I usually enjoy the ride into work, but the ride home is always slower and less enjoyable.  I still don’t know entirely why.  I’ve decided to mix up the schedule up a bit.

Today, I rode my 11-mile loop when I got home.  The route consists of beautiful country roads will very little traffic.  The sun was going down, and it was a pleasurable way to wind down after work before having to wash dishes.

I’m planning on getting up early in the morning, and doing that same 11-mile loop.  Then I’ll shower and head to work.

So, the plan is to ride two 11-mile rides per day for the week.  I only did one today, but that’s okay, this plan wasn’t formulated until this afternoon.

The video below outlines how fructose (from high-fructose corn syrup and plain old table sugar) really destroys the human metabolic process with chronic usage.

Glucose, a simpler sugar, can cause weight gain, but without as much other damage.  How do you get glucose?  By eating starchy carbs.  So, a piece of bread, which I generally avoid, is still better than a comparable number of calories of sugar.

You don’t believe it?  Watch the video below.  It’s 90 minutes, but is completely worth it.

My “paleodiet” avoids the issue neatly by avoiding most carbs, including sugar and HFCS.

The biggest change you can make with the smallest effort is give up all drinks except milk and water (and unsweetened tea or coffee).  This means no fruit juice too folks.

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.

Beautiful Day!

I had intended to get up early for a ride, but caught up on my sleep instead.  I did get out in the afternoon and took Oria, my recumbent out for an 11-mile spin.  I hadn’t had this bike out since November, but the comfort is amazing.  Any thoughts I’ve had of selling this bike have been quelled.

The Wonderfully Comfortable 'Bent

I had also been playing with saddle set-back and tilt to try to make the bike more comfortable.  I took a second ride on my 11-mile loop on the LHT to make sure I would be comfortable for the RCCS ride, and that the shifter would work properly.

By the time I got out the door for the second ride, the sun was lower and the air a bit chillier, but my single layer of clothing was enough.

It's Getting Late

LHT and Sunlight

I had a large-ish lunch of salad, steak, and steamed broccoli, but totally within my diet.  It was dinner that was totally out of line.  I took my daughter and one of her friends out for pizza.  I had entirely too much, and a couple of good beers.  Pizza and beer really doesn’t belong in my diet, except in small amounts.

I ate so much that I was uncomfortable and had to lay down when I got home.  My stomach has been rumbling and gurgling trying to handle all this crap floating around.

So, tomorrow will not be a sub-200 lb day.  Maybe in a couple more days.  Why do I do this to myself?

I changed that a bit today.  I left early this morning for a little extra time.  I stopped at a coffee shop and enjoyed a coffee before continuing on.  I didn’t go out of my way by far, but I did ride along the river in Jeffersonville and added 1/2 a mile to the ride.

On the way home I only had a vague idea of what I was going to do.  I ran along the river in Indiana to Utica.  A mostly-pleasant ride, but with few chances to stop and eat or drink.  That’s okay, I really don’t need more to eat or drink.

Once I got to Utica, I know that I’ve passed the hairy sections of Highway 62.  On the other hand, getting to 62 means riding a narrow twisting road with t00-fast traffic.  So, instead, I continue northward along the river.

I eventually find Waterline Road.  Waterline Road was just recently opened to the public.  It runs through the old Army Ammunition Plant.  Riding through there is eerie yet beautiful.  There are signs of the former human-use of the land, but everything is grown over, falling apart, or usually both.

This part of the ride is mostly uphill, as I’m moving away from the river, but I’m not in a hurry.  I’ll poke along at eight miles per hour.  I eventually run back into the highway and putter along the shoulder at twelve miles an hour, only into a bit of a headwind today.

It was a good ride, and a little bit of an adventure.  I rode a total of 37 miles for the day.  All this just to get to work and back.

I should be asleep, but I didn’t take pictures on this ride, and wanted to get some of the details out before they were lost to my imperfect memory.

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.

Marathon Winter Tire

I haven’t posted in two weeks.  What happened?

I’ve been busy.  Some of it was necessary, some of it was fun.  I’ve been riding, but not quite enough.  I’ve been following my paleodiet a bit better.  I’ve  been losing weight.

The RCCS had a another coffee ride last Sunday.  It was a lot of fun.  Due to scheduling issues, we didn’t have one today.

Tim got a new bike.  It’s a Kona Ute, a cargo bike.  I have no real need for a cargo bike.  If I get a trailer, I’ll have even less need for a cargo bike, but I really like his Ute.

My Daughter's Nook

My daughter got a Nook.  I got studded tires for my bike.  Winter still won’t go away.

A shifter on my new LHT broke.  On Your Left Cycles has ordered a new one for me, and fixed up the existing one well enough to have most of my gears.

I’ve order some slightly wider tires for my LHT.  I should have them by Wednesday.  There as wide as I dare go for enough clearance between tire and fender.  (42-622 Continental Contact).

I’ve been under a fair amount of stress.  I’m trying to teach my daughter to drive, but her attitude has made that difficult.

The stress makes me want to eat poorly.  I’ve been doing pretty good at avoiding that for the most part.

With my weight hovering right around 200 I’m trying to push it under that 200 lb mark.  I know that’s just an arbitrary number with no real meaning, but it does have a psychological meaning to me.  My goal weight of 175 is also just another arbitrary number.

The ride itself was about 24 miles.  My mileage for the day was about 40.  We explored a trail in Clarksville that I’ll revisit when the snow melts.

I put them in a with a small amount of olive oil, put a slice of onion on each, sprinkled with garlic, salt, and pepper, and cooked on a low heat while covered.

A while later they were done (actually slightly over-done).  I served with brussel sprouts, and it was good.

Also, riding a 4-mile one-way trip in 19 degree temperatures is one thing.  Riding the full 16.5 miles is another.

During my ride today, I wore my normal work (dress) clothes.  I just wore boots, hat, gloves, and helmet in addition.  I changed into my shoes at work.  Very easy, very simple.

I’m doing the same ride tomorrow, but that really doesn’t add much mileage.  So, the RCCS is holding a ride Sunday (Valentine’s Day), and I’ll be riding that.  The weather will probably be less than ideal, but that’s one thing that makes RCCS rides interesting.  :)

The winter storm that passed through last night and this morning dumped several inches before I even got out of bed.  My daughter and I took a short ride around the neighborhood right after the plow went by.  The road surface was still covered, but not too deep.  Riding through the deep snow in the driveway was amusing.

I convinced my daughter to go into town with me, so we went back home, I switched bikes, and we both grabbed helmets.

We ran a few errands and stopped at a coffee shop to warm up.  The main roads were still quite snow covered at this point.  We went home, and my daughter made some “snow ice cream“.

I had one other errand I had forgotten earlier, so I packed up and headed out again, alone this time.  By now the roads were mostly just slush.  I’m really glad the LHT has fenders.

I finished my errands and had an enjoyable day.  It was much better than sitting indoors the whole day, and we didn’t fall on any ice.

Sandy letting me know she wants back in

I woke up this morning to several inches of snow, and it’s still coming down. My daughter’s school is closed. Many places are closed.

I haven’t been out yet to see the roads. There is a strong possibility I will stay indoors and drink coffee.

I had read about meatza, a paleodiet-friendly pizza with meat instead of crust.  I used the general idea from here, with my own changes.

My “crust” was ground beef and eggs mixed together like meatloaf.  I fried some sausage as a topping.  I sauteed onions, green peppers, and red bell peppers for more toppings.  I mixed tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepper, and oregano for sauce.  I made the meatza from these ingredients, and broiled it until it was done.

I had mixed some olive oil, dried red pepper, and parmesan cheese as a thick sauce to add after the meal was cooked.

It turned out delicious!  It is filling so I have leftovers.  I didn’t take any pictures of it, or measure anything, so I don’t have a true recipe, but I’m going to do it a little different next time.

Two LHTs at Sunergos

Tim and I planned an RCCS ride for this morning, but didn’t give a lot of advance notice.  That’s probably why only Tim and I arrived at the ride.

We both rode our LHTs, and it was good fun and good coffee.

I cooked mashed potatoes with the skins still on, covered them with onion and green pepper sauteed in butter.  I then had two pan-fried pork-chops with red pepper served on a bed of fresh spinach.  I had a large glass of water with it.

It was an easy meal to prepare.  Although the potatoes provide some carbs, I’m mostly just giving up sugar and grains.  I’ve found a way of life that is more sustainable in the long-term.

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.

The advantages of this diet:

• No counting calories or restricting myself
• Better for long-term health (supposedly)
• I can have a juicy hamburger, without the bread, or big piece of meat

The disadvantages:

• Finding a restaurant to eat at is difficult
• Cooking is required much more often (rather than convenience foods)
• Initially I had a lack of energy and carb cravings; that has passed
• It can be more expensive to eat this way
• There is a long list of items that shouldn’t be consumed, including beer.

Once my lack of energy subsided, I was able to ride my bike to work and back again.  I rode the full way on Monday, the full way there (but got a ride home) on Tuesday.  Wednesday I drove.  Thursday I rode a partial-commute each way.  Today, I’m driving because of weather.

I’m also spending much of the weekend doing this that I’ve been putting off too long.  The house is a mess.  I have a lot to do.

I plan on commuting to work by bike as much as possible this next week.  Not only does it help me lose weight, but it clears my head.  I may have to take a day off to drive to my brother’s funeral, but that’s not been completely decided yet.

I am working on learning, and eating, the paleodiet that I mentioned before.  I think I’m going to end up doing a modified version of it, getting a few carbs here and there from potatoes.  I’m avoiding nearly all grain products.  The worst part is that I’ve given up beer.  Not to say I won’t have one beer on a rare occasion, but it’s no longer a regular thing for me.

One of the advantages of this diet, is that I don’t have to measure and track calories.  I have found that I occasionally binge on too much meat, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.  Most people who follow the paleodiet don’t eat dairy products.  I still haven’t given up on my cheese though. 

My weight is slowly trending downward again.  It could take me a while to get below 200 lbs again though.  This time, I don’t ever want to get back above 200 lbs.  I need to be healthier.  I need to eat better.  I need to exercise more.

Michael in 2004

Michael was my little brother.  As we grew, that phrase became comical, as he got much bigger than I, in both height and weight.  We fought a lot, as brothers do, but mostly we just grew apart as we took very different paths in life.

His path led him to drugs and run-ins with the law.  He had recently gone clean due to health issues, and his new wife, Sondra, pushing him to clean up his act.

The two of them were homeless recently, but were staying with her family in Rochester Indiana.  I had no idea he was even in the area.

He had a seizure, and never came out of it.  Sondra called me, obviously shaken.  She doesn’t know how to handle the arrangements, neither do I.  As I write this, his body is in a hospital in Rochester.  I hope his spirit, soul, or whatever it is that makes us human is at peace.

Mike and I in 1986

I did some reading and found the paleodiet.  It certainly sounds good.  It would mean I don’t need to track calories.  I can eat a lot of good food.  This diet may actually work, but apparently not for me.

My problem is carb-cravings.  I’ll do well for a few days then I’ll binge on high-carb food.  One of the main points of the paleodiet is to avoid the carbs.  I seem to have issues doing so.

So now I’m faced with a new decision.  Do I:

1. Work harder on the paleodiet, and control my eating?
2. Start tracking everything I eat and control my eating?

Either way, it appears I need more self control.  Self control isn’t fun.  Why can’t it be easy?

Blah.

Oh, it isn’t about exercise.  I get a lot of exercise these days.  I’m a bit bummed out that I’m not riding my bike to work tomorrow, but I really don’t want to get stuck there with snow on the ground.  My wife is out of town until at least the end of March, so she can’t pick me up if weather gets bad.

LHT Overlook

I got a text message from Tim asking if I’d like to squeeze in a ride this weekend. I call him, and we planned for this morning.

The temperature started out at about 40F. I tend to overdress, so I opted to go without a jacket. I wore a new jersey that my wife got me with a compression shirt under it. I wore cycling tights, wool socks, and my cycling shoes. I finished it off with a hat under my helmet and leather gloves.

LHT and Bleriot

Tim came to my house with his Rivendell Bleriot. It’s a beautiful bike, but too small for me.

Our route took us out Tunnel Mill Road through rolling hills until the steep descent into the Fourteen Mile Creek bed. Then the steep climb out made me thankful for the low gears available on my new LHT.

We then turned on Marion Martin Rd. I used to live out on that road, and I knew there would be a beautiful view of Fourteen Mile Creek and a small waterfall. We stopped for a few pictures before continuing up through New Market then to New Washington for a store stop.

Standing at the Precipice

Our flat riding continued to Otisco where we had another store stop, and I ate some chicken strips.

We took Leon Prall Road out of Otisco and into hillier terrain. We were in very familiar terrain now. Tim and I had ridden these roads quite a few times, though usually in the opposite direction. It was along here somewhere that our climbing ability faltered, and we would crawl up the hills at 4-5 mph.

It was a pretty straightforward ride back home with only one big climb along the way. We finished up at around 38 miles, but that number is just an estimate. Tim and I both need to do a roll-out calibration on our computers.

Waterfall Below

New Bike, Old Bridge

Old Barn

Gate to Nowhere

Southern Indiana Field in January

My Old Tree Friend and LHT

I picked up the bike last night and was itching to ride it today.  My panniers wouldn’t easily mount on the rear rack, so I put them on the front rack.  My trunk bag would block my tail light, so I also put that on the front rack.  The bike did handle differently with the weight on the front, but it was still very stable.

I stayed up entirely too late last night, but was excited enough to get up and ride to work today.  Now I’m looking forward to the ride home this afternoon.

I’m still trying to come up with a name for the new bike.

After changing out of my soggy clothes, and taking a hot shower to warm up, I drove to Bluegrass Bicycle to attend another session of the Park Tool School.  I’ve been a lousy bike mechanic, and I’m hoping to improve that.  Today, among other things, we changed a brake cable.

Once I got home, I spent several hours working on my daughter’s bike.  I replaced the rear brake cable, trued the wheels, fixed the fender alignment, installed a new rack, and raised the handlebars.

I can see that I’m going to spend money on tools to work on bikes now, but I will eventually save money.

I rode to Sellersburg, and met up with the other riders.  I had only ever met one of them before.  For the first few miles I kept up with the fast group.  I started losing ground on them, then rode alone.  I was going to finish the ride, but I was hungry, so I turned for home.  I got in a total of 30 miles, and I really feel like I put the new bike through it’s paces.

The ride seemed to turn out similar to my first group ride, which was with the SIW also.

Ignore the ugly, horribly mounted rack in the picture.  I borrowed that one (spray painted!) from my daughter’s bike until I get my new rack.

I took a bus from work to the bike shop to pick her up, so I could ride her back to work.  I rode with my daughter to go out for pizza (and beer for me).

Then I rode my 11-mile loop.  I haven’t ridden that route in a while, but it was a quick ride before bedtime with “the other woman”.  Night rides can be very peaceful.  My route takes me out in the country, where I run across more wildlife than humans or cars.  There is barely any sound other than the hiss of the tires on the road, and the wind in my ears.  The new bike is silent, smooth, almost supple.

Don’t bother telling my wife.  I’ve already been caught.

This is the first one I’ve attended, and there were about 30 people there.  The collection of bikes out front was quite interesting.  unlike many rides I’ve been on, every bike at this event was set up for transportation and/or hauling things.

I wish I had brought my camera.

I’m going to attend as many of these things as I can.  The next one is 2/16/2010 @ 5:30 at The Bodega on Market Street.

Four of us were there for the ride.  I don’t consider that to be too bad considering the late notice.  It was cold, but we were dressed for it and enjoyed hot coffee from Heine Brothers and Sunergos.

Ben, Dominic, Tim, and I followed the route westward to Shawnee Park and back.  It was never meant to be a long ride, just an enjoyable one.  The planned route was about 20 miles, but Tim and I put in about 26 or so for the day.

We are planning another ride for this coming Sunday.  Check the RCCS site for more information.

I did ride to work yesterday (Monday), but I was quite cold.  I did have chemical hand and foot warmers, but I was still too cold.  I ended up getting a ride home.

I drove today, and I’m in a bit of a mental funk because of it.

Looking at the weather forecast is just depressing.  Snow makes riding hazardous.  Frigid temperatures make me want to stay indoors, or in the heated car.  It may be a while before I ride to work again.

Tasty!

I met up with five others today for the Ghost Bike Memorial Ride.  It was a cold day for a ride, but I was dressed well enough.  After the ride, Tim and I continued on for a few more miles (after a stop for coffee) bringing the total to 19.

After arriving home I cooked a nice healthy meal of chicken tenderloin with red pepper (I overdid the red pepper), brussells sprouts, and a bottle of Schlafly’s Coffee Stout.  Thanks Tim!

Bike with no name

What is the perfect number of bicycles?  N+1, where N is the number you currently have.

Despite wanting a simpler life with fewer toys, I’m adding a new bike to the fleet.  I’ve had two rideable bikes, but they will become three in about two weeks.

I found a 56cm Surly Long Haul Trucker at a local shop that had been sitting in the showroom too long. The LHT is the bike I was writing about wanting back in November.

I took the bike for a spin this morning (it was a bit cold for a lengthy ride), and put a deposit down on it. It will be mine on the 15th.

I sent a picture of the bike to my wife (who is out of state again), and she called me immediately. She had apparently been planning on buying me one, over time, built piece-by-piece to my specifications. Overall it would have been more expensive, but I would have had the opportunity to pick out components. She was also working with a different bike shop.

That’s what happens when you have a secret.

Either way, the other shop hasn’t ordered anything yet, but already have some money “on account” that will go toward racks, fenders, a computer, and whatever else I outfit on the LHT.

My bikes have names.  Nermal is my frankenbike-hybrid/commuter that started life as a cheap Giant Cypress ST.  Oria is my long-wheelbase recumbent Bacchetta Agio.  The newcomer doesn’t have a name yet.  I will ride it/him/her for a while to get a feel for the personality first.

This was probably the most difficult 40-mile ride I’ve ever done.  The hills were unrelenting.  Even with chemical warmers in my gloves and boots, I had issues staying warm enough.

Tim wrote about it here.  I’m just including some pictures.

I started a true lifestyle change back in 2007.   The changes were drastic, but effective.  I lost weight, and got much more fit.  The changes centered around eating sensibly and getting exercise.

I realize that although I’m still much healthier and fit than I was when I started, my eating habits have slipped  gradually back to horrible.  Overall, I’m still doing well due to the exercise I get but I need another lifestyle change.

I’m considering a six-day diet.  A strict low-carb diet six days per week, then eat what I want on the seventh.  This will allow me to lose weight, yet still go out with Kristy for dinner, or have a beer or three.

The low-carb, high-fat, high-protein diet is a bit controversial, but will be easier to fit-in with Kristy’s cooking habits.  It’s also similar to what I was eating during my best period of weight loss.

I still need to track everything I eat, and weigh regularly.   Both of those things mostly disappeared for the month of December.

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!

I had talked about the fact that I ride for fun rather than weight loss.  I was dreaming of buying a new bike, though I have two perfectly usable ones.

Since then, my mileage is way down, and my weight is up.  I can make excuses about being busy, but the truth is that I haven’t been trying hard enough recently.

I do spend a lot of time thinking about bikes.  I spend more time thinking about bikes than riding them.  I have spent very little time thinking about my eating habits recently.  I haven’t been tracking my calorie consumption or my weight very regularly.

This has led to a 20 lb weight gain over the last five months.  So, I lost 100 lbs, but gained 20 of it back.  That is frustrating.  I feel like the “Fat Guy” that I used to be.

Not Totally Negative

I did ride to work yesterday.  Then I ran some errands around Clarksville Indiana by bike.  I traveled Eastern, Lewis & Clark, Greentree, and Veteran’s Parkway.  I have never considered riding those non-bike-friendly-roads until yesterday, but it wasn’t as bad as I imagined (even with holiday shopping traffic), and I had a good time.

My ride terminated at Feeder’s Supply where I bought 50 lbs of pet supplies, and waited for my wife to pick me up in the truck.  I had 32 miles for the day, not bad for simple utility cycling.

Now What?

Ride more, eat less!  I need to start carrying around paper and pen to write down everything I eat.  I normally track it on my computer, but if I’m not near a computer, it may not get recorded.  I need to track it even I don’t have time to calculate the calories.  I need to hold myself accountable.

I briefly considered posting everything I eat here, but that would truly make this a (more) boring place. 

I need to post here more often.  Writing about my weight loss attempt keeps me focused.  It keeps my goals at the front of my consciousness.

Merry Christmas everyone!  I’ll try to keep my snacking on sweets to a minimum.

The snow did help put me in a more festive spirit, which matched the Christmas lights I put on my bike yesterday.  My daughter snapped a couple of pictures before I left.  One is with the flash, my reflective bits are very visible, but the Christmas lights aren’t.  The other is without the flash, but the lights are very visible.  Either way, motorists should be able to see me.

Still Struggling

I’m still not losing much weight, mostly because I’m still eating too much.  We had a birthday party for my daughter on Saturday, and I consumed way too much food.  I need to stop doing that.

I planned the route, but we missed a turn somewhere near Clark State Forest.  It didn’t take us long to get back on track, and it changed our overall mileage by less that 1/2 mile.

This is the route we actually took:

The first half of the route was just rolling hills from Charlestown to Borden.  We had a bit of a headwind, but knew that it would help on the return trip.

We climbed up Jackson Rd to head out of Borden.  This climb averages a 11% grade and briefly hits 16%.  It was at this point that the wind was no longer slowing us down.

We rode along the top a ridge for a while, which gave some beautiful views.  Eventually we realized we made a wrong turn, but continued along until we came to Pixley Knob Rd.  This led to an extremely fast descent coming out of the knobs.

We rode to Henryville for our store stop, then it was just more rolling hills to get back.

It was quite cold.  This was my first cold ride of the year.  I’ve had rides that started cold, but this one didn’t really warm up.  I was dressed for it, but I’d rather be warmer.

After getting home, I ran a few errands on the bike then over to Charlestown Pizza for a pizza and too much wonderful beer.  After riding, eating, and drinking, I took a nap.

Now I ride because I enjoy it.  It’s a way to relieve stress, keep me fit(ter), and still allows me to play with gadgets.  My gadgets are now mechanical instead of electronic.

I’ve realized that my weight loss has become secondary to riding a bike.  I’m disappointed that I can only ride one day (tomorrow) out of my three-day work week next week due to other obligations.

I only managed one ride in the last week, a 50-miler with Tim.  I even pretended to be on a single-speed, by not shifting (for most of the ride anyway).  Tim was riding his QuickBeam, which is a beautiful single-speed bike, but I’m not currently looking to have a dedicated single-speed bike.

My Next Bike?

Why am I up at midnight now, when I have to get up at 5:30 to prepare for the ride in?  I’m planning and scheming in my head.  I’m trying to figure out how to come up with the money for my next bike.  It’s a sickness. 

Why a new bike?  Why a Surly LHT?

• I want to start touring.  I hope to ride to Michigan next year.
• Touring bikes make great commuter bikes.
• The Atlantis is too expensive.
• I carry a lot of stuff on my commute.  I’ve been ridiculed for how much I carry.  A touring bike can carry more.
• I’m not convinced I need a recumbent, and I rarely ride mine now.
• My current upright bike, Nermal, is a low quality bike, with a lot of money put into it.  I have more upgrades I want to do, but should probably put them on a new bike.
• Upgrades?
  • Better rack
  • Wider tires
  • Front rack
  • Dynohub lighting system

A quality bike like this is one I can have for the rest of my life.  It’ll cost some money, but nothing compared to my used truck.

Don’t get me wrong.  I still want to lose weight.  I’m still watching what I eat.  I still hop on the scale nearly every morning.  I just want to ride a bike even more than I want to lose weight.

My Daughter - Ten Years Ago

My youngest daughter is nearly an adult.  I’m now balancing teaching her to drive and teaching her to ride her bike.  The “how” is the easy part.  The “which for when” is harder.  She doesn’t have the love of cycling that I do, but she does want to go places that aren’t convenient to walk, and she doesn’t yet have a car or a driver’s license.  She could really use the exercise, but anytime I bring that up, I’m “being mean”.

I’ve lost nearly 100 lbs with my lifestyle change.  She doesn’t yet need to lose that amount, but thinks she can’t lose any weight.

I try not to be too heavy-handed.  She will be 18 next month.  She doesn’t like to wear a helmet.  There are no helmet laws here, so I don’t make her.  I don’t forbid her from eating certain foods, I just try to encourage her to choose the healthy ones. (I don’t always make the smart choice myself.)

I really wish I had fallen in love with cycling earlier, and could have exposed her to it before now.  If she had grown up riding her bike for transportation instead of riding in a car for every 1/2 mile trip, I wouldn’t be struggling with her as much as I am now.

I got Nermal back from the shop yesterday, with a new bottom bracket.  The front brakes weren’t working well, so I pulled them apart, cleaned, lubed, and adjusted everything.  They seem to be working better now.

My daughter wanted to spend the night at a friends house, but wanted a ride.  She wasn’t certain where the house was, but with a little prodding, she rode the 2.6 miles with me on her bike… after dark… on a Friday night.  It was fun, but I think she was terrified.  She has lights, but is uncomfortable in traffic.

I went against my own judgment and stopped for food and beer on the way home.  I really don’t need the calories, but good beer is worth it.

That’s just one of those simple things that is easy to forget.

I hadn’t been posting my weight for a while, I have now.  I’m also back to tracking my food.  I need to take control again.  Losing the last 35 lbs seems near-impossible.

I did go on an awesome Friday night “Brew Cruise” with Tim, Ben, Chaz, and Kristin.  It was a shortish ride, but I had ridden to work that day, then had to ride home.  I made it home just before 2:00 a.m.  Granted, we did have five stops along the route, and spent some time at each.

Saturday was spent at home doing housework.

On Sunday, I met up with Tim and Dale for a 45- mile ride in Oldham county.  I really enjoyed the ride, other than a painful issue with my ankle.  I think I caused that Saturday by smacking my ankle on the laundry hamper.  (Maybe I shouldn’t walk around the house without shoes?).  Dale hosted the ride, and provided a nice selection of beer for after the ride.

Nermal’s bottom bracket has been a bit loose recently, and had been submerged in mud not long ago.  On the ride in this morning the cranks were especially loose, and I was having shifting issues.  I made it in to work, but immediately took my bike down to the shop.

Well, the bottom bracket is destroyed.  The shifting issue was just a derailleur adjustment.  Oh, and after 2500 miles, the chain is worn.

I really didn’t want to spend more money on this bike.  I plan to replace it with a Surly LHT, but I don’t have the money for that now.

I had to catch a ride home from a co-worker, and I really do need to drive the next two days, but I hope to ride on Thursday and Friday.

Mountain Biking

I got up early on Saturday to take my daughter to take her SAT test.  I dropped her off, then headed over to Tim’s house.  We rode two of his mountain bikes.  He rode his Redline Monocog, a single-speed 26″-wheeled bike with no suspension.  I started out on his Cannondale 29er hardtail.

The Cannondale felt like a truck: big, heavy, and would roll over anything.  We later switched bikes and the difference was huge.  The Monocog was simplicity itself.  No shifting to worry about, and it was easier to just tug around on the trail.

This was only my second time mountain biking, and I managed to stay upright, even if I did run into a small tree and tweak my wrist a little.  It was a lot of fun, but quite a bit more tiring than road riding.

I will remain primarily a road-rider, but a mountain bike is on my wish-list.

Inappropriate Clothing?

I had worn cycling tights and a jersey (I needed the rear pockets!) for the mountain bike ride.  I had planned to bring a change of clothes, but forgot.  I needed to run an errand at the Louisville International Airport… so I walked through the airport wearing the clothes I had ridden in, including the mud splatters.

After picking up my daughter from her SAT test, we needed to stop at Meijer for some shopping and I was still in my cycling garb.  I felt like a goof, and did get a few weird looks, but nobody said anything.

Sunday Ramble

Tim came by on Sunday for a 45-miler.  We stayed on paved roads, but dove down into the river valley twice, with two climbs to match.  There was also a nice descent into a creek bed on Tunnel Mill Road, followed by a short, steep climb.

The weather was absolutely incredible.  It made it into the low 70s, not bad at all for November.

The rural area north-east of Charlestown has a number of run down buildings.  There are  some pictures below.

Tim wrote about it here.

Yard Work

I had a lot of yard work to do, hopefully for the last time this year.  I got it done over the weekend, but split it among the two days, so that I still had time for other things on both days.

Commuting

I only commuted by bike two days last week.  This week isn’t looking good either.  The first three days of this week I have after-work obligations that require me to have my truck.

I’m not sure what’s going on Thursday yet, but I do intend to ride on Friday, as the RCCS is having another “Beer Run“.  I’ll be riding to work, then riding the short-ish RCCS ride, then riding home way too late. 

Overeating

I’ve eaten way too much this weekend.  I’m currently stuffed from eating too many brownies.  I’ve had pizza twice.  I’ve been drinking beer.  I can’t keep eating like this!

The Pictures!

The only problem with this is my laziness.  I drove to work on Monday and Tuesday.  I did ride yesterday and today, but when I shower in the morning, I’m trying to come up with reasons to not ride the full commute.

My new route has made the commute less stressful and my recent lack of weight loss are both good motivators, but I’m guess I’m a generally lazy person.  Only having one car available could give me another reason to ride my bike.

I still have a long-term goal of selling the house, and moving closer to work, then I could truly never drive again.  In the meantime I need to be less lazy.

We had wanted another mixed-terrain, gravel road, rambling trip through Hoosier National Forest.  I planned the route, printed cue sheets, and prepared my GPS.

Tim and I were joined by Jeff.  Jeff was new to our RCCS rides, but a skilled cyclist, and brought the proper bike for the gravel roads, but probably not the best bike for the route we ended up taking.  None of were prepared.

Either we missed a turn somewhere, or the map was wrong.  Either way, we weren’t exactly sure where we were at.  The GPS was not as useful as I thought it would be.  We did find some great gravel roads.  Traffic was extremely light, and the weather was wonderful.

Once we were back on course (we think we were anyway), we made a left turn that both our cue sheet and the GPS confirmed as the correct route.  The narrow gravel road was rougher than most, but didn’t give away what was lying ahead.

The road dead-ended into a marked trail.  Looking at the GPS, it appeared that we could continue following it to the next part of the route.

The path got rougher, muddier, and eventually were crossing small creeks.  We were mountain biking on bikes meant for pavement.

Remember my last post where I said I’m hard on my bike?  It’s going to take a while to get all the mud out.

We spent hours doing a seven-mile loop in the woods.  The trail just looped back around.  By the time we got back to our parked cars, we had put in a total of 40 miles.  It was a great ride and it kept with the RCCS spirit of an “adventurous” ride.

View Larger Map

To make up for it, I rode the full commute today, even with the sketchy weather forecast.  I’ll get back to the weather….

The Crash

I rode my alternate route again, which I really like.  There was a bit of a headwind most of the way in to work this morning, but I was enjoying the nicer weather and the nicer route.

Near this intersection, traffic was heavy, there was an upcoming right-turn lane, and some very rough pavement.  I was so busy checking traffic to move left and get out of what would become the right-turn lane, that I didn’t notice the rough pavement.

One moment I was looking behind me for traffic.  The next moment I was sliding on my back across the road, watching the car behind me come to a stop.  The driver of the car got out, and asked if I was alright as I pulled myself up.  Noting no real injury, just a couple of scrapes and a sore wrist, I said, “Thanks, I’m fine”.  I picked up my bike and attempted to walk it off the road.

It was then I noticed the handlebars were completely askew.  A closer look revealed my right bar-end was broken, and the bars had also rotated forward.  My handlebar mirror had also cracked, but my helmet mirror was fine.

Luckily the bike had fallen to the right, as the left pannier had my laptop in it.  The laptop was undamaged.

I was able to straighten the bars and continue on to work.

During a break at work I rode down to Bike Couriers to have them look at the bike and install new bar-ends.  The mechanic re-adjusted the bars properly, and installed the bar-ends, and I returned to work.

More Damage

I left work in the afternoon and was headed home.  I didn’t make it far when my left pannier (with the laptop!)  caught in the wheel and destroyed the rear fender.  Although the pannier fell in the road the laptop came away unscathed.

The rear fender had folded back on itself, and I thought it would be salvageable.  I got out my tools and removed the rack.  The mounting hardware was ripped completely off of the fender, so I no longer have a rear fender.

I took a closer look at the pannier that fell off, and the clips that hold it to the rack are bent up badly (probably from the crash in the morning).  I was able to get it to stay securely by moving it to the right side of the bike (the wrong side).

The Weather

I was expecting a cool morning commute with a headwind, and mother nature did not disappoint.  I was dressed properly, and slogged through the headwind.

I expected slightly warmer temperatures and rain for the afternoon commute and a tailwind.  I got the tailwind, but the forecast was wrong on every other count.  It actually exceeded 80 degrees this afternoon.  When I left work it was only overcast.  I was wearing cycling tights and a long-sleeve thermal compression shirt.  It was a bit warm for that.

I would have made it home in record time had it no been for the fender incident.  My bike computer showed 61 minutes of riding time, but clock time was over 90 minutes.  On the 2nd Street Bridge, I was approaching the 35 MPH speed limit on the second half of the bridge.  Cars were still passing me.  During much of my commute home my speed was above 20 MPH.  Having a strong tailwind is like having an electric motor helping you along.

Previous Incidents

This is the third set of fenders I’ve been through on that bike.  I’ve destroyed several wheels.  I replaced the chain and cassette on my recumbent (just wore the darn thing out!).  The gravel ride I did in July went through three tubes, and caused me to replace tires.  I’m doing another gravel ride on Sunday.

I’ve crashed twice before todays incident, not counting the many times when I was a kid.  I crashed on my recumbent earlier this year, which led to me sliding across the road on my butt.  No real injury then either, just a little sore.  There were some minor scuffs on the bike.  I had fallen on gravel during a low-speed turn once on Nermal before, but there was no injury, and no damage.

Today’s incident was the first time I crashed in traffic.  It was surreal to have a view of moving cars from ground level, especially while I was still sliding along the road.  I’m glad I wasn’t hurt, and I’ll be paying closer attention to rough pavement.

Recently, he’s been interviewing other “Invisible Bicyclists”.  He’s trying to call attention to distracted motorists who don’t notice us.  He’s also trying to show that bicycles aren’t just toys, but a valid method of transportation.  He does this while keeping a positive outlook.  I applaud him for that.

I recognized him, and went out of my way to talk to him.  He asked a few questions, and took a few pictures.  Expect to see me on his blog soon.

Today (Tuesday), I only rode a partial commute, as I had tired legs.  I only ran into some light rain.  I will ride at least part of the way everyday this week, as I don’t want to pay for parking.  I’m planning on a partial-commute again tomorrow.

On Sunday, I’m meeting up for an RCCS ride.  Check out that link, and see if you’d be interested in coming to a hilly, gravel ride.

If I can squeeze in a ride on Saturday, then I’ll have ridden for seven days straight.

I rode from home in Charlestown toward Louisville, but I didn’t want to take my normal commute route, so I just headed out without a plan, but with my GPS.  It was a longer, hillier, and more scenic route.

When I got to the Second St. Bridge to cross into Kentucky, the bridge was closed for a charity walk.  There were thousands of people walking on the bridge.  There were no alternate routes, so I walked my bike with them across the bridge.

When I arrived at the race, the women were racing.

After a while the “Elite Men” class began the race.

A ‘cross race is all about mud.

After watching the last race, Tim and headed out for a ride, then parted ways downtown.  I enjoyed the urban portion of my ride also.

I headed back into Indiana where I had a quick (and greasy) meal, and meandered back north toward home.

I took a different route home, but still stayed on roads that were considered rural not long ago, but have since had many subdivisions spring up, which adds to the traffic.  It was dark as I neared Charlestown, but my lights work well.

I got home with another 53 miles under my belt.  I also think I have a new route for my commute.  It adds a few miles and some hills, but should be much more pleasant.  We’ll see what traffic is like on on Monday morning as compared to a Sunday evening.

The week starting on the 12th was a little crazier.  I still managed to ride to work and back 3 days.

Why could this affect my riding?

• I spend an extra 1.5 hours per day commuting when I ride
• I have less physical energy
• I have less mental energy after an extended amount of bicycle commuting
• I need more sleep when I ride a lot
• My weekends have been busy with personal errands and tasks (such as moving Kristy’s stuff into the house)

This past week, I had enough, and I was exhausted.  I still rode on Tuesday, but that was it.  I paid $8.75 per day to park for 4 days, and drove my truck.

I’ve been so busy, I’ve been running and doing something from the moment I wake up, until I get to sleep at night.  Some of it is work, some of it is moving Kristy’s stuff, some of it is normal domestic crap.  Oh, yeah, Kristy is out of town, so she’s not here to help.  I’m not blaming her, she wishes she could be here.  I also have my younger teenage daughter living here and increasing the stress level.

On Monday I applied a software update that has led to a work-week-long pain in the @ss.  This coincided with two other screw-ups (one of which is partially my fault).

On top of this, I had to come up with a fat chunk of money for a lawyer.  I’ve got some legal issues to deal with.  It’s just a “family law” matter, nobody is in trouble or anything. 

So, it’s late on a Friday night.  I can’t mentally let go of the issues at work, so I can’t sleep.  I can’t fix the issues at work until at least Monday.  I have to get up early tomorrow to finish up at Kristy’s old apartment.

On the bright side, I will be done at the apartment tomorrow.  I’m going to try for a bike ride on Sunday.  I think I’m going to get back on the bike for full-time commuting again on Monday.

I don’t know who said it, but the phrase “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” applies perfectly.

Wish me luck!

I rode to work 4 days last week (3.5 commutes due to getting a ride home one day).  I did three full commutes this week, but won’t be riding tomorrow as I need my truck for some errands.  I did ride with Tim on Saturday for the Fuck Gas 40oz Fun Run.  Tim wrote about it here.

I’m not gaining weight anymore, but I’m not really losing either.  I’m still eating too much on average.

Biking and moving things are my only exercises recently.  I still need more upper-body exercise, but at least my shoulder isn’t bothering me much now.

I have an extremely busy weekend planned, but I still want to get a few miles in.  I’m hoping to squeeze in an evening ride with Tim on Saturday.  It may even be this crazy bunch.  On Sunday I’m planning on attending the Harvest Homecoming ride.  My daughter may, or may not, come with for this ride.

I feel pretty good about the last five days.  I’ve been riding more, sleeping well, and (mostly) eating better.  My weight is slowly heading in the right direction.  I’ve been more productive in spite of the chaos surrounding my life right now.

I had really intended to be at my goal weight by now, but I’m almost 34 lbs away from it.

My foot pain is gone.  My shoulder is mostly just a minor nuisance.  I can and will keep riding, and lose the weight.

I haven’t been posting weekly and monthly updates, because they were bad news.  I haven’t been posting as much in general for a variety of reasons.

I have felt better this week than I have in a while.  I’ve been terribly busy, but I’m squeezing in time to ride my bike to work and back.  It’s a huge stress-reliever, and the key to my weight loss.

I need to go back and re-think my goals soon.  My target weight isn’t changing, but many other things will.

It was feeling better on Saturday, so my daughter and I went on an 11-mile, slow-paced ride.  I was very careful on how I used that foot, and all was well.

I did a lot of yard work on Sunday, again being careful on my foot.

I woke up this morning with no foot pain.  I rode Nermal into work at a brisk pace, and probably overdid it a little.  I’m having some minor discomfort.  I’ll be sure to be more careful on the way home.

I was going to ride to work this morning, but I woke up to some horrible pain in my right foot.  The foot is swollen and won’t support my weight.  I have an appointment with the doctor later today.

I don’t know if it’s an injury, but I wasn’t having any problems with it on the the ride last weekend.  Kristy suggested a spider bite, but I don’t see anything on the skin anywhere.  I’m almost thinking it’s a broken bone, but I have no idea how that could have happened.

I don’t know if I’ll be on the bike this week, next week, or even further out.  I should know more this afternoon.

I’d like to thank everyone who donated to this cause.  I’m glad I could do my part in the fight against cancer.

The ride itself was a wonderful experience.  It was better organized that I thought it would be.  It was well supported.  They had the right foods, and the stops were spaced well.

I had been riding less in recent months, and almost sold my recumbent bike recently after thinking I couldn’t do hills on it any more.  I was a bit worried about my ability to finish this ride.

Self Confidence Renewed

I rode the entire course.  I never walked a hill.  I was far from fast.  I rode 82 miles on Saturday in 7 hours and 40 minutes.  The fastest riders arrived in about 4 hours.  The climb out of Frankfort was pretty brutal.

On Sunday, I took a slower pace, as I still hadn’t fully recovered.  I also met up with Mark, another recumbent rider on his Rans V-Rex.  Mark and I seemed to be riding the only recumbents in the ride.  We rode together for the full 75 miles on Sunday.  We finished in about 8 hours.

Next Year?

I don’t know if I’ll ride again next year.  The fundraising is hard and I usually feel uncomfortable asking for money.  My daughter is expressing interest in riding with me next year.  I think that’s great, but would mean raising $5000 for the two of us.  I think I’m going to gauge “pledges” this time before signing up.

Overnight in Lexington

We were provided tents, but in my rush to get ready at the last minute I forgot to bring a sleeping bag, towel, or flashlight.

I took a shower on Saturday evening and used an extra shirt as a towel.  I managed to get a crew member to drive and buy a sleeping bag for me (which I paid for).  I fumbled around in the dark to get ready on Sunday morning.

It rained overnight, and the tent leaked a little, but the weather during the ride was pretty good on both days.

All things considered, I slept reasonably well, and enjoyed the experience at camp.

I’d like to extend a big thank you to those who donated to this worthy cause, and to Bluegrass Bicycle for getting my recumbent bike ready in time.

This ride will be a bit more of a challenge than I originally bargained for.  I’ve slacked off on my riding, and I’m not quite in the shape that I was a few months ago.

I’ll post again after the ride with some pictures.

The ride is this weekend.  I’m behind on the fund raising.  My goal is $3200, but the minimum is $2500.  I have raised just over $1700 so far, so I really need some more donations in the next few days.

If you can donate something, please do!  This is a great cause that will help cancer patients in the community.

Chances are, cancer has affected someone you care about.  That certainly is the case with me.  Please donate now.

The deadline for mailed-in donations has already passed.  Please donate online, or see me personally for donations in cash or check.

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. 

The payoff was supposed to be the beach at the end of the ride.  Kristy drove there and met me.  We were at the beach for only a few minutes when the bugs got bad, so we left in the truck with the bike in the back.

I did notice that my lack of riding recently has affected my fitness level.  The flat 40-miler kicked my butt.  I need to ride more often.

I’m home, and was back at work today.  I drove, but I’ll be on the bike tomorrow.

There wasn't any swimming on Sunday, so the currents didn't matter

Patrick Air Force Base

Most of Florida is quite flat

Space!

Beautiful bug-infested beach

I've gained weight

A few friends and family members gathered on the beach for the fun, relaxed ceremony.

We kept the ceremony simple (about as simple as driving to Florida can be). We had a reception at a local restaurant. We were surprised with a phenomenal beach-themed wedding cake.

Most of our honeymoon is actually a pre-wedding adventure. I’ll be back at work later in the week. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ll have more pictures and stories to share.

As far as weight loss…. What weight loss?

My last ride as a single man

First married kiss

Another married kiss

Just can't stop kissing

Love the beach

Wedding cake surprise

I’m going to have to try to continue to eat that way for the next week and a half.  I’m leaving for Florida with her, and we’re getting married on the 12th in Cocoa Beach.

I am bringing  bikes with me (Oria for me, Nermal for my mother, and Kristy’s bike).  I’ll attempt to get some riding in.

I did ride to work and back on Monday.  I rode a partial commute on Thursday.  That’s not nearly enough miles, but life has been crazy.

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.

The picture on the right was taken from Chart House restaurant at the top of Tower of the Americas.  I ate dinner there last night.  It was one of my healthier meals until desert came around.

Today brought a wonderful selection of fruit and breakfast burritos in the morning, and a big spread for lunch.  I don’t know what dinner will bring, but I’m not yet ready for more food.

I was unable to borrow or rent a bike  for this trip, but I will be a pedestrian and enjoy the Riverwalk.

My commute is mostly flat and can be high-stress due to traffic.  So tonight, I went for a nine-mile spin in the country after dark.  My lights lit up the cats, skunks, bats, and even a frog along the road.  The night insect noises and the whir of my tires were the only noises.  There were a few hills to challenge my legs a bit more than usual.

There was some distant lightning that was my cue to keep the ride short.  I really wasn’t in the mood to get stuck in a thunderstorm.  I’m now home, and the lightning is still distant, so I could have probably squeezed a few more miles in, but I’m happy with the ride I had.

Although short, this was the best ride I’ve had in a while.  It does wonders for clearing the mind.

Several people rode it around, only one crash, and no injuries.    I think several people just found out today that I ride my bike to work.

Most people have a really positive opinion when they see a recumbent.  Nobody thought it was silly.  We even have one “go-fast roadie” type who was impressed with the bike.

I have a lot of crazy stuff going on in my life right now, most  of it is positive, but it’s taking up my time.  I’m not losing weight right now, but just trying not to gain.

The ride this morning was on Oria, the recumbent.  It was a good ride with a mild headwind.  Traffic was polite, if a bit heavy.  I couldn’t have asked for better weather.  Mostly clear and the temperature about 70F.

Riding to work helps my mental state.  I really needed this ride. 

I’m going to hop on my bike tomorrow morning and ride to work.  I’m going to quit drinking Coke (again).  I’m going to eat out less. I have Nermal’s rear wheel fixed, and will re-install it tomorrow.

I’m spending some time with Kristy on Friday and Saturday.  I’ll also be school shopping for my daughter.  I’m hoping to get a good ride in on Sunday.

I’ve had some depression issues recently.  I’m not sure how much of it is due to work, and how much is due to not riding my bike and gaining weight.  The solution is to ride my bike… which is harder when I’m depressed.  I’ve got to break out of the cycle.

After deciding to sell the recumbent, then changing my mind, I did ride it to work today.  I’m still suffering knee pain while riding it.  There are no big hills on my commute, maybe something needs adjusting.

My 17-year old daughter is moving back in with me.  She has lived with her mother since the divorce, but she’d rather take her senior year of high-school here rather than in Michigan.  I’ll be driving up there on Sunday to move her.

I’m still eating too much.  After two decent days, today was over 4000 calories.

There has been so much for Kristy and I to do to prepare for our wedding next month.  Life is a little crazy.  I’m spending a couple of days at her house this weekend (before the Michigan trip).

Kristy is spending another week out of town later this month.  I’m attending a conference in San Antonio at the same time, but Kristy will be on the east coast.

I’ve been up to late almost every night this week just getting stuff done.  Today it was housework and packing for spending the weekend with Kristy.  It’s been really hard to focus on my weight loss while this busy and somewhat stressed out.

I’ve decided not to sell it. Kristy was shocked when I told her, then I noticed a broken spoke on Nermal.  I’m going to re-think the whole one-bike idea.

This will shock many of you who know me, but I’m selling Oria, my Bacchetta Agio recumbent bike.  I’ve decided that I really only need one bike, and Nermal, my upright bike, is more versatile.

What makes this bike great?

• Extremely comfortable – no sore butt, back, or wrists
• Easy to learn to ride compared to many other recumbents
• Disc brakes work well, even in the rain
• Fairly lightweight – 32 lbs stock (a bit more as configured now)

This bike was bought new from Schellers in Clarksville in July 2008, and has approximately 2600 miles on it.  It has been well taken care of, and has a number of upgrades.

• Schwalbe Marathon tires
• Fenders
• Rear rack
• Cateye Velo 8 computer
• Topeak Road Morph pump
• Two seat-mounted water bottle cages
• Choice of original flat pedals, BMX style pedals, or dual-sided SPD clipless pedals

This bike would be great for touring, commuting, or just riding for fun.  I’m asking $1200.  Contact me with questions, or for a test ride.  I only deal locally.  Cash only.

Why am I selling?

There are a number of reasons I’m selling this bike.  I have re-prioritized my life, and although I plan to ride as much as possible, I really only need one bike.  I also need the money.

I rode the Tour de Cure back in May on this bike.  It was a hillier ride than I expected, and I’ve struggled with hills on this bike ever since.  I think it’s mostly psychological, but my attempts at overcoming this have failed.  The last long ride I took on the bike was initially planned to be 120 miles, but I wimped out at about 90 miles.

I also test rode a Surly LHT during my West Virginia trip.  I’m sold.  I want one.  Selling this bike will not allow me to buy the LHT, as I have other needs for the money.  I can, however, plan on replacing Nermal in the future with one bike that can do it all.  The LHT is that bike.

I’m back to weighing myself every day and tracking my eating. I’ve been bad about doing that recently.

The route I rode is here.  I used to live in Niles, and know those roads, but after nine years, and never riding a bike on most of them, it was definitely a bit of an adventure.

The riding was wonderful.  The hours spent driving the truck… not so much.

Michigan has many dirt roads - Tim would like this

Most of the area is fairly flat

Scenic stop along the St. Joseph River

Not much of a hill

I took two vacation days from work, and had a four-day weekend and went to Parkersburg, West Virginia with Kristy and Dawn.  It had been 32 years since I was last in West Virginia, so I had little memory of it.

Parkersburg is an interesting town.  It has it’s issues, but I found one charming aspect.  People ride bikes there.  There are kids on BMX bikes all over town.  Adults were riding mountain bikes (most with disc brakes).  Nobody wore a helmet.  It was like the 80s all over again. 

Kristy didn’t have a bike, so we brought both of mine with, plus Dawn’s.  We hauled three bikes there, and four back.  Kristy doesn’t like riding either of my bikes, so we bought one for her.  Her new bike is a Cannondale Adventure 5.  I also test rode a Surly LHT, and it even fit.  I don’t have the budget for that bike.  It’s been on my wish list for some time, and the reservations I’ve had about getting one are now settled.  I want it.  I just can’t have it now.

I didn’t get to ride nearly enough while I was there.  I did ride between the hotel room and her family’s house (about 2.5 miles) several times.  The three of us also went on a short ride around town.

I had to go back to work on Monday, and wasn’t able to ride because I didn’t get much sleep, and had to pick up my dogs from the vet where they were boarded.  I felt a strong need to ride.  My mental health was requiring it.

So, on Tuesday, I rode to work.  There was a chance of rain, but it only rained while I was at work.  The ride home was lovely also.

Today, Wednesday, was the opposite.  I got drenched in the morning, and in the afternoon, but it didn’t rain while I was at work.

I enjoyed riding in the rain.  Only the first few minutes of getting wet is uncomfortable.  Once you get totally wet, it doesn’t really matter anymore.  I’m riding again tomorrow, no matter what the weather.  I probably won’t ride on Friday, as Kristy will be here.

Back to my weight… I’m sure I’ve gained.  I don’t know how much.  I’m actually pretty happy with the way I feel this week.  I feel like I’ve developed the right mindset to ride much more often.  If I can keep riding, I will lose the weight.  Yes, I should get back on the scale.  Yes, I should eat better.  Yes I need to lay off the beer.

Maybe tomorrow. 

I’m going to ride my bike to work tomorrow, and leave my laptop at home.  Yes, I use a computer all day at work, but without my personal laptop, I won’t be checking my email and reading bike-related stuff during breaks.

I’m not giving up on this blog or on weight loss, just taking a break from the “connected” lifestyle.

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.

The ride to Louisville started at 4:00 a.m. and was very peaceful. There is so little traffic anywhere at that time on a Saturday morning. Riding down Bardstown Rd. at about 5:30 was a completely different experience than it would be a few hours later.

I arrived at the ride start and met up with Leslie (from the last ride), Glen, and Tim. It was still dark and rather cool at 6:00 a.m. when we headed out. I was still feeling strong at this point even though I had put 20 miles in getting there.

I was riding Oria, my recumbent, and had an issue with the chain coming off and getting wedged between the small chain ring and the frame. I had to remove the chain ring to “unstick” it, then put the chain ring back on. This took up some of our time.

Along the route there was a road about a road closure, but we were on bikes, certainly it would be passable. It wasn’t, not even on foot. So we turned around and took an alternate route.

There was some climbing involved and I had packed a bit too much on my bike, the extra weight was hurting me on the climbs. As the ride went on, I was getting slower.

At some point it was decided to cut the ride a bit short. It turned out to be closer to 68 miles than 80. That was fine. It put me over 88 for the day, and I still had another 20 miles to get home. I was worrying about the ride home. I was considering riding to work and sleeping in my office first.

Tim offered to take me home, and I gratefully accepted. So my total mileage for the ride was 88.5, which is a new record for me. Next time I try to break 100 miles I’ll carry less weight on my bike.

A couple of horses in a small field

A couple of horses in a small field

Looking eastward from Mt. Elmira Rd.

I want my goal weight to remain at 175 lbs, but that doesn’t seem achievable right now.

I’ve been sick for a couple of days including taking one day off of work.  I’m feeling better today, but I’m taking yet another day off of the bike just to be sure I’m over whatever this has been.

More info here.

I’ll be on my recumbent packing snacks and drinks.

I haven’t eaten well today, but I haven’t eaten much either.  That coupled with not riding my bike has me feeling lazy.

On the positive side, I have some better tires ordered for Nermal and I’ve got my new hand-built front wheel to match the one in the rear.  I should be able to put it all together this weekend.

I’m also going on an early morning ride with Tim on Saturday, possibly 80 miles.

She tagged along for Sunday’s RCCS ride driving my truck as a “support vehicle”.  Mainly, she carried snacks and took pictures.  Tim’s write-up is here.

I didn’t post a weekly weight update, but basically I gained 0.1 lbs.  I haven’t weighed regularly and I’ve been eating more.  My next weekly weight will probably be up more.

I haven’t ridden a bike since Sunday, but I will be riding tomorrow.  I felt angry and depressed today, but I think it was the lack of bike riding, or exercise in general.  I felt much better today after my weight-lifting session.

I’m considering riding a century (100 miles) this Saturday.  I need the stress relief.  If I do it, it’ll be my longest ride yet.

If anyone else out there is interested in riding 100 miles starting early Saturday, and riding at a slow-ish pace, let me know.  I could organize a last minute RCCS ride.

I have tomorrow off, and I’m picking Kristy up at the airport.  She’s been away for three months, and it’ll be great to see her again… and that is a major understatement.

We’ll be spending the weekend together, even on Sunday when I’m going on the RCCS ride.  She’s not riding, but she’ll be driving as a “support” vehicle.

I didn’t have the willpower to get out of bed early enough to ride to work, so I had to drive.  When I left work, I found out that they had increased the parking fee from $7.00 to $8.75.  Although that does give me more incentive to ride, it didn’t help my mood much.

My daughter and I went grocery shopping this evening.  I usually ride my bike, but I wanted to go to a different grocery store, so we drove.  It wasn’t all bad, we stopped for ice cream along the way.  I’ve eaten light all day today, other than the ice cream, so my total calorie consumption is only 1305.

I really need to figure out how to shake off this bad mood.  I feel that it affects my health, my job, and my relationships.

I did do housework, cooking, and bike maintenance, so it wasn’t a total waste.

Despite a case of the “blahs” that made me want to consume large quantities of food, I actually ate pretty well.  I did have to keep reminding myself that I want to lose weight though.

Kristy will be back in town on Friday.  I’m taking that day off, so I have a four-day work-week.  I’m going to ride to work every day and try to keep my progress going.

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

When you donate, The Norton Cancer Institute can use the money immediately to help treat cancer patients.  Please be generous, and donate!

This fundraising project is a 150-mile 2-day bike ride from Louisville to Lexington and back.  I’m honored to be a part of it, but your donations are what really matters.

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.

I’m getting up early tomorrow (Saturday) for quick 16-miler.  I’ll probably take another ride later in the day once I finish yardwork.  Sunday should bring a 50-mile ride with Tim.  Monday means riding to work again.

However, I’m now seeing a personal trainer for upper-body strength, under doctor’s orders, for arthritis in my shoulder.  These sessions are expensive, luckily my insurance company covers most of it.  I know it’s only temporary, so I’m considering a gym membership.

There are days where I can’t (or won’t) ride the bike.  Having another option is a good thing.

While I was there, I found out about the “student special”, where my daughter could use the gym for three months.  She was interested, so I signed her up.  We’ve got three months for $99.

I still don’t have a membership, and I’m not sure I will, but I am seriously considering it.

I haven’t started my truck since Sunday.  I haven’t paid for parking or used any gas this week.  That’s quite nice.

In addition, my weight was below 200 again this morning.  I had dropped below 200 a while back, but I gained it back.  I guess I need to watch my eating and push myself harder on the bike to continue the weight loss.  Nobody ever said this would be easy.

This morning there was light rain on the way in, but I found it pleasant.  I took a slightly longer route that took me along the river in Jeffersonville.

Once I got to work a nasty storm came through, but I was safely inside.

The ride home was warm, humid, and mostly sunny.

I was riding Nermal.  I really enjoy both of my bikes, but Nermal has been ridden less overall.

We loaded the bikes into my truck (and forgot the helmets) and went to the park.

She picked the route, winding from one end of the park to the other.  There were a couple of big hills to climb, so I was surprised she picked that route.

It took about two hours to ride the ten-mile ride.  She spent some time walking the hills, and we took breaks occasionally.

Along the way we saw turkeys, butterflies, tadpoles, rabbits, and unidentifiable insects.

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.

We started just after 7:00 a.m.  When Tim has a route, I just follow him.  I rarely know the roads.  His account is here.

I did take a fall, but I was on the ‘bent, so I didn’t have far to fall.  I slid on my bottom, and have minor road rash.  It’s not enough to keep me from riding.  The bike suffered only minor scrapes.

I did get a quick ride on Tim’s new QuickBeam and on his Rans Rocket.  This discussion that ensued may well encourage Tim to ride his Rans a little more often.

After the ride I went to Bluegrass Bicycle for some repairs.  Nermal’s rear wheel was trued, the derailleur was replaced, and some cables were replaced.  Oria needed one new cable, and the front derailleur adjusted.  I also bought some new bar-ends for Nermal, the old ones were breaking.

Later, my daughter and I rode our bikes to the grocery store.  It’s not a long trip, but I rather enjoy it.

I ate well most of the day, but I had fresh, hot brownies and ice cream for a snack.  It was a nice finish for the day.

My daughter is visiting from Michigan, and I want to spend time with her, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have this weekend to go riding.  I’d love to do a 60+ mile ride on Sunday, but that would mean a day of ignoring my daughter.

I also have housework and yardwork that needs done.

I will be taking both of my bikes to the shop on Saturday morning for some work.  Nermal has a rear wheel issue and needs new cables.  Oria has a minor front derailleur issue, and just needs checked out.

On Saturday I drove to Michigan to pick up my daughter.  She’s spending most of the summer with me.  Tonight, she’s eating dinner at a friend’s house, so I’m taking advantage of that and just “grazing” on some healthy food instead of cooking a meal.

I’ve been rather busy, and haven’t posted on the blog as much.  I also haven’t figured out how to get my daily weigh-in page fixed.  It broke when I upgraded to Wordpress 2.8.  I still track my weight in Excel so I’ll update it here once I fix the issue.

I’m still above 200 lbs, but I think some of the lack of weight loss is due to building muscle.  I’ve had a lot of progress in my weight-training sessions for my shoulder.  I still have shoulder pain, but it’s more manageable.  I can also lift substantially more than I could when I started.  I still have the most trouble when trying to sleep at night though.  Being really busy and not sleeping well does not make me happy, but other than that, life is good.

There were a total of seven of us that showed up for the ride.  It was a good mix of people, bikes, and fun.

The southern-most part of the ride had a few hills, and one big hill, but it was mostly flat other than that.

Tim posted a good review of the ride, and explained where we went better than I can.  I just followed the group.  We didn’t have cue sheets, and that was fine.  Tim explained in the original announcement that the group was to stay together, and we did.

I felt fine during the ride, but required a two-hour nap after I got home.

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.

I later thought about my recent struggles with losing additonal weight, and how my diet has changed.

I used to be able to lose weight even when not riding many miles, as long as I was sane with my calorie intake.  Now, I struggle with the weight whether I’m eating a reasonable number of calories or not.

I went months without buying bread.  I didn’t eat sandwiches.  I ate a high-carb breakfast, but low-carb meals for the rest of the day.  I later starting eating more carbs.

If I’m going to take the trainer’s advice and eat more protein, I’ll need to lower my calorie consumption somewhere else, so I’m cutting the lunch and dinner carbs.  It’s still not a strict low-carb diet, as I don’t believe that’s healthy.  I really need carbs in the morning to get me going.

I’ve also been working on weaning myself off of caffeine.  If I cut it cold-turkey, the withdrawal will be miserable, so I’m doing it gradually.  I’m only doing it because there is some evidence that caffeine can worsen arthritis, and I’m really sick of the pain in my shoulder.

As far as bike riding, I rode to work on Monday, and haven’t touched the bike since.  I will be doing some riding tomorrow (a partial commute, and some errands), but none on Saturday.  I am riding a 60-70 mile ride on Sunday with the RCCS.

Having a plan… and idea of what I need to do to lose more weight helps me feel better.  Maybe now I can reach my goal weight of 175 lbs.

My eating hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been horrible either.  I rode to work on Monday, but not since.  It’s easy to say I’m going to “buckle down” and eat better and ride more, but it’s not so easy to do it.

I’ve been very busy recently, which stresses me out.  My shoulder pain has taken a turn for the worse.  These things aren’t helping any.

I managed to squeeze in a 30-mile solo ride, on unfamiliar roads.  Amazingly, I didn’t even make a wrong turn.

The weather was nearly perfect.  Temperatures were in the 80s.  The sky was mostly clear, and there was a nice breeze.  I did get a bit of sunburn, but nothing too bad.

I wanted to cross over Herrington Lake on two different bridges.  Riding along Lexington Road (Hwy 34) was a bit hairy at times, so I cut over to Chenault Bridge Road as soon as I could, and crossed over that older bridge.

After a bit of wandering in low-traffic areas for a while, I found my way to Kennedy Bridge Rd, back across the lake, and into the town of Burgin.

From there, I was in the home stretch to finish the ride.

I didn’t ride enough through the week, so even with today’s ride, I only have 91.8 miles for the week.

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.

I took a little bit of an alternate route to work.  I rode a slower pace along the river.  It did add about a mile to my route.  It was a beautiful day.

I also took advantage of the weather during lunch, and two of us went on a lunch ride.

I almost bailed out of riding home, and asked for a ride home.  I was in a fair amount of pain.  I rode home anyway, and I’m glad I did.

I felt strong and fast on the way home, then realized there was a tailwind.

One of the churches along the way was hosting a blood drive.  I hadn’t given since October, so I stopped in.  I’ve rode after donating before, and it’s never been a problem.  It wasn’t a problem this time either.

As my commute home was nearing an end, I spotted something on the side of the road.  It could have been a cell phone in a carrying case.  I turned around.  As I got closer it looked more like pepper spray in a carrying case.  I picked it up, it was a small LED flashlight.

I never really imagined myself picking up and keeping objects on the side of the road, but I can always use another flashlight, and if I didn’t pick it up, it would probably just remain more debris on the side of the road.

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.

When I ride with Tim, I rarely know where I’m at, or where I’m going.  he knows many parts of Louisville very well, so I just follow him.  We had a nice 33-mile ride with some hills thrown in for fun.

I had a flat along the way, but I was carrying the necessary stuff to fix it.

At one point we saw three deer in someone’s front yard, but unfortunately neither of us brought a camera.

Tim had a “garbage bike” he rescued some time ago, but hadn’t worked on much.  I was looking at it after returning to his house, and he told me I could have it.

It’s an AMF Pacemaker.  I assume it’s a low-quality bike, but it might be a fun little project.

I’m thinking about replacing the one-piece cranks with a modern bottom bracket setup (with an adapter).  I haven’t decided to make it a 1×9 with derailleur or a 3, 7, or 8 speed IGH.

I think the wheels are not worth saving, so not much of the current bike will be used.  Unless I find problems, I’ll just use the frame, fork, and handlebars.

On the other hand, a cheap way to get it rideable would be new tires, tubes, cables, saddle, and brake pads.  Then clean and lube everything.

I need to clean my house.  The dog hair has a life of it’s own, and is threatening to take over.  I need to get back on the bike.  I did ride 100 miles for the week, but 120 would have been better.

I did cook dinner today, but other than that I’ve watched some TV shows on iTunes, played with the computer, and talked to Kristy on the phone.

Back when I suffered from more serious depression I often felt like this, but I also felt trapped, or hopeless, or something.  I don’t feel those things.  I just have a complete lack of motivation.

I didn’t ride, do housework, yardwork, and anything else useful.  To make matters worse, I’ve been eating like crazy today.

I don’t think I’ll be taking any more of those pills.

I rode the full way to work on Thursday, and had to ride to my strength-training session after work.  I was on Oria, my recumbent, and the trainer there thought it was quite cool.  The ride home was difficult after the workout though.

I didn’t ride Friday due to oversleeping.  I intend to go for a ride tomorrow, even if it rains.

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

Today, Wednesday, I rode the full way to work on Nermal, had a lunch ride with two co-workers, then rode the Ride of Silence through downtown Louisville before heading home.  I rode 49 miles today, and didn’t get home until almost 10:00 p.m.

I’m not really lined up to break my weekly mileage record again unless I do a lot more riding this weekend.

I’ve been eating better the last two days and I’m actually “feeling thinner” again.  I’ve been through that before, and it usually happened at the beginning of another drop in weight.

I’ve had twice-weekly strength-training sessions for my upper body.  The idea is if I strengthen the muscles around my shoulder, it will help protected my poor arthritic shoulder joint.  So far I have some reduction in pain… until I move wrong, then the pain is back.  I haven’t seen any improvement in range-of-motion yet.

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.

Up from last week:
1.3 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
30.0 lbs

My weight doesn’t seem to want to drop.  It just fluctuates between 203 and 207.  I could be in a muscle-building stage right now.  I am pushing myself harder on the bike, and doing some weightlifting.

I just need to keep working at it, and see what happens.

I finished the ride despite not having the use of my smallest chainring.  Apparently I had lost all of the bolts for the chainring, and the chainring came loose.  This was on Oria, my ‘bent.  She’s fixed now, but I had to finish the hilly ride without my lowest gears.

At the beginning of the ride, there were many riders bunched up.  Only some people were riding the 60-mile course.  Others were riding the 40 and 20-mile courses.  My bike problems started 15 miles into the ride, and I considered dropping out.  However, I’m a stubborn old fool, and I rode on.

By the time I made the halfway point, I rarely saw another cyclist.  I was far behind everyone else.  I walked some hills.  I’m grateful to the volunteers at the SAG stops and the roaming SAG vans.

I’ve joked about being banana-powered, and I really was today.  The SAG stops were well stocked with bananas and gatorade.

The weather was mixed for the ride.  The initial ride start time was bumped 30 minutes to wait for the thunderstorm to pass.  There was light rain, then just clouds.  When I neared the halfway point, it started raining again.  A few miles later and it was sunny.  I managed to get a mild sunburn.

When I arrived back at the start location, I was welcomed back.  I thought I was the last person to return (they really track *every* rider).  I was wrong.  There were still two people on the way who had mechanical issues also.

I had brought my camera, but I only took two pictures, neither is worth posting.

I stopped by the bike shop on the way home to get Oria fixed.  She is, and ready to ride again.

I went to Charlestown Pizza Company and treated myself to a meal and beer.  That’s a nice finish to the day.

I’m hoping for a slow and easy “recovery ride” tomorrow.

The city of Louisville was hosting the Bike to Work Day today.  I rode from my house in Charlestown to Seneca Park, then on to Fourth Street Live, and eventually to work.  During my lunch break I rode back down to Fourth Street Live for the festivities, and the disappointment of not winning anything in the drawings. 

After work I headed straight home, as the return to Seneca would have been a bit pointless.  The festivities are already over.

To make it Seneca early enough, I left my house a 5:00 a.m.  That meant getting out of bed at 3:30.  I don’t want to do that again anytime soon.

The early part of the ride was incredibly nice.  There isn’t much traffic at 5:00, and the ride was peaceful and quiet, but dark.

After getting to Louisville I took Frankfort Avenue out to Stilz Avenue, and wound my way down to Seneca Park.

WAVE3 and WLKY both had news crews there.  WLKY interviewed me, and I’m quoted in the story, and make a brief appearance on the video.  WLKY was also taking video from a helicopter.  You can see me in the aerial footage also, because I stick out well on my ‘bent.

There was a photographer there who may have been with the Courier-Journal.

The weather through the day was perfect.  The forecasts had been calling for a chance of rain, but all morning and early afternoon was beautiful.

On the way home, still about five miles out, the skies opened up.  I rode the last five miles in a downpour.  This was my first “warm rain” of the season.  It was actually rather pleasant.  Some guy in a truck honked and made the “crazy gesture” at me.  I found that amusing and well worth getting wet.

I ended up with about 47 miles for the day.  Not bad for just a commuting day.

Tomorrow will be 62 miles for the Tour de Cure.  However, I am driving to that event.

It’s now 8:15 a.m. on Monday morning, and I’ve ridden more miles in the last two hours than all of last week.  I rode my recumbent the full way to work.

I haven’t been completely lazy.  I’ve been doing yardwork.  I went and bought a used weight bench, and did a brief workout with it.  I’ve been cooking more.  I’m starting to get a handle on the out-of-control housework again.  I went grocery shopping yesterday… but I drove.

This week should be interesting.  I’m off to a good start.  I want to ride to work everyday.  I’m riding to Louisville’s Bike to Work Day event on Friday.  I’m riding on the Tour de Cure on Saturday.

Maybe this week can get me out of my rut.

Down from last week:
0.0 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
28.7 lbs

This week’s average is the same as last.  Looking at the chart above, I’m at the end of the largest weight spike I’ve had so far.  I’m glad I lost the weight that I had regained, but I did lose two months of progress.

My biggest problem is still overeating.  I haven’t completely brought it under control either.  I ate a huge dinner last night, and a rather large breakfast today.

I finally brought it up to my doctor, and after tests, X-Rays, and an MRI, I now know that I have arthritis in my right shoulder.

He sent me to another establishment where I work with a personal trainer to strengthen the muscles in my upper body.  I’ve only had one visit so far.  He had me start out with some dumbbells and free weights, with little weight, and paid close attention to how I lifted.  My right side is stronger, but yet it’s the bad side.

We then switched to some of the machines, and some of the exercises extended my shoulder beyond my comfort level.  I could feel the huge difference between the two shoulders.

I was a bit sore when I left, but by the time I got home the shoulder pain was much improved.  I woke up this morning with the shoulder pain again.  I realize this will take time, but at least I’ve found something that works.

I convinced him to meet me a short distance from work, and we would ride about a 3.5 mile round-trip for our first bicycle commute.  The route would take him across the Second Street Bridge, and down Main Street.

He rode Nermal, I rode Oria.  It was a beautiful day, and there were plenty of other bicyclists out.  There were no major incidents with traffic, but he got a taste of what it’s like.  I think he is less intimidated by the bridge now.  I’ll talk to him about doing this more, from a little further out.  I think he could handle the 7-mile round-trip parking location without an issue.

Tim was on his Bleriot, and I rode Nermal.  Some of the uphills were excruciating, but well worth the rush going down the other side.  I managed to overheat my rims a bit coming down a hill.  I smelled something, and it turned out to be the brakes on the car ahead of us.  I touched my front rim, and it was hot to the touch.

Tim wrote about this ride much better than I can, so go check out his post.

I’m attaching a few of my pictures from the ride, and I stole a couple of Tim’s also.

Tour de Cure – Please donate here.

I’m riding the Tour de Cure for diabetes research.  Diabetes runs in my family, and I know many people affected by it.  The ride is this month, so I have little time to raise more money. I’m riding the 62-mile route.

The Ride to Conquer Cancer – Please donate here.

Cancer affects everybody.  It’s a horrible disease that takes those were care about away.  I lost a good friend to cancer a few years ago.

This ride is a 150-mile two-day trip in September that goes from Louisville to Lexington and back.  I need a larger amount of money for this ride, so I would be extremely grateful if you could donate something.

Thank you.

Down from last week:
1.4 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
28.7 lbs

Even without any bicycle commuting, I’ve managed to lose a little.  I’ve been eating pretty well, except for the pizza last night.

I have ridden on a couple of evenings, and I rode last Saturday with Tim.

I’m busy today with getting an MRI of my shoulder, and running errands, but I hope to get another nice ride in tomorow.  It is supposed to rain, but that doesn’t stop me.

My average monthly weight was 206.6 lbs, or a gain of 2.0 lbs from March.  I had been gaining in late March and early April.  I’m fairly confident that May will show some more loss.  I haven’t weighed under 200 lbs yet, but I’ve been very close, and it’s a bit frustrating.

Mileage

My bike miles are still low, and I still drive too much.  I don’t think it’s going to be possible to hit my 5000 bike miles for the year.  April’s car miles are lower only because I went two weeks without a car.

Health

My blood pressure is excellent, my cholesterol is good.  I’ve been seeing a doctor for some severe shoulder pain.  I still don’t know what’s causing it, but I have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow.  Maybe that will clear things up.  Some of the medication I have been taking has drained my energy, and made it difficult to ride to work recently.

Personal

As I blogged about before, I’m engaged to Kristy, and will be getting married this September.

I haven’t ridden to work since buying my truck, but I have taken some evening rides.  I’m also trying to get  a co-worker interested in riding.  He’s going to bring his bike over this weekend for adjusting, and we hope to meet up on Tuesday for a partial commute into work.

I had hoped to ride to work today, but woke up late, and really sore, so I’m driving.

I had three dogs give chase, but I could actually see them this time.  They appeared friendly, and I’m glad, as they cut in front of me, forcing me to brake.

The weather forecast has been calling for rain and possible thunderstorms, but it was simply cloudy during most of the ride.  Some light rain started shortly after I got home.

I bought another bag, and it took me two days to snack my way through it.  It’s like eating green, leafy potato chips. 

I had a light dinner today and my total calorie consumption for the day is 1170.  Yesterday was 2520, so it does vary quite a bit.  Amazingly, I’ve averaged only 1600 calories per day in the last week.  The week before was over 2000.

I needed to drive to work due to running some errands before work, so I couldn’t ride, but I am enjoying my new truck.

After work I had some housework to do, and I cooked a steak on the grill.  I sat on my front porch with the dogs and ate dinner.  After washing the dishes and messing around on the computer, I decided to go for a bike ride.

I didn’t leave on the bike until after 10:00 p.m.  The wind had calmed significantly, but the clouds were rolling in.  It is supposed to rain later tonight.

The night air was full of the sounds and smells of the countryside at night.  I startled a possum eating something on the side of the road.  I had to outrun two dogs.  I saw two cars during the whole ride, once getting out of town.

My 600 lumens worth of headlight did a decent job of showing the road, unless I was traveling more than 25 MPH.  600 lumens is a lot for a bicycle, but nothing compared to a pair of car headlights.

I was riding Nermal, so I wasn’t expecting to be all that fast, but I averaged 14.4 MPH on my 11 mile loop.  Not to shabby for a quick jaunt in the hilly countryside.

I rode Nermal (poor Oria is feeling ignored), and he performed well.  Since we weren’t on brick back-alleys this time, nothing rattled loose.  We did go off-road for a stint since it was just two of us on fat-tired bikes.  That part of the ride was a narrow, smooth path through the woods.  There were a few places where we had to get off, and carry the bikes over downed trees.

The weather was beautiful.  There were many people out: on road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, rollerblades, joggers, strollers, and dogs.

Tim mentions that I seemed stronger.  I don’t feel stronger than I did a few weeks ago, but I have put a lot of miles on the bike recently, so maybe I am.  Our average pace was only 12.8 MPH, but we weren’t trying to go fast.

Today was my birthday, and all things considered, it was a good one.

Down from last week:
2.8 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
30.1 lbs

My weight is going the right direction again.  I’m trying to eat well when I ride, and eat much less when I don’t.  If I don’t restrict my calories when I don’t ride, I’m worried that my weight will go back up, now that I have a vehicle again, and the ability to not ride.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kristy won’t be moving in until at least July.  That gives me more time to focus on the weight loss.  It would be nice to be under 190 lbs by then.

I’ve had some shoulder issues that I’m now seeing a doctor for.  They don’t directly affect the cycling, but the pain does keep me up at night, which makes riding a lot harder the next day.  Also, some of my medication makes me sleepy, further compounding the problem.  It’s weird, it seems my body started falling apart the moment I decided to take care of it.

Today is also the one-year anniversary of me buying Nermal, my first real bike.  Strangely enough, I probably won’t ride him today, except for a quick grocery trip.  I have a lot to do this weekend that can’t be done on the bike.  One year ago, I weighed about 265 lbs.  Today I weigh 204.

As many of you know, Kristy lives 90 miles from me.  She’s currently much further away than that for work.  Initially she was going to be gone for one month, now it’s been extended to three months.

I need to drive to her apartment and grab some stuff to ship to her.  I would say more, but she’s sensitve to information about her being posted on the web.  She did tell me last night, that she’ll send a picture that I can post.  I’m still waiting to receive it.

I bought a used 2008 Nissan Frontier.  I’m back in the world of car payments and full-coverage insurance.

I really like the truck, and I’ll be able to haul my bikes, dogs, or whatever else I need to.

I’ll still be riding the bike to work a few days a week.  I don’t want to start gaining the weight back again.

What I can say, is that I asked her to be my wife, my bride, the woman I spend the rest of my life with.  That wonderful woman said “yes”!

Both of us have some craziness in our lives right now, so we haven’t nailed down a date.

It’ll be interesting to mesh our lives together, and challenging to continue losing weight, as she’s a great cook!

I’ve been walking on air for a few days because of this.  I really feel good.  I’m trying to channel this “excited energy” into riding my bike… as that’s still my only form of transportation.

Which, by the way, I had an appointment with my doctor after work today.  I had to ride there in the rain.  I arrived wet on the outside due to rain, and wet on the inside due to exertion.  It certainly wasn’t  my favorite visit to the doctor.

• The sun warming my face
• The goofy grin that comes with simple pleasure
• A strong tailwind for much of the ride, pushing me faster toward home
• The smooth sound of tires running over wet pavement
• The fierce headwind and smattering of rain as I neared home
• A short break to consume the contents of a water bottle
• Ominous storm clouds in the distance
• Birds riding the air currents near the edges of the storm
• A full rainbow from horizon to horizon as I finish my ride

As I continued on my commute the light rain picked up to a steady rain, but not quite a downpour.  I rode the entire way, and arrived at work very wet.

My cycling tights, compression shirt, light jacket, and wool socks did a fine job of keeping me comfortable.

I found out today that there are laundry facilities here at work, so I’m using a dryer so I don’t have to put wet clothes back on for the ride home.

In additon to the challenging terrain it rained for the entire ride.  The puddles would hide deep holes and debris.  Let’s just say that I was glad I have health insurance.

Our group was seven people.  We managed four flats on the ride, one of them mine.  I had a small piece of glass in my tire.  We had multiple little problems with things rattling loose from the bikes going over the bricks.  We had a crash but no injury save for a scraped up hand.

The grit that gets splashed on the bike on rainy days is hard on the brakes.  The brakes were getting used a lot on this ride, so I wore a significant portion of my brake pads off.  I didn’t take the time to readjust the brakes, so I spent the last part of the ride with brakes that slowed me down about as much as a weak headwind.

Now I’m home, dried out and warmed up. I’ve adjusted my brakes and cleaned the bike.  I need to tighten everything that could have been knocked loose.

I’m drained, but I feel good.  I will sleep well tonight.

I wimped out on Thursday, and called a co-worker for a ride.  That co-worker was not able to give me a ride home, and I didn’t have my bike with me.  I borrowed a car overnight to get home.  I drove the car back to work on Friday, with my bike on the back.

Friday afternoon was beautiful.  The temperatures were in the 70s and the skies were sunny and clear.  I had forgotten to bring my helmet, and I rode home in jeans and a t-shirt.

The Second Street Bridge was closed, but I had a positive experience with the shuttle service to get me across the river, as did Tom.

Normally Fridays are bad for rude drivers.  Not this one.  It wasn’t until after I got home that I realized it might be because I was wearing my Ride to Conquer Cancer t-shirt.

I found myself smiling most of the way home.  It was the best commuting ride I’ve had in many months.  Earlier in the week I was dreading the ride.  I considered going into debt to buy a car, just so I could get one now.  I held out, and feel better about it all, and will be riding again next week.

Today, I’m mostly sticking around the house to do yard work.  I may make a grocery run on the bike.  Tomorrow I have an RCCS ride, but I’ve arranged a ride to get there.

Down from last week:
2.4 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
32.9 lbs

Things are heading in the right direction again.  Lack of a car has meant much more riding.  I’ve also been eating better (mostly).

I took it slower today, and used the bus for both legs of the commute.  It still meant riding 21 miles.

I normally commute with three bags on my bike, but I’ve eliminated all but one for the bus.  It’s easier to just have one bag to take off before loading the bike on the front of the bus.  I can carry a change of clothes, laptop, tools, spare tubes, lunch, wallet, keys, cellphone, and such.  What I don’t have a lot of room for is spare clothes or a grease rag.  I’ll have to look into more options.  I loathe backpacks, so that’s not an option.

I haven’t ridden my recumbent in a while.  I love my recumbent, but I prefer Nermal for commuting… and the ‘bent won’t fit on the bus rack.

Alright, I’ve had a lot of exercise, now I’ve eaten, it’s time for bed.

My commute today was interesting.  I rode 10.5 miles on the way to work, and caught the bus for some of the trip.  I hadn’t used the bike racks on the buses before today.

On the way home, I felt good, and rode the whole way.  I did get rained on, but I was dressed well enough for it.

I also ran two errands on the bike today.  During my lunch hour, I rode to a downtown bike shop to get a spare tube.  After getting home from work, I did some grocery shopping.  Fewer people here in Charlestown look at me funny.  They must be getting used to seeing me hauling groceries on the bike.

I am a bit nervous about not having a car.  I do intend to buy another car at some point, but not yet.  I’m using what little money I have to pay my taxes.  I didn’t know I was going to owe money until today.  Selling the car became necessary to pay my taxes on time.

Three changes may get me back on track:

• Kristy has left the state for work for a while.
• My daughter goes back home this weekend.
• My car has died and I will have to ride to work every day until I get another car.

This was not my normal weekly weight post.  I didn’t want to just spit out the numbers without talking about how to fix it.  I have a plan, now I just need to stick to it.

The timing (no pun intended) of this was actually pretty good.  Had it happened earlier in the morning, it could have meant Kristy missing her flight (I drove her to the airport).  If it waited until this Sunday, I could have been stranded somewhere between here and Michigan.

Although I’m looking around for a cheap replacement car, this could be a great opportunity to ride more.

I normally drive to get dog food and cat litter because I get large quantities from 12 miles away.  Today, I had to get a smaller bag of dog food of a different brand, so that I could get it here in town, and so I could haul it on my bike.  20 lbs of dog food and 14 lbs of cat litter definitely affected the handling of the bike, but I made it home safe.

Nermal’s new back wheel is working flawlessly.  I really like the slightly higher gearing the 12-28 cassette has.

By lunchtime the temperature had hit about 60.  I took about  a 3.5 mile ride down to On Your Left Cycles.  I didn’t buy anything, I just wanted to check out another bike shop.

They did have a KHS Urban-Xpress.  I was checking the bike out for Kristy, as she probably needs an upright riding position.  She hasn’t commited to the idea of a recumbent yet.  The bike there wasn’t the right size, but they should have more soon.

I still have to ride my bike back to my car after work, but it’s a beautiful day.  Let’s hope the drivers are polite.

Up from last week:
2.5 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
32.9 lbs

It took me several days to get around to posting this.  I’m disgusted with my weight heading the wrong direction.

I was going to ride my bike today, but overslept.  I’ve ridden way too little, and eaten way too much.

I made a short detour on the way back to stop at a beach on Lake Michigan.  It was cold and windy, but it was nice to watch the waves for a while.  Walking along the sand, and climbing the rocks was fun too.  Kristy has spent time on coasts before, but never at one of the Great Lakes.

I didn’t have a camera with me, but I could have had some great pictures.

My weight loss is doing poorly.  I’m overeating and riding too little.  I really need to work harder on that.

While driving home from work the storm clouds were blowing in.  The rain just missed me.  I was home for all of about ten minutes before the wind and rain teamed up to give horizontal rain.

The rain was intense, but short-lived.  After it stopped, I hopped on the bike, and rode to the grocery store.  Several minutes after getting home with the groceries, the rain started again, but more of a slow drizzle than a downpour.

It was fun to squeeze all of my travel between rain showers.

I’m attending a wedding after work tomorrow, but I’m still considering a partial-commute on Nermal.  I’m a bit leery of doing it, as I haven’t got around to buying a another tube to replace my spare.  Maybe I’ll patch my old one.

About 2.5 miles into my commute, I had a flat rear tire.  No big deal, I have a spare tube, pump, and tire levers.

Bicycle tubes come with a variety of valve types.  The two most common are Presta and Schrader.  Schrader is what most cars have.  Nermal used to have Schrader valves.

My new wheel was set up for Presta.  My recumbent has Presta also, and I was looking forward to not having two different kinds of valves to worry about.  Nermal’s front wheel is still Schrader, but I carry both tubes, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

My pump is convertible between Presta and Schrader, but changing it requires taking it apart, and flipping two different parts around.

It took me entirely too long to change the tube, even longer to convert the pump, and my pannier that holds my laptop and change of clothes lost some mounting hardware.

So, I rode back home, changed clothes, and drove to work so that I could make it on time, and with my laptop intact.

I still managed a five-mile ride for the morning.  Maybe I’ll squeeze in another ride tonight.

My progress is horrible.  I should be riding at least 417 miles per month to get to my goal.  Not only that, but my mileage for March was the lowest of the year, even with the better weather.

I now need about 475 miles per month for the rest of the year to get me to my goal.  I should aim for 500, just to make sure I make the goal.

The big spike in car miles is due to driving to work more often, and driving to visit Kristy.

My average weight for the month is 204.6 lbs, or 3.6 lbs less than February.  I have struggled in March with the loss coming early in the month, and some gains near the end.

My mental state is greatly improved from being back on the bike.  Starting off the workday with a bike ride is a huge boost to my mood and attitude at work.

I was highly motivated to get home quickly after work, so I could drive to go visit Kristy, my girlfriend.  I have to drive to see Kristy, as she lives about 90 miles from my house.  I may eventually ride there, but I’ll need a few days off work to do that.

I did drive to work today, but I’ll be back on the bike tomorrow.

My weight is  still up, but I’m back to eating healthy, and plan to put some serious miles on the bikes, so I should be back to losing weight very soon.

I probably don’t need to get involved in another charity ride, but this one seems painless.  Also, the River City Cycling Society has a team for this ride, so I joined.

Diabetes runs in my family, and I was at high-risk for it before my lifestyle change, so I personally feel the need for this.

If I can raise at least $300, I’ll ride my upright bike (Nermal) instead of the recumbent.  Please give if you can.  Thanks!

The wheel was also a 7-speed freewheel design, which isn’t noted for it’s durability.  A cassette design is much better, but 7-speed cassette hubs are pretty much obsolete.  For more about freewheel vs cassette hubs, see here.

I found a set (front and rear) of hubs with 7-speed cassette on eBay a while back.  They are Shimano Deore XT hubs, with a Shimano 7-speed Hyperglide Cassette.  Yep, this stuff is obsolete, but it will work on my bike without changing out the rest of the drivetrain.

I had Tom build a new rear wheel with that hub, a Velocity Dyad rim, and double-butted spokes from Bluegrass Bicycle.

I managed to destroy that wheel before even putting it on my bike.  Tom rebuilt the wheel for me, and it’s now on Nermal.  I also installed the new Planet Bike fenders that I ordered to replace the set where I destroyed the front one.

After getting everything put together I went for a ride around town, then rode to Charlestown Pizza Company for lasagna and beer.

Up from last week:
0.8 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
30.4 lbs

I’m still gaining weight.  My eating is better, but not good enough.  I haven’t been riding other than the 33 mile round-trip commute on Monday, and about 3.5 miles today.

I figure I’ll work toward the “middle ground” stuff.  Simple enough that it doesn’t take too long, yet isn’t just heating something up, or throwing it on the grill.

I had some brown rice that I put on to boil with spices and frozen peas.  I had some chicken tenderloin that I dipped in flour with some spices.  I pan-fried it in a small amount of olive oil.

This was a rather simple meal, but it’s different than what I usually do.

I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to calculating calories, but the two pieces of meat and small serving of rice seems to be about 650 calories.  I had enough left for another meal.

With more practice the rice will be better.  It was slightly mushy.

I woke up this morning at 5:00 a.m. (thanks to my girlfriend for the wake-up phone call).  I had a sore, scratchy throat, sinus pressure, and a headache.  I set my alarm for 7:00, and figured I’d feel better, and drive into work.

I woke up feeling worse, especially the throat.  I’ve recently been exposed to strep throat… so I called off work, and called my doctor.  I have an appointment later today.

A good workout on the bike generally leads to heavy breathing, which is the last thing I want right now.  So I’ll stay inside, mess with the computer, and do some housework.

I’ve been lazy, but made up my mind this weekend to overcome it.  Today was a great start.  It felt good to arrive at work completely awake.

I’ve spent too much time thinking of my 33-mile round trip as long.  Thinking of it that way makes it hard to do everyday.  I need to remember that I’ve been on several trips longer than that, and that weren’t split in half by a work day.  If I can convice myself that the 16.5 mile one-way is “short” then I’ll do it more often.  If I can get where I can do it in an hour or less, that’ll make it easier.

My total ride was only 9.1 miles, so it was quick, but I have a lot to do today.

I was going to take more pictures, but my camera batteries went dead, and I hadn’t brought the spare set.

Up from last week:
1.6 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
29.6 lbs

This is why I have weekly averages.  My weight has been trending upward.  I know why it has also.  My daily average calorie consumption is almost double what it was a few weeks ago.  I haven’t been riding my bike nearly enough.

I did have a great time.  I spent time with my girlfriend.  We cooked meals together, went out to eat, went to a movie, and went to the zoo.  I did tell her that I need to fit my healthy lifestyle back into my life. 

I’ve also realized that my binge-eating problems are still around.  I had kept them in check by limiting my available choices.  That’s a bit harder with someone else around, and when going out to eat.  Just before posting this I was eating way too much of an apple pie.  I need to put it away now, or I’ll eat more.

I dropped the new wheel with no tire mounted to it on concrete.  A wheel I had never ridden, or even mounted to the bike was destroyed.  It landed on the edge of the rim and bent it.  Where the tire bead sits was bent outward.  It won’t hold a tire under pressure anymore.  I know, I tried, leading to a blow-out.  It was totally my fault.

That didn’t affect my plans for today, as I was going to do a full commute on Oria.  Oria had front derailleur and rear brake trouble on Sunday’s ride.  The front derailleur was easy to fix, the rear brake was just an adjustment issue, but it took me hours to get it right.

I was up too late, woke up late, and can barely keep my eyes open now, so I’ll drive.

I also need to bring the wheel in, so Tom can pick it up and look at it.  I figure at the very least, it’ll need a new rim laced to it.  I had considered carrying the wheel on the bike somehow, but it’s just easier to throw it in the trunk.

I need to plan my route better next time.  I knew there would be hills, but I didn’t realize how steep the hills at Clark State Forest are.  I also need to learn my route better.  I went the wrong direction twice, and had to turn back.

Due to the turn-arounds I put around 48 miles, that’s after cutting some of the ride short and taking a more direct route back.  We were still out nearly five hours.

The gravel road was, ummm, interesting.  Tim loved it.  I thought it was okay for a mile-long stretch.  Neither of us knew about it ahead of time.  I should have driven the route before settling on it.  I probably wouldn’t have changed the route due to gravel, but I would have given fair warning.

Some of the riders were under time constraints and left early.  Our “no-drop” group did split into several groups fairly early on.  Seven of us finished the ride together.  Six of us went for pizza and beer at Charlestown Pizza Company (which was excellent).

I’m not going to try to name everyone that showed up.  I’m horrible with names.  I only took two pictures and they were at the beginning of the ride.  Not seen in the pictures are Tom, Jen, and I.

Edit: Tim provided some new photos

I have a RCCS ride today that should help, and I’ll be riding to work most of this upcoming week (hopefully).

I ate a huge meal at a Cuban restaurant last night.  It was very good, but today’s weight was 206.6 lbs.  I can’t eat like that too often.

It seems amazing to me that it’s been 500 days.  I have changed a lot, physically and mentally, but I still have the same food issues if I don’t pay attention.

There have been days when I overeat, and wanted to abandon calorie tracking for a day or two.

Now that I’m dating, going out to eat seems to happening more often.  I’ve still been plugging away on my calorie tracking though.  There are a few scary numbers in there, but I try to offset them with lighter days.

I haven’t ridden my bike in way too long, I’ve had days with horrible overeating, yet I’m still losing weight, although slower.  I can live with that.

I’m not going to blame the lack of bike riding on dating.  She’s not around through the week, and I could have ridden except for other things that have come up.  I was going to ride today even with the threat of rain, but I just don’t feel well enough today.  Yesterday, I was sitting around the house in the morning waiting for the cable guy to fix my broadband and had to go into work late, so no riding.

I will be riding the 40+ mile RCCS ride on Sunday, but I’m not sure if the time off the bike will mean I’m refreshed and ready, or that it’ll kill my legs.  I guess I’ll find out.

She was concerned about this website, and how public I am about my life.  I have agreed to keep that part of my life out of here, but I did want to let people know I am writing less often (and riding less often) because I found other things to do.

I still plan to continue riding and losing weight.  After all, I’d like to get myself into good shape, and stay that way for my health, and for her.

Some other aspects of my life will be improved now.  I may do some home and car repairs that I’ve put off for a while.  She lives some distance away, and my car has a few issues.  My house has some minor issues that I haven’t fixed, and it makes me look lazy.

So, don’t expect to see much about her on here.  I just wanted to let people know that my less frequent postings are not a bad sign.

Down from last week:
3.1 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
28.0 lbs

This information is short a couple of data points.  I didn’t weigh yesterday or today.  I’m probably suffering minor setback in my weight-loss, but it will be temporary.  The warmer weather should get me out on my bike a bit more though.

My internet access is out, and I’m borrowing somebody’s open wifi, but this is not convenient, so I’ll probably be offline for a few days (at least while at home).

I’m taking advantage of the nice weather right now.  I was just practicing my unicycling skills, and I’ll probably do some yard work.  I’m also considering taking the dogs for a walk in the woods.

My weight loss appears to still be doing well.  Yesterday’s weigh-in was 202.6 lbs. If I continue to eat well I lose weight even when I don’t ride much.

You can find more information on the RCCS website.

When I realized I woke up late, I considered driving, but I need more exercise.  I don’t need to slide down into the pit of laziness.  Also, I feel better when I ride.

So, I hurriedly packed up, ate breakfast, and was out the door.  Today was warmer than yesterday, but it was still a brisk 27 degrees.  There was a little bit of a headwind, but it wasn’t bad.  Traffic was lighter due to it being later.

So, I’m really glad I rode, and the ride home should be much warmer.

Tomorrow looks like a good day though.  My commute will start out in the 20s and warm up from there.  Not too bad.

Partial-commutes are out for now.  Nermal is having more wheel issues.  I had been planning to get some hand-made wheels, but now I’m considering saving my money and buying a Surly Long Haul Trucker.

A LHT with rack, fenders, Brooks saddle, lights, and bags would be a great commuter bike, and would fit on the back of my car, unlike Oria.  If I had trouble getting used to drop bars, and bar-end shifters, and could switch those out for something else.

Hmmm…. What could I sell for a LHT?

• Nermal (sniff, don’t want to)
• Old refrigerator
• My pets?  (not going to happen)
• String trimmer
• Gas grill (but I love my gas grill)

Well, I guess I don’t have enough things of value to sell that I’m willing to part with, so I’d better get to saving.

That’s all it took, and we had a great 25-mile ride through parts of Louisville I’ve never seen.  We went down brick alleys, through historic neighborhoods, and along the Beargrass Creek Trail.  It was a nice ride.

Tim, usually one to bring a camera, was travelling light.  I had mine, and he borrowed it when we were stopped while I fixed my bike.  We were in the St. James Court area when a small tree branch got into my front wheel.  Although it destroyed my front fender, nothing else was damaged, and I didn’t wreck.  So, a quick few minutes to remove the destroyed fender, and we were off.

• Goal weight will remain at 175 lbs (for now).  I hope to reach that goal by the end of August.
• Ride a century this year (100 miles in one day).
• Raise $3200 for The Ride to Conquer Cancer, and complete the entire ride under my own power.
• Learn to ride my new unicycle, and complete a ten-mile ride on it by June 2010.
• Juggling?
• Ride to work more often.  I had hoped to average 3 days per week, but I’m not even managing that right now.
• Ride to work five days a week at least 3 weeks per year.
• Increase my average speed on the bicycle a little bit.
• Learn to kayak this year.
• Get a rod, reel, and fishing license, and spend some time relaxing and fishing.
• Find new fitness activities.
• I had made a goal to live-car free.  I think I’m giving that up.  I do want to drive less, but realities of the modern world make this a very unpopular choice.
• Ride 5000 miles this year.  I’m way behind on this so far.  I’m two months into the year, and I’ve only ridden 541 miles.
• Get better about riding in cold rain.  I often use this as an excuse not to ride to work, but I have the gear to do so.
• I had planned to try to drive less than 3500 miles per year.  I’m giving up on this also.
• Ride in a roller coaster this year.  I’ll actually fit now.
• Go skydiving in the summer of 2010.
• I want to be a better cook.
• I want to find a wonderful woman to enjoy these activities with.

What I’ve achieved

• I’m no longer obese.  My weight is hovering just above 200 lbs.
• My blood pressure and resting pulse rate are low.
• I am physically stronger than I’ve been in years.
• My pants size dropped from a 44 to a 36.
• I feel better about who I am, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
• Others have been inspired others to improve their lives.
• I am more confident in all aspects of my life.
• I am usually much more upbeat, happy, and optimistic than I used to be.

What I’ve learned I still need to work on

• Occasionally, depression still gets the better of me.
• I’m still lazy by nature, and have to fight this every day.
• The “I want it now” mentality is still hiding back there, and surfaces occasionally.
• I am still somewhat self-centered.  I don’t think having a blog helps in that matter.
• The depression and “I want it now” mentality sometimes team up to hurt my financial state.  I need to get better about that.

If you think I’m going off-topic… I’m not.  What started as a weight-loss effort has turned into a complete transformation of who I am.

I’ve fallen twice already with no injury, and stepped off of it to avoid falling more times than I can count.  The farthest I’ve travelled so far would be measured in inches.

It’s going to take time to master this thing.

My average weight for the week ending 2/28/2009:
206.1 lbs

Down from last week:
0.6 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
31.1 lbs

Monthly

My monthly average weight for February is 208.2 lbs.  That’s 8.3 lbs down from January, and 88.2 lbs down from the beginning.  I really did well in the first part of February, but slacked off a little in the last week and a half.

ChChChanges

My body is changing in different ways.  The fat is coming off of my midsection faster now.  That’s nice, as I’ve heard that losing the belly fat is the hardest.  As the progress pictures show, it definitely happening.

In October 2007, I was wearing pants with a 44-inch waist.  They were getting too tight.  In November 2008, I bought new clothes for work.  The pants were a 40-inch waist.  So over 60 lbs loss meant a 4-inch waist difference.  Now, less than 30 lbs later, my new jeans are a 36-inch waist, and they are not tight.  I will probably be buying 32-inch waist jeans this year.

When I hit my goal weight of 175, and I’m wearing 32-inch waist pants… That’ll be about the same as my senior year of high school.  That just floors me.

This morning, I can hear the wind howling outside.  Not ideal weather for a ride.  I also woke up late.  Apparently I had a brief power outage overnight, and my alarm clock didn’t go off.  The alarm on my cell phone did go off, but it took it almost 2 hours to wake me up.

I’m happy and in a good mood despite these setbacks, mostly because new possibilities seem to have opened up.

Anyway, I feel better now.  I haven’t ridden my bike since Monday, but I will tomorrow.  The weather forecast is calling for a chance of rain, so maybe I’ll get wet.  Big deal.

I’m just a couple hours away from seeing The Pink Floyd Experience.  I almost skipped going, even though I already bought the ticket, but my improved mood has helped.  The last thing I need to do is hide at home all the time.

I ate Girl Scout Cookies for breakfast.  At least those things are gone now.  I now know not to ever buy them again.  I apologize to the Girl Scouts, but my problems with food are not solved.

Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer,  but with a good chance of rain.  I may ride anyway.  I may even ride Nermal the entire distance.  I will fix the flat tire tonight.

I did do some dumbbell workout routines last night, and this morning, so my chest and arms feel a little weird.  They’re not really painful, just weird.

In reality, my legs hurt and I feel “blah” from my sugar consumption yesterday.  I know the best thing to do would be to ride anyway, but my ability to do so seems so far away.

I had a soft drink with my fast food.  I drink the stuff so rarely these days… and now I want another, in a deranged kinda way.  I actually considered getting dressed and riding down to the gas station to buy some more.

That said, I’m going to go to bed and curl up in the fetal position.

Today, I rode into work in 16 degree temperatures.  It was a bit below my comfort level, but I managed it.  Other than the temperature, it was a great ride.

I ate a large lunch at work, and a snack.  The ride home was warmer, but I felt famished.  I stopped and bought some fast food on the way home.  That was the magic screw-up that was needed.  I felt a ton better, and continued the ride home.

I don’t feel so good now that I’ve totalled my calories for the day.  I ate over 3000 calories.  I intend to ride tomorrow also, but the two boxes of Girl Scout Cookies I ordered should be in tomorrow.  Two screw-ups in two days might be too many.

On the subject of trying to ride when hungry, I found Paul Cooley blogging about fasting and riding with his kids.  I dunno, I would probably pass out if I tried something like that.

Anyway, Schellers is open on Sundays, so I drove there.  They are one of the more expensive places to get things fixed, but they’ve always treated me well.

While I was waiting on my wheel, I bought some more chain lube, another spare tube, an Incredibell, and a bar-end mirror.  I have a helmet mirror, but I wanted to give this mirror a chance.

So my quick trip to Schellers cost me over $60.  So much for reeling in my spending. 

So, if you don’t want to see me in my underwear, don’t click the link.

Four of us were there.  Tim, Dale, Rich (Rick? – not sure, sorry), and myself.

We started at Sunergos Coffee on Preston St.  At this point it was windy, and there were times we had a hard time pushing through the wind… other than Dale… he’s a monster.

On the way to our first stop the rain began.  It was a cold rain that would sting slightly when it hit exposed skin.  Luckily, I had very little exposed skin.

Our first stop was Rich O’s in New Albany for a good beer, and to warm up.  While at Rich O’s, the rain had turned to snow.  It was wet, sticky snow, but it was better than the rain.  The temperature had dropped, so I switched to my warmer gloves, and put on my balaclava.

We travelled back through New Albany and Clarksville, and were heading across the bridge.  Tim is great at choosing moments to take pictures, so we pulled off on to the sidewalk while he grabbed a picture of the downtown skyline disappearing into the snowy haze.

We went to BBC for hot food, and cold beer.  Then continued on to Cumberland Brews in the Highlands for another snack, and a beer.

It was a great ride overall.  I left my camera at home, so I stole these from Tim.  Dale had a camera too, but I don’t have those pictures yet.

By the time I got back to my car, the precipitation had stopped.  There was a light accumulation of snow on the grassy areas, and on my car, but the roads were fine.

I completely blew my calorie budget for the day, even considering the calories burned by the ride.  I don’t care, it was completely worth it.

Down from last week:
1.5 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
31.7 lbs

My loss per week seems to be about average at 1.5 lbs.  All of my weekly weight reports beginning in June 2008, with the loss per week averaged out come to 1.5 lbs.  I expect the same trend to continue.  If it does, I expect to be at my goal weight before the end of July.

I slept in a little later today, and I’ll be driving to work. I haven’t even been on my bike for that many miles this week.  I haven’t checked the computers on the bikes, but I’m pretty sure it’s less than 50 miles.

I am participating in a 30-mile River City Cycling Society ride tomorrow, so I need a little break, and a good night of sleep first.

I’m considering organizing some small group rides for training for the RTCC.  I would concentrate on Southern Indiana people, and have rides from my house here in Charlestown.  There are some beautiful country roads just a few minutes away by bike.  I’ll probably ask around, and try to get something set up for the 28th or 29th.

There were few serious cyclists at the orientation that I attended.  If these people raise the necessary donations, and complete the ride, that will be huge for them.

I did find out that the course will be open for twelve hours each day, so even at a slow pace under 10 mph, the ride can be completed without having to hauled in one of the support vehicles.  That was good for me to hear, as my goal is to ride the entire distance, and I’m not fast.

People there were split about there worries.  Some worried more about getting the necessary $2500 in donations, others were more worried about riding 150 miles in two days.  I talk to a young lady who wanted to attempt this ride with her mother, but neither had ridden a bike in years, and they were a bit unsure how to shift a bike with a bunch of gears.

I tried to give some helpful advice, but the best advice is to ride.  You’ll figure out the shifting as you go.  You’ll gain practice, and strenght.  You have until September, It’s time to get busy.

I’ve added a link in the sidebar to my personal page on the RTCC site, and I still need donations myself.  Please think about the number of people that could be helped by Norton Cancer Center.

I rode my bike part of the way to work today.  I rode from work to the orientation.  I believe I was the only person (other than one of the event organizers) who rode a there today.  Of course, most people don’t like riding in February. 

My boss got a call about the problem, and tried to call me.  I didn’t hear my phone in my trunk bag over the traffic noise.

Luckily, I only rode a partial commute today, so 20 minutes later, I was at my car, and noticed the missed call and voicemail.  A quick call back to work determined that the best course of action was to continue home, then fix the issue remotely.

If I had ridden the entire distance (which I considered this morning), it would have been an additonal hour of downtime, at least.

How do other bicycle commuters handle this?  Especially if you have a longer commute like mine?

I didn’t ride today though.  I woke up late, and my legs feel like jello.  I really pushed myself on yesterday’s ride trying to get faster.

I’ve found that I can pedal the “correct” way with the clipless pedals, and get an amazing amount of power going, but only for a minute or so.  If I do that too many times (like yesterday) I’m sore for a while.

I guess it’s going to take a lot more work to get faster.

Enjoy the now, they are around for a limited time only.

I convined myself to ride, and got about 1/4 of a mile away, and realized I wasn’t wearing my helmet.  I went back and got it.  I considered driving at that point.  I was on my way again.

About 5 miles into the ride I realized I forgot my reflective vest.  Oh well, I can go without it for one day.

It was also  a bit colder than I had planned for.  I was only wearing one pair of socks and my cycling shoes, so I had froez toez by the time I arrived at work. 

Overall it was a good ride, traffic was light and polite.  I watched the sun come up as the half-moon was above in the beautiful clear sky above.

I have my new clothes that actually fit now.  I took a picture of myself, and if you look closely, you’ll notice that I still need a smaller belt. 

I’ve gone through another transformation recently.  My previous transformation was just the realization that I wasn’t going to be fat forever.  That I would reach my goal weight.

This new transformation is me realizing that I’m not a “fat guy” anymore.  I don’t feel fat anymore.  I still have a few pounds to lose, but I’m nearly at my goal.

I riding in memory of Mike Vogel.  Mike was a good friend and a bit of a father figure for me. He passed away on 12/2/2006 after a battle with cancer.  I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t met Mike in 1989.

If you could please donate to help this cause, and allow me to participate in the ride, I would be extremely grateful.

Go here to donate.

I guess I waited too long.  I tried on a few sizes, and a size 36 fit perfectly.  I bought three pair on sale, and will get ride of the larger ones I have.

I’ve heard that the last few pounds are the hardest to lose.  I feel like I’m in that home-stretch.  I only have 33 more to lose.  However, the weather is getting nicer, I’ll be on my bike much more, and I really do see hitting my goal weight of 175 by late August.

My average weight for the week ending 2/14/2009:
208.2 lbs

Down from last week:
3.6 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
33.2 lbs

I should be under 200 sometime in March or April.  My goal weight used to be 200 lbs, so this really feels good.  I’m within striking distance of my 175 lb goal.

This picture is from September 2003.  I was unconsciously eating when I didn’t need to.  I did that a lot then.

When I got to the Second Street Bridge (nearly done with the ride to work), my average speed was 15.0 mph.  It went down from there as traffic was backed up across the bridge.  The ride home was slower, at about 13.4 mph.

This was the only the day this week that I rode the entire commute.  I need to ride more often, not just for my fitness, but to save money on gas and parking.

I’m probably going to drive to Bluegrass Bicycle tomorrow morning, and check them out.  I’ve never been there.  It’s a bit far for a ride however.

Yesterday I met up with Dennis Sheridan at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub.  We have worked together in the past, and I figured it was time to hang out a little with him.  I didn’t ride yesterday, and he’s not really a cyclist, but he decided to surprise me by showing up on a bike.  It was amusing.

I ate too much, and drank too much beer, so my calorie count for the day was off the chart.  I had a good time, but the corned beef and cabbage and beer made for some weird smells today. 

The headwind was strong, but for such a short ride it wasn’t a big deal.  I had to ride back across the bridge and back at lunch time.  The northbound trip was fast and fun with the tailwind.

At the end of the day, the wind was stronger.  It was a tailwind, but it was strong enough to be frightening.  I could accelerate easily without pedaling.  While stopped at a light behind a truck, I watched the wind yank a plastic vent off of the truck.  I was a bit worried the guy driving the truck would think I did something.

I managed four bridge-crossings with barely any rain while I was out.  That worked out well.

What didn’t work out well, is I came home to a house with no power again.  Apparently the wind took some power lines down somewhere.

It was reasonably warm, so I stayed home in my dark house.  I cooked on the grill, and went to bed early.

I still didn’t have power this morning, and didn’t ride as the wind was still howling quite a bit when I got up at 5:00 a.m.

I haven’t been riding as much as I would like, but my weight loss is still progressing nicely.  Today’s weigh-in was 207 lbs.  I have lost 89.4 lbs.