Category: Fitness (Page 8 of 10)

Changing Gears Under Pressure

July 14, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

I”m going bike riding today! This is the third ride this week. Tuesday night was the potluck with a large group. Wednesday I rode with a friend of mine and we did hills. Today is a breakfast ride with four other people. We’re going to do the bike trails in a giant loop of around 22 miles.

Wednesday when we were doing hills, I spent quite a bit some time changing gears. If you enjoy riding a street bicycle, you probably have a lot of gears on the back wheel and two or three main ones in the front as well. Learning to shift gears is part of bike riding, especially with hills.

The idea is to keep your legs moving comfortably at a relatively steady rate and compensate for the hill by changing gears. The big circle on the front chain rings is operated with your left hand.

Probably the biggest trick is timing when you change gears. I like to use the momentum from going down a hill to help me move up the next hill, so I don’t like to change too soon, or my legs will be pedaling like mad, but I won’t be going anywhere. If I try to change to late, it’s way too tough to pedal and I may have to even stand up to keep moving up the hill.

That’s where it gets dicey. You can’t put too much pressure on the gears and expect them to shift from one cog to another. The chain may fall off or you may not even move forward.

If the hill is really steep, I like to shift all the way to the little front gear called the “granny gear” because I helps me to ride up a really steep hill at 3 mph. Yep. Even super slow, if I’m in the little gear, I can make it up. I might be breathing really hard and fast, but I can get there. I don’t use that gear all that often and it took me a while to figure out how to get into it, but I rely on it when I need it. I have to slightly pedal backwards to get it to move into that little gear in the front.

It’s like that in life too isn’t it!?! Sometimes a tiny step back lets you move forward. Switching gears and making changes at the right time is important. Too soon and you feel like you’re not getting anywhere… even when you work and work and work. Start the transition too late and there is too much pressure to be smooth.

Lots of chain grease from all the times my chain has dropped. You can see that the granny gear doesn’t get near as much use as the other two.

Changing gears under pressure is difficult. Timing the gear changes takes practice. And it takes paying attention! Smaller hills are better to practice on than the big hills. And I find that momentum helps with changes as well.

“It is just like riding a bike!” is a phrase people use when they mean you’ll remember how to do it even if you haven’t done it for a while. While that is true about balancing, I don’t think that gear changing is automatic. At least it isn’t for me. I have to keep practicing my gear changes. In the spring, after a whole winter of not shifting gears, I especially have to practice to remember “left hand big gear changes, right hand little changes on the back wheel gears.”

Now that it is summer, shifting gears is much easier and is a little more automatic.

Even with practice, I still messed up at one point on the ride on Wednesday and my chain popped off. I laughed it off, pulled over to the side and moved the chain back onto the smallest front gear. But since I lost all momentum, I had to walk a bit to get to the crest of the hill. It’s much like life. Too much pressure, wrong timing, and BAM, next thing I know, I have to walk up the hill.

Today I’m going to be mindful of the slope of the hill and try not be chatting too much so that I find myself in the wrong gear at the wrong time. Yeah summer!

Update: Our planned 22 mile bike ride ended up being 41 miles with a walking adventure! Instead of what we usually call the “Kent loop”, it turned into an Akron/Cuyahoga Falls loop. We averaged about 10 miles an hour and took lots of rest breaks as the temperatures after noon were in the 80’s. I was glad I had two water bottles with me. I’m sure you can tell where we walked the bikes up the hill at the huge elevation rise that felt about straight up. Most of the 41 miles had a nice long elevation drop. It was fun to go on some trails that I had never been on before. The screen shots below are from a bike riding app I use called Strava.

Staying Cool During Summer Heat While Bike Riding or Running

June 30, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

The weather forecast was supposed to be the low 90’s today and my bike group has a long bike ride planned in Cleveland, starting before noon and probably not finishing until well after 4 pm.

Of course, we won’t be riding the entire time. We’ll be taking photos (there are 3 Cleveland signs on the route) and probably stopping at a marina on Lake Erie for lunch.

Being able to participate in a long day during the heat, without any ill effects, can be a challenge.

Heat gets to me, so I try to do several things to stay cool during summer heat. You probably are doing most of them already. (Some aren’t so pretty.)

Here are my heat tips for bike riding or running a race when it is HOT:

Bring two water bottles and skip drinking the beer. Nothing dehydrates you quicker than alcohol. Refill the water bottles at lunch and ask for ice from the waitress. (Tip well.)
Hydrate well 2 nights prior to the ride or race. Salt my food. Make sure I have magnesium and potassium in food/supplements ahead of time and after.
I use a cooling scarf with gel beads inside. I take it off and dunk it in a cup of water at each aid station during the MS150 ride. It swells when it gets wet, then I tie it around my neck. I move it around so the wet part is around my skin. It’s usually dry by the next aid station.
Wear tech clothing that wicks. Today, I’ll have a bike jersey that is great for not sticking to me. A cotton shirt seems to just stick and will chafe. I also use chafing cream.
I also am not shy about dumping water over my head when it is super hot. (Remove helmet and sunglasses first for best results!)
A baseball cap helps to keep the sun off the top of my head and face. Sometimes getting that wet helps, but I prefer water directly on my hair if needed. My hair isn’t long enough for a ponytail, which would probably be a better look. A baseball cap helps!
Sun screen on my arms – but very little on my face. Sun burn makes the heat worse. Sunscreen on my face seems to block my pores and I can’t sweat correctly. (Anybody have any suggestions?) I know I probably should protect my face more, but I have overheated from using sun screen on my face. I recently read that you shouldn’t use sunscreen over 50, but the article didn’t explain why. Does anyone have an idea about that?
I have an insulated Nathan water bottle that I freeze the night before so as it melts, I am sipping ice water. I’m going to put it on my belt where I store my epipen.
I usually drink electrolytes during a race, usually as Gatorade. Some people use Tailwind, but I haven’t tried it yet. Others use Powerade, depending on what the race or aid stations have. I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with this today. I haven’t bought any salt tablets, but I know that some people do.
Pickle juice helps with the salt when I’m bike riding and they often have it at the aid stations but, I’ve never seen it at a run however. Maybe I will see if I can get a pickle or two with my sandwich at lunch.
Aim for the shade when and if possible. Today’s ride will be mostly in the sun.
Slow down as necessary. (I’m already pretty slow.)
Getting electrolytes back in me and cool down inside the core with something like ice really helps

Have you ever had heat problems? Sometimes it’s called heat exhaustion or heat stroke. It starts out just being hot, but progresses to when your face is incredibly red and you are way overheated. I’ve had it and don’t want to repeat it. In fact, I have gotten it when it has progressed to the chills. Definitely time to “call it.” Sure sign of a heat problem. No amount of pickle juice helped at that point!

It was on a bike ride in pure sun when it was just too hot (around 88 degrees and 3pm!) Most of the bike ride was behind me. Luckily there was already something in place during that ride called a SAG (support and gear) which is a van that has a bike rack ready to give any bike rider needing assistance a ride with their bike to the next aid station. Although I missed the last 15 miles or so of a 65 mile ride, it was much better to do that than have a REAL problem.

If you are having a problem with the heat, I believe it is NOT a time to try to try to suck it up, try feel better and keep riding! If you have heat problems, don’t try to tough it out! If you’re really faced with a heat problem, your brain stops working correctly and you can’t make decisions well. Ride with people you trust and trust your friends when they say you need to take care!

PS. I just checked the forecast and it has changed from earlier in the week for the better. Looks like we have beautiful high 80’s for the riding today in Cleveland Ohio – MUCH BETTER riding weather! May try to swing by the Cleveland Jazz Festival and listen to some great music too! It’s free down near Playhouse Square today!!

Tell me, how do you handle exercise during summer heat and still have fun with outdoor activities?!

Balance and Mobility Expert Jill Rango Podcast

Improving Balance and Mobility with Jill Rango

June 26, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Becoming Elli Podcast Episode Number 12

Jill McCauslin and Chris Brown talk with Jill Rango, a balance and mobility expert, on Episode 12 of the Becoming Elli Podcast.

She became a FallProof certified instructor in 2009 from the Center for Successful Aging, developed by Dr. Debra Rose, who was recognized by the National Council on Aging as one of seven programs nationwide that promotes a healthy, active lifestyle.

“It is never to late to improve your balance… and it’s never to early to start working on your balance.”

Jill Rango gives us tips to improve our balance, flexibility and mobility that can make such a big difference in helping us to keep from falling.

Lighting and Vision
Difference in surfaces
Mobility – walking is controlled falling
Balance and strengthening on both left or right legs
Fear of falling during the last third of life
Situations with medications, vision, the home and exercise
Resistant equipment for balance- bands, free weights, tubes, water
Flexibility training for ankles, hips and spine
The one common activity that is great for heart, lungs, frame of mind, but does NOT improve strength and balance
Common posture problems and how to make some easy changes
Every inch of head forward puts 10 pounds of pressure on your spine
One traditional exercise that instantly and easily improve balance
How fear of falling puts you at risk for falling
Why you should consider hiking with roots, rocks and things you need to step over
When to walking like a penguin is a good idea

Jill Rango Balance and Mobility Expert and FallProof Certified Instructor

Jill Rango, Balance & Mobility Expert and FallProof Certified Instructor

Jill Rango received a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation from Kent State University. After five years as an activity director in a skilled nursing facility, she decided to pursue a career in fitness. Certified by the American Council on Exercise as a group exercise instructor in 1986 and as a personal trainer in 2005, she taught classes and did personal training until 2008.

Then she combined her love for fitness with her enjoyment of working with older adults. When she realized what a problem falls were, she became certified as a FallProof balance and mobility instructor in 2009, teaching small group classes and working with individuals on preventing falls and improving balance and mobility.

Now retired from Laurel Lake Center, Jill teaches classes at St. Mary Catholic church in Hudson, Ohio which are open to the public, personal trains, and does speaking on the subject of better balance to interested groups.

She and her husband Richard live in Silver Lake and enjoy visits with their four children and five grandchildren.

Jill Rango may be contacted with questions at rangojill44@gmail.com.

Chicken Quinoa Tomato Salad for the Family Reunion

June 23, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Once a year I play softball, hop around inside a burlap sack, try to run/walk with a partner with one of our legs in a sack, play crochet, and race to the other side while balancing an egg on a spoon.

You got it! This Saturday is a family reunion.

All different ages and generations gather together. It’s a blessing to have such a big family.

It’ll be a time to catch up and reconnect. We will play corn hole. bocce ball, badminton and horseshoes.

I’m glad that my fitness level is strong enough to participate in the games without worrying about killing myself.

I didn’t used to be like that. In fact the other day, I ran across a photo of myself taken years ago at one of the family reunions, before I started really focusing on getting fit and strong. Notice the diet coke can in one hand, camera in the other. It took a long time to quit my diet coke habit and now it really gives me a stomach ache if I drink even a small amount.

Because I felt too out of shape to join in the games, I spent a lot of time going back up to the food table and yes, I felt like I’d gain about 3 pounds in one day.

Of course the family reunion always involves a whole lot of food and usually a huge landscape of high calorie choices.

Pasta with meatballs, pizza, fried chicken, and all kinds of desserts – cake, cookies, brownies, jello-pretzel-cool-whip and fluffy stuff that I don’t know what’s in it except sugar and sweetness. Nary a veggie tray with carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower to be found, but that is because everyone brings their most delicious dishes.

Believe me, it’s tempting to overeat. Today I’m going to try to remember all the good strategies for dealing with the food that we’ve discussed in the podcasts.

I’ll spend my time playing games and talking with people I haven’t seen since last reunion.

When it is time to eat, I’ll try to remember the tricks Melanie and Nancy shared with us for not over eating.

Survey the table completely before putting anything on a plate.
Include fresh veggies, whole food choices when possible.
If I really want something that has lots of calories, I’ll take a tiny size portion.

Meanwhile I’ll be drinking lots of water, so I don’t eat when I’m really thirsty. It’s been so very hot lately, I’ve been drinking more water than usual, so that’s a good tip anyway! Gotta make sure I have salt in my diet too.

Chicken Quinoa Tomato Salad

Today, I’m making a new healthy salad recipe and I thought I write it up to share it on Becoming Elli while I’m making it this morning.

First, I prep the salad ingredients for my Chicken Quinoa Tomato salad.

Baste 4 chicken breasts in salt water for one hour. Rinse off and put on a cookie sheet to bake for 40 minutes. (I put the oven on 400, but I suspect my temperature gauge is slightly off.) The salt water locks in the moisture in the chicken so it doesn’t dry out.

Slice several red peppers into strips.(Four nubs on the bottom are females, three are male. The female peppers are supposedly sweeter with less seeds.) Coat with olive oil. Roast in oven for 30 minutes.

Cook 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water for 15 minutes. Take off heat. Fluff with fork. Put lid on for 12 minutes. Fluff with fork.

While the chicken and peppers are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, chop up all the veggies:
Cut 2 pints of grape tomatoes in half.
Dice half of a small Vadelia onion.
Cut a cucumber into strips and dice.
Cut 3 stalks of celery into strips and dice.
Dice up a small handful of fresh basil

Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
Zest 2 lemons. Squeeze juice over veggies.

After chicken and red peppers have cooled a bit and cut into cubes.
Allow quinoa to cool. Fold everything together in the big bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a smaller serving bowl if desired.

I am a slow cook, so it took me a while to get this all done.

But now that the salad is ready, I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion and having some fun!

8 Reasons Why I Should Love Pushups

May 12, 2018 / Chris Brown / 5 Comments

I shouldn’t start out saying I hate pushups… but that is pretty much the truth. Whether you spell it push-up, pushup, push up or even press-up – they all mean a real upper body challenge to me!

Arm strength has never been my thing. Pushups are great it that you don’t need any equipment to do them. Pushups are a “real” exercise. My arms feel like jello after doing them. I’m still struggling to do good form pushups and often complete the round on my knees.

I’d love to be able to do something like 25, from the TRX. I can do four, when I’m fresh and really feeling strong.

More often than not, I’m struggling to keep good form. I don’t want to have to go to my knees in order to keep my body straight. I also find I want to bend my neck instead of looking slightly forward. Good form, which is important for all exercises, is really important with pushups.

Photo credit – Form – via Unsplash.

I know I need to LOVE pushups. Why?

Here are some of the benefits of doing pushups:

I want to be strong. Carrying groceries, lifting boxes, putting a suitcase in the overhead bin – I don’t want to ask for help. Being strong is good.
Good upper body strength will help to catch me if I start fall or help me get up off the floor (after getting worn out trying to do pushups – ha ha!)
Pushups work my core. Each pushup has a bit of the plank in it. Its one of the most basic exercises.
Pushups definitely make stronger shoulders. That’s a good thing for me after a skiing crash on my left shoulder in 2015 that still bothers me when I’m sleeping from time to time.
They help with posture, because pushups work the shoulders, the back and the chest.
Pushups improve balance – very important for bike riding. (I didn’t realize this until I read about it this morning. It must be the core.)
Because they are so hard I feel like they have to be good. Maybe it is because I feel so accomplished after I actually can do them.
Even 85-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsberg does 20 pushups each morning – and not on her knees – in her Notorious RBG workout

They say form is most important. So I’m trying not to just flail up and down but really focus on my form. In fact, I find that when I break them up throughout the workout so my arms don’t get so fatigued, it helps me to complete more pushups with good form. (Okay, now I’m just trying to convince myself I don’t hate pushups.)

Sometimes I distract myself by doing different types of pushups. Here are various kinds of pushups that have been part of my group exercise classes in the last few years:

on my knees (which may seem like a copout, but I find can still get a good work out and keep form)
on a bosu ball, with the solid side up and the rounded side down. We did four pushups and then four mountain climbers – repeat – for one minute
on a raised step – either a bench with risers underneath or an actual stair step
doing pushups off the wall or a countertop – different angles works things differently I’ve found
putting your feet in the loops of the TRX strap and doing pushups while your feet are suspended (YIKES!)
pushup on dumb bells combined with one arm rows
adding a pushup in the middle of burpees (The reason I like these pushups is because then I am concentrating on hating the squat thrust part of the burpee instead of the pushup — ha ha!)
pushups as part of yoga in sun salutations or cobra style (love these!)
hindu pushups (I have not been able to ever do these, but I try. If you’ve never tried them, you gotta Goggle it and try it. Makes normal pushups feel so much better.)
dolphin pushups
suicide pushups – These are not as bad as they sound. Start in a low plank and then go to high plank. Then back to low plank. Switch which arm you lead with each time.

Pushups are a love/hate thing with me. I’d love to love pushups. The only way that is going to happen is for me to do them regularly and don’t give up. And stop saying “I can’t” or “It’s too hard.”

Are you doing pushups? What type do you do? How did you learn to love them? Leave a comment below.

Cross Training is Better than No Training, Right?

April 21, 2018 / Chris Brown / 6 Comments

One month is the Cleveland Marathon and I am signed up to do the half marathon race of 13.1 miles on May 20.

I signed up for this spring race quite a while ago, after I completed the Akron half. I liked the idea of having this goal and it seemed like a good idea.

Here was my thought process:

It would “force me” to stay in good running shape through the fall, winter and early spring months.

If I sign up early, I would save money – the price goes up significantly as the race gets closer!

Worst case, I could simply walk instead of run. Or I could always switch to the 10K (6.2 miles) if things didn’t go well with my training. When you look at the Cleveland Marathon race, there are actually 7 races that weekend: the full, the half, 10K, 8K, 5K, 1 mile, kid’s fun run as well as walking divisions in both for most of the races. The full marathon even has a wheelchair group that is incredibly fast and extremely inspirational!

I’ve familiar with the Cleveland Marathon because I’ve volunteered at one of the water stops every year since 2010. Seeing all those runners really inspires me. I want to be one of them!

Instead of having bike riding season to help to prepare me for the half (like I did with the Akron half marathon last fall), I’ll have the Cleveland half marathon training through the winter to help to prepare me for biking.

So, did signing up for the half marathon help me? How did the training go?

After I signed up early with Jill, a lot of my water station friends also signed up to run the half (at least 4, that I know of) and we’ve been encouraging each other all winter! A BIG PLUS!

The half marathon has certainly was on my mind all during this past winter. I know I ran more than I would have. So that was a good thing. It didn’t “force” me to work out, but certainly motivated me.

My running plan of 3 days a week (with the longer run on the weekend) has been hit or miss, with more time on the treadmill than I ever expected and not enough outside in the fresh air. Not so good.

On the other hand, my cross training plan has gone better than I anticipated. That’s better than no training, right? And I’ve enjoyed that part – a lot! That is definitely a good thing.

Cross training is the exercise that runners should do to avoid injury of overuse. In looking at my actual results compared to my training plan, I think I’ve done more cross training than I have done regular training runs. My cross training for the Cleveland Half Marathon included a lot of core and strength training, topped off with indoor cycling – spinning. All good.

Meanwhile, my longest run isn’t long enough yet! And I haven’t been practicing which foods to eat and when. I suspect that it will be very evident a month from now. This thought is in back of my head worrying…

Looking Forward

I’m trying to guess what the weather will be on race day.

Last September when I ran the Akron Marathon, I found it easier to do the training schedule with the weather – if it rained lightly, I would still run and if it poured, I’d wait for the next day. The actual race day conditions were much hotter than I had anticipated, but I had done a lot of training in the heat of summer, so it wasn’t an unknown.

May in Cleveland can be cold, wet, snowy or super hot. It has been known to snow and hypothermia is a concern. And it’s been in the 80’s and heat exhaustion is a concern. But I can’t control the weather. I can control what I do to get ready. So why do I obsess over the weather so much?!?

I’m looking forward to getting a long run in today and with the better weather in the forecast, enjoying the outdoor weather for more intervals, tempo runs and long runs during the next few weeks.

When I think about the race, I’m also looking forward to seeing my skiing friends at water station #4 at mile 7.3!! It will be a big mental boost at a point in the race when I will need it. It will be very different this year experiencing the race as one of the runners!

Perhaps most of all, I’m looking forward to getting a photo (or more) with the women from Becoming Elli before the race. I had a daydream while I was running the other day about some of the Becoming Elli women coming out to watch, make a sign and cheer us on. Is that silly of me?

My mantra right now – 30 more days… no, just 29 more days…

Oh, wait… in the time it took me to write this, it’s actually only 28 more days…

New Inspiration from Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

April 14, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I’m feeling new inspiration. Why? With 100 days into 2018 already, spring is here and winter is behind us (hopefully.)

Best of all… the Becoming Elli Facebook Closed Group is active now. Jill and I have had a dream of finding more women like us who are working on becoming (and staying?!) fit and strong. We started this website and our podcast series to provide a place to connect with others who may have some of the same struggles, concerns and goals as we do.

To that end, we are encouraging you to join the Becoming Elli Facebook Closed Group as a way to connect with other like-minded women.

Why I am personally excited about the Closed Group:

I’ve found I have to keep an eye on my weight – it is a still a struggle for me – and other women are going through the same challenges.
Having friends and acquaintances (or even strangers who I have a lot in common with) who are going through the same things gives me the feeling that I’m not alone in my struggles.
I’ve found that I will do exercise when it is fun, I know I won’t get hurt doing it and I have other people who are “in it” with me.
A closed group offers a more open conversation. It’s easier to discuss something on the internet when I know it’s not wide open to the world.
Sometimes just one person telling me “you can do it, I know you can.” gives me the added incentive to do what I’m trying to accomplish.
Hearing about someone else’s challenges and what they are able to overcome really motivates me

Why you may be interested in joining the group:

Motivation/inspiration
Looking at things from another angle makes a difference.
New ideas are helpful and reinforcing your existing ideas helps too.
Taking steps to do the action plan for a dream or a goal you’re working on feels really good.
You can have questions answered – or discussed with pros and cons – find others with the same concerns
Celebrate your “wins” – with weight loss, muscle gained or challenges met

Please use this link to join the group. Jill and I have a few common sense ground rules. We are eager to connect with you. We review and approve each person’s membership in the group so that it will not be a public group.

Maybe you are like me and are taking this change of season time to look at where things stand with your fitness.

I’m thinking about my fitness – the half marathon I committed to running is coming up fast. I’m thinking about my weight – ready to recommit to eating right by planning and keeping track of what I put in my mouth.

Meanwhile during this past week:

I’ve done 2 really strong workouts – the kind that leave you sore the next day in a good way. Not hurt, but my muscles are building.
I was able to get a couple of shorter runs completed.
Jill and I attended a health fair at my gym that inspired us. I found some new ways to maintain better health and we discovered some new podcast topics. While at the health fair, we took advantage of some free screenings. I was excited to see good test results on blood pressure and bone density, but I found I still have a lot of muscle to gain! More about all that in a later post.

If you live anywhere near me in Ohio, you may be excited that the weather has actually become spring. I’m going to wrap up this post so I can get outside and enjoy the weather. I better be fast to beat those April Showers!!

Don’t forget to connect with us with the new Facebook Group. – Chris

P.S. Leave a message in the Becoming Elli group about why you’ve joined. I’m eager to hear from you!

Diane’s Workout Secrets: An Everyday Woman Shares What She Has Learned

April 10, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

Diane is an everyday woman who works a lot of hours at her job, has children and grandchildren, and is active in her church. She finds time to work out in some way six days a week and looks and feels fantastic.

A few years ago Diane Berkley decided to see how strong and fit she could become.

In episode number 7 of the Becoming Elli Podcast, Jill and Chris interview her and she shares her workout secrets with our listeners. In this episode, you will learn:

How she works out
What she did to gain muscle
How she has added running into her routine
How she eats to stay lean and strong
How often she eats

“I see women working out in the gym, struggling to change but things stay the same. So I asked my trainer… What makes the difference?”

Bonus – Stay tuned at the end of the podcast tips for how to get a bit more active!

Please leave a comment below and let us know what you found helpful or interesting about this podcast. Thanks for listening!

Taken on a ride to Cleveland, July 23, 2018 during a lunch break at the marina near the bike trail.

Getting Psyched for Bike Riding this Spring

April 7, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

It took me a while to really love-love-love bike riding. There was a lot I had to “get over.”

Of course I had to work on my stamina, endurance, and muscles, but that’s not what I’m referring to! Like everything else with exercising and having fun, when I started bike riding, I had to “get over it.”

The helmet hair. Socks with sandals. Lycra spandex bike pants. Funny form fitting shirts with pockets in the back (most of them meant for guys, not women.) Weird sun tan lines around my eye from wearing sun glasses. Self doubt if I could keep up. Lots of laundry with sweaty bike clothes.

Taken on a ride to Cleveland, July 23, 2018 during a lunch break at the marina near the bike trail.

It was definitely outside my comfort zone. Along with the new “get over it” mind set, I had a lot to learn!

How to get the chain back on my bike if it falls off – without getting my fingers all dirty.
How to change a tube from a flat tire.
The best way to put the bike on a bike rack.
How to stuff my bike inside my car so I don’t have to mess with a bike rack.
How to take a wheel off — and how to get it back on – quickly.
Pump up the tires. ETC. ETC!
There are lots more, but I’m still learning.

Now that it is the second weekend in April, I feel like it’s time for me to be bike riding already. I was disappointed that this morning featured a covering of snow on the ground again. While 40 degrees (scratch that, it’s actually 27 degrees), doesn’t seem terribly cold, if I was riding my bicycle along at 12 miles an hour, believe me, the chill would go right through me!

So, I’ll satisfy myself with just writing about bike riding. I know this cold weather snap won’t last forever and I want to be ready when it’s time to get out there and go.

Here are the things I’m doing to check my bike and equipment to get ready for the season:

1) Tires – I like to pump my tires up to the 90 to 100 PSI range. I ride a street bike that has skinny tires. That pressure level seemed too high to me at first, especially since I was used to car tires at 32 PSI. But I’ve found that low tires means that I go much slower, not to mention that low pressure is more likely to result in a flat tire after a nasty bump or pothole. (Not that I aim for potholes or anything!)

I’ll check the wear on the tires and the number of miles I’ve put on them. I’m going to check that my seat pack has a spare tube and a canister of CO2. And double check that I have the two tools I need, the CO2 attachment and the little plastic tampon-looking tool to get the tire off the rim.

2) Chain – My chain was replaced last season, but I want to oil it up again. At the end of the season I made sure it was lubricated before I put it away, but because it is stored in our unheated garage all winter, I think it’s a good idea to double-check that it’s in good shape.

When the chain starts to go it can effect the teeth on the cranks, which is an expensive thing to replace and not something I want to take on. Too much oil on the chain ends up giving me a bike riding “tattoo” since I tend to put my right foot down and the bike leans right onto my calf when I stop. (Another thing I had to get over.)

3) Derailleur – This involves looking at the cable that moves the gears on my bike, all the way down to where the crank meets the chain. A frayed cable is a bad sign. I remember one ride when I thought I’d have to SAG in after my rear derailleur cable broke, but luckily there was a bike shop supporting the riders and they had me back on the road in about 10 minutes. Amazing when you know what you’re doing for fixing a bike! If I tried to change it, that would have taken all afternoon and I’d end up taking it to the bike shop anyway in frustration!

4) Brakes – Are the brake pads worn? Nothing more important than stopping when you need to and worn brake pads are not something I expect to find.

Typically I don’t use the brakes much. It’s not like driving a car. When I’m riding, I usually slow down and just tap the brakes when I need to stop. But from time to time, there is a need to stop fast and I want to make sure the brakes are there when I need them.

5) Spokes – A loose spoke means trouble – the wheel isn’t going to roll smoothly. To check this, I turn the bike upside and ping each spoke listening for a different sound (too low typically) that signifies a loose spoke.

6) Helmet, mirror and flashy-blinky lights – Safety is critical on a bike. The mirror helps me see other bikes and drivers, but the flashy-blinky lights helps other people see me. I like to use the mirror that attaches to the glasses.

I take a look at the battery in the lights and buy a new set of batteries for the upcoming season.

And the helmet… well, I hope I never really need it! Although it has already saved me a trip to the ER once already. I fell over at a simple stop and clunked my head on a piece of concrete. Nothing happened, but if I hadn’t had my helmet on, I bet I would have needed stitches. I jumped up quickly and the other people I was with didn’t even realize I fell over.

7) Bike pants – Last season I invested in a new pair of bike shorts to replace my favorite pair that became “see through.” I still have two other pairs that are usable. Sometimes I don’t have time to do laundry between a Friday morning spinning session and a Saturday morning bike ride, so choices of bike pants is a good thing. Plus I don’t want to have another situation of “see through” pants and not realize it!!

8) Bike shoes – My go to choice for bike shoe are actually sandals from Nashbar. They have 3 adjustment points so they fit! And the open toes are nice for not getting sweaty feet. I adjust the clips so it’s quick and easy to unclip when I’m stopping. You can tell which foot I put down to stop, because that’s the shoe that gets worn. My only issue with these sandals is the nubs on the bottom. It’s too much for my sensitive feet, so I do the unthinkable – wear socks with my sandals. (I got over that one quickly. Comfort over fashion for me!)

9) Bike water bottles – I like the kind that fit snugly in my water bottle holders. They need to also have a soft opening for drinking that doesn’t hurt my lips/teeth. The top has to open and close quickly. And not leak. Or at least, not leak very much. I hate it when a water bottle splashes on my legs when I hit bumps!

I may need to invest in a couple new water bottles this year as the old ones either have the wrong lids or the lids got lost in the bottom of the Tupperware cabinet.

10) Psych myself UP– This is the reward after doing all the other 9 steps of preparation! Getting psyched for bike riding is the best feeling! I’m going to take a look back at the rides recorded on my Strava account from prior years and remember all the fun times we had. l love dong this because it gets me really psyched up for another season. Maybe I’ll plan a few new routes. It’s so fun to look through the best ones from other years.

I’m going to plan on taking more spinning classes at the gym for the next month or so. This will help me to build up my muscles for the season so I can focus more on all the stuff that happens when I actually go outside. Things like: balancing the bike, looking out for potholes, other bikes, cars and changing gears on the bike.

After all my checklist for getting the bike ready for spring, I’ll take it to a bike shop too and have them look it over too. Not many bike shops enjoy working on my bike. My bike is vintage – it’s a Cannondale 53″ made in from 1988. While the gears still shift on the frame instead of the handlebars, I really love this bike.

Do you have anything that you had to get over in order to really enjoy yourself in an exercise activity? Are you a bike riding enthusiast? What did I leave off of my checklist?

Leave a message below or send me an email – Chris@becomingelli.com. See you out on the bike trails!

Finding Inspiration from My Birthday

March 31, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Yep, there are 61 candles on this cake! Inspiration from my birthday

This is what 61 candles look like on a cake!

Yesterday was my birthday.

Sometimes on birthdays I just feel older, but sometimes I feel really lucky. This year is a lucky year!

While each birthday is really “just another day” in the year, I find that the blessings of another birthday provides me with one of those pivotal times to look ahead and look behind. A way to gather motivation and inspiration to do better, be better and appreciate life more. A little bit like my very own “New Years Day” or that feeling in early September of new beginnings as the school year gets started.

I really like to draw inspiration from my birthday, instead of bemoaning another year older.

My birthday is a time to review goals and count blessings. It’s a time to re-inspire myself and to regain motivation for the things I’m working toward.

I’m grateful for my health and my fitness; for my friends and family. I’m also grateful for my good luck and circumstances.

Because my birthday is near the beginning of spring, the hint of sun and new flowers poking their heads up fills me with anticipation of warmer days and outdoor activities.

For overcoming the days of overcast and cold – when things seem too hard and I feel overwhelmed – I like to draw inspiration from other people.

I like to find inspiration in videos, from the young and the old. I find inspiration from the 90 year old who ice skates, the 70 year old who water skis, the 100 year old who still skis and from the 20 year old who isn’t afraid to share her convictions.

I admire people who take adversity and do the impossible — like the double amputee who did 31 marathons in 31 days. It makes what I am attempting to do seem much more achievable!

After watching some of the inspirational videos here and here, I can’t sit still anymore! I’ll leave you with one more video (that makes me smile and want to dance!) because it is time for me to go out for my “long” run of the week in preparation for the half marathon I’m planning to run on May 20.

Where do you draw inspiration? Do you find your birthday motivating? Leave a comment below or email me!