Training journal while learning to unicycle

Hi all!

It's incredible, but it has actually been more than 5 months since I
wrote here last. Well, what can I say, fall came with a couple of
holidays and too much work, and as I fell behind with my updates here I
sort of gave up and put it off for a day I had a lot of time. And since
I am bedridden today with serious coughs and a high fever, I have plenty
of time to catch up :-)

And the best way to get going is to start with the summary of what I've
accomplished so far. This will be part one - of what I have done by the
end August.


lillestrøm_uni;1058322 wrote:
Just to update my record, here's the summary of the 8 sessions I have
had so far.

RESULTS OF UNICYCLING SESSIONS

*Day 1: Assisted mounting attempts, balance training*
3 hours inside. Distance covered: 0

*Day 2: Assisted mounting, assisted riding*
1,5 hours inside. Distance covered: 0

*Day 3: Assisted mounting, assisted riding*
2 hours inside. Distance covered: "5 meters"

*Day 4: Assisted mounting, assisted riding, some freeriding*
3 hours outside. Distance covered: 20-25 meters (record 3 revs - 8-9
meters)

*Day 5: Assisted mounting, freeriding*
3 hours outside. Distance covered: 260 meters (record 20 revs - 57
meters)

*Day 6: Consistent assisted mounting, freeriding reasonably balanced*
1,5 hours outside. Distance covered: 1006 meters (record 30 revs - 85
meters)

*Day 7: Consistent assisted mounting, freeriding reasonably balanced,
able to stop and start but usually UPDing, ride halfway a slight uphill*
2 hours outside. Distance covered: ~800 meters (I lost my notes - but I
know I repeated the record distance of 30 revs - 85 meters)

*Day 8: Stable assisted mounting, freemount attempts, freeriding at
speed, able to stop and start, maneuver around obstacles, regain balance
and ride a slight uphill*
2,5 hours outside. Distance covered: 944 revolutions (only counting
rides at 10 or more revs) = 2690 meters (record distance 41 revs - 117
meters)




DAY 9 (SEE PREVIOUS POST): STABLE ASSISTED MOUNTING, FREEMOUNT
ATTEMPTS, FREERIDING AT SPEED, RIDE A FULL CIRCLE IN A HUGE PARKING LOT,
SLIGHT UPHILL/DOWNHILL[/b]
2 HOURS OUTSIDE. DISTANCE COVERED: AROUND 3 KM (RECORD DISTANCE AROUND
450 METERS)

SHORT SUMMARY: ABLE TO DISMOUNT MOST OF THE TIME. UPDING STILL ALMOST
ALWAYS FORWARD, USUALLY JUMPING OFF FORWARDS AND THE UNI FLYING BEHIND
ME - NOT VERY SAFE FOR THE SURROUNDINGS BUT FAIRLY SAFE FOR ME. HOWEVER,
ONE SPECTACULAR UPD CAUGHT ON TAPE, WHERE I LOST MY MOMENTUM AND STEPPED
OFF THE PEDALS TO FALL FORWARD, BUT I FELL SIDEWAYS AND HAD TO TAKE A
DIVE.

*NEW ACTION IN AUGUST
In August I went on vacation to Croatia and I brought my uni with me
(it felt pretty cool to send it as special luggage):

DAY 10 (7 AUGUST): RIDING ON A 2M WIDE SIDEWALK WITH A STONE WALL ON
ONE SIDE, FALL INTO WATER ON THE OTHER AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC TO BE
NEGOTIATED, SLIGHT UPHILL/DOWNHILL.*
AROUND 2 HOURS. DISTANCE COVERED: AROUND 1,5 KM (RECORD DISTANCE AROUND
150-200 METERS)

I EVEN RODE THROUGH A SIDEWALK CAFE AS THE TABLES WERE SPREAD AROUND
THE CENTRAL PATH, AND IT WAS ONLY ABOUT A METER ON EACH SIDE (WHICH IS
NOT MUCH WHEN I AM UP ON A COKER). AND THEN, WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THIS, I LOST MY MOMENTUM AND STOPPED COMPLETELY, BUT REGAINED MY BALANCE
AND RODE OFF WITH A FLAIR!!! BOY WAS I PROUD (AND RELIEVED THAT I DIDN'T
CRASH ONTO ONE OF THE TABLES WHERE PEOPLE WERE EATING DINNER) SOME
UPDING AT OTHER TIMES, USUALLY JUMPING OFF FORWARDS AND THE UNI FLYING
BEHIND ME - NOT VERY SAFE FOR OTHERS.

*DAY (SESSION) 11 (12 AUGUST MORNING): RIDING ON A 2M WIDE SIDEWALK
WITH A STONE WALL ON ONE SIDE, FALL INTO WATER ON THE OTHER AND
PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC TO BE NEGOTIATED, SLIGHT UPHILL/DOWNHILL*
30 MINUTES. DISTANCE COVERED: AROUND 1,5 KM (RECORD DISTANCE AROUND
150-200 METERS).

IN OTHER WORDS, I RODE THE SAME DISTANCE IN 25% OF THE TIME! THERE
WERE MUCH LESS PEDESTRIANS THOUGH.

*DAY (SESSION) 12 (12 AUGUST AFTERNOON): RIDING PROPER UPHILL/DOWNHILL
FOR THE FIRST TIME, SMALL INCLINE AND ALSO A STEEPER ONE.*
AROUND 2 HOURS. DISTANCE COVERED: AROUND 1 KM (RECORD DISTANCE AROUND
30-40 METERS UPHILL/DOWNHILL AND 2-300 METERS FLAT).

ALSO RODE ONCE BACK AND FORTH ALONG AN APPROXIMATELY 300M LONG STRAIGHT
AND FLAT STRETCH OF ROAD AFTERWARDS, WHEN I GOT TIRED ON THE HILLWORK.
LOTS OF TRAFFIC ON THE HILLY STREET (JUST OUTSIDE MY HOTEL) SO I HAD TO
WAIT A LOT BEFORE EACH RIDE.

QUITE A FEELING TO BE ABLE TO LEAN FORWARD TO GO UPHILL AND BACKWARDS
TO RIDE DOWNHILL. I MADE THE BIG MISTAKE OF STARTING DOWNHILL FIRST,
WHICH I LATER UNDERSTOOD WAS MUCH HARDER TO DO THAN UPHILL. SO A NOTE TO
EVERYBODY - START UPHILL! I ALSO NOTICED THAT I WORE OUT MY THIGHS AND
KNEES BY HAVING TO SUPPORT MYSELF MUCH MORE ON THE PEDALS WHEN BALANCING
ALL THE TIME THAN WHEN I WAS RIDING ON FLAT GROUND.

THE THING ABOUT THE FLAT AND STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD WAS THAT THERE
WAS ONLY A GATE POST AT ONE END AND A GARBAGE BIN ON THE OTHER SIDE TO
LEAN ON FOR ASSISTED MOUNTING (I STILL CANNOT FREEMOUNT). SO I HAD TO DO
THE ENTIRE STRETCH WHEN I FIRST GOT GOING, OTHERWISE I'D HAVE TO WALK
ALL THE WAY TO ONE OF THE ENDS. SOME TRAFFIC AND WAITING, AND ACTUALLY
MANY ATTEMPTS TO GET GOING FROM THE GATE POST SINCE IT WAS A LITTLE TOO
FAR FROM THE ROAD SO I HAD TO \"PUSH OFF\" TO GET UP TO BALANCE
SIDEWAYS, AT THE SAME TIME AS STEPPING ON THE PEDALS TO GET GOING
FORWARDS. THIS TOOK SOME TIME TO COORDINATE.

*DAY 13 (13 AUGUST): RIDING THE LONG STRAIGHT AND FLAT STRETCH OF ROAD,
THEN DOWNHILL FOR AT LEAST 200 METERS BEFORE I HAD TO DISMOUNT (NOT
UPD!!).*
AROUND 1 HOUR. DISTANCE COVERED: AROUND 750 M (RECORD DISTANCE AROUND
300 METERS).

MY FIRST TIME USING THE UNI FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES! I BROUGHT A
POSTCARD TO THE POST OFFICE LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LONG WINDY
HILL, THEN SHOPPED AND WALKED BACK UP THE HILL AND ALONG THE LONG
STRAIGHT ROAD, THEN DOWN THE OTHER HILL TO THE HOTEL WITH THE SHOPPING
BAGS ON THE HANDLEBAR OF THE UNI (REMEMBER I HAVE A NIGHTRIDER WITH A
BUILT-IN HANDLEBAR (NOT MAKING IT LIGHTER NOR EASIER TO TURN AROUND WITH
- I STILL CANNOT TOUCH IT WITHOUT UPDING).

AND IT WAS REALLY SENSATIONAL TO RIDE DOWN THAT LONG WINDY ROAD,
PASSING SEVERAL CARS ON THE WAY, HAVING TO RIDE IN A SPACE OF DOWN TO
LESS THAN A METER WITH A PARKED CAR ON ONE SIDE AND A MOVING CAR ON THE
OTHER SIDE, THE CAME IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND SOME WERE RATHER IMPATIENT,
THOUGH MOST WERE CURIOUS AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HAVING TO WAIT FOR ME
TO FIND A WIDER SPOT TO LET THEM PASS. I'D CALL THIS DAY A BREAKTHROUGH
FOR SAFE (??) RIDING IN PUBLIC AREAS.

[b]DAY 14 (15 AUGUST): ROAD RIDING GETTING REALLY SERIOUS! I RODE ALL
AROUND THE LOCAL AREA, DOWN THE HILLY ROAD AND THEN UP/DOWN A LONG
STRETCH OF ROAD, ON THE SIDE, WITH RATHER HEAVY TRAFFIC OF BUSES AND
CARS PASSING AT 60-80 KPH
Around 1 hour. Distance covered: around 2 km (record distance around
500 meters going downhill at record speed).

It's time for me to get a computer so I can clock my speed and distance
covered.

I started again on the same long straight and flat stretch of road,
then all the way down the narrow windy street to the post office, then
up another road instead of turning back, following that road (which is a
longer but straighter road for higher speeds going another way to the
hotel).
Lots of traffic on the streets, but I didn't wait too much - rode along
with the traffic (though slower, of course).

As I wrote above, the second part was really exhilarating and actually
a bit scary, as I could even feel the wind blasts from tourist buses
passing at high speeds. In the end I dismounted and walked down the
sidewalk (which was just a meter wide and really bumpy so I couldn't
ride on it without UPDing - potentially into the road).

I was really happy to have accomplished this and also - I guess - happy
to manage without getting hurt. I remember thinking several times that
the best way to learn how to avoid UPDing at speed is to ride where you
simply cannot allow yourself to do it since you will get hurt badly (in
my case not so much by falling down but from potentially getting run
over by a bus afterwards). My legs were jelly at the end, so I guess I
should have stopped sooner. Then again, unicycling is an extreme sport


OK, time to relax and then I'll return with the sequel; "September
Chronicles", later.

PS: I've updated my signature now - as I'm able to go uphill/downhill



--
lillestrøm_uni

My 'training journal'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/sho...php?p=1025788).
My todo list (augustdreamt™): -Assisted mount-ride-idle- / -Ride- /
-PD- / -Turn- / -Uphill/Downhill- / Idle / Hops / Curbs / Uneven ground
/ 'Mount / Rolling mount / Jump mount'
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRW7ePkZ_8E)
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I've been travelling quite a lot this fall - in September I spent 3
weeks in Poland and again I brought my uni with me as special luggage. I
set off the very first day and rode regularly twice a week for two
weeks, until my pedal broke (it was the bearings inside the plastic
beginner's pedals that came with the uni, I guess my weight was taking
its toll - even if I had only been doing road and no muni or technical
stuff like jumping with it (I need to develop some serious skills,
strength and stamina in order to do that with a 9 kg coker anyway, I
think).

As I couldn't easily buy new pedals there, I put the uni away until I
got home. Then the weather was much colder and I wasn't as motivated for
uni riding anymore. I did buy new pedals after a several weeks, but by
then I had missed additional warm spells when I could have taken it out
for a ride, and winter was approaching.

My plan this summer was to find an indoor parking house or something
like this to ride in during the winter, but so far I've been bogged down
in work and travelling so there's been no time or indeed energy to sort
out those things.

And that's the sad truth, I've lapsed with the training and regained
most of the weight I lost in May. Oh well, there's a new spring now
with new opportunities

Here's an overview of the uniriding I did in September before my pedal
broke:

DAY 15 (1 SEPTEMBER): ROAD RIDING IN THE RELATIVELY QUIET RESIDENTIAL
STREETS NEARBY. ALSO SOME SIDEWALK EXERCISE AND FIRST ATTEMPT AT
NEGOTIATING CURBS.

Around 30 minutes. Distance covered: around 1 km (record distance
around 50-60 meters).

DAY 16 (3 SEPTEMBER): ROAD RIDING AS TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO A GYM
WHERE I PLAYED BASKETBALL FOR ABOUT 90 MINUTES BEFORE CYCLING BACK.

Around 1 hour (30 mins back and forth - then about 90 minutes
basketball in between). Distance covered: around 2 km (record distance
around 100 meters).

In other words, I had a real workout this day! I rode on narrow
sidewalks and encountered cobblestones and small curbs several places, a
few successfully, but most led to instant UPDs. *As I improved
significantly over the next two days on these skills, I am now updating
my signature to indicate that I'm able to ride over curbs and uneven
ground (though I probably still have much to learn before I can try
MUni)*.

DAY 17 (5 SEPTEMBER): ROAD RIDING TO THE GYM AGAIN, BUT RETURNING RIGHT
AWAY AS THERE WAS NOBODY THERE THAT TIME.

Around 1 hour. Distance covered: around 2 km (record distance around
150 meters).

Managed the cobblestones much better, rode fairly fast down a narrow
sidewalk with a slight decline. Met pedestrians and managed to
stop/start and/or dismount gracefully. Used walls or gates along the
sidewalk to mount. Also, I successfully dodged low tree branches several
times, ducking with my upper body while compensating with my lower body
so I kept my speed and bearing until I could sit up straight again. I
was very proud to manage this

Also, I was really getting better at turning, being able to choose
different paths on parts of the sidewalk that was very wide to get
around old ladies and other obstacles. Also, I managed to reduce my turn
radius for a 90 degree turn significantly, so I was able to turn road
corners where necessary.

And finally, on the way back I approached a large intersection with a
four-lane road (that is, in my definition, a road with two lanes in each
direction) and a grass strip divider between then to increase the width
additionally. On the way there I had used the pedestrian crossing as on
the two previous days. But the traffic was relatively sparse so I
decided to make a run for it across the entire intersection. The cars
were driving around 80 kph there and I could see almost enough to both
sides that I could expect to be able to cross before an approaching car
would reach the intersection.

However, this obviously would require a prompt and well-timed start and
of course no UPDing in the middle of the intersection.

I went for it after waiting about 10 minutes for the right moment, and
I shot through the intersection and down the road I was following with a
great feeling of accomplishment

DAY 18 (10 SEPTEMBER): ROAD RIDING TO THE GYM, UNTIL THE PEDAL BROKE
WHEN I WAS ALMOST THERE.

Around 1 hour. Distance covered: around 1 km (record distance around
2-300 meters).

This day I managed to turn a specific corner with a sharp turn around a
big column next to a driveway where the ground was smooth but inclined
first down, then up, and also slanted down to the left. I can hardly
describe the joy of managing this!

So I was really "on a roll" when the pedal broke. It happened when I
was going down into a little depression in the sidewalk (about 2 meters
long) with relatively smooth sides, and I heard a metallic sound when I
stepped on it to get up and out of it. I just had enough time to wonder
what that was before the right pedal fell off about 3-4 meters later.

Fortunately (!) this happened when I was riding smoothly and slowly and
I was also in the position with the right pedal down and the left pedal
up, so I could follow through with the left foot and dismount elegantly,
given the circumstances. I was of course immediately thinking about
previous situations where a pedal failure would have had catastrophical
consequences.

In other words - the equipment must be checked and dimensioned for the
wear and tear. So I learned several lessons over these days, and now I
am just wondering how much of the innate balancing skill I will lose
from not unicycling for several months.

I do hope it is a bit like "learning to ride a bike" or "learning to
swim" - in fact I expect it to be like this - but obviously I will also
have to excercise my core muscles and my stamina and my balance before
and while I begin unicycling again in the spring/summer.

Can't wait! I feel motivated again by writing here, it feels really
good as I've felt a bad conscience for disappearing like I did, all of a
sudden. Then again, I have seen that the activity in the main thread
(*How to learn unicycling?* - http://tinyurl.com/7o269w) feel
significantly this fall, so I guess I'm not the only one getting soaked
up by work after the summer vacations.

All right, back to bed (well, I am actually in bed while writing this)
to nurture my pneumonia (I am starting to fear this is what it is, at
least it is a really bad case of the flu) and get better.

See you all around, and thanks for reading my diary!!


--
lillestrøm_uni

My 'training journal'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/sho...php?p=1025788).
My todo list (augustdreamt™): -Assisted mount-ride-idle- / -Ride- /
-PD- / -Turn- / -Uphill/Downhill- / Idle / Hops / -Curbs- / -Uneven
ground- / 'Mount / Rolling mount / Jump mount'
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRW7ePkZ_8E)
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View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/69883


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