I spent most of the weekend at home being lazy and reading books. Diane had to work.
When she got home today, she wanted to go out. We hopped on the tandem for a quick trip to Four Pegs. We decided not to eat there, but go somewhere farther away. The tandem has the new chain and cassette, so I figured we should really give it a work out.
We headed to Indiana. We cranked over the bridge, but very shortly after that the chain wedged between the cassette and the spokes. I got very greasy getting everything back together. We continued the ride, but soft-pedaled it, as the chain would skip. Apparently it has a bent link or two.
We eventually made it to New Albanian where we enjoyed BBQ pork sandwiches and delicious beer.
The drivetrain on the tandem was really complaining on the return trip. I was worried that we’d break the chain. I carry both 9 and 10-speed chain links, but the tandem is an 8-speed. Again, we soft-pedaled our way along – and took the bike path through Clarksville. It was dark by the time we made it to the riverfront. We were well lit, but we took some time to enjoy the view.
Louisville skyline from Clarksville
We made it home with no further mechanical issues. Now I need to get in the shower and scrub the grease off of my arm.
This is the first week that I’m truly back on the bike. This means I ride the bike to work every day. I don’t borrow the car, or take the bus. I’m getting back to normal – as normal as I get anyway.
I’m a little sad that I don’t seem to enjoy the recumbent bike anymore. I won’t sell it. It comes in handy when my neck hurts.
I rode the Big Dummy on Monday. I switched to the rSogn (with new tires) on Tuesday. I rode the Big Dummy again today to haul the tandem’s rear wheel to the bike shop after work.
In addition to having the spoke issues dealt with, I bought a chain, cassette and seatpost. I installed those tonight. The drivetrain is in much worse shape than I imagined, but the old 8-speed stuff is cheap to replace. The seatpost was not original, and was above the minimum insertion line – even with Diane, the short one, sitting on it.
I did buy beer tonight. I didn’t go to a bar. We’ve not gone out yet this week. Eating a home-cooked meal and drinking beer from a six pack is certainly cheaper, and a tad healthier than going out.
I’m glad I have friends to remind me where I’ve been. In April of 2010, Tim and I did a nice ride. He grabbed a picture of me that I didn’t think much of at the time. I was just over 200 lbs. I was much fitter.
He posted that picture to me earlier this year on Google+.
The “good old days” should be coming back.
I need to get back to that instead of the 250+ I’m at now. I don’t even know what I weight, as I haven’t been weighing myself. That will require cutting *way* back on the beer.
Bikes
After a week of riding the recumbent to work, I realize that it hasn’t been my favorite bike for many years. That’s unfortunate, as it’s a nice bike. I won’t get ride of it, as I need a bike for the “bad neck days”.
The rSogn has been in pieces. I finally got around to picking up some used 650b tires* from Tim for a fair price. I’ll re-assemble the bike this week. I won’t be commuting on it.
The Big Dummy is in great shape for commuting. I’ll ride that tomorrow.
Diane and I have been riding the tandem quite a bit over the last three days. I made the wrong choice in tires for this bike. The 26×1.75 Paselas are nice tires, but with our combined excessive weight, glass works it’s way through the tire pretty frequently. I fixed another flat yesterday. I’ll keep using the tires, but when they’re worn, I’ll replace them with something tougher. Also, the rear wheel has two broken spokes. I had no idea until changing the tire. The wheel still runs true – one of the benefits of a 40-spoke wheel. I’ll be taking it in this week for repair.
I won’t be buying a new bike for a while – probably not this year. Money is tight. I need to fix some things on the bikes I have. I need to make the single-speed ridable.
The Leg
I’m recovering well from my Achilles repair surgery. I still have a bit of a limp. I started riding the bike (against doctor’s orders) five weeks after surgery. This quickly led to accelerated recovery. I quit wearing the boot within days. The borrowed wheelchair was returned. The purchased crutches, walker, and knee-walker are in the basement.
On March 13th, I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor. He said although I’ve been aggressive with my recovery, that I’m unlikely to re-rupture unless I start running or jumping. Easy – I won’t be doing any running or jumping. He hasn’t ordered any physical therapy as it would only be for range of motion, which I have no issue with due to my “aggressive” recovery. I still need strength training, but he wants to wait a bit longer for that. My next appointment is April 24th.
Tomorrow will be ten weeks since my Achilles rupture. Friday was nine weeks since the surgery. I’m pleased with the progress.
Fun Riding
I really haven’t done much leisure riding. It’s mostly been commuting and errands. I’m pretty liberal on what errand really means though. It includes riding the tandem with Diane to the bar, the store, her mother’s house, or whatever.
We hauled her dog (Baxter) in a backpack on the tandem last night for a trip to Apocalypse Brew Works. They are a dog-friendly establishment, and have good beer. We had drivers pointing, laughing, and taking pictures on the way. Baxter is a cutie.
Today, we hooked the trailer to the tandem and rode to Diane’s mother’s house. We hauled the borrowed wheelchair back to her house. We then went to her oldest son’s first apartment and had dinner.
On the way home we stopped for beer.
The Wedding
It’s still on – just in case you were wondering. 🙂 It’s two weeks from today. I was asked if I had cold feet. I said I’d wear warm socks.
There are a few small details to iron out, but most everything is ready.
Work
My job was a contract position that was supposed to end on 3/31. That’s now been extended to 4/28. That means I can’t tease Diane that she’s marrying an unemployed bum. Oh well.
There is talk of another extension. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. I do feel as if I’m wrapping things up and fulfilling my duties. I will be ready to move on at the end of April. I just hope I can find a job.
Weight, Beer, and the Elephant in the Room
I haven’t been weighing. I know I’ve gained weight. Diane has gained weight. She had to have her wedding dress re-altered. Yikes! She’s not happy about that. Our combined weight was apparently too much for the tandem’s rear wheel and two spokes have broken.
I gave up beer earlier this year for weight loss. It didn’t last long. I’m getting married on April 6th, and our reception is at a bar. There will be beer. My birthday is 4/26, and there will be beer.
I’ve made tentative plans to quit drinking on 5/1, but will I stick to it? I honestly don’t know. I know I need to. I want to lose another 70 lbs. I want to be able to crank out mildly-hilly 70-mile rides on the single speed. I’ve done it before. I want to be able to do it again.
Diane and I talk about losing weight. We just don’t do anything about it. I’m sure that will be a recurring theme here for a while. This website is fatguy.org after all. Maybe I’ll find focus someday. Maybe I can reach my goal weight of 175. Then fatguy.org will redirect to usedtobea.fatguy.org, or something. 🙂
*Tyres for Mark because he’s from the UK, and for Timothy, just because he’s weird.
I haven’t been concentrating on weight loss. I’m still not weighing myself. I am on the bike most days now. I have an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon later this week where he can tell me I’ve been reckless, but that it’s turned out well. 🙂
Diane and I have ridden together on the tandem and on single bikes. We had an argument while riding single bikes on Friday night. It turned ugly, but was fine later. We’re both out of shape from lack of riding, but she was struggling more than I. We had both been drinking. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
I still can’t run. I still have a limp. Otherwise I feel mostly normal. I don’t feel so fragile anymore. I haven’t done any big rides. I may not be ready for that. I need to get back on the scale, back on the bike, and back on track.
Diane and I spent some time on the computer today to print wedding invitations. She bought pretty paper. I had to make it work with my laser printer running Linux on my computer with less-than-ideal drivers. I wasted a lot of plain paper getting it right, but the finished product looks good.
The wedding date is approaching too quickly. There are too many things to handle. My medical bills are coming in. I need to do my taxes soon. I need to start looking for another job, as this one will be ending soon. Bleh. This is the wrong time of year to get married.
I worked on bikes today. The rSogn has had a flat tire for over a week. It turns out the rear tire is worn. The tire came used with the bike. It’s had enough. I can see the casing through the tread. Buying a set of tires is another item to add to the list. I tuned up the recumbent for tomorrow’s commute.
I know I need to get back on track, but I feel overwhelmed with everything going on. So instead of worrying about everything, I’m trying to tackle short-term tasks first. The weight loss isn’t on the radar yet. :/
Stay tuned. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting ride.
Okay, very little about me or my life is normal, but we’ll let that slide.
On Sunday the 23rd I wrote about getting back on the bike. I had ridden wearing the boot to protect my ankle. It did bring it’s own issues. It was awkward and almost caused a wreck on it’s own.
I ditched the boot after that. I haven’t worn it since. I did a short ride that Sunday evening. I had no issues. I rode the bike to work two days last week. It’s great to wear two shoes again.
This past Saturday, I had intended to get up for a ride. It was going to be the last nice day for a while. I felt like crap and stayed home.
I did get up for a morning ride yesterday with Tim. It was 33F and raining – PERFECT! We were staring down a winter storm warning. The frozen stuff wasn’t due for hours. I met Tim at Breadworks, as is usual. We meandered a bit, complaining about the weather. We tried the recently openedGralehaus for food and coffee. It’s not someplace I’ll go regularly, but it was a nice change of pace.
We split up short after that, where I went for a beer at Four Pegs before heading home.
A recent change is that I’ve started drinking a lot more water. I’ve had too many nights/mornings over the last couple of years where I woke up sick and dehydrated from over-consumption. Drinking water will alleviate that if I keep the amount of alcohol under control. I also wonder if dehydration was partly to blame for my Achilles tendon rupture.
Yes, I’m still not supposed to be walking on this leg, let alone riding a bike. I still have ten days before I go back to the doctor to get set up for physical therapy. I’m just considering this an early start. I’m listening to my body instead of my doctor. I just hope the body is right.
