Re: Training journal while learning to unicycle
- From: lillestrøm_uni <lillestrm_uni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:07:03 -0500
So I followed my own advice and went off searching for bigger
opportunities. And boy I don't regret it :-)
After some reconnaisance with an online map I remembered some huge
parking lots nearby - the biggest one of course belonging to the
national trade fair which relocated here from Oslo some years ago. So I
drove over there instead of to my work parking lot and set off.
So I am now officially not counting revolutions and measuring distances
that way anymore. Lacking a GPS I used the odometer on my car (!) to
measure the distance from one end to the other and it was about 450
meters (hard to tell, since the odometer has a resolution of 100
meters). Anyway, I managed to cycle that distance 3 times! And I UPDed
at least twice or perhaps 3 times halfway, so that would be at least
200 meters each time.
Also, before I started distance riding I was riding around, finally
managing to go full circle and return to where I started from, after
some rather longish treks around the parking lot. It was just huge,
just what I needed :-) And not to forget that it had light poles spaced
just nicely apart, with curbs close enough that it didn't pose a
problem. I guess one day I might be able to scale those curbs...
And it was really perfect now since everything is closed down for
summer, so there was hardly a car there and a nice sun shining on my
bare shoulders (yes, I took the chance).
So of course I UPDed really violently for the first time ever,
previously I have UPDed about 3-4 times going forward so fast that I
had to take a roll, never more than once in a session. This time I did
the same, but I also went sideways. I lost control and somehow I didn't
just dismount like I usually do, so I lost my grip on both pedals and
just sat there gliding in a nice arc down towards my left, until I
suddenly was launched forward. My left wrist protector and the meaty
part of the back of the hand took most of the impact, and then I rolled
and actually got away without a scratch, much like the other times I've
rolled.
What I was thinking of yesterday when I took off my T-shirt the first
time was that even if it is thin, it is a layer that allows you to
slide just a tiny bit, while your skin will more or less stick to the
pavement... However, I seem to be rolling fine and in this case there
was a little sand as well, as I only noticed an hour later when I
called it a day, after riding back and forth the entire lot 3 times
plus some half-ways.
I could really feel how my legs were getting tired so it was more
difficult to keep control, but actually the mounting and first couple
of meters were worst. Once I got going, I could usually keep going even
if I lost my balance.
I was even brave enough (or perhaps it was just reflexes) to pedal like
crazy a few times when I lost my balance forward, thus going much above
my comfort speed, but avoiding a dive like I've done at previous
sessions. And happily I was able to slow down again as well.
My biggest challenge now is maintaining a constant speed. I was able to
sit down a little with more control than yesterday, but that is easy
since this parking lot is smooth like a dance floor and wide open,
unlike the previous one. But what happens when I try to sit on the seat
and just let my feet go with the flow and pedal with a light pressure is
that I tend to lean a little forward and thus accelerate. Then I quickly
have to lean backwards and use my leg muscles to control the balance
while lowering my speed, and usually I am not so good at stopping that
until I have more or less come to a halt. I did get a little better
though.
Then, along the way from one end to the other, there were about 8-9
speed bumps. Not small ones, they were perhaps 4-5 meters long and the
height at the middle was perhaps 30-40 cm. So perfect for me at the
current stage. First I UPDed a couple of times when approaching the
little hill, but then I got the hang of it. Usually I would slow right
down and then get in trouble since I would virtually come to a
standstill at the top, but sometimes I managed to just hit it at speed
and go over the top reasonably slow, but not totally wiggling and
jerking like I do when I stop and have to try to get going again.
Another nice thing I noticed in the end was that I was more and more
able to get a clean start (in between all the UPDs and dismounts after
half a revolution), just leaning forward and go fairly straight at a
nice speed, not too fast and not so slow I would wobble.
So all in all I was out there for 2 hours and I think I was in the
saddle at least a quarter of the time, perhaps a third. That's a huge
improvement over previous sessions when it's been "ride a short
distance, then UPD and walk/run back and mount again", where I would
obviously spend a lot less time riding that distance than
running/walking it, not to mention all the "down time" in between
mounts and rides.
Here I would actually be riding for 4-5 minutes at a time, perhaps even
more, I didn't time myself when going from one end to the other but it
might have been more. Hard to estimate time when you're so focused, I
think time seems to slow down so I don't know...
Estimating my distance covered would be a bit hard, but the longest
rides that I mentioned (3*450m and 3 or 4*200) would be at least 2km
straight and then I would guess perhaps 1km more divided between the
turns and shorter straight runs. I seems strange though that I would
only have gone a little longer than yesterday in that small parking
lot, as I was out almost as long today and spending a lot more time in
the saddle. Well, who knows.
Anyway, huge fun and now I am totally blasted after two days of hard
exercise, so I don't think I will ride tomorrow or Saturday. Perhaps
Sunday.
--
lillestrøm_uni
My 'training journal'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1025788).
My todo list (augustdreamt?): -Assisted mount-ride-idle- / -Ride-/ -PD
-/ *Turn */ Idle / Hops / Curbs / Uneven ground / 'Mount / Rolling
mount / Jump mount' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRW7ePkZ_8E) / Side
mount / Kick-up mount
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