Training Log Archive: iansmith

Easy ride, targeted at 50 km on a new, certified rectangular Ontario route. Plan was north on Bayview, west on Route 35, and south on Dufferin. Dufferin transitions into a highway, Allen Rd; unfortunately, I missed that transition and had to double back as the road was becoming inhospitable to bicycles. I brought a granola bar, 750 ml of weak gatorade, my cell phone, an ID in event of incapacitation, and a $10 bill for snacks or public transit in the event of a mechanical problem. My bike jersey has proven an excellent investment, as it's much easier to carry the basic essentials.

I felt surprisingly wasted near the end of the ride; whether this is due to the heat (~23 C), my fitness, or fatigue is unclear. Need for replacement brakes is growing more serious. Left Achilles was only a minor niggle, though my right hamstring was a bit tight by the end.

Morning bike ride, the usual York Mills - St Clair loop. The weather is warming this week, and the temperature was already 22 C when I set out. I should probably replace my chain, as I think I have had the same chain for about a year.

Easy Sunnybrook loop; there were lots of pedestrians out on the path, so I had to go quite slowly. I wanted to take it easy in any case to test out my wheel fix.

In other news, I finally fixed my broken spoke. It turns out my spoke wasn't broken; it had unscrewed itself from the nipple. Unfortunately, the nipple then retreated into the wheel, which was a sealed space only accessible via the hole for the inner tube stem. I could hear the bolt rattling around, and I managed to shake it loose out of the tube stem hole. However, the bolt had to be threaded through the bolt hole from inside the rim. So, I made a tiny weight from some of Katie's old jewelry, tied it to a long piece of dental floss, used the weight to thread the dental floss through the rim, tied the bolt to the end of the floss, and pulled the bolt into place using the floss. I then used my spoke wrench to screw the spoke into place and roughly true it. It took a while, but everything seemed to be in order.

In other news, I need to replace my brake pads, as they have worn down significantly. It felt glorious to be back on my bike - and in my shiny new bike jersey, now with pockets on my back.

Evening run without Garmin. I ran a variant on my Mt Pleasant cemetery loop. I tied my shoes much looser today, which seemed to cause less discomfort in my left Achilles.