Friday, October 11, 2013

Riding the Rock Island Trail

About a year ago I started riding my mountain bike on the Rock Island Trail.  The trail will soon span 35 miles from Toulon to downtown Peoria.  I have ridden it to Toulon going North, and to Peoria Heights going South.  It is great exercise for me.  I have a 1987 Schwinn mountain bike that was handed down to me from my father in-law.  Not the latest in lightweight technology but gets the job done for me.  I have accumulated several photos on the trail which I post here in my public Rock Island Trail photo album.  These were all taken with my smartphones. 

I use Cardio Trainer and MyTracks to track and data log my rides.  So far my longest single ride was 54 miles.  I am up to about 200 miles a month.  So far my highest month was August where I rode 246 miles.  I also have a Polar Wearlink+ Bluetooth heart rate monitor that integrates with both of these apps (but only one at a time).  I figured out I can ride about 2,000 calories worth until I run out of fuel.  I started bringing protein bars with me so I can refuel and rest.  I also learned to consume plenty of protein before I go.  One way I get protein is with Bolthouse Farms protein drinks.  These are available in most grocery stores.