[maverick]

@rcannon100 26428 wrote:

And review your diet. Pushing your body hard means good diet. Electrolyte and sugar replacement. Protein. (lots of juice and tofu!!) And, um, oh yeah -> sleep

thanks rcannon100! i need to get some guidance on how much and what i should be eating! i’m not shy about eating when i’m hungry – but i may not be eating the right stuff.

thinking back to yesterday, a banana in the morning, a green smoothie during the commute, a granola bar once i got to work, a bowl and chips at chipotle for lunch (no rice, lots of black beans, lots of pico de gallo, corn salsa, guacamole, lettuce), a vegan chocolate cupcake at red velvet in the afternoon, a huge salad for first dinner, and then falafal with tahini dressing, a couple of cheese sticks and a big bowl of strawberries for second dinner when i got home.

i’m a lacto-vegetarian, in case you were wondering…

[maverick]

thanks for the helpful words and supporting thoughts folks!

most days, it’s bike to work and bike back. i can certainly add to that to help build up my endurance.

i was visiting my aunt and uncle yesterday after work, and was getting sleepy before i left there place to ride back home (about 15 miles). as consularrider mentioned, i also felt great once i was riding!

i carry a platypus in a pannier, with an extension tube connected to it. for the morning commute, i forgot to clip the tube to my shirt, and the tube was dragging, with the bite valve touching the chain. fortunately, i had a green smoothie in my bag, and hydrated with that while i was riding to work in the morning. and i was able to get to the bike lane in reston town center once i got to work and buy a replacement bite valve. i also drank plenty of water once i got to work. i probably drank 3+ liters of water over the course of the day.

i’m drinking a green smoothie now (spinach, kale, bananas, green grapes, water, walnuts, flax seed). it’s kind of like drinking a salad – combine greens, fruits, nuts, and seeds of your choice, with water!

[maverick]

@KLizotte 25076 wrote:

I really should sell my car; it is rotting away from lack of use. I think I’m only keeping it because it’s paid off and is useful for hauling my bike around.

my car was paid off, but i am happy to use the $17k from the sale to pay down my mortgage!

but i like the toyota sienna my wife drives for that very reason – my bike fits nicely in the back!

[maverick]

@Terpfan 25059 wrote:

Just don’t open your 401k to look at some of the dividend producers .

ha!

[maverick]

@rcannon100 25044 wrote:

Congratulations!!!

We went to one car probably 5 years ago. We live in N Arlington on a decent bus run, can schlep to the metro (about a mile), and have a zipcar membership. Mainly, I bike.

We have saved an insane amount of money. And by saved, I mean I never see it as it all vanishes into the dark hole known as a 529.

The only condition? Can you and your spouse play nicely? It requires logistical planning, and not scheduling conflicting car demands. Google Calendars for the family calendar is very good for this – every can see it and add to it, everyone can have their own calendar / color – and hopefully the family can be coordinated. Some couples can, others (like the men out their who drive useless sports cars) cant.

i think the weekdays will be fine. we’ll see how the weekends play out.

i don’t mind hopping on my bike to go shopping or to run an errand.

we’re a mile and a bit from east falls church and west falls church. so the metro isn’t far. these are also zip car locations. we have an enterprise rent-a-car in falls church, but their weekend hours are limited to 9am to noon on saturday morning. so if you rent from them on saturday, you’re renting the car for two days.

the only challenge i have is visiting my dad. actually, he’s not far from the four mile run trail at george mason drive – it’s very easy for me to get there by bike from my place, because we’re half a mile from the w&od in falls church.

i rode my bike over one day, and was surprised and disappointed when the lobby staff would not allow me to bring my bike into the building. they allow owners to lock their bikes in a cage they provide. but i don’t live there – i’m visiting. so i can’t park my bike there. and they won’t allow me to take the bike to my dad’s condo.

i probably could have gone through the service elevator if i had entered through the loading dock door. but he ended up calling security when i insisted that he explain to my why i can’t take my bike into my dad’s condo or into my dad’s cage. maybe he didn’t like that i unknowingly entered the lobby with my bike, or didn’t like that i was asking for a logical explanation for their arbitrary condo rules.

maybe next time, i can just try entering through the loading dock door, and we’ll see what happens! ha!

[maverick]

i sold the subaru! the new owners are picking her up this evening.

my wife has a toyota sienna, so if she isn’t using the car and i need to get somewhere in a vehicle in the evening, i do have that option. and of course there are different car rental options if we both need a vehicle to go in different directions.

[maverick]

okay, i’m checking out the nutcase helmets – in addition to the purple dazzle, the watermelon looks very cool! how are these in practice? i have a helmet from specialized now, and it’s well ventilated and comfortable for my head (more longish than roundish).

[maverick]

@KelOnWheels 23187 wrote:

Ask and you shall receive! Splam!

I had a sparkly red motorcycle helmet when I was 5. My parents would let me ride on the back of their awesome 70’s Kawasakis up to the neighborhood ice cream store. Evel Knievel was my hero, probably because he had a cool jumpsuit.

What were we talking about? Oh, thunderstorms! Right.

that is awesome! thanks!!

[maverick]

@KelOnWheels 23180 wrote:

No, but I wish I did! Especially if it was sparkly purple.

i’ve always wanted a sparkly purple helmet! let me know if you find one!

[maverick]

@creadinger 23157 wrote:

There’s a slight risk of severe today in the mid-atlantic. The biggest threats will likely be from heavy, heavy rain, and damaging straight line winds. Possibly even a few microbursts. Unfortunately you can’t really predict cloud-ground lightning, but there likely be a lot of that. Just keep an eye on the radar and if timing becomes an issue, hopefully you can be a little flexible about when you head out. http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=lwx&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no

thanks for the link to the radar map!

there is something surreal about thunder storms – i love sitting and watching the rain pouring down and the lightning and listening to the clapping of the thunder.

@creadinger 23157 wrote:

@Maverick – from my prior experience commuting, sometimes racing a thunderstorm home can make for one of your fastest commutes ever. The addition of adrenaline is like a nitrous oxide systen in a car engine. Just make sure you keep following the rules of the road/trail.

ha! for some reason, this made me think of a bear chasing me down the trail. i’m sure that would make for a fast commute!

i actually ended up staying home today.

stay safe out there this afternoon!

[maverick]

so, my head was hurting and i was feeling pretty tired after i got home this evening.

i went to whole foods to get some emergen-c, and drank a coconut water while i was shopping. this is after having a green smoothie (kale, spinach, mango, banana, pineapple, water), a banana and walnuts after i’d gotten home. i feel so much better now! coconut water is amazing! i need to start ordering it by the case for home and work!

[maverick]

thanks folks! let’s see what the weather forecast looks like tomorrow morning and we’ll take it from there…

[maverick]

it is hot out there! i filled my platypus with 2 liters of water and ran out along the way!

i was drinking plenty of water in the afternoon (and going to the bathroom a lot, so i don’t know to what extent i was hydrated by the time i left).

i can pick up emergen-c and mix it into the water i have in the afternoon before i head home.

[maverick]

@Brent 23074 wrote:

Check out this: http://www.showerspass.com/veleau-1

yes, i saw this, but it won’t fit with my bike because i have a rear rack.

[maverick]

@brendan 23024 wrote:

A couple of summers ago I carelessly went for a long ride in 98 degree heat. Had a lot of water with me (two water bottles, four medium gatorade g2 bottles) and still had to turn around early due to some symptoms that were freaking me out. Got home…and fainted in the shower. Turns out I was about 10lbs lighter than when I had left and therefore severely dehydrated, that’s over a gallon short…even with all the hydration along the way.

As a heavy sweater, I decided I needed to be more cautious. I also repurposed a 2.5-gallon MSR dromedary bag as my summer water holder on the cargo bike, even for solo rides. Granted, I have to stop and refill water bottles, but it’s wise to have mandatory shade/water stops every 10 miles or so when it’s quite horrible out anyway.

And maybe skip the extra long loop on days like today.

Brendan

wow! glad you came out of it okay!! just stepped out into reston town center for lunch – it is a hot, hot day!

[Author]

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