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Saturday, April 14, 2012
How I Fixed My Knees and Learned to Walk [Gizmodo]
When I was a kid, I had bad knees. Really bad. I'd run a mile and limp for weeks. Well past my teenage years and into my early twenties, I thought I was just stuck with these knees. But then I found a way to fix them. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Here's how it happened.
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The Bad Days
Brief disclaimer: Everyone's body is different. This is what worked for my specific knees and their specific problems. You may have different knee problems, which means that what worked for me could hurt you. See a doctor or a physical therapist.
Here's a brief history of my body. Starting around age 12, I started getting knee pain. When dealing with me, a lazy, pubescent boy in the early 1990s, a doctor would just say, "Osgood-Schlatter. Case closed." No x-rays, no testing. It'll go away in a couple years, they said. But it didn't. It got worse.
By the time I was in high school, it was so bad that I couldn't do the five minutes of jogging at the beginning of P.E. Instead, I did push-ups and crunches while everybody else ran. Eventually I was doing sets of 70 pushups, and I looked like I was in pretty good shape. But nobody knew that I couldn't jog without keeling over.Long walks weren't any easier. I started spending weekends inside with ice packs on my knees.
New Mexico Touring Society (NMTS) Guide to Biking Route 66
Route Segments (Described from West to East)
Segment 1: Arizona border to Gallup (including Gallup). The route follows NM 118. 22 miles.
Segment 2: Gallup to Grants (scenic route). The route follows NM 602 and NM 53. Includes Zuni and Ramah Navajo Indian Reservations, El Morro and El Malpais National Monuments. 97 miles.
Segment 3: Grants to the intersection of NM 6 and I-40. The route follows NM 117, NM 124 and the shoulder of I-40. Communities include Acoma and Laguna Indian reservations. 46 miles.
Segment 4: Intersection of NM 6 and I-40 to Tijeras. The route follows I-40 (shoulder), local streets in Albuquerque and NM 333. 53 miles.
Segment 5: Tijeras to Santa Fe (including Santa Fe). The route follows NM 14 and local streets in Santa Fe. Communities include Tijeras, Madrid and Santa Fe. 56 miles.
Segment 6: Santa Fe to the intersection of I-25 and US 84. The route follows I-25 service roads, I-25 (Glorieta Pass) NM 50 and NM 63. Communities include Pecos. Also includes Glorieta Battlefield and Pecos National Historical Park. 60 miles.
Segment 7: Intersection of I-25 and US 84 to the intersection of I-40 and US 84. The route follows US 84. 42 miles.
Segment 8: Intersection of I-40 and US 84 to the Texas border. The route follows I-40 (shoulder) and I-40 service roads. Communities include Santa Rosa and Tucumcari. 123 miles.
Alternate 1: Gallup to Grants (express route). The route follows NM 118, I-40, County 27 (to Thoreau) and NM 122. 66 miles.
Alternate 2: Tijeras to the intersection of I-40 and US 84 (express route). The route follows NM 333 and the shoulder of I-40. Communities include Edgewood, Moriarty and Clines Corners. 100 miles.
Spur 1: Los Lunas to Albuquerque. The route follows NM 314. Communities include Isleta Pueblo and Los Lunas. If the road surface of NM 6 improves, this may become an alternate route since it follows the pre 1937 US 66. 23 miles.
Spur 2: Intersection of I-25 and US 84 to Las Vegas. The route follows the I-25 service road and local streets in Las Vegas. Communities include Las Vegas. 6 miles.
Raleigh Furley
Friday, April 13, 2012
Mavic Plasma SLR - My color yellow
Pro level performance - new
Optimal fit, comfort and ventilation for the hottest days and the longest rides. Carbon fiber structural reinforcement allows for oversized vents with no compromise on protection. The Ergo Fit technologies will make you almost forget you are wearing a helmet.
LA debuts “Tu Familia” Bike Safety PSA [LACBC]
These "Tu Familia" posters, designed by Aaron Kuehn with input from LACBC's City of Lights volunteers, LADOT, and R.E.I., remind motorists to watch out for their family.
In the spirit of our “Give Me 3” poster campaign, LACBC’s City of Lights program, in conjunction with the LA Department of Transportation and R.E.I., have debuted LA’s first-ever Spanish-language bike safety campaign. Perhaps you’ve seen some of the posters around town, as they’ll be appearing at a bus shelter near you.
Designed by artist and LACBC volunteer Aaron Kuehn (he of bicycle typogram fame) with the guidance of day laborers and City of Lights volunteers over several months, the PSA used colorful reds, blues, and yellows to really make the message pop out to motorists. It reads “PRECAUCIÓN: Tu familia también usa la bicicleta” (in English: “CAUTION: Your family also rides bicycles”) to remind everyone that people who ride bikes are your family (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively), and family comes first. Your actions can put your family in danger, so be careful out there and share the road.
Earth Day Ride to Urban Gardening is TOMORROW, Saturday, April 14th
Join Yay Bikes! for a ride to the Cornerstone Urban Garden at 995 McAllister Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43205 for an Earth Day event. It is not sufficient for us to get together and learn about environmental problems and solutions, we must also take action. Earth Day Columbus is the largest Earth Day volunteer effort in the country (nay, universe) and hosts the largest dedicated celebration in central Ohio.
Meet at the covered picnic area INSIDE the park near the Goodale Park Shelter House. Riders will leave from Goodale Park at 8:20am to reach the garden by 8:50am.
The riders will volunteer in the garden to: help move the garden from one lot to another, assemble a hoop house, cut down very small trees (2-3 inch), till and prepare beds, plant flowers, and generally prepare the site for planting.
Once on site, we expect to be active in the garden for four hours. For those who volunteer, a barbecue lunch will be provided along with drinks. Riders should bring shoes to work in a garden, water, gloves, snacks, and safety glasses if they have them but not all will need them.
Cornerstone Urban Garden is in its third year and is committed to actively demonstrating how to feed a family out of a garden in a socio-economic area that desperately needs that information.
This ride is FREE!
Meet at the covered picnic area INSIDE the park near the Goodale Park Shelter House. Riders will leave from Goodale Park at 8:20am to reach the garden by 8:50am.
The riders will volunteer in the garden to: help move the garden from one lot to another, assemble a hoop house, cut down very small trees (2-3 inch), till and prepare beds, plant flowers, and generally prepare the site for planting.
Once on site, we expect to be active in the garden for four hours. For those who volunteer, a barbecue lunch will be provided along with drinks. Riders should bring shoes to work in a garden, water, gloves, snacks, and safety glasses if they have them but not all will need them.
Cornerstone Urban Garden is in its third year and is committed to actively demonstrating how to feed a family out of a garden in a socio-economic area that desperately needs that information.
This ride is FREE!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Alternative Means of Transportation Map [Governing]
Many commuters living in growing urban areas are opting to ride bikes to work as an alternative to congested roads and higher gas prices.
The most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates show about 730,000 Americans bike to work as their primary means of transportation, a 50 percent increase from 2000. This shift is most prevalent in large metro areas, with Denver; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, D.C., among cities reporting the largest gains in bicyclists.
Bicycle commuting varies greatly throughout the country, typically being more common in densely populated areas. College towns, in particular, report high numbers of cyclists.
Davis, Calif., boasts the highest percentage of bicycle commuters, with cyclists accounting for 22 percent of workers. The city is home to a large University of California campus and the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.
The following 10 cities have the largest percentages of commuters riding bicycles to work, according to the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey:
| City | Population | Total Workers | Estimated Bike Commuters | Percentage | Bicycle Commuters (Margin of Error) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis, Calif. | 65,740 | 27,689 | 6,131 | 22.1% | +/-1,891 |
| Boulder, Colo. | 97,585 | 50,091 | 4,973 | 9.9% | +/-1,394 |
| Eugene, Ore. | 156,299 | 69,713 | 5,770 | 8.3% | +/-1,297 |
| Berkeley, Calif. | 112,824 | 48,323 | 3,845 | 8.0% | +/-932 |
| Cambridge, Mass. | 105,337 | 56,075 | 3,807 | 6.8% | +/-1,013 |
| Santa Barbara, Calif. | 88,579 | 42,253 | 2,695 | 6.4% | +/-1,046 |
| Madison, Wis. | 233,777 | 127,566 | 7,692 | 6.0% | +/-1,522 |
| Gainesville, Fla. | 124,433 | 54,002 | 3,214 | 6.0% | +/-1,224 |
| Portland, Ore. | 585,429 | 286,228 | 17,035 | 6.0% | +/-2,267 |
| Iowa City, Iowa | 68,027 | 37,616 | 2,093 | 5.6% | +/-1,062 |
[see the interactive map at Governing]
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