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!

Why Blog About Cycling?

I decided to start this blog after a futile search for one written by someone else beginning to ride a bike for sport, physical fitness, or just for the challenge. Frankly, I was looking for a little, indirect, moral support. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find what I was hoping for. Oh, there is a lot of very technical info on beginning cycling. What I couldn't find was the good stuff. The down and dirty stuff. The "My legs, shoulders and butt are killing me" stuff. I needed to know that I'm not the only one talking myself up a hill as other riders pass me by. So, I got to thinking that maybe I'm not the only one looking for some anonymous (or not so anonymous) moral support. That, along with some cajoling from my husband, made me decide to take the leap and chronicle my own experiences.

I hope that someone else is able to find a bit of the camaraderie I was looking forward to finding. At the very least, I hope I am able to look back a year from now and see just how far I have come.