Jan 31 -- Day of rest

I meditated.

I cycled 2.51 leisurely miles for transportation. I walked the dogs 0.7 miles.

Jan 30 -- More of same

This evening, I cycled 9.86 miles in 45+ minutes (12.9 mph).

I need to adjust both the front and rear derailleurs. Shifting to the lowest chainring has become a little too difficult, as I discovered on the largest hill in town. Ugh. Actually, getting up out of the saddle is good; I should do it more often. Somehow, the rear shifter hesitates (or balks) both up and down in places. I probably should take it in to the ol' LBS (local bike shop) and let them have a look. I'll try lubrication and barrel adjusters first.

But mostly, it was an excellent ride. I now have a flexible route that's interesting enough to do over and over. 8 miles, with two variations that add about a mile each. I'm increasingly interested in trying my old 20 mile out-and-back ride up Chipley Ford Road, but I worry about my (lack of) speed and the increased traffic. But I should just DO it and see what's what.

And I'm walking the dogs right after I post this....

Jan 29 -- Cycling and Dog Walking

I cycled 11.54 miles in 55+ minutes at an average speed of 12.5 mph.

I walked the dogs 0.7 miles.

I meditated.

Another week is off to a good start.

Weekly Numbers -- January 29, 2006

Weight: 56.00 lbs above target weight
This week: up 2.00 lbs
This year: up 0.50 lbs

Current bike odometer: 2157.5 miles

This past week:

• I worked out 6 times, exceeding my goal.
  
• I cycled on 5 days, meeting my goal, for a total of 40.49 miles.
  
• I drove the MTB twice, meeting my goal.
  
• I walked the dogs 7 days (!), exceeding my goal, for a total of about 5 miles.
  
• I skied 5.03 miles in 1 NordicTrack session.
  
• I stretched once.
  
• I meditated once.
  
• I drove the car over 100 miles, never for my own use (visiting elderly relative).

In short, I met or exceeded all goals -- and gained 2 pounds. Well, if I hadn't been down this road a time or three, I might find this discouraging. But I know that the difference between this week's and last week's weight could easily be water weight, and that I may have added muscle (which weighs more than fat).

I'm doing the right things. I'm exercising properly, I'm eating healthy foods in reasonable amounts. I'm enjoying myself and feeling good. I know I'm on the right track. So I will keep moving forward.

This week's goals:

• Workout at least 5 times, burning at least 500 calories each time.
  
• Cycle at least 2 miles on at least 5 days.
  
• Drive the MTB at least 1 mile on at least 2 days, at least once off road.
  
• Cycle at least 45 miles total.
  
• Walk the dogs at least 5 times.
  
• Stretch at least 2 times.
  
• Meditate at least 2 times.
  
• Drive the car only when truly necessary and track mileage.

I've added 5 miles to the cycling goal, and I've added stretching and meditation. It's getting more complicated, but in reality, it's getting easier. Working out is an old habit I'm easily relearning. Cycling for transportation is much more fun than driving. Walking the dogs makes me feel good (and makes them feel at least as good). These things are basically automatic now. A few more weeks and I can truly say they are dialed-in.

The new stuff can become automatic, too. The only thing left to add is strength training (mainly for upper body, as cycling is doing a nice job with my legs), but in the interest of simplicity, I'm going to save that for another week.

Jan 28 Night Cycling

Saturday night's all right for... cycling?

Sure it is, when good ol' g-map route 824 is right in your backyard. I rode it 12 times, for a total of 7.81 miles in 37 minutes and small change, an average speed of 12.6 mph. On the MTB no less.

I also walked the dogs 0.7 miles around the same loop. I am a regular one man neighborhood watch tonight.

Nordic Trackin' on a Friday Evening

Yeah, my life is a little dull lately. But I'm working out, so at least there's that....

This evening, I skied 5.03 miles in one hour at an average heartrate of 139 beats per minute, burning a total of 1074 calories. Increased fitness is beginning to show.

This has been a good week so far. Now I just need a little more excitement....

Sometimes it gets easier

This evening I cycled 10.98 miles in 53 minutes and change. I'm up to a whopping 12.3 mph. A faster Fred am I. This run did include one errand, so I was really a wee bit faster than that. Pretty good says I.

More driving today, though. Ugh.

Tuesday and so slow

Yesterday evening, I cycled 5.95 miles at about 12 mph. Don't laugh -- it included the town's two most famous hills. OK, laugh a little if you like. If you'd seen me huffing and puffing at 5 mph you probably wouldn't have been able to help yourself anyway.

Tonight I walked the dogs 0.7 miles. Today broke my 10-day string of cycling every day. No big. I needed a break.

Unfortunately, I also drove about 40 miles. Eek. Elderly relatives, what are ya gonna do?

Monday store run

So I cycled to the store and back last night. 6.89 miles.

I know Greg LeMond famously said that cycling "doesn't get easier, you just get faster" -- but I beg to differ. If you don't care about going faster, it does get easier. A lot easier.

I remember the first time I made this run, my thighs felt like they were about to explode and I was very worried about the traffic as I struggled up the long hill leading back into downtown in granny gear. Last night, it was almost easy. Still slow, but now spinning comfortably in a higher gear.

Wearing the right clothes helps, too. When the drizzle and chill are not even factors, cycling is a lot more pleasant. I still need a better base layer, either wool or synthetic, but I'll find it soon, and in the meanwhile what I have works OK.

I also took the dogs for the usual 0.7 mile walk. They are now thoroughly spoiled, expecting the walk every night. Which is good.

A day late...

...but right on the money. Yesterday was good. Despite rain, I cycled 8.83 miles. 1.47 of that was on the MTB. I took the dogs for a walk. We didn't melt.

Maybe I'll do more good stuff later on today.

Weekly Numbers -- January 22, 2006

Weight: 54.00 lbs above target weight
This week: down 3.25 lbs
This year: down 2.50 lbs

Current bike odometer: 2116.9 miles

This past week:

• I worked out 5 times, meeting my goal
  
• I cycled 7 days (!), exceeding my goal, for a total of 40.00 miles
  
• I drove the MTB twice, technically meeting my goal -- but I rode it only 1.16 miles total
  
• I drove the car once, for about 6 miles, meeting my goal
  
• I walked about 8 miles
  
• I rode the NordicTrack once, for a total of 4.64 miles

So that was a good week. That rate of weight loss isn't sustainable, and may reflect some random variation (water, et cet). The only real room for improvement would be riding the MTB a bit more.

This week's goals:

• Workout at least 5 times, burning at least 500 calories each time
  
• Cycle at least 2 miles on at least 5 days
  
• Drive the MTB at least 1 mile on at least 2 days
  
• Cycle at least 40 miles total
  
• Walk the dogs at least 5 times
  
• Drive the car only when truly necessary and track mileage

I will undoubtedly drive the car considerably more this week than last, since I have an elderly relative coming to visit. Still, I hope I can meet or exceed last week's performance on all the rest.

NordicTrack Nirvana

OK -- not really Nirvana, but a pretty good session.

4.64 mi in 1:00:00, burning a total of 1077 cal at an average heartrate of 140.

Also today, I cycled 3.35 miles for transportation. Maybe there'll be a dog walk....

Day of rest and utility

I cycled 4.19 miles for transportation. The dogs and I walked about 0.8 miles. I meditated. I stretched a bit. It was a good day.

A little night cycling

I rode the MTB 0.47 mi earlier. This evening, I rode the Trek 9.95 miles in 48:26, an average speed of 12.2 mph. In a few minutes, I'll walk the dogs.

So that's 5 days on the bike, 4 workouts, 4 dog walks, 2 days on the MTB.

What's missing? Strength, flexibility and meditation.

Also, I haven't been much concerned with diet. The only rule I've been following is "don't overeat." As I've seen so many times before, exercising more has actually decreased my appetite.

I've driven the car once this week. I took my mother on a couple of errands, for something like 6 miles of car driving. I'll probably drive a slightly longer distance tomorrow (massive amount of recycling).

So far, this is a model week.

Mainly a rest day

Today I listened to my body's request for a little recovery time. I did cycle 3.8 miles (and I'm going to take the dogs for the usual 0.7 mile walk).

In other news: I'm really digging this cool weather. :-)

Wind is good

Went for a windy bike ride yesterday evening. Gusts up to 50 mph, according to the forecast, but I don't think I felt anything that high. Still, I remembered what people on BikeForums mean when they say they'd rather ride up a big hill than fight a headwind. I'd rather ride downhill with a tailwind. All the time.

I cycled 8.20 miles in 40:34, a speed of 12.0 mph. That included some errand stops, some big hills and some wind in the face. I also walked the dogs, which was the second time this week. So that's 3 workouts, 3 bike rides, 1 day on the MTB and 2 dog walks.

This is good. I am doing what I want to do.

A good week so far

Sunday I cycled 9.15 miles in just over 45 minutes, an average speed of 12.0 mph. This was a streets ride, making kind of a big, clockwise semi-circle around the town. I'm looking forward to being in such good shape that a ride like this seems tame and short. Right now, I feel the hills way too much and I'm glad when a ride like this is over.

Actually, I went about 8 miles, watched the Panthers/Bears game across town, then cycled home. I felt comfortable and safe in traffic. No honks or other crap. A couple of too-close passes, both Cadillacs driven by "senior citizens." Sorry, but buzzing cyclists is not -- repeat not -- good citizenship. But we're still talking over a foot away, so no big deal. I practiced memorizing their license plates and let go of my anger on the spot.

******************************************************************

Today was also good. I walked just over 5 miles -- or I should say we walked, since I was accompanied by faithful canine companionship. I also cycled a massive 0.69 miles on the MTB.

So for those playing the home game...

That's two workouts so far this week, two days of bike driving, one day of MTBing (even if it was on the street).

The numbers

Just posted this on Mike's thread at BikeForums:

Weight: 56.75 lbs above target weight
This week: down 1.25 lbs
This year: down 0.25 lbs

Not much to add to that, except

• I worked out 4 days this week.
  
• I drove my bike 26.63 miles in 2:21:58 (avg speed 11.2 mph).
  
• I skiied 9.31 miles on the NordicTrack in 2:00:00 (avg speed 4.66).
  
• I drove the car twice (didn't track mileage).

I usually keep track of weeks Monday through Sunday, but I'll switch to Sun-Sat to match Mike at BikeForums.

So goals...

• Exercise at least 5 days a week, burning at least 500 cal. I haven't been measuring, but I recall that I burn over 100 cal/mile on the bike. So -- at least 5 miles on the bike, or at least 30 min on the NordicTrack, probably 25 min of running, or an hour of walking.
  
• Drive the bike at least 2 miles at least 5 days a week. Drive the MTB at least twice.
  
• Walk the dogs at least 5 times.
  
• Drive the car only when truly necessary and track miles driven.

These are arbitrary, but fairly easy. I hope. We'll see.

Nordic Trackin'

I felt a strange excitement/anxiety while I was working out. Not a bad session, but I couldn't seem to keep my heartrate down. The numbers make it look bad:

4.44 mi in 1:00:00 at an avg heartrate of 142.

Could be worse -- instead of working out, I could have sat around eating cheesy poofs!

And for the second session in a row, I managed to get my music transferred from "unreviewed" to "workout tunes."

Yeah, I know. Thanks.

**************************************************************************

I saw a thread on BikeForums where a guy talked about wanting to lose weight this year and to help him stay on track, he's going to post his weekly numbers on the thread. This sounded like such a good idea, I took up his challenge and I'm going to post my numbers there, too. This is the thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=166083

Tomorrow I'll post my numbers, pretty much like I do here whenever I feel like it. Motivation: it's a good thing.

The Right Track

The NordicTrack, my old friend. So I went 4.87 mi in an hour, burning 1056 calories at an average heart rate of 138. Rock.

Rain, rain go away

It started raining about an hour before I was going to bike to the store. And it hasn't stopped. And I'm a wimp. So, looks like a NordicTrack Friday night.

Yesterday was good. I biked 8.8 miles, bringing my total for the week to 26.6. I will formalize some goals next week. This week I want no pressure.

I took my weight yesterday, and it ain't good: I'm up a little, to 56.50 lbs over target weight. But that's okay. That small amount of variation could be due to water weight. No pressure. Again, I will formalize some goals/plans in the weeks to come. For now, I just want to keep moving.

[edit]I realized it might be useful to keep track of how many days I ride. 6 days and counting so far.

Gaining momentum

So today wasn't as energetic as it was supposed to be. So I didn't bike the 10 miles I'd hoped to bike. So what? Today was an improvement over the past several days. I did bike 5.5 miles and that included arguably the toughest hill in town.

And I made and installed a plastic chainring guard, so I won't have to worry about "the tattoo" anymore. It wasn't too hard to make. I just cut a round piece of black plastic, cut out the center to make it a ring, tapped the existing holes in the chainring, screwed the bolts in, marked where to make bolt holes in the ring, made the holes, added super thick plumbing washers (to keep the guard off the chain) and screwed it on. Not too shabby, and it works.

Why the bike didn't come standard with a chainguard I know not. I guess because cyclists are expected to wear a costume instead of regular clothes, and with a costume, you don't have to worry as much about rubbing the chain with your trousers. Just call me Fred, cause I'd rather be dead... than wear spandex.

I did wear my new safety vest, which seems to work.

So that's a whopping 17 miles this year so far. But a body in motion tends to stay in motion....

Breakin' the Ice

Figuratively. Since it's hardly been sub-freezing this year so far.

But -- I rode my bike tonight! Woo hoo. First time in 2006 (except for the trip to the bread store last week when I forgot to attach my cycle computer).

I rode across town to watch some football, and back. 3.80 miles. It's A Start.

At Least I'm Exercising...

Titles are going to be challenging. I can see that.

I did consider "NordicTrack Saturday Night" but decided it was too pathetic. Or "No More Mister Fat Guy" which is actually kind of good....

Anyway, it is a NordicTrack Saturday Night, so here are the numbers:
4.52 Miles in 1:00:00 (1 hour).
Avg Heartrate 140
Burned 1089 calories

As usual, I listened to music. As usual, I selected all the tracks in my "unreviewed audio" folder and hit enter. As usual, Windows Media Player played in shuffle mode. I played about 15 songs or so, most of which belong in the "workout tunes" folder. But alas, as I've done too many times, I managed to screw up while flipping back to the first tune (went past it), and now I've no idea which ones I heard. I can remember a few, but for many of them I didn't even know the artist/title, so I'll just have to leave them in unreviewed for now. Minor irritation. I think I'll seek out a good freeware software mp3 player....

Slow start

Good to begin well, better to end well.
-Fortune Cookie

I sure hope that's right, because I have not begun this year very well.

I rode my bike today: to the bread store, a total of about 0.5 miles. To add insult to slackness, I forgot to put my cycle computer back on, so the miles are "unofficial." Just as well.

Here are the stats from Monday's NordicTrack session:
4.63 miles in 1 hour (1:00:00).
Avg. heart rate: 143
Total calories burned: 1116

So that was pretty good, if slow.

This evening, I tuned up my commuter bike a bit. I oiled the chain, then wiped off the excess oil and adjusted the rear derailleur (it had been shifting badly). I had thought about either

• Removing the kickstands from both bikes; or
• Moving the lighter kickstand from the MTB over to the commuter.

In the end, I just removed the MTB's stand. This was after a thorough review of the "literature" on BikeForums, where I read horror stories of wrecked bikes and bodies due to kickstands catching on one thing or another on trails. No worries now. I do want to get the bearing tension checked out on both bikes' wheels.

And riding would be good, too....

If you're reading this...

...then you're a bigger geek than I am! ;)

Well, bless you for it.

This blog is to help me get on the right track and stay on the right track. I love being fit and lean -- but I'm not. I'm oh-so-sadly not. Haven't been for a long time, actually. You might say I'm fat but fit, but then you'd be a really, really, really nice person. And I hope you're not that nice. I want a (fairly gentle, please!) kick in the ass when I slack off. Not that I'm ever going to slack off, mind you.

So...shall we begin?

As of January 1, 2006,

• I'm 55.50 lbs above my target weight.*
  
• My bicycle odometer reads 2050.3 miles.**

I'm going to post my workouts and weekly (at least) weight updates. Cycling, NordicTrack, walking, running -- and god knows what else -- will be my workout tools. I'm not going to post overly specific goals at this time, but a broad goal is to replace motorized transport with human-powered transport. In particular, I hope to cycle as much as possible and drive as little as possible. I want to exercise at least one hour a day, at least five days a week. That's including "lifestyle" exercise (commuting, errands), aerobic exercise, and strength training.

So...it's time for me to stop typing and to start pedalling.

*I don't want to say how much I weigh, or what I'd like to weigh, so I'll express current weight in relation to what I'd like to weigh. My target weight would give me 15% body fat with my current muscle mass.

**This will include mileage from at least two bicycles. I don't wish to spring for another cycle computer and besides -- I don't want to become obsessive about this -- so I'm not going to make any effort to track separate mileage for each bike. I think I probably use my commuter bike (Trek 800 rigid MTB) about 3/4 of the time, and my Schwinn Aluminum Comp MTB the rest of the time. I want to get a road bike soon, which should make things even more interesting.