Monthly Archives: May 2010
A New Month
A new month begins tomorrow. I’ll start weighing myself again, after not doing it for two months. I’m also going to start tracking everything I eat in a “food diary” again. I’m not going to track calories this time, but I will be able to review what I’ve eaten.
I’ve ridden my bike 1974.2 miles for the year so far. Here it is broken out by month:
| January | 323.6 |
| February | 297.3 |
| March | 574.9 |
| April | 364.9 |
| May | 413.5 |
I would really like to have over 600 miles for June, so I’d better get riding. 
Recovery
After my post on Thursday, my mood lifted dramatically. I had ridden to work, then rode home later. I rode a partial commute on Friday. I managed to get over 40 miles in on Saturday also.
I talked to Michael about riding with him in the Bloomington area. He was happy to host a ride. We did about 63 miles over some nice terrain. It was hilly enough to keep it interesting, but not so hilly as to totally kill me.
I want to thank Michael for hosting the great ride and planning the route. I’d like to thank his wife for feeding us lunch. So, thanks!
I didn’t get very many good pictures, but I’ve posted a few of what I have below.
Although I didn’t ride today, Memorial Day, I had plenty of other activities to keep my busy. My mood has brightened greatly since early last week.
Choices
Maybe this is my issue…
You’ve got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you’re not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. ~Steven D. WoodhullI did manage to get my butt out of bed early enough to ride to work today. I feel much better. I just need to keep doing it.
I’m Still Around
I want to thank everyone for the positive comments on the last post. Things have been rough, but it’s possible my depression is due to a medication I take. I’ll be talking to my doctor about it soon.
Motivation to do much of anything has been hard to come by. I haven’t ridden to work yet this week, or last week. I did go to work, but I drove, and even that was a challenge to push myself out the door.
I had intended to ride today. The weather has been beautiful.
More Depression
I hate writing negative posts, but I figured I write this one rather than write nothing at all.
I’ve been suffering from a bout of depression for several months. It’s been a recurring problem in my life, but I thought I had it beat about three years ago. I was wrong.
More recently, some not-so-pleasant things have happened in my life that further add to the depression. What has this led to?
- I’m pretty sure my weight is up. I haven’t actually weighed myself.
- My eating was out of control until this past weekend. I have pulled it back together.
- I’ve fallen behind on many things I need to do at work and around the house.
- I’m not riding the bike enough. This week was Ride Your Bike to Work Week, yet I did not ride to work a single day this week. Then again, I was only at work for three days due to my Washington DC trip.
The only real positive thing is that I have been successfully fighting off the urges to overeat. I’ve been craving pizza and beer, but I’m cooking at home and leaving beer out of it.
Heading Home
I’m at my gate at Dulles Airport. I’ll be home this afternoon.
I’ve made a concerted effort for most of my trip to keep my eating under control. That didn’t stop me from enjoying some great food, but I tried not to overdo it. I’ve also been staying away from beer, at least since Friday.
SR-71 Blackbird
I did get to visit two museums on this trip. First was the National Museum of the American Indian. Although an enjoyable experience, it doesn’t compare to National Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
I do have new resolve to lose weight. I don’t want to be “The Fat Guy” any longer. I’ll leave you with a picture of an SR-71 Blackbird, one of my favorite aircraft.
DC Update
I’m still in DC. I’ll be headed back tomorrow.
I did visit a bike shop on Saturday, but I was just looking around. I have done some walking. ”Playing pedestrian” is a nice change of pace.
Kristy and I drove the rental car from Herndon to DC and back yesterday. Parking in DC itself is crazy. I would have rather been on a bike.
After eating entirely too much on Saturday and hating myself for it, I ate better yesterday. It’s still early today, but I’m determined to get my eating back under control, whether or not I’m traveling. I haven’t weighed myself since April 1st, and I’m a little scared to step on a scale again. I will weigh myself on June 1st, but not before.
That said, I am enjoying playing tourist and spending time with my wife. I fly out tomorrow morning, and will spending some time at the Detroit airport. If I can avoid some of the food, and concentrate on just getting home, that will help.
Quick Trip – Quick Post
I’m waiting to board a plane. I’m flying to Washington DC for a long weekend. I love planes, but I’m not crazy about airports.
Since I’m flying, I’m not bringing a bike, and probably won’t be riding.
I’m also horrible about maintaining my eating habits while travelling. I may eat poorly, but I’ll have a good time. :)
On Weight
Weight is just a number. The number means something different to everyone.
I’ve been fixated on two numbers. 200 and 175. 175 lbs is my goal weight. 200 is the barrier that I’ve been trying hard to get below and stay below. So far I have failed both of these numbers.
What do I owe to these numbers? Why do I obsess over them? Numbers are hard facts, even if they aren’t the right facts.
I haven’t weighed myself since April 1st. I’ve been trying not to obsess. I have been overeating, and have probably gained a little weight. I’ve also been putting quite a few miles on the bike. Maybe it will balance out, maybe not.
I will start weighing myself again, but not yet. Maybe in June.
Funeral for a Friend
Nermal, my Giant Cypress hybrid bike is no more. This is the bike that got me riding as an adult. This is the $225 bike that I spent well over $1000 on in upgrades, accessories, and mistakes along the way.
I recently replaced the cassette and chain only to discover that the chainrings were worn bad enough to cause skipping. I was going to replace those, but then the bottom bracket (which I’d had problems with before) started coming loose. A close inspection revealed the bottom bracket shell (part of the frame) was cracked.
Neeko, my daughter's bike, upgraded with parts from Nermal
Sure, enough money could have fixed it. However, Nemal had served his purpose. I had moved on to better bikes and didn’t need to fix Nermal.
Luckily Nermal was a “parts donor”. When I bought Nermal, I also bought his twin for my daughter. My daughter named that bike Neeko. I’ve moved the wheels that Tom built for Nermal over to Neeko. I moved the chain and upgraded derailleur purchased from Bluegrass Bicycle.
Neeko now looks much like Nermal did in an earlier iteration. Before I bought a Brooks saddle or switched to flat bars. So the spirit lives on. :)
Saturday Picnic Breakfast
My daughter and I took a short ride this morning to have a “picnic breakfast”. The food consisted of peanut butter sandwiches and bananas. I drank coffee, she had tea.
At eight miles and a leisurely pace, we didn’t burn many calories, but it was fun, and a nice way to spend time together.
The destination was Charlestown State Park. Skies were clear and the air was cold when we arrived at 8:30.
There was something very peaceful about breakfast at 8:30 at a picnic table.
We rode around the park for a bit before heading home.
