Biking my age in miles: 78

February 17, 2025

This is the tenth year when at the age of 69 I began a challenge to myself to bike my age in miles at least once per year. The earliest two were lost in the transition to CycleBlaze, but all of the others are still available here:

71: In Portland

72: Also in Portland

73: At Lake Coeur d’Alene

74: In Tucson: the Loop and Marana

75: In Tucson: the Old Sonoita Highway

76: In Tucson: the Loop and Oro Valley

77: In Tucson, the Loop and Colossal Caves

So how did it go this year? Well, considering that six weeks ago I wasn’t sure I’d actually be biking again much less be completing my birthday ride, it couldn’t really have gone any better. I had no difficulty at all completing the ride, and if I’d been more mindful about the time and more ambitious, I felt strong enough at the end that a century ride would have seemed possible - not that I feel any real interest in riding a century again, just to say I did it.

So what made it so easy? Two things: the weather, and the choice of the route. The weather was really ideal for the day and specifically for rhe route I’d chosen. The temperature was mild and comfortable all day long, and for the first 25 miles I had a modest but meaningful tailwind the entire way as I biked north along the Santa Cruz to the current end of the loop in that direction. Soon after I turned back south though, the wind shifted and again I had help all the way to its southern end at Valencia Road.

The choice of route requires some explanation and background though. Essentially just a flat ride north and south along the Santa Cruz until I’d gotten the distance to meet my goal, this was the easiest of any of these rides I’ve designed so far. Partly this was in response to the reality that even though I’ve started putting in some longer rides I really haven’t done any hill work at all yet and would undoubtedly struggle some if I threw anything like a pass or significant climb in my way. And part of it was security, keeping the itinerary close to home in case it looked like it really wasn’t going to work out quite yet. The itinerary had me within a mile of home after 50 miles, and again after 65.

But that wasn’t the primary and by far the most important issue. It was the bathrooms, and the prednisone. Early on I read up on all of the potential side effects that can come with prednisone usage, both in the near and long term. I’ve considered myself very fortunate to have been spared the worst of them, and mine seems limited to personality - sleepiness, restlessness, hyperactivity.

There’s one I overlooked though: incontinence. I’ve certainly been aware of the issue, after many instances when I’ve suddenly got a desperate need to find a bathroom. But somehow it didn’t occur to me until a few days ago to wonder if prednisone might be behind it. And it is. Incontinence isn’t listed as a top concerns but it’s definitely one of the possibilities. And for me the impact is pretty significant. Its a contributor to why I’ve been sleeping so poorly - I’ll sleep for a few hours, then wake up realizing I need to get to the bathroom, and by the time I’ve made it the short distance to the bathroom the need is so urgent that I can barely make it across the space before I’m desperate and at risk of an accident.

And on a bike ride it can be much worse. I can be a few miles from the nearest facility and suddenly realize I’m in trouble; or stalled waiting for a light to change or for the streetcar to arrive or to be admitted into a venue or anywhere, really.

Now that I’m aware of it, I’m getting the situation under control by better planning. I’m more conscious of how near the next facility is, but most importantly I’m starting to stop more frequently, knowing that my former assumption that I can just hold on until I’m home or whatever isn’t the case any more. If I think I might need to use a facility, I do it now.

Thus today’s ride - an easy course of course, but more importantly there are regular stops along the way - probably every five miles on the average. If I’m paying attention, I’ll be fine.

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So enough from the TMI department. How was the ride, and how was the day? The ride was outstanding. The weather was perfect as mentioned earlier, and there’s a great feeling of personal accomplishment and sense that a lot of longer rides are back on the table for me.

But there was more that made it an exceptional day. For one thing, it was by far the best birding ride for any of these events. Given that it wasn’t primarily a birding outing and I just had the camera ready for whatever came along, it was striking how often interesting sightings showed up - and especially how many of them resulted in such interesting shots.

And there’s this: I finally heard back from the rheumatologist today. One of the nurses called first to submit me to the standard twenty questions about my symptoms: any unusual headaches or jaw pain? How is the pain level over all? How is the vision? Significant weight loss or gain? After working through the list and says she’ll pass my responses on to the doctor, who will contact me later.

The doctor does call a few hours later, but on Rachael’s phone. And the report is positive. My dosage has been dropped from 80 mg to 60 the first step in the gradual tapering that will hopefully lead to a complete withdrawal. She also says that I can skip the next draw and just wait until we return to Portland. This feels huge to both of us, a real milestone to be celebrated. And later I’ll submit a question through the website about the idea of going to Europe for a prolonged period and having blood draws performed over time. She says it’s a question for my in-person visit (with a different doctor), but she assumes something like that could be managed.

So for us that feels like the second green light we’ve been holding out hope for. We won’t lock ourselves in and buy a flight until that in-person visit in just two weeks, but mentally we’re there. We’re going to Europe.

Two bowler hats unexpectedly greet me when I open the gate. The woman on the right is our next door neighbor with the bird feeder, and the gent is a friend down from Portland for the winter, he’s staying over in Rodeo, NM, but drove over for a visit.

First bird of the day, an Eurasian collared dove. One down, 25 to go.

Great lighting as I bike past Holy Family Catholic Church. I should really get out early in the day more often.

There’s still quite a bit of life left in the Snow Moon.

Along the Santa Cruz, just south of the Silverbell Golf Course.

I was surprised by this flock of maybe a hundred coots, grazing on the golf course as they walked/ran as a dense pack, almost like cackling geese.

Looking across Silverbell Lake. (Well, no. This is mislabeled and misplaced. It’s looking north across the lake at El Rio, from a later stop.)

Swan goose. I like the way that the hues on the water blend with the bird’s colors.

Great blue herons. There were three of them up in this tree, flying in individually after soaring across the lake at eye level right in front of me.

Amazing. I think my five lifetime best shots of a great blue heron were all taken this morning.

I took a photo of this guy just because he was walking the shoreline about thirty feet in front of me. I didn’t notice the shadow until later.

Red-winged blackbirds in the pecan orchard, just south of the confluence with Rillito Wash.

North of El Rio, beneath the cliffs on the way to Avra Valley Road.

Marana Heritage River Park, about a half mile past Gladden Farms. I had thought that the fresh pavement ended at Gladden Farms and I’d turn back there, but another mile and a half has been added.

Beyond Avra Road are around six miles of new bike path, an extension of the loop that just opened since last winter. It continues on until ending here at Sanders Road, where it looks like it’s waiting for construction of an over or underpass. I wonder if a further extension is in the works.

26 miles in, it’s time to turn back and head for Valencia Road, 35 miles to the south at the other extreme of the Loop.

Common Raven, one of a flock of about a dozen.

The nearest formation is those rocks between El Rio and Avra Road that are the northern tip of the Tucson Mountains. Farther off is the Rincon Range, with Mica Mountain on the left and Rincon Peak peeking through on the right.

When I come to El Rio again I stop for the first break of the day. While I polish off two PB sandwiches and a pair of Kind bars I scan the pond for anything of interest before moving on.

The view east across the lake at El Rio.

From a distance I thought this might be a bird.

Several miles south of El Rio the path crosses a low, sandy stretch that’s suddenly starting to show more color than just the brittlebush that’s been in bloom for awhile.

Marana Falls, at Ina Road. And I’ve just learned I’ve been mispronouncing this road ever since we started coming down here. it’s Eena, not Eyena.

I like the gauzy effect of this great egret, far off in the distance from Ina Road.

At Silverbell Lake. Break stop #2, with about 35 miles left in the ride.

South of Silverbell Lake the new birds just keep showing up, all the way until I’m nearly back to town.

Passing the Saint Mary’s access to the Loop where the ride began, I continue south before doubling back north again. The remainder of the ride is just a matter of packing the remaining miles in. First I return to a Saint Mary’s Road again and then cross to the other side and bike south on the east bank path, continuing enough past Ajo Way to a point that feels like it should get me home right at 78 miles.

On the home stretch: Tucson and the Catalina Range.

Rachael’s been tracking me on the invitation Garmin kicked off. She gives me a call when I’m about two blocks away to let me know I’ve overshot, but it was intentional. I needed to bike just a bit further east to meet the goal. It doesn’t seem like the time to be content with rounding up.

Five minutes later I’m sitting down to a heaping serving of stir-fry, and then a second. It all pairs well with two large glasses of milk, another of water, an NA IPA, and sundry snacks. As I eat I start unloading photos to the iPad while Rachael updates me on the news from the rheumatologist. A real blockbuster of a day.

Heart

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Eurasian collared dove, Mourning dove, Rock dove, House finch, House sparrow, Song sparrow, Great-tailed grackle, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s hawk, Common Raven, Brewer’s blackbird, Red-winged blackbird, Anna’s hummingbird, Northern mockingbird, American coot, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Green-winged teal, Swan goose, Snow goose, Great blue heron, Great egret, Gila woodpecker, Phainopepla, Abert’s towhee (26)

Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 965 miles (1,553 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	16
Comment on this entry	Comment	14

Wendy BeaudoinCongratulations Scott! I’m sure it will be many more years before you have to settle for metric distances.
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2 days ago

Andrea BrownWell, once again you impress me. You and Rachael are very inspiring and dedicated to fitness, but these annual "ride your age" rides are really something. The furthest we've ridden is 89 miles and that was ten years ago and definitely not to be repeated. What a beautiful day with wonderful news to boot.

Oh, and "pee anxiety" is real.
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2 days ago

Rich FrasierCongratulations! This one feels pretty meaningful, given the winter you've had.
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2 days ago

Kelly IniguezA happy day all the way around. I bet you slept well that night. Congratulations.
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2 days ago

Eva WaltersWhat a wonderful day--even the birds cooperated! And it looks like you'll be going off to Europe again. Congratulations!
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2 days ago

Suzanne GibsonCongratulations, Scott! What a great day! France is getting more real all the time!
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2 days ago

Bill ShaneyfeltGreat job! Spot on with flower IDs too!
Age riding, bird spotting and flower spotting! All we need is lizards now! :-)
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2 days ago

Bruce LellmanTo Andrea BrownBut, those 89 miles was with fully loaded bikes. And since it was our very first bike adventure our bikes were very loaded. The next day we sort of goofed off by exploring an ancient Khmer temple 25 miles round trip from our guest house. But then the next day we rode 75 miles. Not bad, I'd say, for how old we were, our very first bike adventure, fully loaded, in a lot of heat, and with little food available. It averaged more than my age in miles three days in a row. But could I do that today? Not sure.
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2 days ago

Bruce LellmanYou are amazing, Scott. Yes, very inspiring, both you and Rachael.
And a great doctor's report to boot! Congratulations. This makes me very happy.
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2 days ago

Janice BranhamSpectacular day all around. Congrats on the good news from the doc, and on notching another year in the NOYOAR (number-of-years-of-age-ride)
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2 days ago

Kathleen JonesWell now, well done, dude!
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2 days ago

Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltI’ve had my eye out. I saw my first one today skittering off the path,motor quick for a shot.
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2 days ago

Bob KoreisFantastic news! I had an excellent day at work, but the post TMI section of today's report gave me the biggest smile of the day.
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1 day ago

Keith ClassenCongratulations Scott on your ride, great bird shots and most importantly your health report. Next up … Europe!
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9 hours ago