So I’ve signed up, again, for the 300 miles challenge. I signed up a while back, to begin on July 1. Which may not have been the best idea, now that I consider it. Because Megan is going to be having the baby in the next week or so. Which means I will not be coming to work, and will be staying with the kids, which means I will not be riding my bike… to work or anywhere else. But, maybe I can throw in a few extra 10 and 15 mile rides to catch up. We’ll see.

I’m still doing pretty okay on the bike. I’ve ridden to work at least 4 days a week since my last update, and also went out on the trail for 15 miles one time.

Pushups have been lame, though. Or, I have been lame in doing my pushups.

My friend Chris Twittered (Tweeted?) about this site, http://bicycletutor.com/. Very helpful stuff

When Bilbo was ninety-nine he adopted Frodo as his heir, and brought him to live at Bag End; and the hopes of the Sackville-Bagginses were finally dashed. Bilbo and Frodo happened to have the same birthday, September 22nd. ‘You had better come and live here, Frodo my lad,’ said Bilbo one day; ‘and then we can celebrate our birthday-parties together.’ At that time Frodo was still in his tweens, as the hobbits called the irresponsible twenties between childhood and the coming of age at thirty-three.

Twelve more years passed. Each year the Bagginses had given very lively combined birthday-parties at Bag End; but now it was understood that something quite exceptional was being planned for that autumn. Bilbo was going to be eleventy-one, 111, a rather curious number, and a very respectable age for a hobbit (the Old Took himself had only reached 130); and Frodo was going to be thirty-three, 33, an important number: the date of his ‘coming of age’.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25253128/

Research scientists are fluffing data, or faking results, or plagiarizing… and not being reported. The number one reason likely being money money money.

Zoo performs first reverse vasectomy on horse

(AP) — Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo have revealed they reversed a vasectomy on an endangered horse to allow it to reproduce naturally - the first-known operation of its kind on an endangered species.
Veterinarians said Monday that the surgery was performed in October 2007 on a Przewalski horse named Minnesota.

Luis Padilla, the zoo veterinarian who performed the reversal surgery, said the procedure was a first for this species and likely for any endangered species.

Brent Thomas posted about The 100 Pushup Challenge today, and I think I’ll take it up. It will help with some strength training while the cycling will help with the belly training.

You’re supposed to do an ‘initial test’ to determine how many pushups you do each session. But, knowing my limitations, I am going to skip that and see if I can even do Level 1 of the second column, which is 7 pushups. I am skeptical. And especially skeptical that, if I do 7, I’ll be able to do 7 more 60 seconds later (and then 5 more, and then 4 more). If I can’t, I will just drop down to the first column for the remainder of the program.

Ron saw one of the cars that takes the pictures for Google Maps’ Street View.

Eric Peters, indie singer/songwriter extraordinaire, is blogging through the process of recording his eighth album. Be sure to check in from time to time.

http://middleofthestorm.blogspot.com

Get Eric’s music for free on emusic!

Obama has the Democratic nomination, but Ron Paul is still speaking the truth…

Last week was pretty lame on the riding to work front. Rode Monday, didn’t ride Tuesday, rode Wednesday, rode in the morning Thursday, but Megan picked me up after work. I had a meeting to go to. Which is exciting. Friday, I didn’t go to work because my Dad was in, but we went out on the trail. He and the girls walked, and I got 12 miles in. Yesterday afternoon was my first go at going on the trail from home, and it was a good time. I saw a deer on the side of the trail, and a dead copperhead in the middle of the trail. Nature Ride!
About a quarter of a mile from home I ran over something on the side of the road, and got a flat tire. LAME! It must have been a nail or something, because there was a clean, round hole in the tube. I took it to the shop today, and they fixed it. And while at the shop I bought myself a bike computer[1] for my bike. It will keep track of my mileage (total and per ride) and speed (average and max), and also tell me the time, temperature and let me know if my pace at any given time is above or below my average. I’m excited about it. My bike won’t be ready until Wednesday, though, because I’m also having the gear shifter/brake handles replaced, since one of them was acting a bit funky.
So, I’m not going to make my 200 mile goal. Which is sad. I didn’t expect to get 300, but I thought I’d reach 200.

[1]Special Note: It is a bad idea to buy things like this for yourself when you have a birthday just around the corner.

I’ve been dutifully riding to work, and this past weekend I put on some extra miles. We went out on the bike trail Saturday, and I rode 13 miles. Megan and the kids were walking, but I rode my bike. Part of my 13 miles was me backtracking to them, to see how they were doing. Then I went out for another spin. The reason i tell you this is because when I was mapping my ride, I forgot the part where I went back to them, which was 2 miles. So I rode 13, but only mapped 11. So, if I come within two miles of the 300 mile goal, I’m going to fake a two mile ride. Otherwise, I don’t care enough to do anything about it.

Then, yesterday, I rode ten miles to our church Psalm Sing. The hosting family generously offered me their shower, so I wasn’t nasty the whole time.

So, according to the website, I have ridden 124.37 miles since May 12th. I have through June 11th to get 300. If I ride to work everyday, that will be 61 miles, bringing me to about 185. So I’d need another 115 miles. Which, I can tell you, is not going to happen. So even though the goal on the website is 300 miles, I am amending it to 200.

My Dad is coming in for a visit this weekend, so I might not get out to the trail to get the extra 15 miles. So there is some pressure. But I’m gonna try it.

I didn’t start the challenge until May 12th because I was camping the whole first week of May, and didn’t ride at all. So, the month of May summary…
124.25 miles ridden. At current prices, that’s about $32 worth of gas.
7598 calories burned on the bike.
I hover right around 257, +/- 3 pounds throughout the day.

Also… on Friday I road home in 13 minutes, 19 seconds.