Biking in the July heat
So after being taken to task a bit by my friend Stix for my previous post (wimpy?), I'll say a little something.
It's hot, miserably hot, and it's been that way for the past week or so, and there seems to be no end in sight. (As an aside, I'm a bit addicted to the Weather Channel, so I keep a close eye on current weather conditions and future forecasts. Really, it's fascinating stuff.) People who know me well know that I don't care much for summer's heat. In fact, I'll often say that once it gets above 70 degrees, it's too hot. And my friend Jeff will occasionally bring up that I once said something to the effect of, "If you can go outside without first putting on a jacket, it's too hot." I love cool autumn days. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s are just right with me.
It's been in the 90s lately.
Another thing that those who know me will remember is that I very much enjoying bicycling. I don't get to ride as much as I used to, and riding in Fairmont is a challenge (not a day goes by that I don't miss the bike path around Lake Winona), but I've been trying to do more this summer. Yesterday I went out for about 45 minutes or so, and rode my (current) standard of about ten miles, and I did so at the height of the day's heat. It was 88 degrees with a dewpoint of 68 or so when I was out. It was uncomfortable, weather-wise, but it felt very good to be riding, I must say. I was going to go today again (the temp was about the same as yesterday), but by the time I got around to being ready for it, it was nearly sunset (that's what happens when you don't get up until one o'clock in the afternoon).
So I rode inside. Last fall I bought a trainer, a nice little system that sets up in a small space and the bike's rear wheel attaches to it. There's a revolving cylinder that presses up against the back wheel which can be tightened or loosened, depending on how hard you want to work. I've been using it on days when I don't get around to riding until after dark, or when it's raining, and I used it some over the winter. It's a great system, and since I set it up in the living room (I had it in my basement for awhile), I watch TV while I ride. I usually ride 30 minutes or so, and it's probably a better workout than riding on the streets, since I don't spend any time "coasting," it's just a steady ride.
It's hot, miserably hot, and it's been that way for the past week or so, and there seems to be no end in sight. (As an aside, I'm a bit addicted to the Weather Channel, so I keep a close eye on current weather conditions and future forecasts. Really, it's fascinating stuff.) People who know me well know that I don't care much for summer's heat. In fact, I'll often say that once it gets above 70 degrees, it's too hot. And my friend Jeff will occasionally bring up that I once said something to the effect of, "If you can go outside without first putting on a jacket, it's too hot." I love cool autumn days. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s are just right with me.
It's been in the 90s lately.
Another thing that those who know me will remember is that I very much enjoying bicycling. I don't get to ride as much as I used to, and riding in Fairmont is a challenge (not a day goes by that I don't miss the bike path around Lake Winona), but I've been trying to do more this summer. Yesterday I went out for about 45 minutes or so, and rode my (current) standard of about ten miles, and I did so at the height of the day's heat. It was 88 degrees with a dewpoint of 68 or so when I was out. It was uncomfortable, weather-wise, but it felt very good to be riding, I must say. I was going to go today again (the temp was about the same as yesterday), but by the time I got around to being ready for it, it was nearly sunset (that's what happens when you don't get up until one o'clock in the afternoon).
So I rode inside. Last fall I bought a trainer, a nice little system that sets up in a small space and the bike's rear wheel attaches to it. There's a revolving cylinder that presses up against the back wheel which can be tightened or loosened, depending on how hard you want to work. I've been using it on days when I don't get around to riding until after dark, or when it's raining, and I used it some over the winter. It's a great system, and since I set it up in the living room (I had it in my basement for awhile), I watch TV while I ride. I usually ride 30 minutes or so, and it's probably a better workout than riding on the streets, since I don't spend any time "coasting," it's just a steady ride.
posted by Kootch | 12:11 AM
2 Comments:
When I lived in L.A. and people heard that I'd moved there from Minnesota, the automatic response was, "Moved away from the cold winters?" My reply was, "No, I moved to get away from the hot and humid summers." No one ever believed that Minnesota could get hot and uncomfortable. It's the Iceland of the United States in peoples' minds. I moved back to Minnesota despite the summers.
And yes, I thought that last post was a bit wimpy, especially so early in the blogging.
Don't I get a little break for being new to this?
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