Chafing for Purely Selfish Reasons

It's official... I'll be running in the 2012 Austin Half Marathon. Join me by registering here.

Ride Run Happy. Be Happy.

(Double-Posted here and at lukegmarshall.wordpress.com)

Back in the Saddle for Burritos

Question: How does one shake off a lazy (both in biking and blogging) start to the summer? 


Answer: Sign up for a really hilly ride that starts at 7am and will likely be full of hardcore riders.

I just registered for the Bicycle Sports Shop Tres Burritos Ride on July 16th. That gives me about two weeks to get my legs in gear, I chose the hilliest of the three routes offered, because hey, why not? Proceeds will go to Boltage, a program that tracks the number of times students ride their bikes to school and rewards them for their participation. 

Here is the route, for those who are interested:

Tweeting for a Cause

So for the non-Web 2.0 among you... you probably have no idea that on my most recent ride, I was incessantly tweeting my progress. And if you are Web 2.0 literate... you probably have no idea that on my most recent ride, I was incessantly tweeting my progress (since I only have 10 tweeps on for my @lukechafes account).

Thus, to make my diligent efforts of keeping you in the loop in real time, you know... worth something. I'm going to pepper this update with my tweets:

To start this update (the final one before the Hill Country Ride for AIDS this weekend!), I'm just going to list the first six roads I was riding on:

• Mt. Bonnell Rd.
• Westslope Dr.
• Lookout Mountain Dr.
• Mountain Villa Dr.
• Ledge Mountain Dr.
• Cat Mountain Dr.

So, as you can tell from my incredibly subtle bold-italicizing... yesterday was a pretty low-key, flat day. Probably you should just imagine the great plains of Iowa or something.

Here's the elevation chart for my Sunday morning:

Considering I wasn't quite awake yet as I started to climb Mt. Bonnell... I was a bit surprised when I got to the top, so I decided to celebrate with a picture of the view of Lake Austin:

But there's no rest for the weary... after Mt. Bonnell (which is the shaded part of the first bump in the elevation chart), there was a quick decent (which doesn't really make an appearance on the chart) followed by a series of steep but short hills... which basically amount to that last 100ft of climbing.

At that point I'm pretty sure I sent a text to Hillary with something along the lines of: "I'm in pain... and I've only gone 5 miles so far." To which she replied something along the lines of: "Quit being such a girlie man." [Editor's Note: she actually responded with some really flattering and helpful encouragement... I've just found self-deprecation to be a better tool for getting laughs than sincerity, but please don't judge Hillary for my creative liberties.]

I then got a nice little leg break, as I got to descend the Spicewood Spings hill... which I would meet again later, under less favorable circumstances (namely, that I would be starting at the bottom next time).

I then made my way down Highway 360 to Highway 2222 to Jester Rd. This road is one of the biggest hills in the area, and I've never attempted it before. So I started climbing. And strictly for the benefit of my tweeps (and you all!), and certainly not because I needed a break of any sort as I climbed, I snapped a couple photos:

Obligation to my masses of adoring fans completed, I finished up the hill. You can't see it super well in this picture, but on the right hand side of the road are a series of three signs showing that road turns... but if you look closely, you can see they quickly disappear below sight because of the steepness of the hill... to date, I think it's the toughest hill I've climbed.

But having conquered the hill... I was greeted at the top by an old friend from childhood:

So that was cool.

I had a pretty rough decent from the top of Jester... the road I picked (due to ignorance of the route I should have taken) was Beauford. And was super steep, which isn't ideal for a decent. It also had grooves cut into it. Apparently, this helps cars maintain traction on such a steep hill... but for cyclists who are clamping the breaks as hard as possible, and still managing to be descending at 20mph... they don't help traction. In fact, they make your handle bars shake bar and forth incredibly hard to where you don't have control over your steering... and make you decide that if you see a car coming up the hill, that your best bet for not dying is to purposefully try to crash into something other than that car. Luckily... I was able to somehow get myself to the side of the road and stopped and off my bike before a couple cars came driving up the hill. So crisis averted. I walked the rest of the way down.

So I was alive, and uninjured, which probably makes my mom happy. But it also meant I got to keep riding... so, remember my foreshadowing earlier? Spicewood Springs was my last big hill:

It hurt a bit... but I made it. The rest of the ride was kind of a cool-down recovery cruise. Which was good.

So three big hills... not bad for a weekend's work. As I mentioned before the Hill Country Ride for AIDS is this Saturday. I'll try to do a similar live-tweeting thing again, for anyone who's interested in real-time photo and 140-character updates. You can find me @lukechafes, these tweets will also show up on the right-hand side of the blog (but I think you have to refresh the webpage for it to update with the most recent tweets).

Thank you all for your support and putting up with my ramblings about hills and lycra.

If you'd still like to donate to support the Ride and services for those living with HIV and AIDS, there's plenty of time. You can find my donation page here.

Something that's pretty amazing, and totally because of your very generous support so far, I've already cleared my fundraising goal! So thanks a million! Since I've already cleared my goal, I'd encourage anyone still interested in donating to send some love to my Chafing for a Cause teammates Spencer and Bethany, who are still working hard towards their goals. You can find their donation pages here and here, or you can find all our donation pages and updates at the blog.

Thanks again everyone!

Ride Happy,
Luke

When Chafing for a Cause Becomes Soul-Crushing (Strong Headwind Edition)

Riding your bike in 30mph headwinds--with (we think) gusts up to 45 mph--in 90+ degree heat, is a good way to motivate you...

...to give up cycling, eat a gallon of ice cream, and pout.

At least... that's what it made me want to do. There's nothing quite as frustrating as working your butt off going up a half-mile long hill with a 7% grade into a 30mph headwind and looking at your cycle computer to see you're putting out a MONSTROUS ... 9mph.

Oy.

Spencer has a really great post on the day here. It's worth a read because he communicates the utter soul-crushing nature of the day pretty well.

Another way to demonstrate the soul-crushing nature of the day is to show you two pictures. Before the day:

After the day:

You might be tempted to say to yourself, "He chose poorly" (+10 kudos points to he who can name the movie first... the big hint is the shriveled Nazi above) while considering that we rode out with a 30 mph tailwind... the logical corollary being that we were basically asking for it. And you'd be right.

But, being that we're only 20 days away from the Hill Country Ride for AIDS, we decided to test our metal. It was a tough day... but at least we all survived. Mostly thanks to the courageous efforts of Matt and the Glorious PowerAid of Victory he delivered from his SAG wagon (read Spencer's post for details on the SAG wagon). So many thanks to him... we literally had buzzards circling above, and without that liquid gold I think they would have been the victorious ones.

Thank you all again for your support. With 20 days to go, the Hill Country Ride is almost half way to it's goal of raising $500,000 toward services for those living with HIV and AIDS. And because of you, I'm about two thirds of the way to my personal goal! And if you're so inclined, you can donate here.

Thanks again!

Ride Happy,

Luke

Spencer vs. Parmer Lane

With Luke and I in full fund raising and training mode, we got together with Andrew on Saturday to get some miles in. It was a simple proposition: a sub-50 mile ride straight up Parmer Lane and back, starting in Northwest Austin.
We struck out through the tree-lined neighborhood on an idyllic April afternoon. As we meandered out to the roadway, we chatted casually. Luke has just completed training for a half marathon and Andrew is active in two soccer teams. I... ride my bike to work sometimes. It was clear from the very beginning that I would be having a very different day.

We made it to Parmer Lane, with Luke starting out strong, holding down an average pace of 24 miles an hour. Andrew and I were clocking in at 21 miles an hour on average.

Very soon into the ride, it became apparent that casually riding around Austin averaging 15 miles an hour on neighborhood streets is no way to "totally dominate the open road." Clearly I have lost a bit of fitness over the winter. But, I was still enjoying the rolling countryside, the wind at my back, and the sunshine. Little did I know these things would conspire against me in the end.

Okay, at this point I thought the sunshine has become a bit more oppressive, and perhaps I'd get my second wind to catch them at the next light.

Then, there was this hill at about mile 20 where I realized I may not have enough gas in the tank to make it to Andice, Texas - our original destination. When I finally caught up to Luke and Andrew at a T in the road, they were nice enough to turn around a bit before Andice. I thought this would give me a fighting chance. After all, we had hit our turnaround at only about an hour in.

After the turnaround, the temperature had risen to over 91 degrees, and the nice tailwind I was enjoying on the way out was now destroying my dreams, aspirations, and pace. I found myself in my lowest gear, facing the wind and averaging 8 miles an hour with over 15 miles to go. I'm not a math genius, and I had very little oxygen in my brain at the time, but I figured it would take me at least 2 more hours to make it back. I was officially "toast," "hit the wall," and was fearful that my tongue would become sunburned from hanging out of my mouth for 2 hours. There was really only one option for me -the SAG wagon. I called Andrew, who was able to dispatch his roommate to come sweep me off the course.

Having a friend drive 15 miles out in the middle of nowhere to pluck me off the course was not exactly what I had in mind for the ride. Having to choose between sucking up the pride or becoming a human raisin, I had no other option.

With the bike in the back of the trunk, I caught up to Luke and Andrew, dropped off some additional sports drink for them, and headed back to the house.


The course bested me this time. Time to double down on the hard work that makes weekend tours of the Texas Hill Country and raising funds for great causes possible.

A huge thanks to everyone that has contributed and those that have encouraged me to keep working to raise funds to help others.

We have 20 days left and 9% of the goal raised. Make your contribution here.

The Hill Country Ride for AIDS is an annual event to raise funds to support people with HIV/AIDS in the Austin area. Ten organizations are are benefiting from this year's ride that takes place April 30.

Commitment to Fitness (and Chafing!)

First, I would just like to thank everyone who has donated to the cause so far. Even though this is the third time I've done the whole charity ride thing, I continued to be blown away by the generosity of my friends and family. After just one email update, we've already risen $325 toward much-needed services for those living with HIV and AIDS! So thank you again from the bottom of my heart!

I'd also like to give a shout out to Bethany Sims who has joined the Chafing for a Cause team! She's got a great new bike and is using it to chafe for others. Spencer gives her a great introduction, and you can show her some love here!

This last weekend, I was able to get out on a nice little training ride. The weather was great, the traffic was mild and it was just overall, pretty awesome. Mostly, it was awesome because I was able to go out and ride with my Dad! He and my Mom were both in town this last weekend! (And I have to say... I probably gained more weight from all the good food we ate than I lost doing the training ride... and by "probably," I mean: "definitely.")

Because I totally spaced and forgot to take pictures on the ride. I'll have to include a picture from last Fall that I was sent:


Hey... wait a minute... there's waaaaaaaaaay too little lycra in that picture.


Ah, there it is. Much better.

Although, I have to say, while my dad looks quite smashing in his bright yellow lycra Oregon jersey... if you saw him today (and this is really why I should have taken some ride pictures), you might do a double-take.

You see, my Dad made a strong commitment to fitness a year ago... and recently has really started to see some results. So I just wanted to congratulate him on his progress and his commitment, and encourage everyone else to take some time for yourselves, and enjoy the outdoors and a fit lifestyle: it really pays dividends. Whether on a bike or just with a trusty pair of hiking boots, breaking away from the computer screen and getting outside can really brighten your day.

That's basically how this whole project started: I needed an excuse to take care of myself... and like my Dad, I do better with a goal. So I decided on a fitness goal for me, paired with a fundraising goal for others, and one year and about $2,000 fundraised later: here we are.

So, thank you, so much, for your encouragement and support throughout my journey. Congratulations to my Dad for committing and sticking to his own path to fitness. And I would just like to say to anyone considering jumping on the bandwagon (and I know of a few of you reading this who are): it's worth it... and you'll find more support than you would have ever guessed if you just take that first step.

Or you can be lazy like Eddy:


Fix your ear, Eddy!

Sorry... felt like I needed a gratuitous puppy photo in there somewhere. Anywho, thanks again for taking the time to read my blatherings. If you would like to contribute to the cause, you can do so here. As always, you can follow along with the entire Chafing for a Cause team at our blog (you're, uh, already here) at: http://www.chafingforacause.blogspot.com

Ride Happy,
Luke

Un Nuevo Ciclista

Thirteen and three quarters miles, with one hour, nine minutes and forty-five seconds of rolling time, and a maximum speed of twenty three point four miles an hour - myself and our newest Chafer, Bethany completed her first ride as a "cyclist." We woke up early, like real cyclists do. Then, we rode without a specific destination in mind, focused on keeping our pace up, and we even celebrated the hills - all things that run counter to our cycling commuter sensibilities. Hill avoidance, sweat reduction, and constantly mentally calculating whether or not the bus would have been faster usually take up almost all of ones concentration. It is freeing to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

We set out with our sites on Shoal Creek, a local mecca for casual riders wanting to get fit.

The streets that run along Shoal Creek feature bike lanes wide enough to ride two-by-two, and on spring mornings, our kind outnumber the cars greatly. Our route is one that I did when I first started riding for reasons other than getting from point A to point B.

And Bethany did a fantastic job of climbing the hills of West Austin. She even had the opportunity to try out her granny gear for the first time. She has ridden 83 miles in the two weeks that she has had her new bike:

The bike, a KHS Flite 220, is seemingly made for her:

• Non-jarring CROMO 4130 frame
• Upright riding position, with the option to tuck and zoom
  
• Indexed STI shifters
• Wide 700x26c urban/road tires

It's a nice upgrade from her previous ride:

(From http://noquedanblogs.com/inspiracion/wouter-mijland/)

Getting in shape to ride for a great cause, or a great cause, hanging out with Bethany, and enjoying the wonderful Austin weather is what weekend mornings are all about.

And getting a workout under your belt in time for neighborhood brunch specials is not too shabby either!

33 Days to Go!

Hello All!

It's been a little while since our last installment of "Luke offers up half-witted blabberings in exchange for donations to charity." About 6 months, in fact... we seem to be working ourselves into a semiannual thing, don't we?

Once again, I'll be riding in the Hill Country Ride for AIDS... which is a bit of a misnomer, since it's sort of a ride against AIDS, or at least against some of the affects thereof. So just to clarify: in no way do I support, condone or encourage the activities of any retrovirus. In fact, I'll go so far to say that retroviruses suck. Hard. Thus the ride in support of those who are fighting the good fight against HIV and AIDS. And thus the raising of funds to support said cause. And thus this post... and back we come.

(Quick Disclaimer: I'm in a bit of a weird mood--I just got back from Argonne National Lab in Chicago where I watched X-rays bombard my sample for 4 days straight... so putting my "normal world" hat back on has been a bit of a stretch. If I start typing in straight 1's and 0's you'll know why...)

This year's ride is a bit of a different animal than last year's. Last year, I asked you all to undertake this new thing with me--something I'd never done before. Something that was a new physical and mental challenge for me, as well as a good cause for those we could help together. In the Fall, I upped the ante a bit with the distance (or tried to at least...).

Now, cycling is now a full-blown graduate-student-sized-bank-account-busting hobby, and I don't expect the distance we'll be riding to be terribly difficult (it'll be a good workout, for sure, but I have no doubts that I'll finish).

But while the ride is no longer this big new challenge, it is still important. Someone living with HIV and AIDS is no less affected this year than they were last year--indeed, with current levels of non-profit revenues very low because of the recession, they may be more affected this year than they were last year.

I've never been a big fan of the groups and organizations that fundraise through guilt-trips, so I hope that's not what that last paragraph came across as. Rather, I'm just hoping that we can take this plunge again together--and help some people despite that we've done it before.

And I still promise many embarrassing pictures of my too-large tuckus in my too-small spandex shorts. So you've got that going for you. Which is nice.

As before, you can follow our progress at the blog: http://chafingforacause.blogspot.com

For the Web 2.0 among you, I can be followed @lukechafes on Twitter. (These tweets should also show up on the right hand side of the blog, if i did everything with that right.)

And finally... my donation page is here, for those of you I haven't scared away with my previous tuckus pictures: http://www.hillcountryride.org/goto/lukegmarshall. You can find all our teams' donation pages by clicking the tab above!

Thank you all so much for your support! The ride's in 33 days, so I've gotta hit some asphalt!

Ride happy,

Luke

Hill Country Ride Kick Off

Over the last two weeks us Chaffers have been coming back together after the long harsh Austin winter. Last weekend Luke and I were able to eek out about 45 miles that included the dreaded Red Bud Trail climb.

Today Andrew and I participated in a Hill Country Ride for AIDS Training Ride. The HCR Training Rides are one of the reasons I fell in love with HCR. They are always rollicking rides that come complete with queue sheets, SAG Wagons, and sometimes bananas!


Each ride begins with a safety reminder, an overview of the route, and the ride leaders for each length identify themselves.

Fast riders line up front, and then each group follows its leader.

We were doing an out and back on the bicycle-friendly Parmer Lane today.

Andrew and I foolishly line up with the "fast riders."

We decided in advance that we would take on the longest route offered, 30 miles, 15 out, and 15 back. Parmer Lane is in Andrew's neck of the woods and he's a regular bike commuter on its wide shoulders.

I show our riding stats as:

28.51 total miles
Averaging 15.9 MPH
27.3 Max Speed
Total ride time (not counting waiting at some of the famous Central Texas highway red lights) being 1 hour 47 minutes

We managed to make a little time for funny faces.

By the time we made it back, most of the participants were long gone.

Here's a picture of Francie.

Offseason

I've been biking for a few years, but 2010 was the first year I would say that I have "cycled". In other words, it was the first year I "trained" and had "goals"; it is also the first time I've had an offseason. Here are some thoughts I've had while I wait for the frigid Texas winter to pass.

1) I've always loved the cold, but I discovered that I kinda hate being cold on a bike. I am a weenie. I haven't ridden much lately besides my commute since winter started. But that's ok, because....

2) I think taking a break is a good thing. By the time the LIVESTRONG ride rolled around, I had gotten a little tired of riding and training all the time- I didn't like how that felt.

Don't get me wrong, it was exciting to improve at something new and to measure my progress. I also had leg muscles for the first time ever and I felt more fit than I had since college. Many days, after my 16 mile round trip commute, I would hit Parmer lane for a 25-40 mile training ride. The downside of all that was that my body went into overdrive and I found myself constantly having catch up with my out of control metabolism. This meant being hungry at 10:30am after a full breakfast at 8am, or eating an entire pizza and baked potato and not totally being satisfied.

As crazy as it sounds, the thing I got most tired of during training was the joyless process of shoving food down my gullet.

One small bonus was that I could drink as much beer as I wanted without worrying about a belly. In fact, I downright needed the carbs.Not a bad deal.

3) I can't believe I became one of those people in spandex!

Thinks to self: "Lookin' good Andrew. Lookin' real good. The ladies love it. Don't worry about the sunglasses, they are supposed to be crooked."

4) Finally,  I'm itchin' to get off my butt and do it all again. There is something about propelling myself around central Texas on two wheels under my own power that feels really good.

I've got this marked on my calendar, it's the Austin Autism Society Bike Ride, which was my first organized ride last year, consequently, it's what hooked me on long distance cycling...
OK, so the date is kinda far away, but I'm sure the pain-mongers, aka Luke and Spencer, have something planned before that.

Here's to a bike-filled and safe 2011.

Facelift... and oh yeah, we did a century ride

Long overdue: but Spencer and I did a full Century Ride, like two months ago. Pictures are to the right. So yeah... there's that. Congrats to us.

Moving on: I'm going to be playing around with the appearance of the blog... which I'm sure none of you will care about since there aren't really any regular readers here (probably in large part because it took me two months to mention our last activity).

Anywho... sit back and enjoy. And by that I mean, just continue to not pay attention.