11.2 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
AGGRAVATION
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Ann typically rides her decades-old Fuji 10 speed back and forth to work, rather than one of her newer bikes, because the Fuji is a nearly indestructible tank of a bike that she feels comfortable locking up on the bike rack outside. I say nearly indestructible because a little over a month ago some asshole deliberately clipped her rear wheel while she was riding to work. She avoided crashing but in the process there was some pretty significant damage done to one of the cranks, the rear derailleur, and the rear wheel.
I've had the bike for a couple of weeks now, working on bringing it back to life with a mixture of parts that I already have and a few parts I've needed to order - in addition to some tools I needed to order just to get the cranks off and the bottom bracket opened up. In the process of figuring out what the Fuji needs, I also figured out that years ago when I replaced the bottom bracket on my Kent Denali I used a spindle that's about 5 mm too short - which may explain why I've had a lot of trouble adjusting the front derailleur to consistently shift into the granny gear.
The new cartridge BB came today, and I was all set to swap it in... pulled the chainring crank no problem, but when I tried to pull the other one the puller kept stripping free instead of levering the crank off the taper. So it's looking like I'm going to have to get that one off using brute force, which will likely damage it - so I put everything back together until a new crankset arrives.
And now I have to make sure I test it out tomorrow, since I'll likely be using the bike this weekend (the Billy Grey ride on Sunday, and possible a duathlon on Saturday.) Hopefully it won't be raining too hard when I get out of work tomorrow.
Why is it that things which should be easy never are?
JMH
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Ann typically rides her decades-old Fuji 10 speed back and forth to work, rather than one of her newer bikes, because the Fuji is a nearly indestructible tank of a bike that she feels comfortable locking up on the bike rack outside. I say nearly indestructible because a little over a month ago some asshole deliberately clipped her rear wheel while she was riding to work. She avoided crashing but in the process there was some pretty significant damage done to one of the cranks, the rear derailleur, and the rear wheel.
I've had the bike for a couple of weeks now, working on bringing it back to life with a mixture of parts that I already have and a few parts I've needed to order - in addition to some tools I needed to order just to get the cranks off and the bottom bracket opened up. In the process of figuring out what the Fuji needs, I also figured out that years ago when I replaced the bottom bracket on my Kent Denali I used a spindle that's about 5 mm too short - which may explain why I've had a lot of trouble adjusting the front derailleur to consistently shift into the granny gear.
The new cartridge BB came today, and I was all set to swap it in... pulled the chainring crank no problem, but when I tried to pull the other one the puller kept stripping free instead of levering the crank off the taper. So it's looking like I'm going to have to get that one off using brute force, which will likely damage it - so I put everything back together until a new crankset arrives.
And now I have to make sure I test it out tomorrow, since I'll likely be using the bike this weekend (the Billy Grey ride on Sunday, and possible a duathlon on Saturday.) Hopefully it won't be raining too hard when I get out of work tomorrow.
Why is it that things which should be easy never are?
JMH
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Monday, May 09, 2016
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Saturday, May 07, 2016
SO MUCH FOR THE SUNSHINE...
Driving Through Southwestern MA & Northwestern CT
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Crossed the Taconics into the Berkshires and the sun disappeared, replaced by grey clouds and drizzle, with an accompanying temperature drop of about 10 degrees. I have a suspicion that tomorrow morning's duathlon is not going to be as pleasant as today's bike ride.
It was nice to drive down in the daylight - it's a fairly pretty drive, even in grey and drizzle, and brought back lots of memories of driving down this way for other races. I found myself really wishing I can find a way to do People's Forest this year... but since it's the day before the Lake Erie Duathlon in PA, I don't think that's too likely... I'd have to leave Barkhamstead and drive straight to Erie (about a 7 hour drive, ack) which just plain doesn't make sense.
I guess what it really reminds me of is that I miss some of the races that are no more, and I miss some of the people who either aren't doing races any more or have drastically reduced the number they do. What can I say, I don't do a great job of dealing with change, even though it is inevitable.
JMH
Driving Through Southwestern MA & Northwestern CT
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Crossed the Taconics into the Berkshires and the sun disappeared, replaced by grey clouds and drizzle, with an accompanying temperature drop of about 10 degrees. I have a suspicion that tomorrow morning's duathlon is not going to be as pleasant as today's bike ride.
It was nice to drive down in the daylight - it's a fairly pretty drive, even in grey and drizzle, and brought back lots of memories of driving down this way for other races. I found myself really wishing I can find a way to do People's Forest this year... but since it's the day before the Lake Erie Duathlon in PA, I don't think that's too likely... I'd have to leave Barkhamstead and drive straight to Erie (about a 7 hour drive, ack) which just plain doesn't make sense.
I guess what it really reminds me of is that I miss some of the races that are no more, and I miss some of the people who either aren't doing races any more or have drastically reduced the number they do. What can I say, I don't do a great job of dealing with change, even though it is inevitable.
JMH
Another DNS - sigh...
Saturday, May 7, 2016
My right knee has been bothering me since Thursday night... last night I thought I'd give the Mastodon Challenge 15k a go and just be very slow and careful, but this morning I decided discretion was the better part of valor, given that it's 9.3 miles of pavement and a LOT of hills.
At this rate I'm going to skip more races than I run this year. Bleah.
JMH
Saturday, May 7, 2016
My right knee has been bothering me since Thursday night... last night I thought I'd give the Mastodon Challenge 15k a go and just be very slow and careful, but this morning I decided discretion was the better part of valor, given that it's 9.3 miles of pavement and a LOT of hills.
At this rate I'm going to skip more races than I run this year. Bleah.
JMH
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
2.1 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
I'd originally planned to go for a run tonight but my legs are distressingly beat from the past two days... so I ended up at the Pond for some walking. Given all the other goslings I've been seeing I thought maybe the eggs would have hatched, but not yet - though while I was there the female got off the nest and spent some time in the water. I don't know if that means she can hear the munchkins getting ready to hatch or if she's given up on the eggs hatching - my guess is the former.
No female mallards in sight, which leads me to suspect they are nesting as well.
Rainy weather meant fewer people at the pond... always a plus!
JMH
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
I'd originally planned to go for a run tonight but my legs are distressingly beat from the past two days... so I ended up at the Pond for some walking. Given all the other goslings I've been seeing I thought maybe the eggs would have hatched, but not yet - though while I was there the female got off the nest and spent some time in the water. I don't know if that means she can hear the munchkins getting ready to hatch or if she's given up on the eggs hatching - my guess is the former.
No female mallards in sight, which leads me to suspect they are nesting as well.
Rainy weather meant fewer people at the pond... always a plus!
JMH
Sunday, May 01, 2016
DISAPPOINTMENT
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Tired legs and sore knees had me questioning the wisdom of running today's Medved Madness race last night, and in the middle of the night I made a decision I seem to be making too often this year - I turned off the alarm and decided to skip the run.
As disappointing as that was, there was one upside - originally I'd have left the house by 7 AM and gotten back sometime after noon, with only an hour or two before hitting the road back to Albany. This way Ann and I were able to spend the morning and early afternoon together - something that will be a rare chance over the next month, given our mutual busy schedules.
JMH
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Tired legs and sore knees had me questioning the wisdom of running today's Medved Madness race last night, and in the middle of the night I made a decision I seem to be making too often this year - I turned off the alarm and decided to skip the run.
As disappointing as that was, there was one upside - originally I'd have left the house by 7 AM and gotten back sometime after noon, with only an hour or two before hitting the road back to Albany. This way Ann and I were able to spend the morning and early afternoon together - something that will be a rare chance over the next month, given our mutual busy schedules.
JMH
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