Ugh!

I haven't ridden in a week+. I've had good, even great excuses, but still! Does thinking about riding count? Will my thighs benefit from just thinking about hills? Or, will the calories be burned by imagining the wind in my face?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

Good News

I've lost five pounds this week. Yippee! I'm really happy about that. I'm thinking the cycling has a lot to do with it. OK. A lot to do with it. I can feel my legs, arms, and back getting stronger. Jesse says my legs and arms are starting to feel solid. (I guess that's better than feeling fluffy.)

Along with the biking, I am, also, cutting all my meals in half or smaller. What really decides how much I eat is my stomach. I am trying very hard to listen to it and not eat a single bite past that initial full feeling. Let me tell you - It can be hard to do. If your stomach has been growling for a hour and you finally get to eat, you feel like you should be able to eat two helpings of spaghetti. Not so! That old stomach is just the same size as it was at lunch and doesn't want more than it was designed to hold. It is so easy to eat too fast and miss that first full feeling. Or, to tell yourself that you can't possible be full already and just completely ignore what your stomach is trying to tell you. Our bodies are really amazing works of genius. It knows exactly how much it needs. Wow!

I rode 10.3 miles (in 49 min.) at the Veloway today. I got the extra mile by riding in the neighborhood nearby. My plan had been to ride the circuit 4 times to get 12.4 miles. But, it was getting dark and I didn't want to be out too close to dusk. Those wooded areas in the back that I love during the day, start to look spooky as the sun goes down. Daylight savings time stinks for after work riders.

Only Two Stops

I made it up that dang ol' hill with only 2 rest stops. Not too shabby for the second time up it. I swear - I'm going to make it up without stopping someday.

I made need to change my route a little bit. I timed it today and it took me 10 minutes to reach the hill from where I started. Then, about 10 minutes to get to the top. (That's with 2 rest breaks.) It takes the entire first 10 minutes for my legs to quit screaming at me. (You know the drill- "What the Heck? Are you nuts? Stop it right now!") Just about the time my legs decide to join the effort - I hit the hill. Maybe if I gave my legs a bit more time to warm up, I'd do better. It's a thought!

My time today? 11 miles in 57 minutes. As a friend reminded me, that's 3 minutes shaved off my previous time. Not too bad. Every little bit counts. At least, I hope it does.

I'm not riding tomorrow. I agreed to do some PRN work. However, I'm planning on riding Wednesday. Plus, Wednesday is the weekly weigh in at work. Wish me luck! I want to win that pot of money.

By the way.... My legs are sore and so is my booty and woohoo. Ouch!

A Week Later....

It has been a long week. Every day I woke up thinking, "I'm going to ride when I get home today." Everyday something came up. I won't go into details but it looked something like this:

1. Monday - Mother in Law errands
2. Tuesday - PRN Work
3. Wednesday - By the time Jesse got home, I was a zombie
4. Thursday - PRN Work
5. Friday - Back to Mother in Law errands

Today, I almost talked myself out of riding. I'm going to be honest. I was nervous about riding by myself. Riding by yourself has several good points, but it is equally matched by several bad ones; especially when you are just starting on a new road. So, I was willing to use a visit from my grandson to put it off. Then I was going to use Jesse, my husband, as the excuse. He was sick, but insisting that I not ride unless he could be there. (We're both a little cautious about my riding after the surgery.)

Why was I putting it off? I didn't want to fail. I didn't want to see just how out of shape I am. Then I was flogging myself with worries and fears.

Even though I was trying to talk myself into going, I just kept thinking about that nasty hill. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it up it without walking at least part of the way. That hill became my enemy and the sole reason for my future humiliation. I dreaded facing it.

Then there is the whole anemia thing. I went to the doctor this week and she told me I'm still anemic following the surgery. ( I was anemic when I went into surgery. So, I've go a way to go.) Being anemic makes you feel like you are 50 pounds heavier and more out of shape than you really are. Frankly, I don't need any extra baggage. I've got enough as it is. Then, to top it off, it makes it harder to recover from any physical activity.

So, I had two pretty good excuses to fail. And I was expecting to do just that. So when Jesse insisted that he felt well enough to be my cheerleader, I almost reluctantly gathered my biking gear. But, guess what? I didn't fail. I did 11 miles in an hour. I don't think that is so bad. After a week of inactivity and being WAY out of shape, I think I did pretty darn good. Now, does Lance A. have anything to worry about? Well, no. Neither do the hard boys and girls that ride 18+ miles an hour. But, I'm going to think optimistically and believe that I have a chance of keeping up with those hard boys and girls in a years time. Dodo or not, I'm optimistic!

I got to confess something now. That nasty hill almost broke me. I had to stop three times going up it. However, I did NOT walk my bike up - not even a few steps. I just plain refused to do so. I have some pride, after all. But halfway up I realized something. That hill had 2 weapons, other than it's size and length, against me. The biggest weapon that hill had was me. I had totally psyched myself out before I even began to climb it. I didn't make it 1/4 of the way up before I had to stop the first time. All that was running through my head was, " I'll never make it up this. I just know I can't do ride up this thing." Let this be a lesson to others - don't become your own worst enemy. The second weapon that hill had was my anemia. My heart was pounding. My breathing was ragged. However, my legs didn't feel all that bad. That sucked, but I can live with that till my blood levels are normal. So, while the hill won this battle, it did not break me. I'll be back and eventually beat that nasty thing. Then I'll set out to conquer it's ugly cousins just a few miles down the road.

So - Keep Optimistic Keep Riding Keep Safe