Back in the saddle (yada yada)

Led a 28.20 mile ride on the Delaware & Raritan Canal this past Saturday (2009 10 03) on my Fisher. 2 hrs 45 min of riding. Nice. One other participant. Maintained target pace. Pleasantly surprised at my fitness after such a long time of not riding.

Biked to the store and back Sunday (2009 10 04) on my Trek, 9.52 miles, 43 minutes. Used lights on the way back. Again, pleasantly surprised at my fitness after such a long time of not riding.

I need to make this a habit. Then I won't have to throw away all those single XL and L size clothes.

Swimmin' 'n' bikin' 'n' fightin' 'round the world

Well, swimming and biking anyways.

To keep it nice & short, I swam 40 minutes yesterday, including 20 minutes of snorkeling, 10 minutes of alternating breaststroke/freestyle with snorkel mask & tube and 10 minutes of old school swimming with no mask or tube, just ordinary goggles. Awesome.

Today I biked 9.24 miles in 39:51, an average of 13.8 mph. Max speed was 23.5. This was on the Fisher with the Continental Contact tires. So are the Contacts faster than the Bontragers? I'll go ahead and say probably yes. That's a faster average than my fastest previous Somerset ride. I concentrated on taking it easy, shifting to lower gears to maintain cadence and lower heart rate... but I didn't wear my heart rate monitor so I'm only 95% sure I was faster with less effort. So I want to try that and also I'd like to try the Town & Countrys. Both of which will probably have to wait until I get back from NC.

Looks like I may also have to wait until then to ride my Trek. I stopped by the bike shop yesterday to pick up the bent wheel only to find it's not ready yet. They hadn't called and since it was supposed to be ready either Friday (Aug 1) or Monday I was ready to be a little bent out of shape &mdash but they haven't been able to get the cassette off to get to the spokes. It's seized. They applied some serious penetrating lubricant (like a high grade 3 in 1 or whatever) and will hit it again after that does its magic. That bike did spend a lot of time in the sun before I had it, so maybe it's not surprising. So I'm actually embarrassed to have been on the edge of irritated with these guys. They do have an excellent reputation...

That's not as short as I'd envisioned. Anyway to sum up, that's 80 of my 275 minutes for this week.

New Month, New Resolve

July was good. August will be even better. It's easy to see myself becoming more active, becoming fitter, thinner and seemingly younger.

The only firm number I have is the 'new' bike odometer: 106.5. I don't think I mentioned it, but I lost my old Cateye Enduro 2 back in July in NC. Now I have a new Enduro 8, which I like probably even better than the old computer. My only regret is not having odometer data from before, but whatever.... I can say for certain only that the old odo was at least 2269 miles (my best guess would be 3500).

I'll have weight figures tomorrow after going to Bally.

Although I technically didn't work out this weekend, I got plenty of exercise. Friday night, we walked all over NYC for 60 minutes (at least, moderate); Saturday we scrubbed our deck for about 3 hours (moderate to strenuous, aerobic and strength) and Sunday we stained the deck, which took about 90 minutes (easy to moderate).

That makes over 500 minutes of exercise this week, kicking my goal of 275 squarely in the pants.

By the way, my bitching and moaning in the previous post? Kinda stupid. I checked the tire pressure in the Contacts: 10 pounds low. So I put some more air. I re-measured the rotational distance and discovered it was a cm short (which means the speedometer was slower than reality). I took a spin down to the end of the block and easily exceeded 15 mph, much faster than my previous 13.2 with the same bike (and knobby tires). I'll try the Contacts on a ride this week. They ride pretty hard so I'm glad I have Town & Countrys for non-mountain off trail (NMOT??). But pumped up to 60, they're fast on the road.

Crappy cycling session

2008 07 31 Thursday 20:45 finish

Cycling in Somerset
duration 33:34
avg 12.8
max 24.0
distance 7.24 miles

Why is this "crappy" ?

Well... it started before the ride, when I discovered the rear wheel of my Trek had 3 broken spokes and was badly warped. I found this out as I was installing the new Continental Contact tires which I bought in hopes of increasing my road speed. I probably bashed the spokes while car-racking the bikes back from Brooklyn a couple of weeks back. [Sigh.]

So, off came the tire and the wheel went to the bike doctor.

I decided, "Hey! Why not put the new Contis on my Fisher and see what happens?" So I did that, and in the process somehow got the rear derailleur cable out of its little holders. I found I could get it to go back into any TWO of the three holders... and eventually, thanks to some brute force, I got it back into all three.

Then I quickly measured the wheel rotation (202.7 cm, rounded up to 203 for the Cateye Enduro 8), set the computer and grabbed my helmet.

So, now that it was pretty much dark, I turned on my lights and decided to go for a short ride. One thing I noticed right away was that the new tires didn't seem any faster than the Bontrager knobbies that came with the bike. A harder, quieter ride to be sure, but not significantly faster.

Did I mention I felt like shit from too much ice cream today? Now's as good a time as any, I guess. Anyway, maybe that's why I was slower than 2 days ago, even though it was a shorter ride and these tires are supposed to be super fast thanks to the magic of "low rolling resistance". Or maybe I didn't have enough air in them, or too much.

Or maybe I was just tired from Mon/Tue/Wed's workouts. Or out of sorts from the gears not shifting up too smoothly. Or from searching for an easy mountain bike trail earlier today online and not finding anything definite. Or from my saddle being half a finger too low and its nose being tilted one click two far up.

Whatever.

I get the wheel back from the shop either tomorrow or Monday and then the Conti Contacts go on the Trek, dammit. I'll maybe try the Town & Countrys on the Fisher, or maybe just stick to knobbies. I think I'll go check the tire pressure right fricking now and double check the rotational distance. And raise the saddle half a finger and tilt the nose back one click.

And maybe pat myself on the back &mdash that makes 185 of my target 275 minutes for this week, leaving only 90 for me to nail that on the weekend, maybe on an easy mountain bike trail.

NordicTrack and bad 90s movie

2008 07 30 Wednesday (20:00 finish)

NordicTrack
time 40 minutes
distance 3.8 miles
avg speed 5.7 mph

calories 747
avg heart rate 140

A pretty good little workout. Again, I'd have liked to have kept my heart rate a little lower, but part of the difficulty with that comes from yesterday's intense session. That other part comes from having expectations about how fast I "should" go. Chalk that up to 12 years of Nordic Trackin'.

I did increase the tension from the previous session (the machine I have in NJ is the Pro model, so I don't have objective tension measurement) but still found myself going in the mid 5s to low 6s, only slightly (if at all) slower than before.

In a break from previous convention, I'm counting my cool-down period in the workout. I did 36 minutes of the main workout, with a target HR of 135-140. I did the last 3 minutes of the main workout up to 170.

I rolled the machine in front of the TV and surfed into the end of The Chase, a Very Bad Movie starring Charlie Sheen. When that ended, I checked out the Satellite radio and discovered BPM, a dance remix channel which was totally excellent.

That's 151 of my 275 minutes for this week....

Two recent workouts...

2008 07 28 Monday 8:00 PM (finish)

Bally Total Fitness, East Brunswick
30 minutes on the LifeFitness cycle
20 minutes snorkeling
20 minutes swimming

This was one of the most satisfying cardio sessions I've ever done. During the cycling, I concentrated on my cadence (target 85-95 rpm) and posture. Maintaining my target heart rate of 135-140 was easy. I finished with 2:30 of high intensity, raising my HR up to 170 and spinning as fast as 110 rpm. During the swimming, I concentrated on form and abdominal breathing. I did 20 minutes with fins/snorkel, another 10 minutes with snorkel but sans fins and finished with 10 minutes of regular swimming (alternating laps of breaststroke and freestyle). Breathing with the snorkel is addictive! One reason is the 'sensory deprivation' factor which makes for a meditative experience. Another reason is the removal of breathing from swimming, enabling more concentration on form and breathing.


2008 07 29 Tuesday 8:30 PM (finish)

Cycling in Somerset
duration 41:34
avg 13.7 mph
max 24.5 mph
distance 9.51 miles

avg heart rate 155
burned calories 875

So that's 111.5 of my 275 minutes for this week....

I used my new Gary Fisher Advance for this one, just as I did for a slightly longer ride last week. I'm getting some new Continental Contact city/trekking tires for my Trek later this week and when I do I'll start using the Continental Town & Country tires (currently on the Trek) on the Fisher. Even with knobbies, the Fisher is my faster bike. I'll post some pics of my bikes as soon as I get around to it...

Cycling is much more enjoyable now thanks to finally getting my saddle properly adjusted and a couple of good purchases. The Brooks Flyer saddle was an excellent call. My Pearl Izumi liner shorts are also making for a more comfortable ride.

It's also good to have lights that I can depend on. My Cateye Triple Shot headlight and Planet Bike Superflash tail light are both exceeding expectations. The headlight is a good 'seeing' light as well as an inescapable 'be seen' light. Battery life seems pretty good.

The only thing I want to improve is level of exertion. This was supposed to have been easy to moderate and actually ended up being intense. I need to drop into a lower gear more often to maintain my target HR. Part of it is the hills. Due to fatness, even small hills present major challenges. My Heart Rate shot up to about 160 in the first few minutes. As I've seen many times in all types of exercise, once it goes up, it stays up. I was in the mid 150s for the most of the ride, which is about 15-20 beats higher than my target. Well, you know, the biggest room in the world is... the room for improvement.

Back in the Saddle Again (again)

It's been over two frickin' years since I posted anything on here. It hasn't been quite that long since I exercised, but I'm going to dive back in now -- or at least dip my toe in to test the waters.

The main things I've been doing lately:

• Bicycling. I've probably been doing about 3 times as much tinkering as riding, but I've done a few canal towpath rides, some street riding and one recent mountain bike ride at Hartshorne State Park. My current bikes: a Trek 800 rigid steel ATB, rigged for commuting and/or touring; and a new Gary Fisher Ascent aluminum framed hardtail for mountain biking. You'll recognize me on the trail, because I'm the one with the honey-colored Brooks Flyer sprung saddle. Laugh if you like, but my ass thanks me...
  
  
• Swimming/Snorkeling! These are my new favorite activities. Again, you'll recognize me as the guy prowling the pool at the East Brunswick Bally Total Fitness wearing a snorkel and swim fins. At first I just went for the hot tub, but I can stay under for 20+ minutes now with no problems and my swimming is also much improved.
  
  
• Nordic Track. Still plugging away on my old Nordic Track pro, 12 years and counting... I finally found the right lubricant for the squeaky wheels (I hope): lithium grease. This is still the smoothest cardio workout I know of. Even the newest elliptical machine at the gym doesn't come close.
  
  
• Strength training. Right now, I'm averaging one full-body workout about once ever two weeks. Obviously I want to improve that. Also, we recently got a Bosu ball for at home. It's difficult but I like it!
  

So I'll start posting again and maybe that'll help motivate me. I'm very fat so I hope so!

March 7 -- Solid

I stretched.
I meditated
I ate sensibly and moderately.
I biked 7.47 miles.
I walked the dogs 0.7 miles.

A good day.

March 6 -- Back to it

Weight: 53.50 lbs above target weight
This week: down 0.75 lbs
This year: down 2.00 lbs

Bicycle odometer: 2262.0

I've been eating better, and exercising rather sporadically. I'm moving in the right direction, so I'm just going to free-form it this week, too.

Yesterday (Sunday), I biked 4.86 miles, walked about 3 miles with my friend Thom, and later walked 0.7 miles with the dogs. I also stretched.

Today (Monday), I biked 2.50 miles and walked 0.7 miles with the dogs.

I can do better than I did today. I'd intended to start the day by stretching and then meditating, after which I was going to have written out my list of things to do for the day... but as soon as I got up I realized I was out of dog food, so I cycled off to get some dog food, and got right to work as soon as I got back. As usual, I felt like I was late for something all day, and that I was always overlooking some important something I was supposed to be doing.

Well, tomorrow is another day. And, one hopes, a better one.

Feb 19 -- Quick Update

This has been a week of rest. With snow/ice, bike-unfriendly roads (and my fear of same), a pesky cold (fortunately over now) and lack of access to indoor exercise equipment, I didn't get much aerobic exercise this week. I cycled a total of 3.44 miles. I walked about 1.2 miles. So, in short, not a great week for aerobic exercise.

However -- I did do some good things:

• I stretched 6 times.
  
• I meditated 5 times.
  
• I did a strength training session with pushups and situps.
  
• I used the car only once.
  
• I didn't overeat at all (!).

The not overeating is particularly important and has resulted in some significant weight loss. I hope the stretching and strength training have helped me to preserve muscle, so that the loss is primarily from fat. The meditating has improved my focus.

I will be here for at least the next couple of days. I will try to get some aerobic exercise, along with meditation, strength training, and stretching. I will try to maintain the good eating habits I've been following. We shall see.

Feb 14 -- Quick Update (Hiatus)

I'm out of town and not exercising as much as I'd like. I've also got a cold. But things are pretty good. I've stretched and meditated almost every day since my last entry. I managed 27.04 miles on the bike this past week, 23.02 of them in a ride on a canal towpath last Thursday.

About 18" of snow fell here this weekend and cycling in traffic is difficult here to begin with -- but I did manage 1.63 miles for transportation yesterday. I'll probably do about the same today. I also did pushups and situps Friday.

I don't have access to an accurate scale here, so I don't know my weight, but I feel I've lost a little bit. Thanks largely to the cold, I have less appetite; also, I'm receiving some good nutritional advice here. In short: exercise down, calories down. Weight down? I expect to be home in about a week, at which time I'll know something about that.

Feb 05 -- A fairly good day....

I took it pretty easy today.

I cycled 2.73 miles for transportation.

I stretched.

I meditated.

I walked the dogs 0.8 miles...

Do you want the whole truth?

I felt like a big, fat, old slob.

Yeah. :-(

Weekly Numbers -- February 05, 2006

Weight: 57.50 lbs above target weight
This week: up 1.50 lbs
This year: up 2.00 lbs

Current bike odometer: 2203.5 miles

This past week:

• I worked out 5 times, meeting my goal.
  
• I cycled on 6 days, exceeding my goal, for a total of 46.01 miles.
  
• I didn't drive the MTB at all, failing to meet my goal of using it twice (at least once off-road).
  
• I walked the dogs 6 days, exceeding my goal, for a total of about 5 miles.
  
• I skied 4.89 miles in 1 NordicTrack session.
  
• I stretched once, failing to meet my goal of twice.
  
• I meditated 5 times, exceeding my goal.
  
• I drove the car about 75 miles, never for my own use (I took my visiting elderly relative to the train station in Salisbury and I took my mother to two medical appointments).

Other than not riding the MTB, and not stretching as much as I'd wanted, it was a good week. With bad results. That's two in a row, and it's hard to take. Probably my diet is to blame. I haven't done any deliberate modification, and maybe it's time to start.

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.
  
• Cycle at least 50 miles total.
  
• Do at least one session of strength training.
  
• Stretch at least 3 times.
  
• Meditate at least 3 times.
  
• Drive the car only when truly necessary and track mileage.
  
• Refrain from overeating.

I've added another 5 miles to the cycling goal, added one strength training session, and increased the stretching and meditation goals to 3 days each. I removed the MTB and dog-walking goals, since I'm going out of town (without dogs or MTB; yeah -- sadness). "Only when truly necessary" with car driving is unfortunately going to include a 500+ mile (one-way) trip. I've kept the diet goal deliberately vague, but I hope awareness of the general principle will help me to Put The Cookie Down (PTCD) when I'm tempted to overeat.

Feb 04 -- Rounding out a good week

So, today I finally got my front derailleur adjusted by a professional. No charge. If ever you're in Statesville, NC, check out Riddle's Schwinn Cyclery on West Front St. It's a classic old bike shop, run by a very cool guy.
/plug

I did the rear derailleur myself. It's almost perfect now....

Today I cycled 7.53 miles, entirely for transportation. I even rode in the rain without rain gear -- and I didn't melt.

I meditated.

I walked the dogs 0.8 miles.

A good time was had by all.

Feb 03 -- bunches of good stuff

Yesterday, I listened to my body. It said, "Give me a day off, or I'm going on strike!" So, I chilled out. I didn't cycle at all. I didn't walk the dogs. I did meditate.

Today didn't go as planned.

I'd planned to finish screwing around with the Trek's derailleurs by early afternoon, taking it to the local bike shop(s) as needed. Then I was going to do my old ride up Chipley Ford Road, a 20 miler I did 3-4 times a week back in the day.

Back then, that was my basic route; I'd often tack on a few more miles to round out a 2-3 hour ride. That was a daily thing. But I haven't done that ride in over 10 years, mainly because: (1) the increased traffic bugs/scares me; and (2) I'm slow, which makes (1) worse. When I was all sinewy, slender muscle, I averaged 15+ mph on that route on a Schwinn Varsity. These days, I average about 12 mph around town on my Trek ATB commuter rig. And I weigh, uh, a lot more than I did in 1991. :-(.

I finally feel strong enough to give Chipley Ford Rd. another go. But not today. I still haven't finished with those ****ing derailleurs yet....

What I did manage today was to ski 4.89 miles on the NordicTrack in an hour, burning almost 1100 calories at an average heartrate of 140 beats per minute. Kick ass!

I cycled 4.20 miles for transportation. Despite balky derailleurs. (I've almost got them fixed now. I think.)

I stretched (about time, huh?).

I meditated.

I walked the dogs 0.8 miles.

So... while it wasn't the day I had planned, it was a pretty good day.

Feb 01 -- Drop and give me... twelve?!?

Yeah, well, twelve pushups was my limit. I did another set of 10, then did 100 situps and called it a good day of strength training.

I meditated.

I cycled 10.33 miles in 50+ minutes (12.3 mph).

I walked the dogs 0.7 miles.

And yes, I'm sore.

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.