This blog started as a way to document my weight loss and keep me accountable for my eating habits. Once I started bicycling that was simply added into the mix. More recently, the weight loss aspects have been ignored. I’ve gained some weight. I don’t weigh myself regularly anymore.
This is, in part, due to my focus on bicycling for transportation. Bicycling for transportation has become such I big part of my life that moved into Louisville (while continuing to pay the mortgage on my old house) so that I could bicycle everywhere. It’s been wonderful. I have not driven to work since moving. When my wife and I go out to eat, I’ll even meet her there rather than drive (if she’ll let me).
I rode my bike to the coffee shop the other day, when the white truck in the picture on the right pulled up. One individual drove that huge diesel-powered truck, just to grab some coffee. I have nothing against trucks. I own one. I just believe in using the right tool for the job.
I’ve been very busy for the last week. Some of it has been the have-to-do stuff. Some of it is want-to-do. In either case it has left me sleep-deprived. I was up late last night driving to Danville and back. I had intended to ride the Harvest Homecoming ride today. I changed my mind at the last minute and went back to bed. I don’t regret the decision. I needed the sleep.
So, this blog… where does it go? What should I focus on? I would love to show some positive results in my weight loss and/or fitness. The truth is, I haven’t really improved either of those since February of 2009. I’m in much better shape than when I started in 2007, but I don’t think I’ll ever get to my goal weight of 175. Maybe this is where I need to focus on waist size and strength. I should add some weight training to the mix.
So, I haven’t been writing about every bike ride recently. It’s safe to assume I ride every day now. I will continue to do so, except maybe today, where I probably won’t be leaving the house. I will write about exceptional rides. I will write about what I decide to use as a metric to measure my progress, but I need to figure that out still.
I love bicycles and bicycle advocacy. I don’t think I’m a great bicycle advocate, other than just being out there on the road. I’m not eloquent or persuasive. I’ll leave the “advocacy with words” to those smarter than I. I’ll just ride my bike. 🙂
“Just riding one’s bike” is a great form of advocacy. Being out there, showing other road users that you ride intelligently and courteously, sets an example.
Four and a half years ago, my grandfather passed away. Shortly after his passing, I wrote a bit about him for the kycyclist. In it, I honored but one thing about him–that he walked to work almost every day. Walked home for lunch many days as well. When I would visit as a kid, he would sometimes say, “Let’s go for ice cream.” The High’s store was a four- or five-block walk away. Drive? Not a chance.
He and I never talked about “why do you walk?” things. It was simply a given. It was how he did stuff, and probably was a factor in his living to 94 years of age. My grandmother is going to be 94 this December. That it was simply how he did things lent its own sort of power to the message. The message was that there was no big message–he just saw no reason to drive that short a distance.