Well, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, I only flew 1 time in 2016, although that was an IPC. I had hoped after I got my medical back that I would be able to find time to get out and fly, but I didn’t get my medical back until July and never really found the time after that, so my one and only flight was on 2016-04-14.
Just like last year, I’m late putting together my end of year wrapup. This year was obviously better than last year, but I was out of town for all the nice weather days in the last 6 weeks of the year, so I fell just short of my mileage from 2013 and 2014. Having said that, it was a very good year. I only had 5 rides all year where I averaged under 15 mph. I added cadence and power meters in March which added some interesting data to my rides. I’m still figuring out how to make best use of it, but that’s for this next year.
I rode 5 of the 6 organized rides I paid for this year. The first one, the Tour de Forest was just too friggin cold, it was in the low 40s, so I decided to stay home and be warm.
Ride 2 Recovery Honor Ride Ohio – 31.34 mi (50.44 km) in 1:51:40, avg – 16.84 mph (27.10 km/h), beat last year’s time by almost 10 minutes.
Tour de H2O – 51.48 mi (82.85 km) in 3:07:59, avg – 16.43 mph (26.44 km/h), weather looked iffy at the start and for most of the ride I thought I’d finish in under 3 hours until a couple of late hills put an end to that.
Tour de Cause – 42.81 mi (68.90 km) in 2:48:46, avg – 15.22 mph (24.49 km/h), very hilly ride.
Pedal with Pete – 63.59 mi (102.34 km) in 3:45:24, avg – 16.93 mph (27.25 km/h), beat last year’s time by 7 minutes.
Ox Roast Ride – 62.17 mi (100.05 km) in 3:51:30, avg – 16.11 mph (25.93 km/h), my second metric century.
Total number of rides = 44 (most rides in a single year since I started keeping stats on RideWithGPS.com in 2012, 43 in 2013)
Total mileage – 1109.22 mi (1785.12 km)
Total time – 67:21:26
Total climbing – 20,660 ft (71.2 % of the way up Mt Everest)
Avg speed = 16.48 mph (26.52 km/h) (up from 15.38 last year)
Avg time of ride = 1:31:51 (down from 2:00:38 in 2014 and 1:34:40 last year)
Avg length of ride = 25.21 mi (40.57 km) (down from 30.91 in 2014, but up from 24.26 last year)
Rides over 20 mi = 29
Rides over 29.75 mi = 10 (down from 16 in 2014, but up from 8 last year)
Rides over 50 mi = 3 (down from 6 in 2014, up from 2 in 2015, 2013 and 2012)
This ride has always been one of my favorites. This one is to raise money for cerebral palsy research. I rode the 48 mile route the first few years, last year and this year, I rode the 64 mile (metric century) route. When I hit the first rest stop averaging 17.5 mph, I set myself a goal of finishing with an average of 17.0 mph or better. I didn’t quite make that due mostly to the hills in the middle 16 miles and head winds in the last 18 or so miles, my secondary goal was to finish in better time than last year (though the route was slightly different due to a bridge being out), that I managed to accomplish. Unfortunately, last year, this was my next to last good ride before I started having symptoms due to my heart issues. This year, I’m expecting to have a few more good rides 🙂 . The ride started drizzle in the first 4 miles and fog and clouds for much of the first 15 or 20. I wouldn’t have minded if the overcast had lasted a bit longer, but it turned into a beautiful day to ride. Rode most of the first 24 with a group of 4 other guys who were doing the 80 mile route. Temp (min/avg/max) – 66.2/75.2/84.2°F, wind from S @ 5, max grade – 5.8%, total climbing – 777 ft (237 m), cadence (avg/max) – 75.5/99, HR (avg/max) – 149.5/170, HR zones 3-5 3:15, power (avg/max) – 160/523W. 63.59 mi (102.34 km) in 3:45:24, avg – 16.93 mph (27.25 km/h), max – 28.7 mph (46.2 km/h). Personal bests on 5 of the 9 RideWithGPS segments on the route.
It was a fantastic morning for a ride. There was a high overcast for most of the ride, so it wasn’t too hot. This ride is usually my hilliest ride of the year, and I suspect that will be the case this year, too. My goal was to maintain an average speed of 15 mph and I did just barely manage to do that. This one is to raise money for drug and alcohol addiction programs in Fairfield County (http://www.tourdecause.org/#intro) and is one I try to ride every year though I couldn’t ride it last year due to a conflict. Temp (min/avg/max) – 66.2/71.8/80.6°F, winds calm, max grade – 10.1%, total climbing – 1257 ft (383 m), cadence (avg/max) – 74.0/112, HR (avg/max) 138.1/177, HR zones 3-5 1:40, power (avg/max) – 207/655W. 42.81 mi (68.90 km) in 2:48:46, avg – 15.22 mph (24.49 km/h), max – 37.7 mph (60.7 km/h).
As has been the case the last two years, I kicked off my “organized riding season” and the Memorial Day holiday weekend with the 3rd annual Ride 2 Recovery Honor Ride Ohio in New Albany this morning. There I got to ride with 900 of my closest friends (and Sen. Rob Portman, who I actually only saw before the ride, he missed last year’s ride because the Senate was still in session, don’t remember over what). They cut back on the swag this year (no t-shirt and no medal at the end), I’m trying to decide how I feel about that. It was a nice way to kick off the summer though. It was just overcast enough that it didn’t get too hot, so it was perfect for riding. The first 2 miles of the ride we were escorted by the New Albany and Reynoldsburg police which was nice, but kept the pace down. I beat last years time by about 10 minutes, and I thought I had done a decent ride last year. This ride is to support Ride 2 Recovery which, I believe, is doing important work, if you wish to donate, you can do so here.
Well, I’m still waiting for my special issuance medical to arrive from Oklahoma City, but I did get an IPC (instrument proficiency check) in today so that when my medical does arrive, I’ll be current to fly IFR. I was very rusty today. I had difficulty maintaining altitude and found myself chasing the needles more than I’d like, but Harold did sign off (though I plan to get more practice under the hood before I venture back out into actual). I got in 3 approaches and holding and tracking. All in all, not a bad day to fly. 1.2 on the Hobbs.
Takeoffs & Landings: 1
Approaches: 3
New airports: 0
Time: 1.2
Total time: 233.0
I’m back to trying to put out my annual holiday letter out as a Martin Luther King, Jr Day letter after a couple years of not getting it out at all and last year’s coming out very late. This year, I’ll only do the hard copy to a few folks that I have absolutely no online contact with. Without further ado, here is my year in review.
Since 2015 was a contract year for the unions, Sherry and I took our big vacation for the year in January since I knew I wouldn’t be able to take one between the beginning of April and whenever the company and the union settled which in previous years had been about August. So, we decided to do a Caribbean cruise. I had previously said I had no particular interest in a Caribbean cruise, but I enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind going again sometime. This was our 3rd cruise, all on Princess. The only real problem was that I had a cough that I couldn’t shake starting our last day at sea. By the time I got home and finally went to the doctor on Monday, it was full-blown pneumonia. When the nurse told me it had taken her mother 6 weeks to recover, I kind of scoffed, I figured I was in decent shape, it wouldn’t take me that long. I was wrong. It took all of that before I was back to full strength. It was humbling when I had to take a nap after I took my shower in the morning, or when it took me 20 minutes to put my shoes on. I just had no energy. But I did recover and Sherry went to El Salvador with Eye Care International for the 6th or 7th time.
It was not a great year in the pet department. In May, we lost Xav (who was almost 12) when he was hit by a car. In December, we had to put down Wolf (who was 16). The latter was especially difficult because he was born on the back deck shortly after we moved to this house, so I was there when he was born and with him when he took his last breath. We are now down to 2 cats and 2 dogs. Morgan, the 12-year-old Irish Wolfhound is showing her age and probably doesn’t have too long left, but for the moment she is hanging in.
For being retired, Sherry has been pretty busy this year. She has been chair of the worship board at Grace UCC which means she has been busy making sure the paraments and banners get changed, that communion is properly setup on the first Sunday of the month, and that the sanctuary is decorated for the various seasons. Fortunately, she will be able to hand some of that responsibility off in 2016. For most of the year, she has spent 3 days per week helping out with her aunt and uncle who haven’t quite accepted that they should probably be in assisted living. She has also spent a good bit of time with her friend Loretta who finally had to retire from OhioHealth herself early in 2016 and is going through chemo again.
I continue to enjoy my work, for the last year and a half or so, I’ve been doing more forensics than malware analysis, but I’ve been having fun. I had the opportunity to TA for my friend Lenny Zeltser teaching FOR610 (Malware Analysis) at 2 SANS conferences this year, so that was a lot of fun, too. I’ve also been busy this year with church. I was again a delegate to the General Synod of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland in June. I continue to do the sound and video at church on Sunday mornings and am the webmaster for both Grace UCC and the Central Southeast Ohio Association of the Ohio Conference of the UCC (CSEOA). This fall, I was elected moderator of CSEOA and 2nd vice-president of Grace UCC. After not flying at all in calendar 2014, I did get back in the air in 2015 and flew more than I had since about 2010. Also, as I have in the previous few years, I rode my bike quite a bit in 2015 (though mileage was down from the previous 2 years for reasons explained below) including the BikeMS Central Ohio Challenge where I raised nearly $1200 and on the day of the ride was tied for the 4th highest fund raiser. I also rode my fastest metric century (100 km) in Aug, finishing the 64.5 miles in just under 3:53. Two weeks after that ride, however, is when things started to go wrong. I rode that day and my arms felt heavy and I couldn’t generate any power. When it happened again the next time I rode, I knew something was seriously wrong. Thus began the saga that resulted in my cardiac catheterization and stent placement on 9 November (the whole story can be found at https://wordpress.clausing.us/2015/11/my-day/). Since then, I’ve done my cardiac rehab, I’ve ridden my bike a couple of times and was able to generate the power I was used to. People keep asking if I feel better since the stent and the answer is actually no. The scary part of the story is, that except for the symptoms when I was on my bike, I never felt bad and so I don’t really feel any better now. The cardiologist assures me that I’m doing fine and I’ll be submitting the paper work to Oklahoma City shortly that will allow me to get my FAA 3rd Class Medical back and to fly again.
beforeafter
Shortly after I had the stent put in, I learned that my high school band director, Mr. Theis (who I had just reconnected with on Facebook in July) had inoperable terminal cancer. A number of us decided to go up and visit him the Sunday before Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time visting and reminiscing and listening to recordings of our high school band. I’m so grateful that I was able to spend those few hours with him (and the other folks who were there that I hadn’t seen in far too many years). He passed away between Christmas and New Year’s.
Sherry’s mom and my parents continue to do well. They are all in good health. Mom tells me that Dad has slowed down some this year and that is probably true, but he’s allowed, he’s doing reasonably well for 81.
Shane and Jen still live on the west side of Columbus. Shane is nearly done with his vet tech program and will graduate in May. Late in the year, he changed jobs moving from the veterinarian’s office where he’s worked for the last few years to the Ohio State veterinary clinic in Dublin. He works the overnight shift on weekends, but seems to be enjoying it. Jen continues to work as an accountant and took a trip with her sister to Italy in the fall.
Matt and Becky moved from Tampa to Chattanooga in September as Becky’s post-doc ended and she found a new job in TN. Matt continues to be on the road upwards of 20 days per month and I think that is starting to wear on him a bit. They both made it up to our place for Christmas. It was great to have the whole family in the same area code if not under the same roof at the same time.
In the spring, Erin started doing judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and won some gold medals (as well as a silver and bronze) at various competitions during the summer and fall. As I write this, she is preparing for her belt test to progress to orange belt in judo, she is white belt (with 2 stripes) in BJJ. She also switched from 2nd to 3rd shift at Peerless and started back to school in the fall to become an X-ray technician, so she works from 11:00PM-7:00AM then goes to school from 8:30AM-12:30PM. Not a schedule I’d be very happy on even as a night person, but she’s surviving it.
So, as we begin a new year, we hope this finds you and your family happy and healthy. We continue to be grateful for the many blessings God has given us.
As with my year in cycling, my flying was cut short late in the year (later than my riding) by my heart. Having said that, though, it was actually a pretty good year especially since I didn’t fly at all in calendar 2014. I flew more hours (and more flights) than any year since 2010. I can get my medical back sometime after 9 Feb, so I hope to at least match the flights and hours in 2016.
I’m kind of late in putting this together, but here is my annual wrap up of my year in riding for 2015. The biggest thing that impacted my riding this year was my heart condition and stent. I was a little behind the pace I had hoped to set, but was still feeling really good when I did the Pedal with Pete metric on 1 Aug (and my Basil-York cutoff route on 4 Aug), but things were clearly not right by my next ride on 13 Aug.
The upshot of all of that is that I didn’t get nearly as much riding in as I had hoped. I only rode 4 of the 6 organized rides I paid for.
Ride 2 Recovery Honor Ride Ohio – 31.33 mi (50.42 km) in 1:59:53, avg = 15.68 mph (25.23 km/h). Erin rode the 12 mile route and it was a little chilly, but a nice way to start the season off.
London Strawberry Festival – 45.03 mi (72.47 km) in 2:56:16, avg = 15.33 mph (24.67 km/h). Another chilly overcast one and headwind for pretty much the last 20 miles.
Bike MS Central Ohio Challenge – 54.37 mi (87.50 km) in 3:32:09, avg – 15.38 mph (24.75 km/h). At the time of the ride I was tied for #4 among all fundraisers, I dropped out of the top 5 after the ride, but earned about $1200 for the cause.
Pedal with Pete – 64.49 mi (103.79 km) in 3:52:51, avg = 16.62 mph (26.75 km/h). This year I did the metric century rather than the 48 miler and felt great. Alas, the season was pretty much over for me at that point.
Total number of rides = 28 (down from 36 in 2015 and 43 in 2014)
Total mileage = 679.39 mi
Total time = 44:10:44
Total climbing = 12, 120 ft
Avg speed = 15.38 mph (up from 15.37 last year, a bit surprising)
Avg time of ride = 1:34:40 (down from 2:00:38 last year)
Avg length of ride = 24.26 mi (down from 30.91 last year)
Rides over 20 mi = 17
Rides over 29.75 mi = 8 (half of last years total)
Rides over 50 mi = 2 (down from 6, but same as 2013 and 2012)
So, a little background is in order. If you’ve paid attention to my Facebook posts, you know that starting in mid-Aug, I had a significant loss in speed and power while riding. The day after Labor Day I went to the doctor, she took lots of blood for tests, and told me to get a stress echo and a colonoscopy (she may not have ordered that until after the blood tests showed anemia, I don’t remember). I got the stress echo on (I think) 28 Sep. At the time, the Nurse Practitioner watching the EKG was ready to let me go until she noticed something two minutes into the recovery phase. For some reason, no one called me back after the test, so I finally called and got an appointment with the cardiologist. He was willing to write the results as a false positive due to my anemia, but given that my father has multiple stents, his parents both died of heart attacks (at ages 72 and 69), as did his brother (at age 88), I suggested that we go ahead and do the CCTA (CT angiogram) anyway as a precaution. That test took place on 29 Oct. On Oct 30, I got a call from the cardiologist’s office saying we needed to schedule a cardiac cath. Since Sherry was out of town 31 Oct-6 Nov, we scheduled it for today. It turns out, I had a 99% blockage of my circumflex artery. I went in to Grant Hospital this morning at 9:00, the procedure was scheduled for 10:30. 1 stent later, I went to recovery at 12:00 and came home about 18:00. I’ll take tomorrow off, but will be back at work on Wed.
Next up, I’m supposed to do cardiac rehab starting next week and I need to get all the paperwork together to send to the FAA so that I can renew my medical. In the meantime, I have self-grounded except with an instructor, so you won’t see as many flight logs here as you have the last couple of months except maybe an IPC (instrument proficiency check, so I’ll be instrument current again when I get my medical back). 🙁
