Month: January 2009

Don’t Tailgate!

I’ve talked about how riding a bike has changed my driving habits.  One aspect is that I drive slower.  This has caused me some grief, as too many people are impatient.  Today, one driver got what he deserved.

I was driving up Highway 62 at 50 MPH – 5 MPH under the speed limit – and I was being tailgated by a pickup truck.  Traffic was light, it’s a 4-lane highway, and this guy couldn’t figure out to go around.

I ignored him, as I usually do.  He didn’t do anything aggressive, but didn’t back off either.  He continued for almost two miles.  At that point there was a police officer turning around in the road.  The officer started to pass us, then slowed and pulled behind the truck, and pulled him over.

It’s possible the guy had no license plate, or a light out, but odds are that he was pulled over for tailgating.  If so, that is the first time I’ve seen that happen, and I hope it continues.

I would have loved to stick around and listen to the conversation…

driver: “…but he wasn’t going the speed limit”

officer: “It’s an upper limit, not a lower limit.”

A Crazy Weekend

I really enjoyed my weekend.  I went to see Wicked with my daughter and ex-wife on Saturday.  I highly recommend going to the show if you can.  I’m not normally a fan of musicals, but this one is very well done.

Other than that my weekend was spent indoors at home.  I had plenty of housework and other tasks to keep me busy.  I also managed to get some computer stuff done that I needed to.  However, I ate too much, and didn’t ride my bike at all.  Then I was up too late last night, and didn’t get up early enough to ride today.

My weight has been climbing for the last few days.  The weather doesn’t look good for riding for the rest of this work week, so I may have to spend some time working on sit-ups and push-ups.

A Great Week

As I blogged about on Monday my weight was up, and I knew it would come down.  It didn’t come down as much as I had hoped, but overall I’m still doing well.

I originally intended to ride to work everyday this week, but between cold rain and my lazy butt, I skipped two days.  I still rode three days.  That’s about 100 miles on the bike.  That’s 100 miles I didn’t drive.  That’s $21.00 I didn’t pay in parking.  That’s a whole bunch of calories burned.

I had a busy week at work, but that does make the time go by faster.  I also feel that I accomplished a fair amount of work, and have been learning the ropes at the new job.  My eating habits have been good this week, and my weight loss marches on.

I talked to my daughter today, and it looks like we may go see Wicked tomorrow.  I’ve been hoping to spend more time with her, and this sounds like fun.

The Friday evening commute home is usually the scariest and worst with rude drivers.  Today’s commute home was one of my best.  I only had one slightly rude driver, and several polite ones.  I even had someone in an SUV follow a safe distance behind me the entire length of the 2nd Street Bridge.  It was probably someone who knows me, or another cyclist.  I didn’t see the person, and didn’t recognize the vehicle.

I made good time getting home today.  The slight tailwind helped, but my overall good mood for the day helped me pedal faster.

Commuting by Bicycle – A Love/Hate Relationship

I was going to write a post about a love/hate relationship with bicycle commuting.  As I tried to write it, I realized I don’t hate anything about bicycle commuting itself.  I have a problem with closed-minded idiots.  They can ruin anything, not just bicycling.

Anyway, I’m not going to write about closed-minded idiots.  It’s the same old story.

I rode to work and back on Monday.  Tuesday was very rainy, and I drove.  Today, I rode in the wet, sticky snow, and had a blast.

When I arrived to work (with snow sticking to me and my bike), I got on the elevator with the president of my organization.  He probably thinks I’m mad, and I can’t say that’s a bad thing.  🙂

When nearly home from work, I stopped at the grocery store to grab a few things, and the cashier asked how far I live from the store.  I replied “Just under a mile, but I rode here from Louisville.  I was on my way home.”  She thinks I’m crazy now too.  🙂

How Much Effort To Save Your Life?

When presented with a sudden, clear danger, most people will take immediate action.  It may mean swerving in the car to avoid an accident.  It might mean jumping back from a loud sound.

When presented with a clear, but not as sudden danger, such as getting stranded in the desert with no water, a reasonable person will start thinking of ways to get out of the predicament safely.

Why is it we, as a species, are almost completely blind to long-term health problems and how they will affect our longevity, and standard of life?

Denial?
I was certainly in denial about my obesity for quite some time, but even when I came to grips with the fact that I was “The Fat Guy”, it still took a few years for me to take action.

Not Taking Responsibility?
It’s easy to blame your health problems on circumstances out of your control.  Genetics, bad luck, too stressed out, and other excuses cause us to not bother making a change, because “it’s not our fault”.

Laziness?
Another “fat guy” I talked to has an elliptical and other exercise equipment at home.  It’s not for him, it’s for his wife.  It’s bought and paid for, he might as well use it. It’s easy to be lazy.  I’m an expert at it.  Making lifestyle changes is hard work, but it’s completely worth the effort.

After years of being obese, I chose to change it.  If you need to lose weight, quit smoking, eat healthier, or develop some muscle tone, please do.  It will not only prolong your life, but make more of your life happier.

A New Week

It’s Monday.  It’s a full work week, and I’ve started out on the right foot.  I rode Nermal into work today.  I had an excellent ride, and feel good.

The various changes I’ve made to Nermal have made the 16.5 mile trip a little easier.  The Brooks saddle helps tremendously with comfort.  The new straight handlebars with bar-ends give me more hand positions, and allow a more forward position on the bike.

I’m not giving up my recumbent, but I’m beginning to think that Nermal will become my primary commuting bike.

There is some rain forecast for tomorrow, but I’m hoping to ride everyday this week.  I’ve actually been having an easier time riding in these days.  I guess I got past the mental barrier of “I can’t do it”.

My weight is up, but I overate the last few days.  It’ll go back down this week.

Ride With Nick

Nick hasn’t owned a bicycle in a while.  He was willing to go on a ride with me today though.  Nick had started a weight loss plan about the same time that I did.  Initially he lost more weight than I did.  I’ve since caught up.  It was a bit of friendly competition for weight loss.  Now that we no longer work together, we don’t get to talk about it as much.

He rode Nermal (and was nice enough to pick him up from the bike shop on the way to my house).

We rode my familiar 11-mile route.  We took a slow pace,  as he is a beginner.  I’d like to see him get his own bike, and a helmet, and ride more often.  He handled the ride just fine, but I don’t think he would have been up for a longer ride yet.

Oh yes, Nermal has new handlebars, left shifter, and bar-ends.

Weekly Average Weight for January 3, 2009

My average weight for the week ending 1/3/2009:
217.7 lbs

Down from last week:
3.9 lbs

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

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

Weight until goal:
42.7 lbs

It’s been a really good week.  I have felt very good physically.  I need to keep the momentum going.

Here’s picture from early 2002.  I had gotten quite large by this point, but still didn’t think I was obese.  I was wrong.

Who are you supposed to be?

A week ago, on December 27th, I went for a ride in the record-high temperatures.  It was great.  I was wearing cycling tights, and a compression shirt.  No jacket, no wool, just one layer.  When I got back into town, a little girl asked “Who are you supposed to be?”.  I guess I looked like a big goof trying to be a superhero.  🙂

Back on the Recumbent

I intended to ride yesterday, but I had a headache, and I’m naturally lazy, so I only made a quick trip to the store.  I did take the bike, but it’s less than 1.5 mile round trip.

I wanted to make up for it today, but, again, I’m naturally lazy, and only took a short ride.  I had left Nermal at the bike shop this morning for some repairs and upgrades, so my lonely recumbent (that still needs a name) was the ride for the day.

My goal is to ride 5000 miles this year.  That means I need to average 14 miles per day.  Well, it’s now the second day of the year, and I’ve only ridden 15 miles.  I’m going to have to work on that.

Another part of my goal is to drive less than 3500 miles.  I haven’t checked my odometer, but I know I’m doing poorly there too.  Part of it was the trip to the bike shop though.

For today’s ride I followed my very familiar 11 mile loop, then rode around town.

I found that one of the small bridges I ride over has flat-topped posts that are great for sitting my camera on, and using the timer for a cheesy self-portrait.



 

 

 

Monthly Average Weight – December 2008

December is over, as is the year.  It’s time to look back at my progress.

My average weight for the month is 223.8 lbs, or 5.8 lbs less than November.   I’m very happy with that since it seemed I was struggling in the beginning of December.

The chart to the right shows average monthly weights since I began this.

Again, I really felt I was struggling in the beginning of the month, so I decided to chart the daily weigh-ins for the month of December.  The chart does show fluctuations, but still shows fairly consistent progress.

 

I guess a lot of the “struggling” was mental.