Roger Bikes

Category: Daily Ride

Everyday I go for a ride on a bike. These posts are about those rides.

  • A most important button

    A most important button

    Move to Trash
    Sometimes, it is better to say nothing at all.

    Part of writing is editing. Sometimes what you are writing is not working. Maybe the subject its too sensitive or awkward. Personally I start writing a number of posts that either end up in my Drafts folder forever, or I just sent them to the trash.

    The Move to trash button in WordPress is a metaphor for crumbling up a page and tossing it in the trash bin. While the computer lets us do endless and perfect edits sometimes a peice is just not ready to be written or published. In those cases I just hit this and start a new post.

    Workout detail

    We rode into town to split a breakfast burrito at the local bakery. We also split a side of hash browns and it was glorious. There is some smoke in the air from at least one of the four major files raging in Colorado at the moment. 100% of the state is in drought conditions and it doesn’t look like things are going to let up anytime soon.

  • Getting Organized

    Getting Organized

    Building a house involves a lot of steps. There is financing a construction loan, getting the design we want, and finding the various contractors we need to build the thing. If we are going to be our own General Contractor then we need to get organized and stay organized.

    Since we both work in technology it makes sense that we use software to manage this project. We have been talking about what to use for about a week when it dawned on us that we should use Jira. Kate uses Jira on a daily basis at her work and, while I don’t currently use it at mine, it is used and I should learn it.

    The cool thing is that Jira has a free version which allows for up to 10 users. Considering none of the contractors we are considering even have a website we are pretty sure Kate and I will be the only users. So last night we started up personal accounts and got to work.

    I should say that Kate got to work as she actually knows how to use Jira. If you are not familiar with Jira it is project management software used by a lot of software developers. While we aren’t developing software, and won’t be using the Agile features, we will have a number of tasks that we need to keep track of. Jira is probably overkill for what we need but its free and as I mentioned we both already have various levels of exposure to it at each of our work places.

    Currently the Design project is the main focus but as we progress we are going to have a builder handling the foundation, walls, and roof. There is going to be an excavator handling the basement dig and the trenching for the Primary and Secondary electrical wiring. There will be a plumber, electrician, insulation, roofer, dry wall, painter, finishing, and landscaping to name a few. Each of those are going to have their own bids, schedules, materials, change orders, etc.

    During the entire project we are going to be in contact with the bank issuing funds for each stage. We will need to keep track of expenses and make sure everything matches up. Basically we are going to be running a small business for 6 to 8 months, on top of our regular jobs. The good news is that we work from home and will be living on the job site. Its going to be work and staying organized with Jira is going to help a lot.

    Workout Detail

    We went for a nice ride this morning before it got hot. We did a nice easy 23 mile loop to town and around on some dirt farm roads. We stopped at our local coffee shop just over halfway for some iced coffee and peach tarts. It was a lovely day and we talked about the house project almost non stop.

  • Home building in 2020

    For a couple of months now Kate and I have been planning on building a house. We started off thinking we would design something from scratch with the assistance of a builder. This process has created some frustrating moments mainly because neither of us are builders, or designers. It turns out that there are a lot of considerations when building a home.

    Recently we went back to the drawing board and by drawing board I mean we started looking at house plans. This has been really helpful in identifying what we like and don’t like. From that we have settled on a ski chalet type design with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a full unfinished basement, and an attached garage.

    The next step we are taking is educating ourselves about home building. We ordered a number of books to read and have started watching various Youtube videos. One series of videos that I have found especially helpful is the Spec House series from Essential Craftsman.

    Scott Wadsworth is the Essential Craftsman and is a builder/jack of many trades in Oregon, USA. In the Spec House series they have put together a lot of material about building a home that they plan on selling, hence a speculative house. It isn’t until the 27th video that they start talking about plans.

    In that video they work with a draftsman to help them refine their initial design. Scott mentions how you can work with any draftsman as the principles are universal. That got me thinking that we should reach out to a number of drafting/designers to find one that we like best. So I have been reaching out to a number of them.

    My attitude on building a home has shifted to how I work with designers on a website. I don’t have to work with a web designer who is physically close to me. In fact I haven’t met a designer in person in over 2 years. I think the reason this took so long to dawn on us is that we are novices when it comes to construction.

    However we are not novices when it comes to project management. Kate especially, she used to run the ERP system for an aerospace manufacturer. What is also helping is that we are learning more about the various roles involved:

    • Designer/Drafting
    • Structural Engineer
    • Surveyor
    • Excavator
    • Builder
    • Electrician
    • Plumber
    • Drywaller
    • Stucco-er
    • Painter
    • Finishing Carpenter

    Some roles can be played by the same person/contractor, but all are required to get the final product we want. First things first is we need to get a plan finalized then we start filling in the other positions. Learning the vocabulary and processes will also be important when building begins. While we aren’t looking to micro manage things we are going to keep things moving forward.

  • 4×6 Intervals : 98/100

    Today was back on the bike with 4 sets of 6 minute intervals. During the intervals the goal is to have my heart rate in the Zone 4: SubThreshold range. This zone is 94% to 99% of Lactic Threshold Heart Rate. So you are pushing hard but not all out, that is for Zone 5.

    Before getting into the intervals it is important to have a good warm up. This helps ensure a good effort and reduces the chances of injury. For my warm up I prefer to ride on the highway and I can stay smooth and consistent. I try to finish my warm up back at home so I can do the intervals on my trails.

    As I wrote before being able to ride my workouts on my trails is like a dream. First of all I am riding on single track which is one of my most favorite things. Second it is a closed trail so I don’t have to worry about anyone else being on the trail, well except for my wife. Third I am at home so if I need to take a restroom break or something I can. Finally when I am done riding I am already at home and can quickly start cleaning up and getting ready for work.

    Last time I did intervals on my trails I was coming up a bit short of the 6 minutes. So today I added the Kiss of Cactus and Drop Trow to my Fenceline loop and created a 1 mile loop. This takes me about 5 min 30 seconds to complete at a Zone 4 pace which is close enough to 6 minutes.

    After an interval I recover for 3 minutes at Zone 1. I just drop into a low gear and pedal softly around the trails until it is time to go again. After I finished the intervals I had some time to cool down so I rode up the highway for a bit.

    For my 1 hour 15 minute ride I covered 14 miles and 827 feet of climbing. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining. Doesn’t get much better than that. After the ride I did 4 sets of 5 burpee reps for my part in the August burpee challenge. Those are still really hard.

  • Second Nature : 97/100

    Second Nature : 97/100

    For the last few weeks I have been gaining more interest in gardening. We planted 2 apple trees, then got a rose bush and a stargazer lillie. So far all of them are still alive. We also have some bushes that we planted last year that I have helped back to life with watering, mulch, and some fertilizer.

    I have picked up some tips online and a lot of information from the gardeners at the local nurseries. My desire to learn more about gardening lead me to 2 books by Michael Pollan: Botany of Desire and Second Nature. BoD is a fun book about 4 plants and how people have cultivated them and how they have cultivated us. SN is still a Pollan book with lofty ideas, but there is a lot of practical advice as well.

    Lately I have been listening to SN while I have been watering and weeding the land. The chapter on Weeds was particularly interesting and insightful.

    There are 2 opposing schools of though when it comes to Weeds in a garden: 1) Kill em all with chemicals, and 2) Let nature be. Personally I have always disliked the idea that we need to spray toxic chemicals in order to have a nice yard or garden. On the other hand there are Weeds that can invade and take over a garden if not kept in check.

    Pesticide and Herbicide usage is going up worldwide. In the meantime we are just starting to fully understand how terrible these chemicals are for the land, water, and people. Homeowners use these chemicals just to show they are better than their neighbors. I definitely don’t want to be a part of that.

    On the other end is the thought that weeds are good and part of nature. Except that when we go into nature we don’t see weeds. Weeds are found in one place: where humans have altered the landscape. From gardens to roads to parking lots weeds will be found. To say that weeds are part of nature is disingenuous and naive.

    Weeds thrive in part because they have adapted to the clean environment that we create. While the plants we want to grow are selected for their looks and taste, weeds have self selected by growing quickly and tenaciously. Weeds exist in part because of us. So it is our duty to manage them.

    The rest of the book has been great and I am looking forward to listening to more of it tomorrow; when I am weeding.

    Workout detail

    Did 3 sets of 10 burpess after some easy yoga this morning. My elbow is feeling better but I want to take it easy and let everything heal up. I went for a super easy 30 minute ride around the land after work. That was very nice.

  • Riding around home : 96/100

    Riding around home : 96/100

    This is the second week of my cycling training program. I burnt myself out a little with Sunday’s ride and used yesterday as a rest/recovery day. I was feeling pretty back to 100% for this mornings workout ride. Today was a force reps structured workout. Basically I get my 25 minute warmup in and then I do 10 sets where I get into a really big gear, slow down, and then explode with 10 pedal strokes. Between each set I recover for 3 minutes.

    There are only 2 force reps workouts in this 12 week base training program. Its a funky workout that is close to being a sprint but you start slow. That low end torque is what you want to have when navigating tricky singletrack.

    Today was pretty cool cause I was able to do all of the force reps on my trails for the first time. The last time I did these we were in southern Arizona waiting to get up to Colorado. Now we are here and I have the trails finished and ready for riding on. Not only am I at home getting the workout done but I am riding on singletrack. This means I am getting to work on my technical riding skills while getting my workout done.

    Burpee Challenge

    I did 2 sets of 10 burpees for today’s challenge. My left elbow is still feeling sore so I am taking it easy for now. I think I will stick with 20 to 30 a day for the rest of this week and see how things feel on Sunday.

  • Back to Chicken Creek : 94/100

    Today’s ride was solo into the San Juan National Forest. Kate wanted to go for a run so I got the chance to haul butt into the mountains. The last time I rode into the forest was over 2 months ago. Since then we have had a lot of rain and the mountains are really green.

    I stuck to the forest roads today. With all of the recent rain the roads had a number of large puddles. That means the trails were in even worse condition and the worst thing you can do is ride a bike on a wet trail. The tires sink into the mud. Then when the trail drys out your tire ruts are permanent structures ruining everyone’s day.

    The weather was perfect and I had a great ride. Too good. I was supposed to ride for 2 hours and 15 minutes, but ended up out for 2 hours and 50 minutes. I got home, showered, and took a nap. It was a good day.

    Burpee Challenge

    I was pretty wiped out after the ride. As a show of commitment to the challenge I did 1 honorary burpee before bed. Tomorrow I will get back on track.

  • Bikes and Burpees : 93/100

    Bikes and Burpees : 93/100

    Kate and I went on a nice 2 hour ride this morning. The weather was perfect for a ride and we did the G to J loop. The G and J are the names of roads south of Mancos that go through some of the farms in the area. Its a low traffic route with some great views.

    We stopped by the local coffee shop and had some iced coffee before climbing back to the land. When we got back I still had some time to complete for the training session. I rode 2 laps and finished the workout as prescribed.

    August Burpee Challenge

    My company has been encouraging anyone who wants to organize group activities to do so. So far we have had the 100 days of blogging challenge, a daily step challenge, and now we have started a daily burpee challenge.

    The gist of it is that each day of August I will try to do as many burpees as I can. We will keep track of our progress and then see how many we all did as a group at the end of the month.

    Personally I don’t usually do burpees. Today I took it easy and did three 1 minute sets with a minute rest between each set. I managed to do 13, 12, and 11 for a total of 36. I felt pretty good about my effort even though my form felt horrible. The good news is that I have 30 more days to perfect my form.

  • White Cows and Walnut Stain : 91/100

    White Cows and Walnut Stain : 91/100

    I am having a few days of vacation this weekend and figured the best way to start things off would be to spend the day doing manual labor. We are getting the trim finished on our cabin and have hired a friend who is a carpenter to handle things. I have worked with Doug on a number of construction projects and had helped him trim place.

    One thing I wanted with the trim was a nice natural wood look. Doug’s suggestion is that in the dry conditions of Colorado you are fine with just oiling indoor wood. I like the idea cause oil is usually easier than varnish.

    One gripe about using oil on pine is that it makes the wood look yellow. To counter that issue we added some Walnut stain to the second application of linseed oil. The walnut stain was kept pretty light and gives the wood a sepia/antique look. It also brings out a lot of the character of the wood.

    Most importantly Kate is happy with how it is coming out. We should have things wrapped up on Monday, I and my mid back hope. While staining wood is a bit more enjoyable than pulling weeds it is still pretty tedious work. Its gonna be really nice when we are done.

    Workout Details

    Today’s ride was a 3 sets of 6 minutes at Level 4 effort. Level 4 is a sprint but not an all our sprint which is Level 5. I did 20 minutes of warm up on the highway and then used my fenceline trail for the intervals. One lap around takes me a little over 5 minutes so I rounded the intervals down a bit. It was a great way to do intervals. The trail has enough challenging sections both physically and technically to keep you focused on not hitting the fence.

  • Fitness Test Day : 89/100

    Fitness Test Day : 89/100

    Today was day 2 of my cycling training program. Yesterday was a strength day, and today is the fitness or FTP test. I wrote about the fitness test on May 16th on the 16th post of this blogging challenge. I know I had said I was only going to watch my time on workouts but I have added heart rate back. This is more helpful for telling me when to reduce my effort. It is amazing how often we are working way too hard in aerobic workouts. The purpose is to train your heart, and science has shown us that training from 85% to 94% of your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) is where you make your heart stronger.

    Determining LTHR is done by going as hard as possible for 20 minutes. You take your average heart rate during that effort and have an approximate of what your LTHR is. From there you use a guide or calculator to determine your training zones.

    On today’s test my LTHR came out to be about 6bpm less than the last time I did the test. There is a possibility I could have pushed harder but I am tired tonight which I attribute to pushing pretty hard this morning. This isn’t exactly ideal but since I haven’t been doing aerobic training for over 2 months it should not be a surprise. I guess I know why I am doing the training now.

    Overall it was a beautiful morning and a great ride.