Monday, 4/7/2025

                                  

2025 Mileage: 838.4

For a variety of reasons (schedule, health, energy), I've only been able to ride once since a week ago today. However, I hope now to be back in a groove.

My birthday gift from Michelle was a was a  new stationary cycle for our home, to replace the old worn out one. Arriving much belatedly (last Wednesday, April 2, while my birthday was on March 17), we got the heavy package from Amazon hauled down the stairs to our condo on Wednesday, but were unable to find time to get it assembled until Saturday.  I couldn't use it that day, because of the need to let adhesive dry and "set," and yesterday was a very busy day. 

However, I was finally able to inaugurate it this morning .... and it works beautifully! Happily, it also allows me to resume my practice of doing a longer ride while watching a movie, so during my ride this morning, I watched Just Mercy, a moving story based on the book by Bryan Stevenson. This book was the focus of a group study led by Pastor Greer Cherney at our church in January and February. 

This gave me a ride of 24.6 virtual miles today, in 2:14.

Trailer for Just Mercy

Wednesday, 4/2/2025

                                  

2025 Mileage: 801.2

Yesterday I was really all in, and when I felt I was hearing a heavenly whisper suggesting "Rest day," I jumped at it. Today, though, on a day of unrelenting cold rain -- the kind of miserable weather that Michelle calls "blukka" -- I got back to Planet Fitness and rode while listening to classical music on WRCJ out of Detroit, since Interlochen Public Radio was into some NPR talk show, and that didn't interest me at all.

This gave me a ride of 12.6 virtual miles today, in 1:00.

Monday, 3/31/2025

                                 

2025 Mileage: 801.2

This is my sweet wife's birthday, so I wanted to be able to spend the evening with her. But I don't have our car on Mondays, so I did the only other thing I could in order to get to Planet Fitness and ride today ... taking advantage of their 24/7 hours, I left home just past 5:00 this morning, and rode from 5:30 to 6:30.

This gave me a ride of 13.5 virtual miles today, in 1:00.

Saturday, 3/29/2025

                                

2025 Mileage: 787.7

Last night I spent a big night in my recliner, watching sports ... beginning at 7 p.m. with the Sweet 16 basketball games between MSU and Ole Miss (MSU won, moving on to Sunday's Elite Eight), and then Michigan's game with Auburn (Michigan lost, ending their season), and ending with the Tigers' contest with the Dodgers in Los Angeles, which went 10 innings and ended about 12:45. So of course I wanted to spring up early and head over to Planet Fitness today, and I achieved this, leaving home about 7:00.

This gave me a ride of 12.5 virtual miles today, in 1:00.

Friday, 3/28/2025

                               

2025 Mileage: 775.2

After a couple of lazy days when I did not ride (because of diligent composition work on Wednesday, and helping Michelle with work at home yesterday), I got back to Planet Fitness this morning -- I didn't listen to Interlochen Public Radio during my workout, as I usually do, but instead today I listened to the sports talk station out of Detroit that I like (97.1, The Ticket), as this is a big time for sports in our area. UM and MSU play tonight in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament, and will meet one another for the first time in the tournament's history, on Sunday in the Elite Eight if they both win tonight, and the Tigers had their season opener last night in Los Angeles (losing by one run to the Dodgers).

Interestingly, I saw a "little person" (formerly known as midgets) in the locker room after my workout. He laughed heartily at my shirt ("So far this is the oldest I've ever been"), gave me a big thumbs up, and a fist bump.

This gave me a ride of 12.7 virtual miles today, in 1:00.

Tuesday, 3/25/2025

                              

2025 Mileage: 762.5

Got to Planet Fitness once again this afternoon, for a good brisk ride while listening to Interlochen Public Radio.

This gave me a ride of 13.2 virtual miles today, in 1:00.

Monday, 3/24/2025

                              

2025 Mileage: 749.3

I am currently in the midst of an unusual stretch of schedule. Last evening, I  attended the (spectacular) senior recital of a friend from church, who is a musical theater major.  After I got home from that, I watched the ending of the NCAA tournament ("March Madness") game between Michigan State and New Mexico.

Early each Monday, I participate in a men's small devotional and fellowship group at our church at 7:00. I am a frightfully early riser anyway, so making this 7:00 meeting is never difficult for me. But today I outdid myself -- unable to sleep (for some unknown reason), I finally got up at 3 a.m. and sat and composed until it was time to leave for church.

After our meeting, I had planned to go directly to Planet Fitness. But given the unusual circumstances, I cam home instead and crawled into bed for a hearty nap, and then went to Planet Fitness early this afternoon.

This gave me a ride of 13.2 virtual miles today, in 1:00.