Meet BARC - Introductions and Review of the Star Wars Bike from Huffy

Okay, so we're all a little weird or damaged or just plain crazy, right? Well, here's a wee bit of a story about how I continue to meet those requirements. But before you read on, this is broken up into two major parts with photos at the end. The first is where I prove and disprove how crazy I am. The second is getting into the more technical aspects of the bike and a bit of a review.

I'm Crazy Not Crazy

I won't go into the long backstory of my Star Wars fandom but I'll set the record straight by telling you that I'm a fan but not a fanatic. Some family members and friends may disagree but I do have a life outside of Star Wars. Or at least I think I do.

Anyway, with the recent Force Friday excitement, it was no surprise that William and I were both like kids in a candy shop at Target last weekend. Elizabeth was only slightly amused and Yvonne, well, she just left us the three of us there acting like kids. There were a lot of toys and clothes that looked neat but nothing really struck me as something that I absolutely had to have.

Except for the bike. I had to have the bike. I hemmed and hawed about it because it was a lot of money to spend. I didn't want to spend it but I also knew I had to have it. It isn't often that you find something that's Star Wars AND has a Stormtrooper. And it's pretty much impossible to find anything with TK-421 on it. Trust me, I've looked.

Now let me pause here for a minute. Way back in 2000 or so, I got a personalized plate in North Carolina that was "TK 421." When we moved to Virginia, I had to settle for "TK-42ONE." I do a lot online with that name and I am always on the lookout for it in toys and other merchandise. With Star Wars movies taking a break, there was nothing new. And the Clone Wars cartoon didn't help because TK-421 was a Stormtrooper. He didn't have the Sandtrooper pauldron, he wasn't a Speeder Bike Scout, or a Snowtrooper. Just a plain old boring Stormtrooper. Trust me, there's a difference. And no, he wasn't even close to a Clone Trooper.

Now, back to the story. So I recently got a Star Wars shirt with TK-421 on it from a cousin. It was awesome. I love it. It's so rare to find that name on anything that I was happy to have it, and even happier that it was something I could wear. So seeing the bike in Target with TK-421 on the front forks made me squee like one of those Star Wars fanatics I claim to not be.

I left it in the store on Saturday but called Sunday to see if they still had it. They didn't. So I ordered it online and it was delivered yesterday. As I assembled it, a massive rain storm was going through so I couldn't ride it. Which meant I couldn't name it.

And that's where I get even weirder than you thought I was. You see, I name my bike (now bikes). And my shoes. And some of my equipment. If I recall correctly, it was born out of necessity when I had several pairs of Altra Instincts that were the same size and  color and I couldn't keep them straight in my running shoe rotation. So I named them. I've been naming them since. Booger. Snot. Slick. Yela Wolf. Silver Back. You get the idea. My bike is Shifty because, well, you have to shift the gears.

As part of the tradition of naming my shoes and bikes, I only name them during the run (or ride in this case). It feels natural to not have something picked out until you're out there. Sometimes I don't come up with something until after the run or ride but that's just my brain moving slowly. The key is, I may have great ideas before, but I don't decide until during or after.

Which brings us to the unveiling of the newest member of the .... family? No, it's not a member of the family. It's important but not that important. So without further ado, here's BARC.

Review

So a bit of a review on the bike itself. First of, it's not a bike I would recommend using for any sort of training. This is a casual bike for casual riding. Not anything even remotely close to something I would use for any sort of high performance races or sporting events. Think of it as a cruiser, not a tri bike.

I ordered mine online and paid list price ($349.99) plus shipping ($42.79 - but shipping was free) plus handling fee ($40.00) plus taxes ($20.76) for a grand total of $410.66. I could have paid more for shipping to get it here sooner but I'm glad I didn't because it arrived pretty quickly. I ordered on my phone on Sunday night and it arrived that Thursday. Not too shabby on speed.

The box arrived surprisingly intact. I've worked in shipping before and I know how things get beat up. Aside from a few dings, things looked good. The bike inside was also packed fairly well but not great. At first glance it looked like the paint on the frame was scratched but it was actually just how it was painted to look weathered. There were plastic caps on the point parts, foam around the frame, and cardboard placed in certain spots.

Once out of the box, the front tire was loose and the handebars were only attached by the cables. The pedals were also not installed and the seat was loose. The seat was an easy fix. Simply tighten the speed release and you're done. The handlebars were a bit tricky. The instructions stated to put the disc brake on the left side but I didn't see that until I already had it installed. So I loosened it, flipped it around, then tightened it back down. And to clarify, "it" was the handlebar stem that sits on that post which is the top of the forks when they come through the threadless stem.

Okay, with the handlebars installed and the brakes on the right side, which was the left side as you sit in the seat, it was time to move on to the front tire. Pretty easy install and only took a minute.

The pedals were just as easy to install thanks to convenient left and right stickers.

Then we had some issues. The bike was fully assembled but the front fork stem was wobbly as it went through the threadless head. Because it was threadless, I had to do some research on how to fix it. I just needed to tighten the bolt that goes through the top but only a quarter turn at a time. There still needs to be play in the front tire so it flops left and right. Do a quick search and you'll see some good videos on it.

Then there was the seat. It was at the right height but the front was angled way too high and would have given me a high voice if I didn't fix it. A few minor adjustments and I was able to tilt it down enough to make it comfortable without feeling like I would slide off onto the top bar.

Finally, there was the chain. I still haven't fixed this but it rubs on the rear tire when it's in 1st gear. Gears 2 through 7 work fine (it only has seven gears). But when you shift down to first, it gets too close to the tire and rubs. Not good. A washer or some adjustments to the derailleur may fix it but I'm not smart enough to figure that out yet.

After a test ride this morning, another issue cropped up. And it was further exaggerated by my father giving the bike a short test ride too. You see, they just don't work. Again, I'm not smart enough to know how to fix it but I know what the problem is. The front brakes are disc. But when you apply them, two things happen. First, you have to pull the lever way too far back to make the bike stop. Second, as soon as you apply just a little pressure on the lever, the piston comes out, and bends the disc on the wheel. Not good. And it bends it a lot. The rear brakes are just pads, which I guess is the bike version of drum brakes. Well, they squeek like a cat and a rabbit are both in a bag fighting a bird and all three are squeeling like a dog whistle. It's painful to listen to. And it's apparently starting to take some of the paint off the rim. Not what I want to see on a brand new bike. But any which way I look at it, I think it will need to go to a bike shop for a tune-up before I start putting any extended miles on it. Especially any route with hills.

There were a few other minor tweaks but for the most part they were easy to fix. I will say, having the right size allen wrenches and open-end wrenches make things easy. It took some searching and trial and error but I finally found some that worked. If you have those on hand already, you'll be a step ahead of the game.

Photos

Yep, that's my license plate. And it's on the forks on each side. You can also see the weathered paint job on the frame.

Small Star Wars sticker on the handlebar. You can also see the screw that needed to be tighten in the middle of that round disc where the stem comes up from the forks and through the threadless head.

Nice little Imperial logo on the frame.

Detail of the TK-421 on the forks.

Never knew it until I saw this but it's a limited edition. Only 2,500 made!

Because the Empire is a pain in the ass.

Giant tires make it a little hard to steer sometimes but I think I'll get used to it. Besides, Stormtroopers can't hit anything anyway, right?

PS - If you don't get the BARC Star Wars reference, that's okay. You should at least get the BARC Lumberjack reference.

Hills Hell

Today was full of hills. It was hell. But it was worth it. I had a rude awakening when I went for my on-course training run in Oil Creek. It became plainly clear that I didn't have enough hill work in the bag. For days I could barely go down the steps in the house. So today I set about to at least put something down to make me feel better.

Truth is, I had the brainstorm last night to run the route. But this morning I nearly quit and stayed in bed. I eventually dragged my rear out of bed and headed down the road. I went into the "new" section of the neighborhood and from the main street, started doing repeats on the hills. Since my side of the street is pretty flat, I knew I'd get at least some elevation in over there. So I went in and out of the neighborhood seven times, once for each dead end. It was tiring and I wanted to quit after five or so but I kept at it because I wanted to make a bit of a stand with my brain. And I felt good when I finished. Tired, but in a good way.

The most depressing part of it all? Only 650 feet of elevation gain over seven miles.

Then I headed home and hopped on my bike for a few more miles. It's not the same as running but it still gave me a workout that I needed. So a solid reverse brick was in the books.

Podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/neil-richard/mile-92

Photos:
Doesn't do it justice but this is the big hill.

And this was me getting ready to bike.

Weather:
Temps were about 75F. Humidity was moderate. Sun was out with only a few clouds. Wind was light.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a full breakfast of coffee, two slices of toast, two eggs, and two sausage patties. I waited a full hour before starting my run. During my run I had a bottle of plain water. That was a personal record for the longest run on a single bottle of water. I did run out with about a half mile or so to go. Recovery was half a roast beef sandwich followed by a serving of Hammer Recoverite.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt during the run. Legs were tired but I managed.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a cycling jersey. Phone flopped around in the pocket but it was nice to unzip it and a breeze to blow through my chest hair.

Today's Motivation:
16 miles was daunting on the schedule. But I was feeling decent. In fact, I'd say it's been the best run I've had in a month. Even though it was mediocre, it felt good. But I knew I wouldn't be able to get more miles in on foot so I hatched the plan to do some miles on wheels instead.

Naughty Neil:
Dinner was stuffing. Ate too much but didn't much care, I had a good day in the books. One hamburger, two brats, corn, potato salad, and apple pie.

Splits:
Running - 1:41:37 (7.18 miles)
Biking - 57:47 (10 miles)
Finish - 2:39:25

Riding vs. Running

Introduction

My history of running and riding bikes is rooted deeply in my childhood. Like all children, I enjoyed playing. As I've gotten older, I still have that love of playing but the games I play differ now. Instead of chasing lightning bugs around my back yard, I play chicken with cars on the road. I know we can never go back to those wonderful memories of childhood, but we can certainly reminisce about how innocent we all were.

Learning to Ride

My first bike accident occurred when I was in elementary school. I'm not sure how old I was exactly but I know I was old enough to know how to ride a bike but not quite experienced enough to ride with only one hand on the handlebar. I was practicing that "expert" skill in my neighborhood, going down a gradual hill. With a curve. As a novice one-handed rider, I wasn't aware that curves would pose a problem. I became acutely aware of this fact when I steered too hard and flipped over the front of my bike. After I regained consciousness, the story my dad tells me is that he heard me scream at our house. I was only a tenth of a mile away, so that's feasible. But he also says he was cutting the grass when he heard me. I'm not sure I screamed loud enough for him to hear me over the lawn mower, but I have to take his word for it. I don't really remember much. I remember the bike sitting on top of me. I remember my legs were tangled in the peddles and the frame. I remember my head hurt. I remember my dad was there in what felt like an instant. I remember my dad taking me home and worrying over me while trying to finish the yard work. I remember him checking on me repeatedly to make sure I didn't fall asleep.

My last bike accident was about eight years ago. I had gotten my bike out of storage and began riding it around my front yard. My daughter, still an infant, was in her playpen while my wife was doing something outside. I was riding around like a hot shot, attempted to a high-speed slide, hit the front brakes instead, and nearly flipped myself into the playpen with my daughter. Thankfully only my ego got bruised that day. I only have mild flare-ups when my wife reminds me not to be an idiot on my bike.

I've had other run-ins in the past on my bike. Many are too boring or too vague to recount in any detail. One that does stick out is the time I was nearly run over when I was racing my dad in his car. I was racing my dad back to his mother's house in a tiny town in central Nebraska when I crossed through an intersection. I was so excited that I beat my dad until I got a serious scolding about stopping at stop signs and that I was nearly run over by a car going through the intersection. He told me if he hadn't run the stop sign, I wouldn't have made it.

Despite these harrowing tales of my misadventures on two wheels, I've also had some wonderful ones. My favorites are exploring new areas as if I were some sort of modern version of Lewis or Clark. When I was old enough I could ride to other neighborhoods. Or ride around the Boy Scout Jamboree. Or, my favorite, ride down the road, trespass, and discover an abandoned cabin in the woods. A cabin I would love to go back to some day but I now fear it's used by local meth dealers or pot farmers. Or maybe a serial killer. But most likely it's home to my arch-enemy, the snake. Clearly I won't be going back soon.

Loving to Run

When it comes to running, I don't really remember my first fall. Or my second. I'm not even sure I can remember my last fall. I've had quite a few "good" falls since I've picked up trail running as an adult, but again, none that are really worth mentioning. They usually involve me tripping, falling, and looking like a complete doofus. Thankfully I've never been hurt too badly to require my father to hover over me like a nurse. Although, now that I think about it, as a toddler I did nearly lose my earlobe to a sharp corner shelf. I guess even as a baby I was prone to accidents.

My running "career" has recently been reborn. Like all things in life, I'm discovering that life really can be a circle. My first foray into moving quickly over a distance further than the nearest bathroom was again in elementary school. I played basketball for the local recreation department and, other than one single play, hated it. I moved to soccer which I enjoyed for years. I was never talented enough to be the best but I was capable at keeping up with the other average players. My love of soccer ebbed and flowed like all things do with a kid but I stuck with it until high school. I played for a year and hated it. Everyone on the team was much better than I was and they were also older. Factor in my social awkwardness and a strong dislike for my coach and I was done after my freshman year.

Thankfully I had a math teacher that was, well, a dwarf. Seriously, he was. Think of a dwarf from Lord of the Rings, make him a little taller, a little thinner, and with a shorter beard. That was my math teacher. Turns out he was also the cross country coach for the high school. And thus began my love of running. My serious love of running. A love that would ebb and flow like my desire to play soccer, but take note. I never loved soccer. In fact, I've never really loved any sport except for cross country. It is truly unique in that you run for yourself as well as your team. It is both an individual sport and a team sport.

Like most athletic endeavors I attempted, I was an average runner in high school. Our school ran a 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) course about once a week and I'd typically place in the middle of our small team. We had a few runners that would place under 18 minutes and even a few girls that would place under 20 minutes. I never went below 21 minutes. But I enjoyed myself. Our team was an eclectic group of popular kids, head bangers, and snobby girls. Some of us were fast, some were slow, but most were average.

It would take me decades to realize that despite how average I was, I was unique on that team. We all came with our own problems, our own demons and running helped us deal with and defeat them. So even though I was teased because I got lost on our home course just because I was following a cute exchange student, I was still treated like family. Years later, after suffering through new demons and new baggage, I would eventually take up running again.

At first I was doing it for the free therapy. But after a few trips to various doctors, it quickly became a way to stay healthy while I cleared my head. In 2008 I entered my first race after getting back into my shoes and placed in my age group. I got a trophy. I was hooked. After a few years of making a fool of myself, I began to take running a little more seriously. I studied the sport, I found ways to improve my times and myself, and best of all, I fell in love with the ultramarathon.

I completed my first ultra on a wing and a prayer. Or spit and bailing twine. I somehow survived the punishing course and my innermost demons and came out the other side a better person. That same process would occur over and over again. Like an expert blacksmith or sword maker, I'd continue to put myself in the fire of an ultra, get hammered, and become stronger and sharper.

Beginning To Rant

You may be wondering right about now what in the world the point of this history lesson may be. Well, it's a bit of a rant on how runners and riders (or cyclists if you prefer) are treated on the road. As I've taken up more running, I've also taken up more riding. Specifically, I bought a new bike and didn't want to waste the money replacing my old one so I decided to save gas money and ride my bike for a coffee. Plus it made me feel better about getting a calorie-laden iced latte with caramel-vanilla flavor and skim milk. The bottom line is, I'm on the road more on two wheels this year than I have been in the past ten. Maybe twenty.

What I've noticed is that most drivers are completely oblivious to you, regardless of you being on two feet or two wheels. I learned years ago as I took up running again that the brighter the clothes were, the less likely you were to get run over. And while people, including fellow runners, typically chuckle at my outfits, I think the joke is on them. I may look like a roll of Lifesavers on crack but I'll be damned if the asshole that runs me over is going to have a valid excuse for not seeing me. My general rule of thumb is, if you can't see me, then you're blind and shouldn't be driving.

I've carried that same rule into my riding habits this year but they've done little to help. No, I haven't been run over or hit, but the close calls are incredibly more common. As a runner, I typically move at about a 12 minute per mile pace. That's roughly five miles per hour (5 mph). As a rider, I move at about twelve miles per hour (12 mph). Regardless of how I move, I'm always going to go slower than the slowest car on the road. This means that any impact is going to hurt. And if I'm lucky, I'll feel that pain. If I'm not lucky, my life will end before my brain registers that it went through a glass windshield.

As a runner, I feel directly connected to the road I'm running on. It doesn't matter if it's paved or gravel, I feel like I'm one with the environment around me. I don't run with headphones in anymore and when I do listen to music, it's on my phone and through the speakers, not headphones. I want to hear that car coming in front or behind before I see it. When I ride, I don't feel as connected with the world around me and I don't listen to any music. I've tried. But it just doesn't work. Turns out that when you go above a certain speed, the wind makes too much noise going through the hair in your ears. So I have to compensate my loss of hearing with my sight. This means I'm spending half my time looking in the tiny, dentist-like mirror attached to my helmet to see what's behind me. My eyes get tired and I frequently cringe, but it has helped.

The road I live on now had no yellow line until this year. It still has no white line on the edges and still barely holds two cars going by in opposite directions. The speed limit is 45 mph and it connects two major roads in the county. Those roads have all the lines they need and the speed limit is 55 mph. Not to mention the increase in traffic seen by major roads. I've run and ridden on all of these roads, plus the ones in between. Paved and gravel, slow and fast, busy and deserted, I've done it all. They're all the same in how they treat runners and riders.

Maybe a Conclusion

As with any unscientific analysis, there's a large margin for error. Plus there's always an exception. So what I have to say can't really be considered scientific or even objective. It's simply my opinion based on the patterns I've seen in my experiences running and riding in the area I live in.

Waving

What I've learned is that when you run on the road, roughly 60% to 80% of drivers will wave to you. The more rural the road and the slower the speed limit, the greater the percentage of waving. When the speed limit is 55 mph, I get 10% of drivers to wave. When the speed limit is 25 mph, I get nearly 100% of drivers to wave. School bus drivers wave 95% of the time, regardless of the speed limit. The biggest exception to this percentage I noticed was after the Boston Marathon bombings when everyone waved at me when I ran for the next two weeks. It felt nice but it also felt like they were fair-weather friends.

When I ride, roughly 10% to 20% of drivers wave to you. As with running, the more rural or the slower the speed limit the higher the percentage. Same goes for bus drivers. I think I know why the percentages are so skewed but you'll need to wait a bit for that.


Safety

As I've already said, I wear bright colors when I run and when I ride. I'm also constantly looking for a place to bail out should the need arise. Even when I run, I've hopped into the ditch, or even over it, to remove myself from what could or would be a dangerous scenario. This could mean I'm directly in danger or it could mean that I would be placing the drivers in danger. Usually this happens when I'm running and two cars approach in both directions and based on their trajectory would pass each other right where I happen to be. By removing myself from the road and the general area, they no longer need to worry about me and can simply go on their way. I'm also hesitant and extra cautious around blind curves. I generally use my ears to listen for cars but sometimes look for headlights if I'm running at night. If I do run at night, I wear a headlamp and enough flashing lights to look like a low flying airplane attached to a helicopter.

I do not ride at night. Mostly because my bike does not have a headlight or taillight as required by law. I do follow the same general rules for safety though but take things a bit to the extreme as well. When crossing lanes of traffic I look about eight times instead of the usual three or four. I also wear a helmet, though not required by law. I have a brain and I choose to use it. Not wearing a helmet is just plain stupid. As stated before, I do have a rear view mirror on my helmet to help me see the traffic coming behind me. As with running, I'll follow my instincts and leave the roadway if I feel I am in danger or if the drivers around me would be in danger.

Legality

The legal rules for runners, or pedestrians if you like, and cyclists differ by country, state, and even locality. For me, the rules of Virginia and common sense apply. When I run, I stay on the left side of the road. As in, I run against traffic. There are times when I run on the right side of the road or even on a sidewalk, but generally I stick to the left side of the road.

When I ride, I ride as far right as I can. This usually means that thin ribbon of pavement that's between the white line and the grass but sometimes it means I'm taking up half a lane of traffic because the road is so narrow. As required by common sense and the Commonwealth of Virginia, I follow all traffic rules as if I were a motorized vehicle. This means I stop at stop signs, wait to cross through traffic, and signal my turns. Okay, I'm not always signalling my turn but I don't always signal when I drive either. At least I'm trying to follow the rules.

Demeanor

This is where things get tough. I'm a driver. Have been since I was 15 and 8 months. My first experience driving was in my driveway and an empty parking lot. My first real taste of driving though was in the middle of Texas on Interstate 10. I've learned a lot and do my best to not be a dumb ass, an asshole, or just plain stupid. Like most people, it took time for me to get there.

What makes this hard is that I've learned that when I run, most drivers are pretty nice. Even when I'm running without a shirt and my chest hair is matted, my ass smells like, well, ass, and my shorts are so tight you can see how I've shrunk from prunes to grapes. Even when I'm looking like death warmed over, drivers treat me quite well. I've had a few odd encounters where people slow down and stare at me funny, but looks don't really bother me anymore. They used to, but once I decided I was brave enough to run shirtless, they funny looks slide right off my hairy back.

I know that didn't sound like it was hard but it is. Because when I ride, most drivers are complete assholes. Why not dicks? Because while many of them are dicks, nearly all are assholes with dicks inside. Yes, there are exceptions. There are drivers that actually follow the laws and wait until it's safe to pass me. There are drivers that wave to me or, even better, give me a friendly honk. Sounds funny, but I do believe I can tell the difference between a "have a nice day" honk and a "go fuck yourself" honk. The bottom line is, as a cyclist, I have to treat every single car out there like it's going to run me over and not even care.

As a driver, and this is harder still, I've learned that I'm one of those assholes. All too often I find myself flying down some back country road and I suddenly need to stand on the brake to avoid a cyclist. I've become more aware of this since I've started riding but it's still a work in progress. I don't want to be an asshole. I'm not sure I could face my peers, be they runners or riders, if I hit somebody riding a bike. Oddly enough, I don't really worry about hitting a runner.

The End, Really

So where does this leave me? Educated. Like growing up with allergies and having kids with allergies, an education can save a life. My daughter recently showed her classmates her new talking Epi-Pen. Many of them, even though they're all nearly ten, were afraid of it. Seriously afraid of it. But I was so proud of her for sharing with them a vital part of her life. She was the brave one to get up and tell them that if she has nuts, she could die without this shot. She's not even ten and she's changing lives.

I hope I can change your life by giving you this essay as an education. I won't presume to be brave in sharing my story. If I feel brave about anything, it's sharing the road with drivers that shouldn't really be out there. Drivers that are assholes. Drivers that aren't assholes. Drivers like you and I that may be listening to the radio, talking to their kid, or daydreaming about winning the lottery. As a driver myself, I have to constantly force myself to think like a runner and a rider to keep from making a fatal mistake. It's a constant battle that I don't win very often. As a runner and a rider, I have to constantly think that the next car that passes me could be my last. A simple sneeze or bump in the road and I could be gone.

We're all people out there. Think about your parents, siblings, or children. Friends, family, or co-workers. Surely you know of one that runs. Or one that rides a bike. Take a moment or two and ask them what it's really like out there on the road. Ask them what they've seen, heard, or experienced themselves. Ask them if I'm wrong. Sadly, I bet I'm not.

Further Reading:
Virginia State Bike Laws - http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/bk-laws.asp
Cyclists Reflect on Sharing Spaces with Drivers - http://wydaily.com/2013/09/17/cyclists-motorists-often-occupy-same-spaces/

Snakes in the Road

Run
I kind of enjoyed fartleks today. Am I sick or something? I set up my intervals last night (since my fancy new watch DATA can do that stuff) at 10 minutes and 1 minute. My plan was to run 10 minutes easy and 1 minute fast. As I got into the groove, I aimed for 10 minutes at around 130 to 150 on the HRM and 1 minute above 150. After my minute was up, I walked to bring things back under 130. The plan worked pretty well so I stuck to it through about 5 or 6 intervals. Didn't really have much trouble and my Star Trek podcast kept me distracted so I just listened for the watch to beep at me. I still took regular walking breaks but they were just as needed and not on any set time or with any set plan.

Outside of the fartlek portion, the workout wasn't exactly what I had hoped for with the scenery. I passed a bunch of dead bugs and critters that I'd just as soon never see again. Saw a giant wasp that was dead. Saw a squished praying mantis. And I saw three dead snakes. Two were fairly small but one was about 5 or 6 feet long and clearly a copperhead. Even though I knew it was dead, I kept my eyes on it and went as far around it as I could. And it still scared me. I'm such a ninny sometimes.

Beyond that, had plenty of nice folks out waving to me and giving me plenty of space as a pedestrian. I have a longer blog post brewing about that.

Weather:
Temps were about 75F to 80F. Humidity was moderate to high. Slight breeze. Sun was out but it was a bit hazy.

Fluids and Fuel:
Pre-run was half an iced coffee. During the run I had a bottle of plain water. I finished it with a good 15 minutes to go and just ran the last part dry. No real recovery as I went straight into a bike ride.

Aches and Pains:
My right foot kept falling asleep. I stretched it out a few times and after a few walking breaks it went back to normal. My calves felt tight during the fast minutes but I just attributed that to me flying over the pavement like The Flash.

Gear:
No special gear but I did wear my cycle jersey because I was going for a ride later.

Experiment:
Wore my phone in STRETCH and carried my small pepper spray. Both rode just fine.

Splits:
Outbound - 25:05 (AVG HR 142)
Inbound - 35:48 (AVG HR 151) (slightly longer return section)
Finish - 1:00:54

Ride
You guessed it, a ride to Sheetz for an iced latte. And an iced tea for later. I made a quick change after my fartlek workout to jump on my bike and head to my local gas station/coffee shop. The ride was fairly slow and steady, I wasn't in any mood to push my pace or anything. It was an easy way to cool off and chill out.

Even though I had passed the big dead snake twice on foot and once on my bike, my last time going by I couldn't NOT look at it. I tried to ignore the dead thing but I couldn't resist the urge to make sure it was actually dead and didn't chase me as I rode by the last time. Can you tell I hate snakes?

I was chased by a small dog for a few feet. I rode past a driveway and heard two dogs barking at me, one large and one small. The big ones don't really bother me that much unless they're in a pack. The small ones scare me because I know they tend to bite and they're too damn small to easily kick. Well, he chased me into the road and from the looks of things realized the cars were bigger than him so he quickly left me alone and went home.

Outside of that, I had some nice drivers and some asshole drivers. I was pleasantly surprised by the nice ones that waited to pass me until it was safe and ever gave me a little honk that was clearly a "have a nice day" honk not a "go fuck yourself" honk. Just like my run, I've got a blog post brewing about this.

Weather:
Temps were about 75F to 80F. Humidity was moderate to high. Slight breeze. Sun was out but it was a bit hazy.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a bottle of Hammer Fizz for the first half. Second half was just a sip or two of my iced latte. Recovery was Hammer Perpeteum, two eggs, and yogurt.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt.

Gear:
No special gear.

Experiment:
Carried my phone in my cycle jersey and added my knife to hold my cards. Still had my small pepper spray. Everything rode just fine.

Splits:
Outbound - 19:03 (AVG HR 149)
Inbound - 15:01 (AVG HR 140)
Finish - 34:04

Rita Run and Ride

Run
Yep, got overheated again. Should have pushed to do this all in the morning when it was super nice but due to the usual family obligations, I had to push things back to this afternoon. Which ended up working out but man, the temps were higher than I had hoped for.

Aside from the heat, I was feeling sluggish and crampy pretty much the entire time. I didn't feel dehydrated but that may have been a factor. I didn't get quite as overheated as the other day but I think I knew it was coming so I just slowed down earlier to prevent it.

Most interesting of all was the reaction I got from the cars passing by. Nearly all of them would wave or give me plenty of room as they passed. Nearly the complete opposite of how my bike ride went. Really starting to understand why cyclists have an attitude to those driving cars. Bunch of wankers.


On a side note, I saw an extraordinary number of StrawBEERita cans. Based on the numbers I saw, the area drinkers prefer the strawberry flavor over the regular margarita flavor four to one.

Photos:
Some of the pretty flowers on the route.

 First floor is nearly done.

StrawBEERita!

Weather:
Temps were about 80F to 85F. Humidity was moderate to high. Sun was out in full. Light and cool breeze.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was yogurt and iced coffee. Lunch was a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and iced tea. Had half a Coke on the ride home. During the run I had a bottle of Hammer Fizz and a bottle of plain water. Should have used ice in both of them.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt but I felt stiff and sore in the legs. Felt a little like concrete shoes but not quite.

Gear:
No special gear but I ran shirtless.

Experiment:
Wore my phone in STRETCH and it worked fine. Carried my knife in my shorts and had no issues.

Splits:
Outbound - 33:16
Inbound - 33:03
Finish - 1:06:20

Transition - 10:09

Bike
The ride was much easier than the run. Going fast helped cool me down. It also gave me a bit of a break and I could rehydrate and get back to a more balanced feeling. Still felt sluggish but did my best to stay steady and just ride.


Tried to do the planned 95 rpm but could only max out around 80 rpm. Even going down hill in a low gear it was hard to go much higher than that.

Vine:



Weather:
Temps were about 80F to 85F. Humidity was moderate to high. Sun was out in full. Light and cool breeze.

Fluids and Fuel:
During the ride I had a bottle of Hammer Fizz and a bottle of plain water. Finished all of the Fizz but only half of the water. Recovery was some yard work followed by a dinner of sushi (California style with brown rice) and rice.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt until the last 20 minutes or so when my left hip started to flare up for some reason. Outside of that, things felt fine, just tired.

Gear:
No special gear.

Experiment:
Carried my phone and my knife in my jersey and had no issues.

Splits:
Finish - 1:00:42

Legs

Leg 1
Decided to ride my bike to my trail run in an attempt to add some mileage to the legs without tearing them up completely. The ride was pretty uneventful but I did give a thumbs-up to the two ladies running on the other side of the road.

Photos:
This is the old haunted mansion that I rode past. Kind of a landmark in the area.

Weather:
Temps were about 75F. Light wind. Mostly cloudy. Light humidity.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was yogurt and iced coffee. Drank about half a bottle of plain water. With so little fuel, I'm starting to wonder if I'm turning into Biddz .

Aches and Pains:
None.

Gear:
No special gear.

Experiment:
Took my large pepper spray. Rode well.

Splits:
Finish - 45:35

Leg 2
Felt pretty decent during the run. The weather was nice and it wasn't too sunny. Saw a cyclist at the start and that was it. Had to do some engineering but I managed to swap out the SD cards on both trail cameras.

Photos:
Today's view of the trail.

Weather:
Temps were about 75F. It was windy but you couldn't feel it in the trees. Mostly cloudy with some sun. Light humidity.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a bottle of plain water.

Aches and Pains:
None but I could feel a lot of the gravel I ran on since I was in my thinner trail shoes.

Gear:
No special gear.

Experiment:
Took my large pepper spray. Rode well.

Splits:
Transition - 7:30
Mile 1 - 12:53 (includes pee break)
Mile 2 - 13:38
Mile 3 - 15:15 (includes SD card swap)
Mile 4 - 12:13
Finish - 53:59

Leg 3
The last leg of the workout was the hardest. I was feeling the lack of fuel and there was a serious headwind on the way back. Strong enough to make it difficult to pedal downhill sometimes.

Weather:
Temps were about 75F. Heavy headwind. Mostly cloudy with some sun. Light humidity.

Fluids and Fuel:
Finished my Hammer Fizz and had more water. Had a few sips of my iced latte. Recovery was, not so good. Pretty much just the iced latte until a few hours later when I managed to score some McDonald's.

Aches and Pains:
None but my legs were pretty thrashed.

Gear:
No special gear.

Experiment:
Took my large pepper spray. Rode well.

Splits:
Finish - 1:05:33 (includes a few minutes getting my iced latte)

And this is what I did when I got home.

Combined

Testing out a bit of a new format. Since today's run and bike were pretty much the same workout, I'm just lumping them into one entry. Deal with it.


Run

Just a short run since I knew I'd be out on my bike right after. Nothing too exciting but I did stop to take some photos. Weather was super-awesome. Run itself was fairly tepid? Boring? Un-exciting? I don't know, it was what it was.

Let's see, what else, oh, I saw the scary dog my wife has seen before. The big dog that's been seen gnawing on a dead possum. It's the first time I've seen him but he just sat there in his yard looking content to chill in the sun. The dogs on the other side of the creek though were a bit more excited about me going by. They didn't chase me but made it known I was too close to their territory. Figures that the small dogs are the scarier ones.

Photos:

Saw these pretty flowers along the way.
 

That's a beer bottle floating in the creek. Or maybe it's just stuck in the mud.

I don't know why, but I'm quickly becoming obsessed with taking a picture of this damn crooked tree.

Weather:
Temps were about 75. Sun was out. Light breeze. No humidity.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was two eggs, three slices of bacon, two slices of toast, yogurt, and iced coffee. I had to get up early and I didn't like it. During the run I had a bottle of plain water. No recovery since I rolled right into my bike.

Aches and Pains:
Felt a little stiff and sore but that's about it.

Gear:
Took my recorder to do a podcast.

Experiment:
Took my phone in STRETCH. Took my large pepper spray. Bounced around a bit more than I wanted thanks to my decision to wear my cycle jersey. I did pull it out when the dogs started barking but never used it.

Splits:
Outbound - 14:53 (not quite accurate since I started late)
Inbound - 15:38
Finish - 30:31

Bike

Today's ride was a pretty normal ride. Got to pedal my fat ass to the local gas station/coffee shop so I can get some sugary goodness disguised as a latte. Along the way I had a nice image in my little rear view mirror of an 18-wheeler drifting over my line as traffic was coming the other way in the other lane. Thankfully the trucker was nice enough to bully over the other driver and give me plenty of room. More room than some of the other butt-head drivers out there. It's amazing the difference in reactions I get as a runner compared to a cyclist.

I also got the usual amount of stares and bizarre looks as I was doing my stuff at Sheetz. Maybe it was some crazy bike dude locking up his bike, maybe it was some crazy bike dude in super-tight shorts inside, or maybe it was some crazy bike dude pouring his iced latte into his water bottle. Who knows.

Anyway, that was pretty much it for the ride. I did manage to safely pass a broken-down truck on the shoulder and safely pass a local pedestrian on his way home with some food from CVS (since he's been kicked out of Sheetz for panhandling).

Weather:
Temps were about 75F. Sun was out in full. Wind was light on the way out and a little stronger on the way back. Humidity was low.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a bottle of Hammer Fizz on the way out and nothing on the way back. Recovery was homemade chili, Hammer Recoverite, and an iced latte.

Aches and Pains:
Legs felt sore but that was about it.

Gear:
No special gear.

Experiment:
Took my knife, phone, and large pepper spray. All worked fine.

Splits:
Outbound - 17:22
Aid Station - 8:52
Inbound - 16:25
Finish - 33:49 (42:41 total time)