Notice the flooding coming up on the sidewalk

I rode to work and then back home in warm weather.  The afternoon sky smelled of rain, but I never felt a drop.  The 7.7 mile round-trip was my normal route.

After I got home and took care of the dogs I rode out to Baxter Jack’s to watch Robin play volleyball.  It started raining on the way.  Once I locked up and got to the covered deck the skies opened up.  It was really raining.

Once the storm passed, the volleyball games began.  I watched her team lose (ouch).  She had things to do, so we went our separate ways.  I didn’t want to come straight home.  It was raining, but not the torrential downpour we had earlier.  I was still dressed for work, business casual, not the ideal wet weather gear, but I didn’t care.

I continued to Cumberland where I stopped for a beer and burger.  I took the long way home from there, adding another 7.8 miles for the day, and completing my 30 Days of Biking project.

My mileage total for the month was 300.3.  That’s not a great month for me, but considering how poorly this year has gone with my neck issues, it is an improvement.  Here are the miles numbers for the year so far:

I forced myself to ride every day of the month, even if it were a very short ride, to get back in the habit of riding everywhere.  Earlier in the year I took a bus, cab, or hitched a ride too often.  I think I’m back on the bike for good now.  I won’t be posting about every day’s ride, and I may not ride if I’m not going anywhere.

That’s what the scale said today. It’s a little lower than expected considering my eating habits.

I’m currently at Boom Bozz with Robin. I need to control my consumption.

In January I had 21 work days, meaning 42 trips.  Only 28 of those trips were by bicycle.  There were three car-pool trips, four where I got a ride from someone else besides a co-worker, three trips on the bus, two in a cab, and two walking trips.

February is off to a better start.  I’ve ridden my single-speed to work and back every day.  My neck has improved enough that this isn’t too painful.

Bike Miles

I rode 5502.9 miles in 2011.  That’s more than 400 miles over 2010′s 5087.2.  By comparison, 2009 was only 3860 miles.  November 2011 was a new personal record month.  I had 697.7 miles.  December is my best December yet, but nothing exceptional at 444.9 miles.

I hope to surpass 6000 miles in 2012, and have a one-month best of 750 miles.

Car-Free

I sold my truck and became car-free on November 4th.  I’m still adjusting to living without a car, but it’s not a difficult adjustment after living most of the year as if I were already car-free.

Bikes

I bought the Big Dummy as my car truck replacement once I knew I actually would sell the truck.  I still have some fit issues to get dialed in, but the bike has been great at hauling things (and people!).

I’ve spent a lot of money on bikes this year.  In addition to buying the Big Dummy, I bought a SON dynohub and lighting system for the LHT in April.  I later moved the wheel and lights to the single-speed.

In March, I bought a used kid-trailer as an affordable cargo hauler.  I haven’t used it since buying the Big Dummy, but it could be useful to tow it with the Big Dummy if I really need to haul a lot.

In December I bought new wheels (including Shimano dynohub) for the LHT.  I also bought new brakes.  Now, January 1st, the bike is still partially assembled in my kitchen.

Health

2011 has been a challenging year due to health issues.

In June I had a horrible neck pain problem.  It kept me off the bike briefly.  It made me miss some longer pleasure rides that I wanted to do.  With some treatment and strength training it was resolved to the point that I can function normally, but it never went away.

In September I was hospitalized due to a bowel obstruction.  Luckily it resolved without surgery, but it was scary.  I only missed one important ride, and had no lasting effects.

On the day after Christmas my neck issue returned.  I’m still struggling with it, and I see myself riding the recumbent more often now.  I wasn’t car-free last time, so my options are a bit more limited now.

The various doctor visits may have actually added to my overall mileage for the year.  I had doctor visits in New Albany and east of Lyndon that took me a bit farther for transportation cycling than I normally go.

Weight

Ah, the elephant in the room.  First let’s look at my monthly average weight since I started tracking it in 10/2007.  Up until July 2009, things look great, then a bit of a bump, lost again, then steady increase since March 2010.

Now let’s look at the same values beginning January 2009.  You’ll notice that most of it is between 200 and 220lbs.  That changes when it goes above 230 in July 2011.  It stays above 230 until the last two month of the year.

It’s a little bit depressing, but not all that surprising.  I’ve been treating myself to good food and beer as if I don’t have a weight problem.  I not going to give these things up, but I need to make better decisions on how much and how often to consume these things.

2011 was not a good year for weight loss.  I ended the year 13lbs heavier than I started it.  Ugh.  As Tim would say, I have an “intake valve problem”.

Exercise

Other than cycling I’ve done little exercising.  I had my push-up plan back in 2008 that I abandoned after suffer shoulder pain.  I’m supposed to be using some dumbbells to strengthen my upper body to help with the neck and shoulder issues, but I’ve not been using them as much as I should.

I was training for a triathlon early in the year, but ditched that after suffering problems in the swim portion of the training.  I did not enjoy the running, but I was capable of performing what was needed.

I did race my first bicycle race in November, the Gravel Grovel.  I met my goal of less that 6.5 hrs (just over 6 hours).

My biggest problem right now, is that my most common exercise other than cycling is the 12 ounce lift (lifting the beer to my lips).

Relationships

Okay, where to begin?

When I started this blog in November of 2007, my 13-year marriage was ending.  I didn’t talk about it publicly for months, but it was happening.

I married Kristy in 2009.  It was a much different marriage than the first, but didn’t work out for much different reasons.  We are now officially divorced.

Interesting tidbit.  I met an interesting woman, Robin, a few days ago.  My desires in a relationship are a bit different now.  I’m not ready to rush in to living together or marriage (eek!  I said the M word!), but she lives nearby (walking distance, no bike even needed!) and we have some common interests.  We rang in the new year together.  I’m not going to talk much more about her for the time being.

2012

Most goals stay the same.  Goal weight of 175lbs.  Stay sane.  Be happy.

Some goals have changed.  Ride 6000 miles for the year.  Ride 750 miles or more in at least one month.  Save more money.

All of this is for nothing if the Mayans were right.

Happy New Year everyone!

Tuesday
I had an appointment with a lawyer before work.  I rode the Big Dummy to work, then walked to the appointment.  I’m glad I did.  Traffic was a mess in the area due to an underground electrical box fire.  Even riding a bike through the area would have been problematic.

I had ridden the Big Dummy to pick up pet supplies at Feeder’s Supply after work.  I normally go to the Downtown location, but I wanted to check out a new route to St Matthews, so I rode my new route through the Richlawn and Beechwood Village neighborhoods to get to another location.

I then hauled 70lbs of pet supplies toward home, stopping at Four Pegs for beer and food.  I may have eaten what I shouldn’t have, but I did get over 20 miles in for the day, nearly half of that while hauling pet supplies.

Wednesday
Today I had a doctor appointment in New Albany before work.  My LHT was still in pieces, so I rode the single-speed.  By the time I got home, I had 26 miles.

Several of us are getting together this weekend for a gravel ride.  My LHT is the bike of choice here, so it was time to put it back together.

I cleaned the bike the best I could and reinstalled the fenders and wheels.  I cleaned and lubed the drivetrain.  I noticed a few issues.

• Rear hub is “sloppy”
• Front derailleur won’t shift to small ring, unless you push it with your finger
• Rims are badly worn
• Cables are worn
• Brake pads are worn
• Pedals were “crunchy” – one of them was also bent
• Chainrings are worn

I don’t have the money to fix all of this right away.  I did have some different pedals in the closet that I put on it.  I’ll be stopping by the bike shop for help with the rear hub and front derailleur.  The hub because I don’t own any cone wrenches.  The derailleur, because I don’t know what’s wrong with it.  It could just need replacing.

The bike has seen nearly 6600 very hard miles.  This is the go-to bike for gravel, rain, winter, mud, and heavy loads (before the Big Dummy).  It looks like I’ll be spending a fair amount over the next few months fixing it up.

Food
I’ve quit tracking my food intake again.  I’m going to start again tomorrow.  I’ve been busy and it takes time.  Yesterday’s fun at Four Pegs is what happens when I don’t hold myself accountable.

Weight
I’m still slowly losing.  Go figure.  I guess it’s a combination of better eating (even with mishaps) and more miles on the bike.

Progress?  I’ve not been perfect about the rules.  I even bought beer at the grocery store, and had a few last night.  I have been better.

Results?  My weight on 11/21 was 230.2lbs.  Today is 224.2lbs.  In the time between, it’s been 220s the whole time.  I’m seeing small consistent drops.

Weaknesses?  On Wednesday, I went out on an allowed outing for Car-Free Happy Hour.  I was fine with my food consumption, but had a bit more beer than necessary.  On Thursday, I was going to go out to eat, but the restaurant I went to went out of business.  I went home and cooked.  Friday I went out for pizza.  I ate entirely too much, but was better about the beer consumption.

I went grocery shopping last night on the Big Dummy.  I hauled a lot of groceries home.  I’m planning on making large amounts of soup.  I can freeze the extra.  I can easily bring it to work for lunch.  It should be a big help.

My daughter came to visit yesterday.  We made a chicken breast and rice dish.  I ate a bit too much and had beer.

I have no big bicycle plans this month.  I’m just coasting by.  We have one gravel ride planned in a week or two… I don’t know which weekend.  Other that that it’s just riding to work, running errands, or the occasional in-town ride.

I dropped off my rear wheel for the ‘bent on Friday.  That meant riding out to Lyndon after work.  I’m riding back out there today to pick it up, probably just in time for the rain to get here.

Today was Car-Free Happy Hour at Clifton Pizza.  I was unsure I even wanted to go, but I did go.

I’m glad I did.  Tom was there with his wife.  They had ridden a tandem recumbent.  I ate two pieces of pizza and had some beer.

I followed Tom to his house in Lyndon, then headed home.  I wasn’t sure exactly how many miles I needed to get 700 for the month.  I came up short.  I got a total of 697.7 miles for November.  It’ll do.  It’s still a new personal record.  I’m going to ease up a bit in December.  I need a break.

I only needed 53 miles to do it, and I had the day off work today, so I planned a 55-mile ride for today.  I hadn’t ridden the recumbent in a while, so that was to be my bike of choice.

The recumbent had a flat tire that I didn’t get around to fixing last night.  I pulled the wheel off this morning and found the valve stem was damaged.  I grabbed the spare tube and found that it had gotten punctured in storage.  I patched the spare and got the tire mounted and aired up.  With the wheel back on the bike, I gave it a spin.  The wheel was quite out of true.

I assumed I just needed to tighten a spoke or two.  This was frustrating, but within my ability.  After closer inspection I found a broken spoke.  Okay, not riding the recumbent today.

I decided the single-speed would be a better choice anyway with the generator lighting.  It’s dreary and rainy outside.  It took very little to get the bike ready to go.

The hard part about dressing for the weather is that it’s in the 40s and raining.  The easy part is that the temperature isn’t supposed to change much all day.  A mixture of wool and synthetics was called for.  I dressed a little light so that I wouldn’t overheat.  I wore my rain cape to prevent my upper body from getting soaked.

I was out the door and heading west down Hill St.  I made my way to the west end and turned north toward Shawnee Park.  That’s when I noticed the wind was from the north.  The rain cape became a sail.

After riding through Shawnee Park and Portland I was eastbound toward downtown.  I felt better here until I got in between tall buildings that were funneling the wind in odd directions.  Again, the rain cape was a liability, but with heavy rain, wind, and no jacket I wasn’t going to take it off.

I stopped at my workplace to say hello, use the restroom, and warm up.  I then went across the street for coffee.

I continued east on River Rd.  I knew at this point I wasn’t going to finish the planned ride.  I was too cold.

I turned on Frankfort Ave and came across some flooding.  I carefully rode through watching the depth.  I didn’t want to get my feet wet or submerge my dynohub.  I succeeded in not submerging the hub.  My feet got soaked.  Even with wool socks my feet got very cold.

I continued out Frankfort Ave to Bike Couriers Bike Shop.  I stopped in and look around.  They had a Radish in stock.  Neat!  I also noticed they had a decent selection of useful fenders and other utility cycling stuff in stock.

After that I headed nearly directly home.  I was cold and wet.  I also needed to use a restroom again.

My mileage for the month is 667.3.  That’s less than four miles short of a new personal best and not far from 700.  I still have two more days to hit the 700.  I should be able to do that by taking the long way to work or back.

My top ten months are below.

There are seven more days to ride.  One of those days is Gravel Grovel, which will get me about 60 miles.  That means I can average less than 23 miles per day for the other six days and hit my target.

Why yes, I do have a Thanksgiving Day ride planned.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My overall mileage year-to-date is a bit lower than last year, but that’s due to my horrible June because of my neck.

I mentioned in my previous post that I’ve driven the truck to a ride for the last time.  It’s true.  It’ll be sold by Saturday.  I will be officially car-free.

I was car-free briefly in April 2009, but then I bought the truck.  I lived in Charlestown and the time, and the time and energy spent commuting that distance was more than I could handle.

Now, I live in town, and this car-free episode isn’t being forced on me.  The Kia needed a new engine, spurring that car-free stint.

Monthly Average Weight

When I was having the most weight loss I was constantly reminding myself about my progress.  That was the point of this blog.

Since then, It’s turned into either talking about bike rides or complaining about depression.  Both of those affect my weight loss and will still be mentioned here, but I need to get back to basics and post my weight daily.  I just recently started weighing regularly again.

So there is now a Daily Weigh-In link under the pages section.  I’ll keep it as updated as possible.  It also has a link to a chart of my monthly progress that I’ll keep updated on a monthly basis.  I’m putting the chart here also, that is updated through September.

I’ve had some weight loss for the last two weeks.  I need to keep that going.

I had a can of soup for dinner last night.  Not exactly satisfying, but I’m running out of groceries.  I’ll be making a grocery trip tonight after work.

I still don’t have my weigh-in page figured out, but I have the data in an Excel spreadsheet.

I almost drove to work yesterday, but I am short on money and didn’t want to pay for parking.  If I’m going to sell my truck, driving to work can’t be an option.

I feel better today and I’m looking forward to riding into work.  Given the choice, I think I’d rather crawl back into bed.  :)

I’ve been at risk of undoing much of the health improvements I’ve done over the last four years.  My eating habits are not only directly unhealthy, but not great for my mental health with the self-loathing I feel after a whole week of eating bad… week after week.

I’ve let myself get lazy and distracted.  I haven’t been keeping up on household chores.  I’ve basically been a mess.

I’m going to refocus.  I’m weighing myself again.  I haven’t started posting it again because the page is crazy with too much data.  I’ll find a better way to present it soon.  My weight this morning was 236.4lbs.  That’s higher than it’s been since October of 2008.

I need to stop going out to eat so much.  Going out for pizza or a burger and a beer three or four times a week is not only working against my goals, but is costing too much money.

Today, I cooked a pork chop on the grill and had celery sticks.   I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  It was a sensible size portion and I drank water with it.

More Goals

In December 2008 I listed a few secondary goals.  I just revisited that.

• Learn to ride a unicycle (next year)
  I wisely gave up on this.
  
• Be car-free (three years away)
  Strangely enough, I’m on track for this.
  
• Either fix-up my house, or move (three years away)
  I moved more than a year ahead of the goal.
  
• Meet a woman crazy enough to like my lifestyle (never?)
  I got married – we’re split up now – don’t want to say much more than that.
  
• Ride a several hundred mile multi-day tour (next year?)
  Although late, I did this in March of this year.

Message From The Past

In January of 2009, I wrote something that I needed to read now.  Luckily, I do re-read my older blog entries occasionally.

I mention effort to save a life.  I was trying at the time to convince my audience that this is possible and necessary.  It turns out the audience is me in 2011.

Alright Then

If I fix my eating habits and focus more on productive activities, not only will I lose weight, but I should feel better about myself.  It’s not a cure for depression, but it means fewer bad days.

It’s strange that the things I crave when depressed (food & beer) are things that will eventually make me more depressed.  This is common.  What is it with the human psyche?

• I did a 130-mile camping trip on the last weekend of the month
• I spent a lot of time running errands out to the east end
• I rode my recumbent for 70 miles by riding to the Crestwood ride 25-miler, then back home
• I rode a 70-mile RCCS ride
• I rode my bike to work every day
• I had several 20-40 mile rides
• I rode a few extra miles on the last day of the month – just to push myself to a new record

On 8/31, I rode to work the normal way, a whole 3.6 miles or so.  I left work early for a doctor’s appointment (which got me okay’d for a third epidural).

I rode the following route from work to the doctor and then home:

Instead of taking the normal way, I took River Rd all the way to Lime Kiln.  This was flat as a pancake and I managed a 15mph average on this stretch… on the single speed.

After turning unto Lime Kiln there’s a small climb, but it’s mostly flat after that.  I stayed on that same road, although it changes names to Herr Ln then to Lyndon Ln, all the way past Shelbyville Rd and nearly to my doctor’s office.

On the way back, I took the more normal New Lagrange, Washburn, Westport route.  After meandering through the parks, I wen’t to Za’s for pizza then headed home.

After getting home, I realized I was still short of a new monthly record, so I headed back out.

I basically just wandered around.  I didn’t have a destination in mind.  I had mentioned to Tim that I might go through Indian Hills, but I never made it out quite that far.  I was still on the single-speed (actually haven’t ridden the LHT since the camping trip).  Here’s my route:

Once I got back home, I had 671 miles, a new personal best month.  I’m going to shoot for 700 in September.

I had another doctor appointment after work today, so that got me about 33 miles.  I needed a few more to put me over my old record of 665.6.  I wandered around parts of town that I’m not familiar with.  I eventually ended up in the Mockingbird Valley area, then on River Rd.  Then I went out for a beer.  That made it all worth it.

This new personal best tells me that my neck is “good enough”.  I can ride whatever bike I want for as long as I want without any more discomfort than I get sitting in a chair.

I also had a 130-mile weekend with camping.  I’ll write about it soon.

The Excel document is more accurate, as I don’t forget a full week or month.  Apparently I do forget to enter rides on MyCyclingLog, because the numbers are different by more than 15 miles.

Using my record keeping, I had 646.5 miles for the month of March which is my 2nd highest mileage month yet.  The first was June of 2010 at 665.6 miles.  The March mileage is higher in large part due to my mini-tour.

I want to exceed 700 miles in April, yet I’m not doing a tour.  I’m taking a longer route to work, and trying to longer rides on the weekend.  This morning, Tim and I put in over 30 miles.  I have to mow the lawn at my old house in Charlestown, so I’m going to ride there.  I may ride back depending on the time I finish up.

I don’t know what tomorrow has in store yet, but I intend to be on the bike.

I rode to work and back.  Not much else to add.

Tuesday

I rode to work, then to a massage appointment, then home.  I ate too much.

Wednesday

Woke up with a horrible headache, called work to let them know I’d be late, then went back to sleep for a while longer.  I did go into work, but I drove.

Since I was driving anyway, I ran some errands after work.  I went to Swags to buy some running shoes.  Found some that will work for about $60.  Then I went grocery shopping.  Now that 2011 is here, I’m tracking all of my driving miles.  Well, Wednesday was 22.1 miles put on the truck.

Thursday (Today)

Rode to work again.  After work rode across the bridge to Jeffersonville to meet up with Debbie, who I’m training with for the Triathlon.

We discussed scheduling, training, and whatnot.

After I got home, I put on my new running shoes, and some thick base layers (it’s cold outside!) and my reflective vest, and went for a quick run.  The shoes will work.  I should probably buy some thin gloves.  I have thick ski gloves I wear on the bike, but they are not ideal for running.

Rest Of The Week?

I’m now committed to running the Reindeer Romp 4k on Saturday.  I might be crazy to run this soon, but at least it’s only 4k (2.4 miles) and I can walk as much as I need to.

I also need to spend some more time at the Y.  My swimming technique needs a lot of work.  I also need more miles on the bike.

2007

Most of this is fairy-land made up stuff.  I didn’t own a scale until late October, but I wanted to fill in a full year’s worth of weight, so I guessed.  You can see the weight start dropping at a pretty good clip near the end of the year.  That part is real.

2008

Through 2008 the weight loss continued nicely. I did bitch and moan at the time about the plateaus that I hit, but it was temporary, and the weight loss continued.

2009

The first couple of months of the year started out well, but then I struggled to lose weight and actually gained weight in the last half of the year.

2010

For the first quarter of the year I lost the weight I gained in the last part of the previous year.  Then I gained it back and another 15 lbs just for good measure.

What Now?

I try not to get too upset about this.  My weight is still below 220 and considering I started just below 300 I’ve still made progress overall.  I do feel like I’m on the verge of undoing it, but I have a much different lifestyle now.  I am fit and active now, I wasn’t before.  I’m eating too much again, thus the weight gain.

The triathlon training should help.  Does that mean I’ll gain more weight after the triathlon is complete?  Maybe.  Should I worry?  Not too much.  I do need to start eating better.  It’s the 2nd day of the year, and I’ve already went out for pizza twice this year.  I can’t keep doing that.

2008

I bought a bike and started riding in April of 2008.  At the time it seemed like I made slow progress in being able to ride, but I quickly shot up to 626 miles in one month (August).  It tapered off after that.  I finished up that year with 2238.6 miles.  The average monthly was 186.6.

2009

In 2009 I brought my average monthly mileage to 321.7.  I had a total of 3860 miles.  I didn’t have any incredibly good months, but I only had one really bad month, December, with only 91.6 miles.

2010

In 2010 I was more consistent.  My worst month, February, wasn’t really that bad at 297.3 miles.  I also set a new monthly record in June of 665.6 miles.  I barely made my 5000 mile goal for the year by getting 5087.2 miles, averaging 423.9 per month.

2011?

Now that I live closer to work, I’m a bit worried my mileage will drop.  I’m also spending more time on other activities related to the triathlon.  I’ve left my goal for the year at 5000 miles.  Commuting alone will only get me about 2000 miles for the year.  I need to squeeze in longer ride and/or take the long way to work.

I think I’m off to a good start.  I put in a 43-mile ride on the first day of the year.  I may (or may not) get in a ride today.

I’m up to 4900 miles on the bike so far this year.  I’ll easily hit 5000 for the year.  Getting 5000 next year will be the real challenge with my shorter commute.

I still don’t seem to be losing weight.  I am eating better now.  There was a company potluck yesterday, but I skipped dinner after I got home.

I ate much better at work today, but don’t feel like cooking tonight, so I’ll probably just microwave some frozen vegetables.  I’ve been ignoring my food diary.  I still need to start using my dumbbells, or doing push-ups, or something.  Writing blog posts, sleeping, and reading are taking up my time though.

I drove to work yesterday.  I paid $8.75 to park the truck.  Ugh.

I’ve been having problems getting up in the morning.  This morning I got up early and rode to the coffee shop (where I’m at now).  I’ll be leaving here shortly to go to work.

My single-speed bike has been switched over to a fixed-gear.  Riding fixed is different.  It works well for riding around town.  I certainly wouldn’t want to ride it on a long, hilly ride.

My weight continues to climb.  This probably in part due to the snacks at the coffee shops.  I would be better off if I limited myself to just the coffee.

There are two RCCS rides this weekend.  Saturday morning at 8:30, there is an easy urban ride starting at Sunergos.  Sunday is the 80-mile gravel ride that is “training” for the overnight ride coming up later this month.  Can you join us?

Here’s my monthly weight chart.  It looks like I’m heading toward 220 lbs.

From Saturday's short ride

Weekly Miles: 255.6 (my new weekly record)
Miles Today: 116.6 (my new daily record)
Top Speed Today: 47.5 mph (my new record, possible stupidity involved)

Today:

I rode to Tim’s house (about 21) miles, leaving home about 4:30 this morning.  We left on a planned 70-miler that ended up a tad longer.  I then rode home.  It was a do-it-yourself Century ride.  :)

Morning

At Iroquois Park

Kentucky Tobacco

I was on track to have 800 miles for the month of June.  Then things got busy, but I was still on track for over 700 miles.  Then I got sick.  If I rode to work and back one day this week, it would put me at 700 miles.  That’s not going to happen.  So my total for June is 665.6 miles.  136.6 of those miles were on the recumbent, the rest on the LHT.

June 2010 is a record mileage month for me, beating out August 2008 with 626.8 miles.

I’m not done.  There’s a new month starting soon.  Now that my daughter has moved out, and my wife will be gone again, I intend to set a new record for July.

I knew that March of this year was good.  I assumed it was a new record.  I had no idea that I did more miles in August of 2008.  I had only been riding a few months when I set my record.

I’m hoping to blow that record away this month.  If I keep up the pace that I’ve been doing, I should have 800 miles for the month.  We’ll see.

My commuting bike for this week will be Oria, my recumbent.  I’ve got some “butt issues” that need to heal, so comfort is the word.

During the slower weightloss period I dropped about five pounds from March 2009 to July 2009.

From July 2009 to present I’ve actually had a small net gain.  I actually weight more today than I did in early March 2009.

On the bright side, I think my body fat percentage is a little lower than it was in March 2009.  I have been riding the bike a lot more.  I’ve built a lot of muscle.  I’m on track to have over 5000 miles on the bike this calendar year.

Also being fit (which I feel I am) at any weight is healthier than not being fit at the same weight.  My quality of life has improved greatly.

I just need to keep working to eat better, as my natural inclination is to binge on things I shouldn’t.

• Home
• Post Office
• Coffee Shop
• Bank
• Work
• Doctor’s Office
• Coffee Shop
• Home

It turned out to be 43.5 miles in beautiful weather.  I had to spend a few hours working, and some time getting poked and prodded by my doctor, but overall a good day.

As far as my crushing depression I was having before… It disappeared <poof!> last Thursday.  I did discuss it with my doctor, but I really don’t want to take medication for it.  As far as an existing medication causing it, I should get the lab results soon.

Oh, I weighed this morning.  I’ve gained weight, as expected.  My weight this morning was 211.2, which is about where I was in early February.  So, I lost some progress again.  I’m back on the wagon.

I’ve ridden my bike 1974.2 miles for the year so far.  Here it is broken out by month:

I would really like to have over 600 miles for June, so I’d better get riding.

On Wednesday, I was ready to ride.  I took the long way to work wandering down Waterline Road, through Utica, along the river.  I took a mostly normal route home, with a total for the day of 37 miles.

Today, I didn’t ride to work.  I took Nermal to work to use as “lunch ride” bike on days that I don’t ride to work.  I figured it wouldn’t get any use this week, as the weather forecast was calling for thunderstorms.

We had beautiful weather in the early afternoon.  The roads were even dry (good thing too, Nermal is running without fenders right now).  Patrick, who has joined us on a couple of RCCS rides met up with me downtown, and we rode through Old Louisville and The Highlands, before parting ways, and each getting back to our duties.  That was a nice 13-mile spin.

Tomorrow I’m attending a Norah Jones concert with my daughter.  Riding my bike to work is not really in the cards.  So, I took a 19-mile night-time ride now.  I may do another one tomorrow night after the concert.

Four of us arrived in Edwardsville for ride.  Tim, Dominic, Patrick, and I were prepared for a chilly day, as the temperature was barely above freezing at the ride start.

As we headed toward New Middletown we ran across several members of the Louisville Bicycle Club, and they were moving quite fast.  It turns out they were running time trials.  One of them was Dale, who used to ride with us occasionally, until he preferred riding faster.  As we got into New Middletown we talked to a few more LBC members including Chaz, Tom, and Jen.

As the ride progressed we needed to shed clothing due to warmer temperatures, and actual sunlight!  I know, it was sunny yesterday, but after months of dreariness, this weekend is wonderful.  The temperature topped out in the low 60s.

We went a little off-route, so the total mileage was about 56.  This was probably the best ride I’ve had this year.  The New Year’s Day ride was nice also, but was much colder.

I was also in a cheerful mood because my weight had dropped below 200 lbs as of this morning.  We’ll see if that trend continues.

I rode 126 miles this week.  That’s my highest mileage week this year.  I’m hoping to start next week off with a full commute to work tomorrow morning.

January and February are up slightly over last year.  That was following a pitiful December.

Poor Oria hasn’t been ridden since November.  I’m thinking about riding her to work one day this week.

Down from last week:
3.7 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
89.0 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
3.22 lbs

Weight until goal:
32.4 lbs

It’s been months since I’ve posted a weekly update.  My weight loss had stalled, so I mostly wrote about bicycle related activities.  That has changed.  I’m losing weight again.  My new diet is working.

I still expect to reach my goal weight of 175 lbs.  I hope to reach it before the end of this year.  My new diet should make it easier to maintain than my previous low-calories diet.

Weight

I (mostly) lost weight through the first half of the year, but mostly gained it all back in the last half.  I’m still happier with my weight than I was in 2007 or 2008 though.  I need to have the self-control that I did in 2008 again.

Bike Mileage

I didn’t make my goal of 5000 miles.  I knew I wouldn’t fairly early.  I did ride 3,860 miles for the year, which beats the previous year of 2,238.

Month by Month Review

• January 2009
  • Biking irregularly due to weather and ice storm
  • First RCCS ride
  • Rode 277.8 miles
  • Average weight of 216.5 lbs
• February 2009
  • Gave up the idea of living car-free in the near-term
  • I assumed (wrongly) that I’d hit my goal weight by August
  • Rode 263.3 miles
  • Average weight of 208.2 lbs
• March 2009
  • I met Kristy
  • Rode 192.4 miles
  • Average weight of 204.6 lbs
• April 2009
  • My car died – spent two weeks without one before buying my truck
  • Kristy and I were engaged
  • Kristy left the state for a few months
  • Rode 290.9 miles
  • Average weight of 206.6 lbs
• May 2009
  • Rode the 60-mile Tour de Cure
  • Set a new weekly mileage record of 186.1
  • Rode 452.0 miles
  • Average weight of 203.3 lbs
• June 2009
  • Weight was under 200 lbs for a while
  • Set a new weekly mileage record of 201.9
  • Rode 542.2 miles
  • Average weight of 202.0 lbs
• July 2009
  • Kristy came home
  • Went to West Virginia with Kristy to meet some of her family
  • Rode 371.3 miles
  • Average weight of 201.8 lbs
• August 2009
  • Managed a 20-mile ride in Michigan while traveling
  • Almost sold my recumbent
  • Business trip to San Antonio – Too much good food
  • My daughter came to live with me
  • Rode 199.6 miles
  • Average weight of 208.4 lbs
• September 2009
  • I married Kristy in Florida – managed to bring bikes and get in some riding too
  • Finished The Ride to Conquer Cancer – I enjoyed the achievement, but I’m not really sure I want to spend the (fund-raising) time to do another charity ride
  • Rode 298.9 miles
  • Average weight of 212.4 lbs
• October 2009
  • Kristy left again for work
  • Rode 436.1 miles
  • Average weight of 209.7 lbs
• November 2009
  • Went mountain biking for the first time
  • Rode 443.9 miles
  • Average weight of 209.8 lbs
• December 2009
  • Kristy came home
  • Spent Christmas in West Virginia
  • Kristy left again
  • I’m gaining weight again, it’s going to take work to get back down
  • Rode 91.6 miles – holy crap!  what happened here?
  • Average weight of 215.2 lbs – wow back to January weight

Overall

I’m happy with what I’ve done for the year.  I met a wonderful woman, fell in love, and got married.  Looking back at my posts from the past year, many of them seem rather negative.  I guess it’s easy to focus on the times when things aren’t going as planned.  Things usually don’t go as planned, but work out alright anyway.

That doesn’t mean I give myself a pass on not losing the weight and keeping it off.  I very much intend to achieve my goal weight of 175 lbs, and stay there.  I’m hoping I can do it before December of next year.

Happy New Year everyone!

We’ve still got of stuff to move from her old apartment, but we’re getting to it.  Although we’re probably still going out to eat too often, we are splitting meals now which is better for the wallet and the gut.

I’ve worked three days this week.  On Wednesday I drove to work.  Thursday and Friday (today) I rode the bike into work, but Kristy picks me up after work.  That seems to work out well.

I’ve been riding Nermal.  Oria needs some work on the wheels, and should probably have the bearings cleaned and regreased after the sand and saltwater spray in Florida.

I am disappointed with my weight.  I’ve been above 210 lbs all of this month, and part of last.  I had been down below 198 as recently as July.

Kristy is supportive of my weight loss and bike riding.  She kicked me out of bed this morning so that I had time to ride.  I love her for that. 

215 lbs is about what I weighed back in January.  I’m going to have to really push hard to get back under 200 lbs by the end of the year.  I’m going to Florida in less than a week.  I have another conference to attend in October in St. Louis.  I need to learn better eating habits when travelling.

For now, I’m back at home, and will be back on the bike.  I’ve got some good food around the house, and need to watch how much of it I eat.

Up from last week:
5.0 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
92.2 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.42 lbs

Weight until goal:
29.2 lbs

Blah.  I gained 5 pounds in a week.  It’s true I haven’t been as careful with my eating.  I expected to gain a little, but not 5 pounds.

This next week will be a challenge.  I’ll be with Kristy and traveling.  I’ll need to have a little more self-control.

Down from last week:
1.9 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
97.3 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.77 lbs

Weight until goal:
24.1 lbs

My car mileage is up, but I made a trip to Michigan, and two trips to the Danville area.  I didn’t track my bike mileage monthly until this year, and I believe I rode about 500 miles in August of last year, but at 542.2 miles, I’m calling June 2009 a record.

My average weight for the month was 202.0 lbs.  I have been struggling with my weight recently, but I think the last month or so has been due to building muscle mass from more bike riding and weight lifting.

After over riding over 80 miles last weekend, I’m riding full commutes to work this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  On Tuesday and Thursday, I’m doing a partial commute, and my weight training.  The commuting alone should bring me to 120 miles per week.

I started out a nice ride, and ran across three young (and friendly) dogs.  I had to stop to avoid hitting them.  They were quite playful, and didn’t want to let me go.  When I finally did get away, I later noticed that one of them had punctured one of my water bottles, and it had drained.  I shortened the ride to 23 miles to avoid dehydration.

I damaged my mower while mowing the lawn, and won’t be finishing that until next weekend.

Sunday was much better.  I met up with Tim for a 61-mile ride leaving from Sellersburg.  We had advertised it as a RCCS ride, but it was last minute and no one else attended.

After the ride, my daughter and I went swimming at Hardy Lake.  It was a nice way to relax after a bike ride.

I set a new record on bike miles for a week.  My previous record was 186.1, my new record is 201.9.  I’m on track to make June 2009 a record month for miles also.  It’ll probably end up around 560 miles.

I’m not doing my normal “weekly average weight post”, but my weight is down a bit.  My weight seems to just be bouncing around at around 200 lbs.  I eat decently and ride quite a bit, but I could stand to improve both.  It may be that I won’t ever reach my 175 lb goal, but I will keep trying.

Down from last week:
0.5 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
92.7 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.65 lbs

Weight until goal:
28.7 lbs

The up-and-down at just around 200 lbs continues.

Up from last week:
4.5 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
92.2 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.68 lbs

Weight until goal:
29.2 lbs

Getting under 200 lbs was a challenge, but I did it.  Staying under 200 is harder.  Hopefully my diet changes I talked about in my last post will help here.

Down from last week:
1.8 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
96.7 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.97 lbs

Weight until goal:
24.7 lbs

I had pizza and beer yesterday.  I had beer today, and 800 calories worth of ice cream.  I haven’t ridden many miles this week, yet I lost weight (until today).  I am happy to have my weekly average under 200 lbs though.

This blog has been rather quiet recently.  I really haven’t been doing much that I can write about.  Everything is going rather well in my personal life (I just wish Kristy would be home sooner).

I have an interesting bike-related adventure going on tomorrow.  I’ll have a camera with me.  Stay tuned.

My average monthly weight was 203.3 lbs, or a loss of 3.3 lbs from April.  I’ve made up for April’s gain, and then some.  My daily weight has dropped below 200 lbs for three days in a row.

Mileage

May mileage is improved.  I’m driving less and riding more.  I wasn’t tracking mileage by month last year, but May 2009 could be the most miles in a month for me.

Health

It turns out I have arthritis in my right shoulder.  I probably injured it years ago, and just don’t remember it.  Most of the medication I have been given for it didn’t do much, and had side effects, so I’m no longer taking medication for it.  I have been doing strength training for my upper body with a personal trainer.  This has been helping my shoulder, and is good for the general fitness also.

Personal

Kristy is still too far away.  I’ve been focusing on bikes, cooking, and diet to keep the loneliness away.  Kristy sent a picture, and gave me permission to post this one. 

I’ve been recruiting some co-workers to go on a bike ride during lunch.  Several people keep a bike at work, and we ride along the riverwalk during lunch.  We ride slow, and it’s not a long ride, but it helps break the day up and clear the mind.

Down from last week:
2.0 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
94.9 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.93 lbs

Weight until goal:
26.5 lbs

My last two weigh-ins have been just under 200 lbs.  My weight will probably pop back above 200 lbs for a day or two, but I’m comfortable saying that my next weekly average, and my June monthly average will be under 200.

I’ve done this by eating very light on days that I don’t ride my bike, and eating more food on days that I do.  I’ve ridden a little over 100 miles for the week so far, and still have two more days to ride if I want.

I’ve been waiting for the day that my weight is under 200 lbs, and it’s not quite here yet.  Why an arbitrary number like 200?  It means little.  Even my goal weight of 175 is just an arbitrary number.

We all need goals, and 175 is my goal.  Nice round numbers along the way are signs of progress.  So I’ll take my 200.

Down from last week:
1.5 lbs

Down since I started on 10/31/2007:
92.9 lbs

My average loss per 30 days since 10/31/2007:
4.89 lbs

Weight until goal:
28.5 lbs

I did the miles in four days.  The other three days I did no riding.

• Monday: Commuting – 33 miles
• Friday: Commuting and ride to Seneca Park – 47 miles
• Saturday: Tour de Cure – 60 miles
• Sunday: Ride with Tim, and my first LBC ride – total of 46 miles

Tim wants more miles, and knows I want more miles, so he arranged the beautiful ride from Iroquois Park to southwest of Louisville.  Once we got off the main roads, the ride was quite nice, if a bit hillier than I bargained for.

After some food and a short rest, I met up with Louisville Bicycle Club “ice cream ride” in Jeffersonville.  The ride goes up to Utica and back, then we have ice cream.  What could be better?

The LBC ride was notable for having four ‘bents (including Tom), so I was in good company.