The illness I referred to as a cold in my last post is persisting. By last Wednesday I had not had .fever symptoms in 3 days so I went on a long ride with intervals thrown in, and it felt great I did have a stye in my left eye that was getting redder, however, so I got in to see my Doc the next day. She said the stye was infected and put me on antibiotic eye drops. I asked her about whether I was still infectious with the cold. She said the rule of thumb is a week after a fever. However, she also thought some of my symptoms might be related to my infection from the stye, and told me to keep her posted of any changes.
That night (last Thursday) the fever returned as bad as previously. So I called her office and she put me on internal antibiotics as well (Amoxicillin). That knocked the fever back out and by Yesterday it had not returned. I’m being a little more careful ramping the training back up. I did short easy rides Friday, Yesterday, and Today.
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
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I have finally gotten my recumbent back on the road in electric-assist mode. This turned out to be quite an odyssey. I pursued two parallel approaches. First I tried to fix the wheel with broken spokes It turns out you can get custom spoke lengths online so I got replacements in 228 mm. Then I swapped out the five broken spokes with new ones, and tried to tighten them by feel so they matched their neighbors.The wheel appeared pretty true so I took it for a ride to try it out. It was badly out of round, meaning there was a very noticeable up and down motion of the front wheel. So I took the wheel into my local bike shop. They were unable to fix it because they found there was a permanent bend to the rim causing a flat spot. Remember that I had first discovered 5 broken spokes at once. Whatever I did, like hit a really bad pothole, that popped the 5 spokes must have also bent the rim.
So that wheel must be rebuilt. This is not something they do at my local shop so I’m nosing around for a custom wheel builder. Alternatively I could just get an inexpensive truing stand and a new rim, and rebuild the wheel myself. This doesn’t look too difficult for the standard “two-cross” method based on what I’ve read and seen in videos.
Fortunately, there was the parallel path. Last November, the makers of my ebike kit, Swytchbike had a great sale on their kits. I wanted to get some spare batteries, and it turned out that with the sale a replacement kit was no more expensive than just getting the batteries, so I ordered one. When it arrived a few months later I put its batteries into service but set the kit aside. I finally got around to trying fitting it on my recumbent when I had the broken spoke problem. Unfortunately the wheel did not quite fit in the dropout slots on the bike. I contacted customer service, and they told me I was outside there return window (that’s what happens when you wait two months before actually trying a product). But fortunately I could just file the wheel so it fits in the dropouts (for which they had a brief video). This turned out to be quite a workout. I think my right arm is bigger than my left after the filing. It was very satisfying when it finally fit.
The new wheel worked like a champ plugged into my existing controller. The only adjustment was setting the wheel size on the controller to 20″ instead of 26″. I took the bike for a test ride and it was delightful.
Recumbent with 20″ front wheel(pardon the messy garage)
This matches the configuration of my previous recumbent, the 26-20 Bacchetta Giro. I had forgotten how comfortable that was. So this is my ride for the foreseeable future, though I’ll consider to pursue getting the 26″ motor wheel rebuilt.
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
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I got some good rides in early last week. I especially enjoyed our challenging group ride on Tuesday up in the hills East of Gilroy. This doesn’t have any really long climbs, just lots of them. I was getting tied towards the end, with electric assist (on my upright). So I was impressed by those without assist who toughed it out. I learned an amusing new term for bikes without assist- “acoustic bikes”.
Later in the week, around Thursday, I started feeling a little under the weather. It is hard to tell if this is just allergies this time of year but then I started also getting the symptom of chills and night and then a slight fever, so I’m assuming it’s a cold. By yesterday I was feeling a bit better so hopefully I’m kicking it. So for a few days up till yesterday I just did easy local rides. I also do Yoga and stretching at night for relaxation and I keep that up unless I get really ill. I’ll resume longer and harder riding along with strength training soon. Setbacks like this don’t bother me like they used to, especially when I’m not in training for anything in particular.
Coyote Lake from the end of Coyote Lake DriveTaking a Break Near the Coyote Lake Dam on Tuesday’s Ride
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
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I rode a lot this week including in some rainy weather. With the weather improving, I was planning on doing longer rides Friday and Saturday. But my body went on strike Thursday night- I got some cold symptoms and a really bad case of the chills, including chattering teeth. I had to crank my electric blanket to high, and had a fistful night’s sleep. But sometimes around 4:00 AM the chills got better. I still had symptoms like headache and runny nose so I took yesterday and today off. Tomorrow is scheduled to be a short easy ride which I may do if I’m feeling better by then. This kind of thing has happened before when I got over enthused.You’re 72 Rich, not 27!
I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
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I’m on antibiotics for a bacterial infection since yesterday noon, and from previous experience this should make me feel better quickly. I’m referring to the symptoms I reported in my last post. It turned out that I was not feeling better by last Monday, but by then was pretty sure what it was so I messaged my doctor. He sent me for a test the same day and we got the results on Wednesday. This is brisk for the medical system nowadays, it can take weeks to get into see a specialist, but fortunately I did not need to see him in person, and he’s very quick responding to messages.
/* TMI ALERT
The next paragraph may be TMI about medical issues for some, so feel free to skip it.
This turned out to be a recurrence of urinary tract infection I had back in 2021. I’ve had no problems with that area of my anatomy since then because of a procedure I underwent in 2022. After this round of infection is kicked out in a few days, I’ll follow up with my doctor (Urologist) to find out what went wrong. It’s possible one or more the clips installed in the Urolift procedure came undone, which can be fixed in a follow-up minimally invasive procedure. Alternatively I could undergo a slightly more involved procedure like Turp could be done which would be more permanent. We’ll see what my urologist thinks. Que Sera, Sera.
/* END TMI ALERT
It’s been a week of not feeling 100% now. During that time I was able to do easy 30 minute rides most days, with one short session each of strength training for the lower and upper bodies, which is fine for maintaining strength through a short period like this. I’ll soon be feeling well enough to start ramping up the time. But going through things like this always makes me rethink things. I’ve been making too much of my training hard. I’ve talked about polarized training in the past, but my favorite interpretation of it is Clarence Bass’s rule of thumb “I walk and I sprint, I don’t do anything in between”. For him this translates to brisk walks most days, short but intense strength training 1 day, and short but intense cardio another. In my case that should be I ride easy for a bit longer most days, supplemented with infrequent short intense training days (with strength training and intervals and sprints on the bike). That’s what I always start out with. But over time I stray from it, by being tempted to push the pace on easy days or lengthen what should be the short intense days. Time for a reset.
I especially have to keep in mind that the main purpose of the longer easier rides is relaxation. This is illustrated in a fun way in this Youtube video I found on the channel “A Bike To Escape”:
The discussion about easy cycling for relaxation is fun, and the scenery in the Netherlands is beautiful, and the Dutch cycling infrastructure amazing. But “bloom where your planted”, I can find similar relaxation on bike paths or quieter roads near me.
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
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I recently viewed an inspiring video series on Global Cycling Network about the journey of self-transformation of one of their presenters, Dan. He is a retired professional cyclist and at 43 he has been enjoying retirement a bit too much and has felt the first intimation of father time breathing down his neck, so wants to turn it around. This results in a series of 8 videos of before, during, and after. Dan is an entertaining guy and presents technical info in a fun way.
The transformation process include relatively little cycling (because at the beginning Dan was burned out about it). Instead the exercise part emphasizes a solid but not excessive regime of strength training and walking. Giving up alcohol for the duration, for a guy who enjoys his pint, also helps. And the results are great, especially health wise.
Click here to see a playlist of individual episodes or click the video below for a “super compilation” of all episodes.
I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
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On Friday I was out for a long ride on my recumbent and I happened to look down at my front wheel and noticed a broken spoke. The wheel appeared in good enough shape, not too badly “out of true”, and was still ride-able. So I headed home and switched bikes, completing the ride on my upright. I later took a good look at the wheel and found it actually had 5 broken spokes. All broke at the J-bend where the spoke comes out of the hub. I was surprised because I’d never broken more than one spoke before and also usually there is an audible ping. This is my front wheel with the electric motor, so the spokes are subjected to torque from the motor as well as impact, e.g. from potholes. It had performed just fine for well over a year so I assume I must have hit something fairly big recently. I ordered replacement spokes on Amazon, being pleased to find out they come in custom lengths so I could order the right size. I’ll fix the wheel when they come in and get it back on the road. I will strive to stay on smoother roads in the future.
In the meantime I can still ride my upright if I want electric assist, and I have the original wheel back on the recumbent. The timing is fortuitous. I hadn’t been riding my upright enough since I recovered from my last bout of sciatica. So my butt was getting sore on longer rides on the upright. A came across an amusing term for this on an ultramarathon cycling website: “marshmallow butt”. I need to toughen my butt back up, from “marshmallow” to “iron”, because in May I’m going in a friend’s van down to Paso Robles for a few days of cycling, and my recumbent won’t fit so I’ll be taking my upright. I’ll make sure to get more saddle time in on the upright before them.
El Toro From a Different Angle on the Coyote Creek Trail. This was on my recumbent without electric assist yesterday. I can still go for nice long rides, it just takes longer
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
View all posts by BionicOldGuy
Now that my antibiotics have done their job I’m back to riding full tilt. Yesterday was my hard day. But something I read recently made we realize I was doing something wrong. I was doing long (2 hour+) rides for my hard one, with the intervals and sprints tacked on at the end after hours of brisk cruising. That meant my legs were always already tired when I started the hardest part. If instead I did the sprints and intervals on fresh legs after a short warm-up, I’d be able to push harder and get more benefits. I’ve done that for my last couple of hard rides and it feels great. Too soon to tell if it will lead to better results, but I enjoy it more. The long brisk cruising is now reserved for other days.
Metcalf Natural Gas Power Plant, About 10 miles from home, was working hard this morning. When it is cold the steam sometimes hangs out near the ground instead of rising in a plume.
Pretty Park in the neighborhood across the street from my house. Through the Lombardy Poplars is a view of Villa Miramonte, also known colloquially as “Morgan Hill House”. This historic former residence of our town’s namesake is now a nice museum.
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
View all posts by BionicOldGuy
I did a two-hour plus easy cruise yesterday, in pleasant weather. Out and back on Coyote Creek trail to where it is flooded out from the recent rains, then South towards Gilroy on the lightly traveled country roads on the east side of the valley. During my warm-up I had a mental lapse and almost rode into the back of a parked trailer because I was daydreaming instead of watching where I was going. I swerved and came to a panic stop, but lost my balance and did a slow-motion fall. No harm done. The cool part was that two separate drivers in pickup trucks stopped to make sure I was OK. It’s nice to be reminded there are plenty of nice people in the world.
When I leave for my rides my wife always say “have fun, be extra careful” and I promise I will. I think we’ll have to change It to “extra extra careful”. No more daydreaming at 15 mph!
The flooded ford on Coyote Creek trail. If this season is typical, it probably won’t clear until May. Fortunately there are detours if you want to go further North.
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
View all posts by BionicOldGuy
I was feeling great last week doing some long brisk rides. But after a particularly hard ride last Wednesday, my sciatica flared up again badly, this time on the left side. For a couple of days it kept me awake act night because I could not find a sleeping position without severe pain radiating down the left leg. Fortunately after a couple of days of resting and no riding, it calmed down enough so since last Saturday onward I could sleep. On Saturday I did some easy arm cycling, and from then till now I’ve been able to do easy riding for 30 minutes, without any pain referring down the leg. So I think the inflammation is going down and the sciatic nerve is not being compressed much. I am also doing all the PT I know to open up the area. Over the next few days I’ll continue to slowly and easily ramp up my riding as tolerated. I know the drill from past experience, it can take up to two weeks of taking it easy for this to clear up. This episode was well timed because it’s been pretty rainy here lately so I didn’t miss as much by curtailing my riding.
Fortunately It had been several months since my last bout of this. I intend to keep my average daily training down to 90 minutes or less to avoid another recurrence. It had drifted up over two hours a day last week when the relapse hit. I will also try to do a better job doing PT to strengthen the muscles that stabilize the hip and lower back area.
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I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
View all posts by BionicOldGuy
