MJ: Random thoughts
Some random thoughts on Michael Jackson’s death:
Whatever else can be said about him, he was a great musician and entertainer, and I am sad not to see what other works he would have created.
All the obsession with staying young and living forever did not help. In the end, he died tragically young. There’s a lesson here: plan for the long term, yes, but focus on the important stuff (say, medication, therapy) rather than minor, speculative details (like oxygen chambers).
Doctors do still make housecalls— at least if you’re rich enough to have your own. Can you imagine MJ waiting for his appointment at the Polyclinic?
I’d like to be rich and even well-known, but having this sort of mega-celebrity status would not be fun. The lack of anonymity and the resulting isolation seems crippling.
Aerial Seattle
One of our wedding presents was a gift certificate for a Kenmore Air flightseeing tour. Today was gorgeous, so we finally booked it and went. Knox decided to put his treasured Lensbaby on the camera. I usually find it gimmicky, but this time the pictures we took were pretty cool. (To see a professional achieving the effect we were going for, check out the photo gallery in the recent New York Times article about remaking Paris)
Pedaling up St. Helens
View Tour de Blast in a larger map
Yesterday, I completed the Tour de Blast ride, going from the town of Toutle up Mt. St. Helens to the Johnston Ridge Obervatory, which has an amazing view of the blast zone (alas, low-lying clouds prevented me from catching that view first hand, though you can see an older pic here).
The 82-mile round-trip ride was hard by any measure. The hills had a maximum grade of 6%—not as steep as hills we’ve conquered in, say, Newfoundland— but they were long. To make matters worse, I was not in good form yesterday. Whether I was too tired, fueled wrong, or catching something, the first couple of miles, which were flat, were surprisingly difficult. With frequent rest stops, many snacks, and a focus on the road in front of me, though, I was able to pick up the pace and make it to the top and back.
I felt vindicated in my decision to carry a pannier with my two jackets and warm hat, since the cloudy day meant that my body temperature went from sweating hot when pedaling uphill to shiveringly cold when coasting down. Though I was prepared with (and made use of) my own snacks, the organized rest stops were well-stocked with food—and one even had a much-appreciated bonfire!.
While there were fewer people at this ride than in last week’s Flying Wheels, riders here tended to be more fit. As much as I fancy myself a biker these days, I was humbled by the number of folks who were speeding up the mountain at higher gears than I (and would be even if I had been more energetic). In fact, between our slow pace and pausing to take in the exhibit at the observatory at the top, we pretty much closed down the course. I’ve decided that I need to ramp up my training regimen to consist of more than just commuting to work; hills and endurance would have been good preparation for this ride.
All in all, this ride was quite fun. It was a good workout, good mental practice in focusing on the present to get through the long slog, and a good exercise in focusing on my own goals and not feeling needlesly competitive. It also made it very clear to me that I don’t want to do the RAMROD this year: at my current level of training and with my current life priorities, it would not be enjoyable. In fact, I want to get back to biking with a destination: more bike touring in my future, please!
Flying Wheels Century 2009
I just got back from biking my first century, the Flying Wheels, which is a preparation for the 2009 STP we’ll ride later this summer. The STP can be done either in a day or two; we’ll do the latter, which will involve two 80-odd mile days. People should be training for it now, and the Flying Wheels is billed as a milestone in one’s regimen. The FW century in particular is supposed to be your prep ride if you’re doing the STP in one day.
The day began inauspiciously with us getting to the start line later than planned and Knox leaning heavily towards doing the 65-mile course rather than the century. The real bummer came as we approached the start line: Knox noticed that one of his rear spokes was broken. That was it; no ride for him! He came back home and dropped the bike off at a repair shop.
Sad as I was to not be biking with Knox, this gave me the opportunity to go for the century and to bike it at my own pace. It was a lot of fun and so strikingly beautiful! I was annoyed by biking with hordes of people at first: it was hard to pass and hard to find my groove. As the ride wore on, however, the rider density decreased and the fellow participants inspired me to keep biking harder. In the Duvall-Snohomish-Duvall loop, which is part of only the century ride, there were some long stretches where I was biking by myself–exhilarating and contemplative, just as I like it.
The difficulty? It was challenging but doable. The first hill was the worst; whether that was the hill itself or my taking it on too fast because of feeling competitive at the start of the race, I couldn’t say. Everything after was manageable and not out of the ordinary—until the approach to Issaquah. The hills there were killing me: though not extremely steep, they were long and my strength was quite obviously ebbing. Based on this ride, I would say I was in good shape for about 80-odd miles, and then exhaustion started to kick in.
Now it’s time for a shower and a rub-down, and anticipation of next weekend’s Tour de Blast.
Zebras and Ulcers
I just finished reading Robert Sapolsky’s Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers. It is a witty, well-written book that delves into the intricacies of the stress response, both physiologically and psychologically. It is densely packed with information; only the last chapter is devoted to self-help. It’s worth a read, but set aside some time for it.
