20190303 cycling

I discovered that I can ride a bit easier and still burn the same amount of calories. I am still going the same amount of miles but taking a few minutes longer. I get less sweaty and enjoy the ride more. Hopefully I will burn more fat which I have an over abundance of.

Monday
64° humidity 36% wind 10-15 NE
Chilly and windy.
16.03 miles
12.0 mph

Tuesday
69° humidity 72% wind 7-12 E
Not feeling the energy to fight the wind. I decided to make it a "rest" day or maybe a "fat burn" day by riding at a slower pace. I rode the same 16 miles as yesterday but took 3 minutes longer. And the calorie count was about the same. Have I been doing it wrong this hole time trying to get faster?
15.95 miles
11.5 mph

Wednesday
68° humidity 85% wind 4-6 E
Another easy day. If the calories burned is about the same, why push the effort?
15.95 miles
11.8 mph

Thursday
66° humidity 93% wind variable
Wind felt all over the place because it was light. I was making my own headwind even though I wasn't riding hard. My new motto is easy does it. I am riding which is what counts.
15.98 miles
11.9 mph

This month 432 miles

Friday
69° humidity 83% wind 2-3 SW
Wind direction wrong. It is a good thing I didn't alter my route. Then again, the wi d was so light it wouldn't have mattered.
16.00 miles
11.8 mph

Saturday
73° humidity 77% wind 3-7 S-SW
My thoughts ramble as I ride. I got to one thought and couldn't remember how I got there. I worked it back and decided to stop and jot it down before I forgot. I lost a good blog idea last week thinking I would remember. I still haven't. I have decided that my ride is not as precious as I thought it should be. Riding at lower speeds does not burn less calories. So I am trying to pay more attention to what I see around me.
Lots of cyclists also riding.
16.01 miles
11.6 mph

Sunday
83° humidity 43% wind 10-13 SW
I rode out to BBD. Headwind wasn't fun but I wasn't pushing it. The MUP along New Tampa Blvd doesn't seem so rough when you don't care about your speed. The tailwind back was nice.
16.92 miles
11.8 mph

This week 112.8 miles
This year 931 miles

20190224 cycling

A good week for riding. The weather was nice though windy. It was better if I rode earlier before the wind got stronger.

Monday
75° humidity 92% wind 5-7 SW
I went the wrong way for the wind. But first report said 5S. I checked the hourly forecasts and it wasn't supposed to switch to SW until the afternoon.
Grey and muggy.
15.65 miles
12.5 mph

Tuesday
73° humidity 76% wind 7 E-SE
Beautiful sunny day. They were burning brush at Union Park.
Dirt hauler stopped right on crosswalk at Hueland Pond. Driver didn't stop coming out of the mental health facility. Do people read signs?
Headwind along Mansfield slowed me down some.
15.71 miles
12.4 mph

Wednesday
76° humidity 82% wind 7-15 SE
Cloudy and muggy and windy. No energy to push it.
15.68 miles
11.8 mph

Thursday
68° humidity 89% wind 4 SE
Grey and muggy. Headwind along Mansfield.
15.71 miles
12.8 mph

Friday
70° humidity 88% wind 3-4 SE
Short ride because of Special Olympics.
Headwind along Mansfield
11.93 miles
13.1 mph

Saturday
76° humidity 81% wind 7-8 SE
Warm and windy. Wind change when I got to Mansfield. 9-17 S
15.72 mph
12.0 mph

Sunday
74° humidity 92% wind 9-16 SW
Windy! I rode out to BBD. The path along New Tampa Blvd is so bad. I lose speed on it because I cannot go any faster and stay on my bike. Tailwind coming back BBD helped me regain my speed.
Saw a golf cart on the MUP stopped by the sheriff. An older Asian man with a walker was standing in front of the sheriff's SUV. A younger guy was standing by the golf cart.
15.30 miles
12.3 mph

This week 105.7 miles
This year 819 miles

20190217 cycling

Another good week of riding. Saturday miles were low because I went on a photowalk and only had a short window before it got dark.

Monday
81° humidity 54% wind 8-9 S
Warm, sunny and windy.
One driver rode very close to me on MPB. I could probably have touched the vehicle if ai put my arm straight. What happened to 3' clearance?
16.01 miles
12.1 mph

Tuesday
73° humidity 88% wind 8-12 S
Cloudy and windy.
15.71 miles
11.6 mph (I was up to 12 mph then the tachycardia hit.)

Wednesday
59° humidity 85% wind 7NE-N
Grey and cold and windy. I had no energy to push.
16.0 miles
11.6 mph

Ryan finally got back on his bike.

Thursday
70° humidity 54% wind 10-13 E
Sunny and windy! I was able to push through it today.
15.93 miles
12.3 mph

Friday
73° humidity 56% wind 5-8 SW
Rode to New Tampa and across the overpass.
16.87 miles
12.6 mph

Saturday
75° humidity 69% wind 9-17 SW
Thankfully the wind never got that bad. It was just a short ride because it was late and the sun was going down.
8.47 miles
12.4 mph

Sunday
73° humidity 81% wind 7-10 S
Warm and windy.
16.31 miles
12.0 mph

This week 105.3
This year 729

20190210 cycling

A good week of riding. The weather turned warmer and the wind stayed away until the end of the week.

Monday
71° humidity 67% wind kept changing directions.
1-3 NW 1-3 W 3 SW
It was light enough that it didn't affect me.
Driver coming out of Behavior Health didn't stop. Driving on Hueland Pond didn't stop. I expect them to do the wrong g thing so I am ready to stop.
16.09 miles
12.5 mph

Tuesday
77° humidity 50% wind 1-4 NE
Sunny and warm. Saw too many golf carts waiting for their kids at UPCA.
15.13 miles
12.5 mph

Wednesday
81° humidity 40% wind 5 SE
I just didn't feel like pushing so I didn't. Had to stop twice for school buses.
15.64 miles
12.0 mph

Thursday
65° humidity 85% wind 3-6+ SE
Wind felt stronger. It also felt warmer.
Headwind along Mansfield cost me some speed.
15.75 miles
12.3 mph

Friday
69° humidity 80% wind??
Wind reported to be 0 N but it felt more like 3 W. Headwind along SR56.
15.93 miles
12.6 mph

Saturday
65° humidity 60% wind 10-17 NE
Cool, sunny and way too windy. A couple of cyclists passed me without saying anything. Then I passed them but did say on your left.
Took the sidewalk to its end along Wyndfields in Union Park East.
16.84 miles
12.1 mph

Sunday
70° humidity 85% wind 7-10 E
Wind was awful.
15.90 miles
12 mph

This week 111.3
This year 608

20190203 cycling

I made it a good week of cycling because I can spend the time to ride 15 miles day. I can wait until temperatures rise enough that I won’t freeze. I just wish I could do something about this damn wind!

Monday
60° humidity 50% wind 9 NE
It felt colder. The wind didn't help.
15.38 miles
12.4 mph

Tuesday
64° humidity 43% wind 7-9 SW
I rode out to BBD then across New Tampa road and the I75 overpass. The path along NTR is awful. It is worse than unpaved because it paved and still that rough.
I crossed over BBD at I75 to take advantage of the traffic tailwinds.
16.74 miles
12.5 mph

Wednesday
59° humidity 57% 8-11 NE
Felt much colder.
15.44 miles
11.9 mph

Thursday
63° humidity 57% wind 11-20 NE
Warmer but windy as hell!
I couldn't push any harder.
14.07 miles
11.8 mph

Friday
75° humidity 63% wind 7-8 E
It was windy but warm! I could wear my shorts again. And I need to shave my legs.
15.28 miles
12.5 mph

Saturday
74° humidity 73% wind 3-5 SE
Wind report wrong. Felt stronger and flags and banners showed it was coming from the NE.
Some sprinkles but didn't last long.
15.28 miles
12.4 mph

Sunday
71° humidity 82% wind 5-6 SW
Wind reported at 11 SW so I went out to BBD. It wasn't that strong. Later reading showed 5-6.

15.02 miles
12.7 mph

This week 107.2 miles
This year 512 miles

20190127 cycling

We had another windy and cold week. Sure it is winter, but this is Florida! It rained all day on Sunday without a break so I finished the week on my rollers.

Monday
64° humidity 33% wind 9-11 NE
Cool and windy but at least I didn't have to worry about the wind taking my bike out from underneath me. No school today so traffic was light.
14.80 miles
11.9 mph

Tuesday
73° humidity 50% wind 13-20 E
The sun might have felt good if the wind wasn't so dang strong. It took a lot of effort to ride into. The tailwind was great but it went by too quickly.
15.12 miles
11.9 mph

Wednesday
80° humidity 49% wind 11-18 SE
Very windy. My legs did not want to push through it. Tailwind was nice.
15.14 miles
12.1 mph

Thursday
64° humidity 94% wind 8-9 SW
The storms were over but they left a lot of fallen palm frond and puddles. And humidity. The wind is supposed to pick up so I went early. Goofy me got a date wrong and my phone interview was today and not Monday. I did the interview along a busy road.
16.70 miles
12.3 mph

Friday
61° humidity 30% wind 6-9 N
I wasn't sure which way to go and picked the wrong way. I went west and it turned out the wind was more NE and it was a struggle along SR56.
They turned on the fountain at Union Park East so the birds have lost their perch.
14.72 miles
12.2 mph

Saturday
62° humidity 46% wind 8-9 NE
It almost felt too warm in my tights. Then what little sun disappeared and it got cold.
15.33 miles
12.2 mph

Sunday
50° humidity 93% wind 14-23 N Rain
The rain never stopped. I can do cold. I can do rain. I cannot do rain AND cold. I set up my rollers. I thought I would just ride until I got my exercise ring closed. But I kept riding. Then I said 30 minutes. Then I said 300 calories. I ended with 45 minutes and 350 calories. The equivalent of about 9 miles.

This week 100.8 miles
This year 396 miles

20190120 cycling

Not a bad week. The wind was OK until Saturday and Sunday. I almost stayed home on Sunday but then I didn’t want to give up my streak since September 1.

Monday
66° humidity 57% wind 6-7 NW
I went out to Seven Oaks. I was going at an easy pace until Mystic Oak then I thought I might try to break my record for that segment. (I missed it by 6 seconds) The rest of the ride was fast because of the tailwinds. 15.50 miles
12.4 mph

Tuesday
59° humidity 52% wind 6-7 NW
I went out to Seven Oaks. I didn't push it.
I noticed the wind changed when I was on Chancey. There was no tailwind.
I rode to Panera to get my free bakery item for my #birthdaymonth I got a cinnamon scone. They have changed the recipe and it isn't quite as good. Still tasty. Wind 8-9 N
I rode home.
16.93 miles
12 mph

Wednesday
57° humidity 55% wind 7 N
I didn't want to ride at all. It was too cold and blah. The sun was out but didn't seem to help.
Windsor gates were open so I rode through there.
Every time the sun was behind the trees or a building, my eyes were happy but the rest of me got colder.
15.15 miles
12.1 mph

Thursday
72° humidity 44% wind 3-4 W
Warmer and sunnier today with less wind. Yay! Rode out to Seven Oaks and back.
15.51 miles
12.6 mph

Friday
74° humidity 28% wind 2-4 SW
Beautiful day to ride. The wind was light and the sun felt good.
15.10 miles
12.6 mph

Saturday
68° humidity 62% wind 8-14 S
Warmer and windy.
I saw a flock of migrating birds in Meridian and Union Park.
15.15 miles
12.1 mph

Sunday
57° humidity 68% wind 17-28 NW
I didn't even change out of my street clothes. I just wanted to get my exercise minutes in. The wind was awful and at times I was lucky to keep my bike upright. |
Tailwinds along SR56 were nice.
8.47 miles
12.0 mph

This week 101.9 miles
This year 296 miles

20190113 cycling

Another good week of riding. I made sure I rode at least 14 miles each day.

Monday
77° humidity 51% wind 6-7 SE
A little warmer and windier today. But I was up for a little faster ride as I slept well last night.
15.57 miles
12.3 mph

Tuesday
66° humidity 81% wind 1-2SE 3-4SW
Sunny and cool. The wind changed direction. It wasn't a big problem but I got no tailwinds.
15.62 miles
12.3 mph

Wednesday
66° humidity 81% wind 10NW
The wind is back but at least I got some good tailwind out of it.
15.71 miles
12.5 mph

Thursday
60° humidity 31% wind 6-7N
I waited for it to get warmer to ride. I don't like waiting because afternoons are for naps. =
15.15 miles
12.3 mph

Friday
61° humidity 58% wind 7-8 NE
I rode to the bank and the PDQ for lunch with a friend. She was treating me for my birthday.
3.82 miles 11.2 mph
71° humidity 51% wind 7-8 E
Instead of just going home, I rode up through Seven Oaks and back through Wiregrass. It was a lot warmer than I expected it to be.
12.40 miles 12.2 mph

Saturday
77° humidity 47% wind 9-11 SE
Warm and windy. Late start because my SIL called.
The wind was annoying.
I saw a flock of martins and stopped to record them. I had never seen so many before.
15.74 miles
12.2 mph

Sunday
77° humidity 63% wind 10-12 SW
I went out towards BBD. Saw at the stop that I didn't properly start my ride on my Apple Watch. I "lost" 2.3 miles.
I rode through Richmond Place. It has gotten a bit ghetto.
14.64 miles
12.4 mph

This week 108.7 miles
This year 188 miles

20190106 cycling

This was a good week for riding. The wind was annoying but I pushed through. I ended the year above my goal of 3000 miles even with missing most of August. I increased my weekly minimum mileage to 60 miles.

Monday
75° humidity 72% wind 11-16 SE
The damn wind was back. I pushed through some of it. I wanted a decent ride for the last one of the year. I heard and saw more martins along Oldwoods but didn't stop.
15.36 miles
12.1 mph

This month 410 miles
This year 3706 miles

Tuesday
2019
80° humidity 63% wind 7-8 SW
Too warm, too breezy. I rode to BBD then to New Tampa Blvd and over I75. Coming back was nice. Not too much traffic and ai made most of the lights.
15.85 miles
12.5 mph

Wednesday
81° humidity 50% wind 3-5 S
Late start. I forgot my water and wore my sunglasses which were only needed for the first 5 miles. I had to take them off for the last five miles as it was too dark with them on. And the gnats!
15.59 miles
12.3 mph

Thursday
75° humidity 82% wind 6-7 S
I went out to BBD and across the overpass. I found the way to Lizards Tail.
The way back was easy and I made the lights. My legs were ready to quit after 15 miles.
16.72 miles
12.4 mph

Friday
71° humidity 94% wind 10-14 S
Already too windy and only going to worse as the day goes on. I am glad I didn't wait any longer.
Saw a Maserati parked at the dead end on MPB. Stolen?
15.20 miles
12.0 mph

Saturday
64° humidity 67% wind 12-18 NW
Too damn windy and cloudy. I pushed my way up through Seven Oaks and back down through Wiregrass. I only stopped a few seconds at the lights and once to rest.
It was not a fun ride.
15.13 miles
11.9 mph

Sunday
71° humidity 37% wind 5 N/NE
Beautiful day and I wanted to stay in bed. My body was tired from drinking last night so I did a slow, recovery ride.
15.63 miles
11.4 mph

This week 109.5
This year 78

20181230 cycling

A good week for riding despite the wind. I rode about 15 miles each day.

Monday
78° humidity 58% wind 5-6 NE
Warmer and windier.
I tried to take some photos of cypress that were rusty but the sun was in front and low.
15.10 miles
12.2 mph

Tuesday
74° humidity 56% wind 3-4NE
Warmer and breezy. I rode to Union Park.
15.11 miles
12.3 mph

Wednesday
76° humidity 50% wind 12-20 E
Warm and to windy. I rode east to Union Park and it took everything just to push through. The tailwind was nice but I still had to push to get my average just up to 12.0.
15.09 miles
12.0 mph

Thursday
72° humidity 74% wind 12-19 SE
It was already too windy and predicted to get worse. My legs didn't have the strength to push.
I saw a migration of purple martins and stopped to watch.
14.98 miles
11.7 mph

Friday
75° humidity 83% wind 10-12 S/SE
The wind seemed stronger or maybe I am just weaker. The wind blew all the construction sand over the road.
15.14 miles
12.1 mph

Saturday
73° humidity 91% wind 6-7 S
Thank goodness the wind was almost back to normal. Overcast and grey.
15.75 miles
12.5 mph

Sunday
82° humidity 63% wind 2-3 S
Warm and breezy.
15.20 miles
12.6 mph

This week 106.4
This year 3676