Goals for the New Year 2012

My years in the Federal Government have ingrained in me the need to set goals for the coming year. It became an annual battle with my last boss, as we negotiated the language of my goals. A battle I usually lost, but no one is dictating to me here. We will see how I score on these next New Year's Eve. Maybe Peggy will give me an annual performance bonus, or a "hall pass" for another trip in 2013.

Cross Country Cycle Trip
2011: I did walk up part of a few steep hills in Vermont this summer.

• Outstanding: Ride every single inch on the bike
• Excellent: Walk a few hills, but be self propelled the whole way
• Satisfactory: Bike 99%, accept help when I need it

Biking
2011: I rode 1531 miles at an average speed of 13.4 mph

• Outstanding: ride 7000+ miles this year
• Excellent: ride 6000+ miles this year
• Satisfactory: ride 5000+ miles this year

Weight
2011: After pigging out the last three months I close the year at 235 lbs

• Outstanding: weigh < 215 at years end
• Excellent: weigh < 225 at years end
• Satisfactory: weigh < 235 at years end

Spin Class
2011: Spin Class 134 average heart rate, 15 hours per month, Road Bike 139 average heart rate
(I don't want to measure myself by the number of times I attend spin class, as everyday in spin class is one less on the road. This year I found myself too willing to ride indoors.)

• Outstanding: Average Heart Rate > 137
• Excellent: Average Heart Rate > 134
• Satisfactory: Average Heart Rate > 130



Accomplishment for the Year 2011: I did weigh 216 on Labor Day

Guaging your workout

One of the difficulties in training indoors on a spin bike is gauging your effort. When cycling outside you measure yourself with speed and time goals over a set course of terrain. The resistance on the spin bike is controlled by an uncalibrated knob, that you turn clockwise to increase resistance and counter clockwise to decrease. I have used a heart monitor pretty much from my start in spinning. It allows you to monitor your heart rate and increase or decrease resistance to push yourself harder or ease off. For the past few months I have been using a Garmin FR60 Heart Monitor that constantly records my heart rate allows me to upload the data and view a graph of my heart rate during my workouts. Quantifying your effort allows you to set goals and hold yourself accountable for them. My goal for this week was to reach the 1000 calories burned level in a one hour spin class. I was able to reach that level on Friday for a successful week of training.

It Starts At My Local Bike Shop

All cyclists need a LBS (Local Bike Shop), yes you can buy most things online or through a mail order catalog for a dollar or two cheaper. But when you need expert advise, a small but essential part at the last minute, or a free drive train adjustment to save your ride on a beautiful day, your LBS will come through for you.

My LBS is The Bike Lane of Springfield Virginia. I purchased both my current bikes from them and they have managed to keep them in running order. Thanks again Todd, Sean and Kristopher.

The Bike Lane, 8416 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield VA



An assortment of Cycle Clothing

My Trek Hybrid getting a little TLC from a Bike Lane Technician after I abused it on a recent ride.





Spin Zone

A few people have asked me how I am preparing for my cross country trip. Well on nice sunny days I do ride outside, but if its chilly or wet or I don't have a whole lot of time for an outdoor ride, I try to make it to the South Run Recreation Center for a Spin class. We have regular group of about ten that attend the 9:00 am classes on weekdays. A few others fill out the class of fifteen. Four different instructors teach during the week, with each having different tastes in exercise, stretching and music. I wear a Garmin FR60 Heart Rate Monitor in class to gauge my exertion. I try to get my heart beat up to at least 80% of my MAX and then keep it there for as long as I can. Here is a graph of my Heart Rate for today's class.




Getting my heart rate up!

Its All About Me

I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1954 where my father Donald Reeves worked for the Upjohn Company. I have five brothers (Dave, Rick, Don, Paul and Bill) but no sisters. Family gatherings were always a crowd and they still are today. All five still live in the Kalamazoo area (Three Rivers, Schoolcraft and Portage), while I was the only one to leave the area and live in Springfield Virginia.
We all had bikes as kids. I had a couple nice ones that I bought with paper route earnings, a five speed Schwinn Stingray Fastback with a stick shift on the top bar, and a yellow ten speed Schwinn Varsity with chrome fenders.

I attended Western Michigan University and have a B.S. degree in Printing Management. I worked for the US Government Printing Office (GPO) in Washington DC from 1976 until retirement in 2009. I had several different jobs at GPO, in functions such as Quality Control, Software Development, Typesetting, and Web Site Management before my last position as Director of Production Engineering.

I met my wife Peggy soon after arriving in DC at a bus stop in Arlington Virginia and married her a year later in 1977. We have one daughter Shannon Reeves Simonini, a 2006 Mechanical Engineering graduate of Virginia Tech and now a Calibration Engineer at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford Michigan. Both my daughter and her husband Matt Simonini are cyclists and I hope both will join me for at least one day on this tour.

I started riding again in 2007 on a Trek Hybrid, rode that for a couple years before getting a Trek 2.1 road bike in 2009. I caught the Bicycle touring itch and did Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) tours of the Blue Ridge Parkway (2010), C&O/GAP (2010) and Cycle Vermont (2011).



ACA C&O Canal / Great Allegheny Passage Tour September 2010 (Antietam Battlefield)

Route

My trip leaves from Astoria OR on Sunday June 17, 2012 and arrives in Portsmouth NH on Monday August 6, 2012. Sounds very simple doesn't it? (Click on the Day # below to access route maps from 2011)

Itinerary
Date	Day	Location	Day's Mileage
June 17	Day 0	Astoria, OR	30
June 18	Day 1	St. Helens, OR	69
June 19	Day 2	Welches, OR	75
June 20	Day 3	KahNeeTa, OR	65
June 21	Day 4	Prineville, OR	60
June 22	Day 5	John Day, OR	117
June 23	Day 6	Baker City, OR	81
June 24	Day 7	Ontario, OR	83
June 25	Day 8	Boise, ID	64
June 26	Day 9	Boise, ID (Rest Day)	0
June 27	Day 10	Mountain Home, ID	53
June 28	Day 11	Twin Falls, ID	97
June 29	Day 12	Burley, ID	39
June 30	Day 13	Pocatello, ID	82
July 1	Day 14	Idaho Falls, ID	65
July 2	Day 15	Jackson, WY	88
July 3	Day 16	Dubois, WY	88
July 4	Day 17	Riverton, WY	79
July 5	Day 18	Casper, WY	120
July 6	Day 19	Casper, WY (Rest Day)	0
July 7	Day 20	Lusk, WY	106
July 8	Day 21	Hot Springs, SD	92
July 9	Day 22	Rapid City, SD	75
July 10	Day 23	Wall, SD	57
July 11	Day 24	Pierre, SD	117
July 12	Day 25	Chamberlain, SD	84
July 13	Day 26	Mitchell, SD	71
July 14	Day 27	Sioux Falls, SD	72
July 15	Day 28	Sioux Falls, SD (Rest Day)	0
July 16	Day 29	Worthington, MN	71
July 17	Day 30	Mankato, MN	103
July 18	Day 31	Rochester, MN	100
July 19	Day 32	La Crosse, WI	91
July 20	Day 33	Wisconsin Dells, WI	90
July 21	Day 34	Fond du Lac, WI	83
July 22	Day 35	Manitowoc, WI	56
July 23	Day 36	Ludington, MI (Ferry Ride)	7
July 24	Day 37	Mount Pleasant, MI	113
July 25	Day 38	Birch Run, MI	74
July 26	Day 39	Port Huron, MI	87
July 27	Day 40	London, Ontario	80
July 28	Day 41	Brantford, Ontario	66
July 29	Day 42	Niagara Falls, NY	72
July 30	Day 43	Niagara Falls, NY (Rest Day)	0
July 31	Day 44	Henrietta, NY	82
Aug 1	Day 45	Liverpool, NY	93
Aug 2	Day 46	Little Falls, NY	78
Aug 3	Day 47	Latham, NY	74
Aug 4	Day 48	Brattleboro, VT	79
Aug 5	Day 49	Manchester, NH	79
Aug 6	Day 50	Portsmouth, NH	60
	TOTAL MILEAGE		3,667

View Route Map in a larger map

Seagull Century

Last Saturday I rode my first Century ride with my brother-in-law and nephew Frank and Aaron Nutter. The weather forcast was Sunny but Windy, with temps in the 60's. (reminder to self: pay attention next time it says Windy) I started out great and had an average speed going over 17 mph for the first three hours. I don't know if I had a tail wind or not, but my pace was well ahead of my expectations. Well good things don't last forever, and as I left Assateague Island the winds picked up and I was headed straight into them. My pace slowed to what seemed like a crawl. I slogged on. I was reenrgized by the apple pie and ice cream at the last water stop and finished with an average moving speed of 14.3 mph, within a couple minutes of my goal. I guess I can check Century Ride off the Bucket List




Commitment Day

com·mit·ment

n.

1. The act or an instance of committing, especially:

a. The act of referring a legislative bill to committee.

b. Official consignment, as to a prison or mental health facility.

c. A court order authorizing consignment to a prison.

2.

a. A pledge to do.

b. Something pledged, especially an engagement by contract involving financial obligation.

3. The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons: a deep commitment to liberal policies; a profound commitment to the family.



This morning I signed up to do a cross country bike trip starting in June 2012. (I am hoping that’s more a sign of 2a than an indicator of 1b.) In the next six months I need to prepare myself for the trip. Follow my preparation here on this blog and then follow me across the country.


ACA Tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway, NC, June 2010