Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Happy Halloween!



Who did Frankenstein take to the prom? His ghoul friend
Why don’t mummies take vacations? They’re afraid they’ll relax and unwind
What kind of makeup do goblins wear? Mas-scare-a
What do you call a skeleton who won’t work? Lazy bones
What do you call a ghost with a broken leg? Hoblin Goblin
What do ghosts eat for dinner? Spookghetti
What does a ghost eat for lunch? A BOO-logna sandwich
Where do spooks water ski?
On Lake Erie


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Garmin Edge 305

The Garmin Edge is a GPS enabled cycle computer and a personal trainer. Besides GPS mapping, the Edge 305 has a heart rate monitor, a cadence sensor, and a barometric altimiter. It has an Auto Pause feature which stops the timer when you stop cycling, and resumes when you speed up again. It has a map screen, an altimeter screen, and two data screens that can be toggled back and forth. Each data screen can show up to 8 data fields.
Data fields include time values, cadence values, calories, distance values, elevation, %grade, heading, heart rate values, speed values, sunrise/sunset, ascent/descent-33 total fields to choose from. I like seeing the %grade in real time as I'm doing my hill climbs.

There are many customizable features such as personal data, bike data, heart rate zones, and speed zones. There are also programable alerts for heart rate, cadence, time, and distance. You can program different workout types using time, distance, and speed parameters.

The navigation feature allows you to mark waypoints. The "back to start" feature is great for use if you park your car in a large lot and using the GPS to find your car when you return. Yes, the Edge can be used for walking/running. Here is my route at the Orange County Swap Meet. Notice how I passed my car on the return.

If you have previous courses on your Edge, you can compete against a "virtual partner" shown in the lower part of the screen. The virtual partner rides along side of you. If you are behind, the bottom field background is black. If you are ahead, the background is white.
The quick-release mount for the Edge can be placed on the stem or handlebar. I placed mine on the stem for greater stability , easier viewing, and it frees up one side of my handlebar for other things (bell , horn, light)

The cadence and wheel magnet sensor is mounted on the chainstay-a bit awkward, and since I also use a Polar monitor, I did not mount this sensor.
Although capable of turn-by-turn directions and having a large color screen, the GPSmap 76CS was LARGE and occupied the entire half section of my handlebar.
The Edge is a lot smaller than my GPSmap. W=1.75", H=3.7", D=0.9", Wt=88gThe Edge comes with a Training Center software which creates a log and maintains all the data of your past rides. You can also create workouts and courses that can be sent to the Edge. The tracks on the Edge can also be downloaded to Garmin's MapSource software and converted to .gbd, .mps, and .gpx files.
The Garmin Edge 305 is something a computer/statistician geek turned cyclist like me can really appreciate. No more "Is that a TV on your handlebar?" jokes by other riders.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Long Beach Marathon

Cycled in the Long Beach Marathon this past Sunday. A nice flat course starting at Shorline Village, around the Aquarium, over the bridge to the Queen Mary, back along the beach, around the Colorado Lagoon, down the Marine Stadium to Naples, inland around Cal State Long Beach, and back to Ocean Blvd to the finish line.
26.7 Miles in 1 hour:23 minutes. Average speed 19.2 MPH. Nice not to worry about traffic and stops.

Handlebar real estate was valuable with two headlights, my GPS, and my Polar heart monitor.

Left home at 5:15 a.m. and cycled to the strating line.
The starting line at 5:45 a.m. A thousand bikers ahead of me and a thousand bikers behind me.

Back-to-back tandem cruising down Studebaker Road at 20 MPH.Even the cyclists earned a medal.

Monday, October 09, 2006

MS Ride - Irvine to San Diego

The Multiple Sclerosis ride from Irvine to San Diego raised over $2 million. There were 2,000 cyclists of all ages , abilities, and experience. There were many teams participating including Disney, 24 Hour Fitness, Wells Fargo, Sony, KTLA, Beckman Coulter, Big Fish (Tim Salmon), Blue Cross, Mitsubishi, Qualcomm, Union Bank, and many others. It took over half an hour to get to the starting line.

Day 1: Irvine to PCH past Corona Del Mar, Laguna, San Clemente, Camp Pendelton, Oceanside, and Carlsbad. 57.8 miles, 3 hours:42 minutes, 2100 vertical feet total ascent .

Day 2: Carlsbad along the coast , up the La Jolla climb, down along the cobblestone road , around Mission Bay to the finish. 43.2 miles, 2 hours:47 minutes, 1421 vertical feet total ascent.
Team Grouch at the finish line in Mission Bay, San Diego was greeted by loud cheers from Donna.

My post-ride meal - Nachos and Carne Asada in Old Town San Diego.


This ride was in honor of Chis. I admire your untiring positive attitude and courage. One day there will be a cure.
Thank you to
ANAHEIM EYE

Dr. Steve Schmidt
and
Dr. Betsy Nguyen
for their generous donation
to the MS Society