August 2021: A Mileage PR

Last year I rode 835 miles in August to set a new personal record. This year I went even farther: 910 miles. And personal records are always satisfying, but this one is a little sweeter because of how busy I was off the bike. In July I mentioned that I was planning to tackle a number of home improvement projects in August and September. So far, so good. There’s a new light fixture above the kitchen sink and there’s fresh paint on the walls of the living room, dining room, hallway, and foyer. Next comes new carpet for the living room, dining room, hallway, foyer, and bedrooms. Getting that done will be my top priority in September.

It won’t be my only priority, though. With good weather I could make a run at a September mileage PR (currently 806). I also have identified 5 new Garmin Connect badges to achieve in the month to come, so there’s some cross-training in my immediate future. Another 5,000-mile season? That’s not a priority, but it is a possibility. I’m finishing August with 3,757 miles, year-to-date. I’m finally ahead of last year’s pace: I had 3,753 miles in my legs at the end of August 2020. August 2021 is now my No. 2 month all-time, trailing only July 2011 (1,020 miles).

80,000 Miles

Today I surpassed 80,000 lifetime miles. That’s not bad for someone who didn’t start counting his cycling miles until March 26, 2004. I was almost 39 years old. Now I’m 56, and I’m still hoping to hit 100,000 miles sometime around my 60th birthday. With a little effort, I might reach my goal on my birthday.

And here’s a neat coincidence (I swear to you that I didn’t plan this): it was exactly two years ago that I hit 70,000 miles.

As it was on that occasion, so it was today. Getting to the nice round number was my mileage goal for the season. I came into this year 3,316 miles short of 80,000. Now that these objectives are behind me, in a sense anything extra is just gravy. But in another sense it’s damned hard to ride 5,000 miles in 12 months in this climate. So, I will push on. And there are other little prizes to chase, starting tomorrow. With 477 miles so far in August and half of the month remaining, I’m only 358 miles away from 835, the personal record I set just last year. That’s doable.

First Metric Century Of 2021

Today I did my first metric century of 2021, the counter-clockwise tour depicted on the map above. Not a bad solo effort. I thought I would be doing more rides like this; now I’m wondering whether my first metric century of 2021 will be my only metric century of 2021. I hope not.

Free Helmets!

Need a helmet … or two? I’m giving away these very lightly used Bell Lumen helmets in white/silver. These helmets have never been crashed and are in excellent condition. If you need a large helmet—23.25”-24.75” / 59-63 cm—then contact me through the email widget on the right side of this page and arrange a pickup time.

Still Rolling

Since I embraced foam rolling in December 2012, I have made it an almost daily part of my training. Even on days when I don’t ride my bike, I still stretch and spend a little time with the foam roller. And I know there’s debate about the effectiveness of foam rolling, but if I am really only relaxing for a few minutes, then at least I am relaxing for a few minutes. There’s precious little of that in my life.

My original foam roller went out with this week’s trash. Its departure was long overdue. I had pretty well worn out all of its resistance—for the last few months it was more foam than roller—and it was starting to go to pieces, shedding little black dots all over my carpet. So, now there’s a new one and I haven’t missed a beat. As with most training tools, consistency is the key to results. I’m convinced foam rolling helps me to avoid soreness and even cramping.