula and Leoole Streets. Yes, I’m evil.
In my defense I do ride sanely around people and remember I’m in their space.
Please keep in mind this was a (very) leisurely ride. I’m usually about 1/2 mph faster. 🙂 I was practicing for RAGBRAI and pretending I had all day to see the sites. Oh wait, I did.
There’s also a bit of an odd jog off the road on my return near Renton Road. That’s where I went off road and following the old railroad track just to see where it went (hoping I could go all the way to the railway museum). I stopped at a bridge that suggested pedestrians and cyclists should not cross. It wouldn’t be hard to do, I was just ready to get home by that point. It’s hot out in Ewa. It makes a hot day on the windward side seem positively cool.
Aloha!

Since I’d gotten in about 60 of my planned 150 for the week on Sunday I decided a somewhat lighter day was in order. At first I thought I’d just do a town ride; around Sand Island, back around Diamond Head, and through the back of Manoa. It’s a pleasant ride, one I’ve done often. But…
Well once I got past downtown I started thinking that I really hadn’t been on the Pearl Harbor Bike Path since last Thanksgiving (has it really been that long?). Okay, I was down with that and figured I’d ride till I got to then end of the path in Waipahu then turn around.
But it was still early enough when I go there that I thought perhaps I’ll just go a bit further. I ended up, as you might guess by the title, in Ewa Beach. I’d never ridden out there before, usually going to Kapolei instead.
Once I got there I had to record the view of course:
http://qik.com/video/41791871[\embed]
The only hitch in the whole ride was not stopping for more water on the way out when I went by Neal S. Blaisdell Park. I ended up having to buy water (ouch) to fill my bottles at a 7-11 a bit later on. It was a hot, dry day for sure. I didn’t get dehydrated (or even close to it), but it did teach me to pay a little more attention as I go by parks.
The upshot of the deal is I’m now mostly done for the week with about 115 of my 150 completed and, great news, I’m over the top of the 1550 miles in fifteen weeks I’d planned to ride. I’m at 1575 in 12 weeks 2 days which is a pretty good deal in my book. I’ll keep riding of course, but it no longer seems like such a big deal. In fact now I’m thinking I could probably have done a lot more.
Aloha