Month: March 2009

Monthly Mileage

I started tracking my bike and car mileage monthly at the beginning of the year.  Although I have dropped my goal of driving less than 3500 miles, I still intend to ride at least 5000 miles.  So, how’s my progress?

Month Bike Car
01-2009 277.8 678.0
02-2009 263.0 768.0
03-2009 192.4 1,995.0

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.

Monthly Average Weight – March 2009

chartmonthly2009-03It’s the end of the month, and time to look back at my progress.

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.

The Week is Off to a Great Start

I rode a repaired and improved Nermal to work on Monday.  I felt strong, and made great time going to work, and on the return trip.

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.

Tour de Cure

I will be riding the 62-mile Tour de Cure in May.

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!

Nermal is Alive

I’ve had rear-wheel problems with Nermal since I got that bike.  I had swapped out the low-quality wheel for another low-quality wheel, and had the same spoke-breakage problems.

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.

 

Weekly Average Weight for March 28, 2009

My average weight for the week ending 3/28/2009:
205.4 lbs

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.

Cooking… Baby Steps

I’ve mentioned that I want to become a better cook.  I’ve had more groceries around the house that actually require cooking due to my girlfriend visiting.

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 Hate Being Sick

I had originally planned on riding to work today.  I really enjoyed riding both to and from yesterday.  The Spring weather makes it so much nicer.

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.

Back on the Wagon

I rode to work today.  It’s been over two weeks since I rode to work.  It was a beautiful 50 degrees with a few clouds.  Traffic was tolerable.  I made good time, at one hour and ten minutes.

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.

Just a Quick Sunday Ride

I hopped on the ‘bent for a quick ride.  I didn’t plan a route, and I ended up at Charlestown State Park.  After last Sunday’s ride on gravel during the RCCS ride, I decided to hit some more gravel.

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.

Weekly Average Weight for March 21, 2009

My average weight for the week ending 3/21/2009:
204.6 lbs

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.

A Perfect Day For Riding, but I’ll Be Driving

Nermal has been out of commision with a broken rear wheel.  I paid Tom to hand-build a new wheel using a seven-speed cassette hub I picked up on eBay.

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.

A Frustrating, Fun, Tiring Sunday

I hosted the RCCS ride yesterday.  Turnout was very good.  My neighbors probably think I’m crazy after seeing so many bicyclists arrive at my house.

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

Day 500

Yesterday was day 500 of my lifestyle change.  I didn’t weigh yesterday, but Friday’s weight was 203.4 lbs.  My weekly average was 203.0 lbs, the same as last week.  My weight is actually trending upward a little due to overeating and lack of exercise.

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.

Overeating and Tracking Calories

As I’ve mentioned, I track everything I eat.  I later look up calories, or make an estimate.  I believe this is key to my weight loss.

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.

I’ve Met Someone Incredible

I met an incredible woman, and she appears to be willing to tolerate me for a while.  🙂

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.

Weekly Average Weight for March 7, 2009

My average weight for the week ending 3/7/2009:
203.0 lbs

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.

Busy

It has been a crazy week for me.  I only rode to work on day this week.  I overslept too many times. I was rushing around this morning, and forgot to weigh-in for the day.

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.

The Ride That Almost Wasn’t

I did ride today.  I made it to work in pretty good time.  One hour and twenty minutes.  I pushed harder because I woke up late.

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.

Two Days — No Riding

I haven’t ridden since my 25 miler on Sunday.  Although I have ridden to work with temperatures in the teens quite a few times, I don’t enjoy it.  Today, it dipped into the single-digits.  I’m ready for spring, and sick of the cold.

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.

I Did Actually Get Out of the House

I’ve had a really hard time getting on the bike recently.  I hadn’t ridden since Monday.  I got an email this morning from Tim, asking if I’d like to tag along for a “recon ride” to scope out an upcoming RCCS ride.

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.